New EU-funded Project to Improve and Upscale Primary Prevention of Cancer by Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Implementation Research is kicked-off today in Athens.
PREVENT, a groundbreaking initiative supported and co-funded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe Cancer Mission (HECM) programme, has set its sights on identifying, understanding, and overcoming the barriers and challenges associated with managing childhood obesity.
The PREVENT project mission is rooted in epidemiological studies that have highlighted a clear link between obesity and increased risks of various types of cancer, including colon, endometrium, postmenopausal breast, and kidney cancer, among others.
With cancer placing a significant economic burden on the EU, amounting to an estimated annual cost of €100 billion euros, PREVENT aligns perfectly with the roadmap of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP). The EBCP is actively engaged in the fight against cancer, aiming to address the entire disease pathway and reduce the overall burden on the EU by 2025.
PREVENT will establish three Living Labs (LL) with the participation of approximately 6,000 individuals, engaging all relevant stakeholders to collaboratively design effective strategies for addressing childhood and adolescent obesity and its intricate link to cancer. Greece, Spain, and Sweden have been selected as pilot countries for these Living Labs, which will serve as the foundation for innovative solutions.
Furthermore, PREVENT aims to actively reach out to more than over 10,000 schools and 3 million students aged 9-16 through extensive upscaling activities. By implementing interventions such as age-appropriate classroom education on healthy lifestyles, by using prevailing techniques as well as innovative ones, the promotion of healthier snacks and meals in school canteens, the support of physical activities both at school but also at community level, the PREVENT project aims to make a lasting impact.
PREVENT has multiple objectives in addressing obesity in children and adolescents. It aims to create communities of practice, analyse obesity determinants and intervention policies, and identify cancer types associated with obesity. The project also focuses on engaging stakeholders, establishing digital infrastructure, and implementing dynamic approaches for behavioural change. It involves continuous assessment through clinical evaluations, user and social-related analyses, as well as economic and sustainability assessments. Additionally, PREVENT aims to upscale interventions by selecting effective strategies, supporting new business models, proposing legislation, and establishing ethical and legal frameworks for primary prevention strategies.
Ultimately, PREVENT seeks to establish a robust framework for continuous assessment and validation of new policies. The project’s evidence-based strategies, once developed, will be widely adoptable and implementable, paving the way for transformative change in addressing childhood and adolescent obesity and reducing cancer risks.
The PREVENT project brings together a consortium of 20 partners from across Europe, all working collaboratively towards its objectives.
• NATIONAL AND KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS (NKUA)
• NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATION (EODY)
• MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MoH)
• MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS (EDU)
• KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET (KI)
• SWEDISH FOOD AGENCY (SFA)
• INTERNATIONELLA ENGELSKA SKOLAN I SVERIGE AB (IEGS)
• FUNDACIO INSTITUCIO DELS CENTRES DE RECERCA DE CATALUNYA (CERCA)
• DEPARTAMENT DE SALUT – GENERALITAT DE CATALUNYA (DS)
• EUROPEAN HEALTH MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (ΕΗΜΑ)
• THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF OBESITY (EASO)
• CANCER PATIENTS EUROPE (CPE)
• ISTITUTO DI SOCIOLOGIA INTERNAZIONALE DI GORIZIA (ISIG)
• TIME.LEX (TMLX)
• ARBISENSE AB (ARBI)
• WELLICS SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES AND RESEARCH P.C. (WEL)
• FUNDACION INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DE CASTILLA Y LEON (ITCL)
• RISA SICHERHEITSANALYSEN GMBH GmbH (RISA)
• AINIGMA TECHNOLOGIES (ENI)
• INSITUTE OF COMMUNICATIONS AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS (ICCS)
Over the next four years, a total of 20 partners from seven European countries will actively address childhood obesity with the long-term objective of reducing cancer prevalence in European Union countries. Follow PREVENT’s progress and updates on the project LinkedIn and Twitter accounts.
For more information, please contact Ms Olga Polyaeva, Communications Manager (Projects) at the European Health Management Associatio
