NEWSLETTER
Fourth edition - March 2025
The European Health Report 2024, published in February, offers insights into the health status of the population, progress in regional initiatives and efforts to meet regional and global targets, as well as the current and future health challenges facing the WHO European Region.
The report highlights that while life expectancy has increased, the health of the European population continues to be negatively affected by persistent threats and challenges. European health systems are still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, making it increasingly difficult to tackle existing and emerging issues, including workforce shortages, climate change, an ageing population and the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Although the risk of premature death from NCDs in the region is declining, evidence suggests that one in six people die before the age of 70 due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases. NCDs remain a leading cause of premature mortality and disability across the region. Alarmingly, obesity, a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), continues to rise and now affects nearly a quarter of all adults in the European Region. The report notes that tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and unhealthy diets are key drivers of NCDs – behavioural factors all linked to an increased risk of T2D and hypertension (HTN).
Despite progress, there is an urgent need to address the preventable burden of NCDs. Implementation research projects such as DigiCare4You play a key role in developing innovative, effective and sustainable solutions to prevent and manage NCDs such as T2D and HTN. DigiCare4You aims to improve the early prevention and management of T2D and HTN through a community-based, person-centred approach that integrates both social and healthcare systems, supported by digital tools.
To provide the DigiCare4You community with further insights into how we are working to prevent and manage NCDs in the European Region, we are pleased to share the fourth edition of the DigiCare4You newsletter. This edition features an update on the project, an inside look at the work of our consortium partners and a round-up of the latest news.
- Read the European health report 2024 here.
Where are we now?
Preliminary screening results ready to be analysed
The preliminary results of the DigiCare4You screening have now been compiled. Some 19,635 individuals took part in the first screening. More than half (54.5%) were 45 years old or younger. Looking at some of the behavioural factors, such as smoking status and physical activity, just over half of participants indicated they had never smoked while 79.8% indicated that they conduct at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day.
Of the 19,635 participants from the first screening, 2,246 people participated in the second screening. The majority of them (42.8%) were between the ages of 45-54 years old. More than 90 % had a FINDRISC score of 10 or above and 45% were identified and diagnosed with intermediate hyperglycaemia.
Some 1570 people were invited to join the DigiCare4You intervention and 1198 agreed to participate - 306 from Albania, 353 from Bulgaria, 411 from Greece and 141 from Spain.
First-year follow-up sessions now completed
All end-users have now completed their first-year follow-up sessions and are participating in the second year of the intervention. Participants will continue using the digital tools, MyDiet and DiaWatch, while remaining in contact with healthcare providers. In addition to collecting clinical measurements, implementers have been working to identify challenges, barriers and facilitators to better understand the intervention’s implementation and adapt it to participants' needs. Some of these challenges and barriers relate to both individual and environmental factors, including declining motivation, resistance to behaviour change, workforce shortages, and practical or logistical difficulties within healthcare centres.
Implementation partners trained on how to use the social collaboration platform
To promote the adoption of a healthy and active lifestyle among children and their families in the community, a community-based intervention in the form of a Social Collaboration Platform has been developed. Through this platform, families participating in the intervention, along with the wider community, will be able to communicate, exchange information as well as create, share and participate in social events related to the prevention and management of T2D and HTN and the adoption of healthy habits. The implementation partners have undergone technical training on how to use the platform to ensure that they are comfortable with using the platform prior to it being launched with participants.
First 'capacity-building and recommendations workshop' (CBRD) to take place on May 14, in Lisbon, Portugal
A core objective of the DigiCare4You project is to assess the scalability and transferability of the solution. The CBRD workshop will take place in conjunction with the International Conference on Integrated Care hosted by IFIC. The meeting will bring together members of the International Stakeholder Advisory Board, project partners and other stakeholders to present the progress of the project and hold discussions that will contribute to the development of the 'DigiCare4You Roadmap for Scale-up'. The invitations for the CBRD workshop have now been sent and the consortium partners have been finalising the meeting agenda. We look forward to welcoming the participants in Lisbon in May. Stay tuned for the next edition of the newsletter to hear more about the results of this workshop!
What is happening behind the scenes?
