Second general assembly of the Health4EUKids project, which focuses on improving children’s health

Biosistemak is carrying out a pilot project in the municipality of Erandio for the prevention of obesity in children.

Biosistemak has participated in the 2nd General Assembly of the European project Health4EUKids, held from 11 to 13 November 2024 at the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine of the New University of Lisbon (Portugal), within the framework of the 18th European Congress of Public Health.

The event brought together partners from several European countries, including Spain, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy and Portugal, among others. During the meeting, the progress of the project, focused on the promotion of children’s health and the prevention of non-communicable diseases, with a particular focus on childhood obesity from a perspective of community participation and health education, was discussed. The Health4Eukids initiative is part of the implementation of the best practices “Grünau Moves” (Germany) and “Smart Family” (Finland), adapted to the local context with the aim of promoting healthy habits and combating childhood obesity through community participation.

Focus on sustainability and transfer of good practices

One of the highlights of the 2nd General Assembly was the session of work package 4 dedicated to sustainability and transferability of good practices, which was held in a specific session at the Pre-conference of the European Public Health Congress in Lisbon.

The session entitled ‘Transferability and sustainability of good practices in health promotion and prevention of childhood obesity across Europe: sharing experiences from different EU Joint Actions’ included the presentation of other Joint Actions being implemented in Europe such as JACARDI and allowed to discuss the results and lessons learnt from different European initiatives in terms of transferability and sustainability of Good Practices. The aim of the session was to reach a common understanding on how to ensure that successful practices can be scaled up and transferred to other contexts, and that their benefits are sustained in the long term.

Basque Country pilot project ‘Erandio Mugitzen ari da!

Biosistemak, together with the Department of Health and the Public Health Directorate of Uribe Kosta, are coordinating the project under the name ‘Erandio mugitzen ari da!’ In this intervention, the good practice of ‘Grünau moves’ (Germany) is being implemented and adapted.

With the support of the local authorities and the collaboration of key agents in the community such as the Osakidetza Uribe Integrated Health Organisation (OSI), the educational community and other key associations in the municipality, the project is being designed to promote health in the community and tackle childhood obesity by generating a cultural change and promoting knowledge and citizen participation. In a first phase of the project, different activities and dynamics are being carried out to analyse the context and understand the needs and interests of citizens.

Next steps: Towards the final phase of the project

As the Health4EUKids project enters its final phase, in the coming months work will focus on evaluating the results obtained in each of the contexts through the implementation of the interventions and actions defined in each context together with local communities and citizens. This project aims to ensure the prioritization of the training of key agents in health equity and community participation, with the purpose of generating changes in the life habits of the child population and improving the wellbeing and general health of the communities.

For more information on the project, visit the Health4EUkids factsheet.