1. HEPCOM is a European Project funded by Programme Health 2008-2013
PROMOTING HEALTHY
EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES
HEPCOM: an innovative and effective web-based approach to promote healthy eating and physical activity in local communities
Valentina Possenti (a), Paola Nardone (a), Angela Spinelli (a), Emmanuela Becchis (e), Giulia Cairella (e), Paola D’Agnese (c), Gianfranco Mazzarella (b), Luciana Olivieri (e), Pierluigi Pecoraro (d), Raffaella Serrapica (d), Stefania Stellato (d), Paola Vairano (c)
(a) Istituto Superiore di Sanità-CNESPS, (b) OER Regione Campania, (c) Asl Napoli 1 Centro, (d) Asl Napoli 3 Sud, (e) Asl Roma B
OBJECTIVES
In Italy, as well as all over Europe, epidemiological data highlight increased numbers both of young people who are overweight and have unhealthy lifestyles such as bad eating habits, low levels of physical activity, and sedentariness. Nowadays, weight status associated with demographic ageing represent key societal and economic challenges. Supporting active and healthy ageing is important to ensure individuals continue to contribute optimally to society, improve the quality of life of citizens and to reduce unsustainable pressure on public health systems.
To make local communities (such as health districts, town halls, etc.) more active and competent in promoting healthy eating and physical activity among young people, it is necessary that the former subjects get involved in a more proactive, structured and strategic way. High levels of awareness and accessibility to best practices are fundamental elements.
In a long-term perspective, the European Project HEPCOM (promoting Healthy Eating and Physical activity in local COMmunities; aims at increasing quality and quantity of interventions which are implemented at local level. It might contribute to the promotion of active and healthy ageing and raise awareness of nutritional status as a key contributor, so that more attention can be given by policymakers to protect citizens’ health.
On the HEPCOM Platform, Tools* are searchable through Management Cycle**
* In the HEPCOM Project, we define tools as being methods, guidelines, conceptual frameworks and templates that local communities apply in order to plan and structure their health promoting activities towards children and young people.
** A focus on Management Cycle
The 5 Phases of Management Cycle 1
Policy/Vision
It should be set up an overall vision for health and health promotion or specific areas of health of children, young people and their families within the different policy areas. This section includes tools such as documents that provide information for policy makers, guidelines that give support to organize policy workshops and/or dialogues with policy makers, examples of policy papers, etc.
Strategies
This step refers to all levels of responsibility: Concrete strategies for implementation have to be developed to reach the desired outcomes. Socio-cultural aspects and specific conditions of the respective settings should be taken into consideration. Tools for Strategies are typically guidelines, principles, and approaches that can help you develop a strategy.
Action Planning
Sets of actions must be defined by executive and administrative levels in close collaboration with professional practitioners to take the characteristics and socio-cultural context of each setting into account. In this section users will find tools that help specify and plan activities and projects.
Implementation Activities
In this step, whatever has been developed and planned in the first steps, is put into action. An activity is carried out, a process is started, a product is developed, etc. Users will find tools that help them carry out activities in practice, like training material, information material, models for reflection, models to ask questions and case stories.
Evaluation
Evaluating or assessing the processes and output of an activity is essential to find out how the activity was received by the target group, to see if it had any (short-term) effects, and to analyze if it could be improved in any way. Evaluation criteria should be defined before the beginning of the implementation so that a continuous evaluation is possible. For Evaluation users will find tools like questionnaires, self assessment templates and quality criteria. 2
MAIN ACTIONS
HEPCOM (February 2013-August 2016) foresees 20 European institutions taking part. A short pilot phase is to be developed in 15 countries with the aim of empowering and upscaling European Projects and best practices through a web learning platform. Tools are made available there and searchable according to different filters: the most important is ‘management cycle’ with its five phases (Policy/Vision; Strategy; Action planning; Implementation activities; Evaluation).
Three different local communities have been selected in each country. In Italy, the National Institute of Health (ISS) identified three Local Health Units (LHUs): Centre Naples 1, Southern Naples 3 and Rome B. 3 4
RESULTS
The initial phase was focused on overviewing local needs, mapping European projects (32) and best practices with the aim to identify critical elements existing in the 45 pilot local communities (a Gap analysis was carried out). This group of communities is testing a web platform that includes an integrated set of practical tools and best practices to be used in developing, implementing and evaluating interventions at local level. Based on pilot evaluation and feedback from target groups, the final version of the platform will be launched in October 2015. 5
Graphic layout: Silvia Andreozzi
VALIDATION
Communities which will use the HEPCOM platform will get either a wide range of strategies and best practice tools or interact with European experiences in matters of promoting healthy eating and physical activity at a local level.
HEPCOM is a European Project funded by Programme Health
Grafica: Silvia Andreozzi