STAYHLTH-02: Behavioural interventions as primary prevention for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) among young people - Gamification & Youth Engagement

The project target primary prevention for “top NCDs” through three mutually reinforcing intervention pillars: (I1) Empowerment & self-management (health literacy, health education, health promotion); (I2) Self-monitoring & feedback via interoperable wearables/point-of-care devices plus youth-friendly apps; and (I3) Multi-level mobilisation that aligns healthcare professionals, educators and families with community-based support and clear metrics.

Project’s ambition directly aligns with the call’s expected outcomes: enabling healthcare professionals to access behavioural interventions (OUT1), equipping professionals and educators with evidence-based strategies and measurable metrics (OUT2), increasing youth responsibility through targeted education and accessible digital tools (OUT3), enabling researchers through RWD infrastructure and AI tools (OUT4), and providing policymakers with actionable, context-aware knowledge (OUT5). To meet the scope requirements, we implement existing evidence-based interventions via implementation research and robust evaluation designs (cluster RCT and/or quasi-experimental), with clearly defined indicators of success across behavioural change (e.g., activity, diet patterns, sleep regularity), psychosocial wellbeing, and equity outcomes, complemented where relevant by biometric proxies.

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVE 1: Evidence-Based Intervention Portfolio & Implementation Readiness
Create a deployable portfolio of existing, evidence-based behavioural interventions for youth (12–25) targeting top NCD risk factors (excluding cancer), adapted for diverse European contexts and ready for implementation research. The objective is to translate proven programmes into practical, context-sensitive packages for schools, primary care & community settings, with empowerment & self-management at the core (health literacy, health education, health promotion).

OBJ 2: Interoperable Self-Monitoring Ecosystem (Wearables/POC & Apps): Deliver user-friendly, interoperable hardware/software for self-monitoring as an essential element of self-management, avoiding lock-in and enabling scalability. The objective is to integrate wearables and/or point-of-care devices with a youth-facing app for readout, tracking and optional gamification, using internationally accepted standards and secure-by-design architecture.

OBJ 3: AI & RWD for Personalisation, Engagement and Long-Term Effectiveness
Create GDPR-compliant data pipelines that integrate RWD, relevant administrative datasets (where applicable) and biomarkers (where relevant), and apply responsible AI to personalise intervention delivery and sustain engagement. The objective is decision-ready analytics for tailoring at individual and group level while monitoring bias and unintended effects.

OBJ 4: Robust Evaluation, Metrics & Unintended Consequences Monitoring: Provide a methodological framework (cluster RCT and/or quasi-experimental) with clearly defined indicators of success spanning behavioural change, psychosocial wellbeing & (where relevant) biometric proxies, including equity outcomes & unintended consequences. **OBJECTIVE 5: Multi-Level Collaboration Model (Healthcare–Education–Family–Community)
**Design & validate formats that increase collaboration between healthcare professionals, educators, families & policymakers, ensuring interventions are tailored & effective at individual, family, community & societal levels, with long-term follow-up & pathways for reinforcement through policy measures.

OBJ 6: Policy Evidence, Cost-Impact and Replication Playbooks for Europe-wide Uptake
Deliver policy-ready knowledge and replication guidance to support adoption across diverse European contexts, including long-term cost savings estimation, scalability conditions and interoperability procurement guidance.

SEARCHING FOR:

Paediatric/Primary Care Provider / Hospital (clinical oversight, safety, referrals)

Wearables / Point-of-care Device Company (interoperable devices & support)

Health Data Infrastructure / Research Infrastructure partner (RWD integration, FAIR tooling)

Clinical Trials & Biostatistics Unit (study design, trial ops, analysis)

Cybersecurity & GDPR Compliance SME (DPIA, security controls, governance)