Counteracting diabetes using interdisciplinary educative programs

ongoing

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most spread non-communicable diseases worldwide related to some non-modifiable risk factors, such as age or genetic, but also associated with several modifiable risk factors, such as overweight, obesity, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Thus, type 2 diabetes is a life-style dependent disease relying on habits and behaviors that can be controlled and modified. The aim of the DUSE project is to develop and promote new educational protocols for children and adolescents to increase the level of awareness on the maintenance of good lifestyles to counteract the diabetes onset. Thus, DUSE aims at acting on young generations, both high- and low-risk youth, making them able to incorporate good habits and the constant practice of physical activity in their daily routine. Establishing healthy behaviors during childhood is easier and more effective than trying to change unhealthy behaviors during adulthood. Besides the educative protocols, DUSE will involve the use of mobile app technology based on the principle of serious games towards engaging and enriching the experience of youth in the project’ goals. The approach for children includes the development of a mobile app, a gamified virtual world with first/third-person interaction targeting knowledge transfer and motivation in healthy habits development. The approach for the adolescents will foresee the use of MIT App Inventor Technology to teach kids how to create projects targeting the personal health and activity tracking along with the development of relevant material and publishing as apps. This approach brings multiple added values, including the reinforcement of healthy habits and the exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship mentality. The DUSE project specifically targets the objective pursued by the EU4H-2022-PJ-11 program contributing to the reduction of the burden of diabetes and related risk factors both at an individual and societal level.