Un proyecto de 4.9M€ para ayudar a los Europeos a controlar su peso.

Empresas e investigadores unen sus fuerzas para desarrollar técnicas innovadoras que ayuden a los ciudadanos a controlar su peso y mejorar su forma física con el uso de las tecnologías emergentes, y los sistemas de información.

Un proyecto a tres años denominado DAPHNE llega en un momento en el que el 70% d los adultos, y un tercio de los niños en algunos paises de la UE tienen sobrepeso. El proyecto auna diez universidades y empresas con un presupuesto total de 4,9 Millones de €.

El proyecto utilizará una nueva generación de sensores para detectar el gasto personal de energia, incluyendo el tiempo que una persona permanece sentada, caminando, o haciendo labores domésticas monitorizando así su estado físico general. Los datos serán analizados utilizando usando algoritmos de mineria de datos e heurística inteligente para reconocer patrones de comportamiento, y verificar la tasa de éxito en cambios de estilo de vida por parte de los individuos. Gracias a teléfonos móviles y otros dispositivos, los individuos pueden recibir consejos sobre cambios de estilo devida que pueden realizar que mejoren sus niveles de forma física y eviten enfermedades relacionadas con el sobrepeso.

The DAPHNE project is being led by the Spanish health technology company Treelogic SL, in partnership with major IT companies IBM, Atos, Nevet, Evalan and SilverCloud. These businesses will work alongside researchers at the University of Leeds, the University of Madrid and the Children’s Hospital in Rome, Italy, along with a professional society, the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Project coordinator, Dr Alberto Olmo of Treelogic SL, said ‘We know that thousands of people across Europe want to get fit and stay fit. There are now a number of sophisticated methods for helping them to achieve their goals using new technology. The DAPHNE research project is a unique opportunity to develop industry standardised approaches to personal data collection on health and fitness, and to make sure we work together to develop the services people need.’

The project will undertake three major areas of work. The first is the development of the monitoring sensors which can track individual behaviour and their communication of the data they collect using smartphones and other innovative communications technology. The second is the development of information analysis platforms to receive the data using cloud storage, and to process the data and send it back to the individuals and forward to other end-users, including health services and fitness centres. The third area of work is to consider how the data collected across many individuals can be integrated to provide information for health service managers, health insurers and public health agencies, and how this information should be protected and kept secure to ensure personal data is processed ethically.

‘European health services are facing a rising tide of obesity related disease, including diabetes and heart disease,’ said Dr Tim Lobstein, Policy Director at the International Association for the Study of Obesity. ‘It can be a struggle for individuals to make changes to their lifestyles, so technology that can strengthen motivation and show personal progress could provide a useful tool and needs to be explored. We welcome this opportunity to help people to manage their weight and to improve their fitness, reducing the need for drugs or surgery.’

* Obesity prevalence in Europe: see http://www.iaso.org/resources/obesity-data-portal/resources/tables/

DAPHNE is an EU-funded study (2013-2016) to develop and test methods for collecting, analysing and exploiting personal activity and fitness information, with a focus on reducing sedentary behaviour. It will develop state-of-the-art data analysis platforms for collecting, analysing and delivering useful information on physical fitness and behaviour. Standardised data platforms will help hardware and software developers to provide personalised health information to individuals and to service providers.

DAPHNE partners:Treelogic SL (Spain), ATOS Spain SA, Evalan BV (Netherlands), SilverCloud Health Ltd (Ireland), Nevet Ltd (Israel), IBM Israel, University of Leeds (UK), Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (Spain), Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesu (Italy), International Association for the Study of Obesity.