Feel4Diabetes - Developing and implementing a community-based intervention to create a more supportive social and physical environment for lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes in vulnerable families across Europe

Background

Any risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes tend to cluster within a family since its members share common genetic background, lifestyle habits, social and physical environment. Promoting healthy behaviours and supportive environmental changes when the family is approached as a whole seems to be more effective compared to targeting the family members individually. This approach is also more cost-effective, since three generations are simultaneously approached and the older individuals might be further motivated to adopt the desired behaviours for the benefit of the younger family members.

Feel4Diabetes stands for “Families across Europe following a hEalthy Lifestyle 4 Diabetes prevention” and was an EU-funded project aiming to develop, implement and evaluate an evidence-based and potentially cost-effective and scalable intervention program to prevent type 2 diabetes across Europe, primarily focusing on families from vulnerable groups.

Aims

Primary aim: Prevention of type 2 diabetes among families from low and middle income countries and from vulnerable groups in high income countries in Europe.

Secondary aim: Creation of a more supportive social and physical environment to promote lifestyle and behaviour change among families from low and middle income countries and from vulnerable groups in high income countries in Europe.

Project plan

The Feel4Diabetes-project aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a community-based intervention to create a more supportive social and physical environment to promote lifestyle and behaviour change to prevent type 2 diabetes among families from low and middle income countries and from vulnerable groups in high income countries in Europe. The PRECEDE-PROCEED Model provided the theoretical framework for the development, implementation and evaluation of the Feel4Diabetes intervention.

Impact

The Feel4Diabetes project showed that systematic screening, using the school as the entry point to the community, in combination with a lifestyle intervention was a sustainable, cost-effective way of identifying parents and families at high risk for type 2 diabetes. The intervention improved lifestyle behaviours and certain clinical markers, in an easy-to-apply, relatively low-cost, potentially scalable and sustainable way.

The team received follow on funding for a new digital health intervention to empower families and integrate community care services for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

Publications and output

GACD have also published an end-of-programme report providing a comprehensive summary of the programme and outcomes.

You may visit the project website for more information.