2nd Pilot Online Training of Health Professionals on Smart Family
Within the framework of the European Health4EUkids program, for which the 6th Health ADM has assumed a coordinating role among 12 countries, the 2nd pilot online training of 15 health professionals in the Smart Family best practice from Finland took place. The aim is to expand its implementation in the city of Ioannina and Pyrgos with a view to implementation throughout the 6th Health ADM territory by the end of the project (November 2025).
The Smart Family best practice focuses on families expecting a baby or having children aged 0-12 years, focuses on lifestyle issues of families and identifying strengths in their health habits, and aims to educate health professionals on healthy living issues for children.
In particular, the Smart Family best practice training aims to collect data and explore the requirements and prerequisites for the implementation of the best practice, to strengthen a collaborative approach to the healthy living of children by promoting a healthy lifestyle in families with children, increasing physical activity and healthy eating, recognizing and strengthening children’s self-esteem, improving the design and development of policies for a healthy lifestyle for children.
Various specialties (pediatricians, pathologists, dietitians, general practitioners, social workers, health visitors, nurses) of the 6th Health ADM and in particular the structures of the General Hospitals of Pyrgos and Hadjikostas, the Local Health Units and Health Centers of Pyrgos and Ioannina participated in the training.
During the training, the participants were informed about the project by Georgios Karydas, Head of the Research and Development Department of the 6th Health ADM, Lambrini Lachanioti, Health Visitor of the 6th Health ADM, who referred to the ways of communicating with children, while Dr. Emmanuella Magriplis, Associate Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology & Public Health at the Dietetics and Quality of Life Laboratory of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition of the School of Food Sciences and Nutrition of the Agricultural University of Athens, Visiting Professor of the Department of Medicine at the Public Health Laboratory of the University of Patras referred to the Smart Family Methodology.
#HaDEA
The “HEALTH4EUkids” Joint Action aims to implement health promotion and prevention strategies for child obesity across European countries. It seeks to share best practices and research findings, particularly focusing on the initiatives Grunau Moves from Germany and Smart Family from Finland. The project involves knowledge transfer, cooperation between member states, policy development, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles in families and communities. Its goal is to prevent childhood obesity, increase physical activity and healthy diet, and ensure the sustainability and transferability of successful practices to other member states.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s EU4HEALTH Programme under the Grant Agreement no 101082462