New article reveals that healthcare professionals (HCP) and citizens find the DigiCare4You digital tool to be user-friendly and useful for diabetes screening
Consortium partners published an article in Universal Access in the Information Society (November 2024). The study involved 109 HCPs and 71 citizens who tested the DigiCare4You digital screening tool. The tool received satisfactory usability scores from both HCPs and citizens and most felt that it was easy to learn and use. The DigiCare4You digital tool for diabetes screening is a promising solution that has been well-received by both HCPs and citizens. Results suggest that such digital tools can be a great help to HCPs and may empower people to take a more active role in their health.
- Usability and acceptance of a digital screening tool for diabetes in four European countries: the DigiCare4You study | Read the article here
Diabetes and hypertension country profile for Spain - now available
Country profiles have been created to provide an insight into the prevalence and trends of diabetes and hypertension in the DigiCare4You countries. The profiles also provide a snapshot of the availability of national policies. The Spanish country profile has now been released and is available in English and Spanish.
Read our previously released country profiles for Albania, Bulgaria and Greece here:
- Read the Albanian profile in English or Albanian.
- Read the Bulgarian profile in English or Bulgarian.
- Read the Greek profile in English or Greek.
Two new public deliverable summaries added to the DigiCare4You website
For each submitted public deliverable in the DigiCare4You project, we aim to publish a lay-language summary. Two new summaries have been published on the DigiCare4You website.
DigiCare4You partners met in Sofia for the sixth consortium meeting
Representatives from the 16 DigiCare4You consortium partners gathered in Sofia, Bulgaria, on December 16-18 2024, for the project’s sixth consortium meeting. DigiCare4You partners reviewed the progress made in each work package since the previous consortium meeting in May 2024 and discussed the next steps for the project. Following the consortium meeting, partners held a writing retreat to discuss and make progress on new publications. To read more, find the press release we published on our website here on January 9, 2025.
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In case you missed it
DigiCare4You recognised as one of the most impactful projects of 2023
We are excited to share that DigiCare4You has been recognised as one of the most impactful projects of 2023 at La Trobe University, selected out of almost 800 research projects. This acknowledgement comes through its inclusion in La Trobe University’s Research Impact Report 2023.
- Find the article we wrote on November 19 2024 here
Rafaela Makri shares her best tips to reduce blood pressure
Consortium partner Rafaela Makri, Nutritionist-Dietitian and research associate at Harokopio University, shared eight key lifestyle and diet-related tips to help reduce your blood pressure and help manage hypertension.
- Find the guest blog published on October 16 2024 here
Interview with Prof. Florian Toti provides insight into the progress in Albania
At the DigiCare4You consortium meeting in Tirana in November 2023, we spoke with Prof. Florian Toti, who is part of the Project implementation team in Albania, to discuss the progress of the project. Prof. Toti shared what his experience of the project has been like so far from the perspective of an implementing partner, what the reception of the local community in Albania has been to the project, as well his hopes for the continued duration of the project.
- Find the full interview published on our YouTube channel on October 3 2024 here
Privanova provides eight recommendations aimed at addressing the most pressing challenges in preventing cybercrime
On August 9, 2024, consortium partner, Privanova, was invited to deliver a presentation at the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime. This event convened representatives from 193 UN countries and other key global stakeholders in the public and private sector to elaborate a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for criminal purposes.
Never miss a post again and join us on social media
DigiCare4You is now on YouTube, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
The DigiCare4You accounts on Facebook, X and LinkedIn promote the latest news of the project and consortium partners as well as the latest updates and events on T2D, HTN and digital technology in health. We have also recently launched the DigiCare4You YouTube channel which hosts the video content created for the project. Head over to our YouTube channel to watch the interview with Prof. Florian Toti and subscribe to our channel to see our new content as soon as it's published!
About us
DigiCare4You seeks to improve the early prevention and management of T2D and HTN.
The project aims to do so by identifying parents/ caregivers already living with, or at risk, of diabetes and hypertension and secondly, developing a person-centred, community-based solution, that uses digital tools, to prevent the development of these conditions and/or improve their management and prevent and delay complications.
Furthermore, the project aims to assess the scalability and transferability of the DigiCare4You solution, within the implementation countries and beyond. The implementation study is conducted in two high-income countries (Greece and Spain) and two middle-income countries (Albania and Bulgaria).
For more information visit our website and social media pages
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