ECHO zones - system based prevention of obesity in youth

Purpose and goal

Aim: To create a pan-European consortium consisting of young people, representatives from healthcare, schools, research and policy with experts in behavioral science, development of lifestyle-related diseases, measurement of health outcomes, education, digital tools, that develops an impactful proposal to the European Commission (EC) addressing the current the call for proposals. Objective: Develop and submit proposal to the current call for proposals for collaborative projects to the EC.

Expected effects and result

Results: Proposal for main project submitted to European Commission (EC). Effects, if proposal is funded by EC: The main project promotes lasting behavioral change in young people in aim to prevent the onset of lifestyle-related diseases, which depend both on the young people´s constitution (heredity, age, gender) and upbringing conditions (guardians´ income and education, the young people´s living and school environment). The latter develop differently in different areas and parts of Europe.

Planned approach and implementation

1) Project partners selected from existing networks with similar focus 2) Main project is formulated through iterative processes by the partners based on the call text. Writing group is selected. The coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the process, which is carried out with an on-site meeting and regular web meetings, is documented and communicated to the partners. 3) The coordinator is responsible for completing, quality-assured and submitting the proposal to European Commission.