WP 5.1Spoke 05

Provide a map of nutritional status in Italy

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Blog postDec 18, 2023

University of Naples launches a funding call for innovative research partnerships on Lifelong Nutrition


As the consequences of unhealthy and unsustainable diets are multisectoral and significantly influencing, understanding the population’s nutritional status within a specific country can serve as a critical prevention and education tool to provide information, knowledge, and awareness about the health, economic, social, and developmental benefits of safe and adequate nutrition. 

To achieve this goal, the OnFoods Work Package 5.1 will first provide a map of the Italian geographical areas, including urban, non-urban, economically advantaged, and peripheral ones, at higher risk of over- and under-nutrition; and secondly, identify strategic partners like schools, recreational centres, churches, and other associations, to meet and educate the at-risk Italian population. All this will be done by consulting existing databanks and assessing the people’s nutritional status according to age through investigating questionnaires.

The further task of WP 5.1 is examining, in conjunction with Spoke 1 “Global Sustainability”, the available data on food consumption, lifestyle, and biochemical/genetic parameters of Italian targeted groups along the lifecycle. This will entail the elaboration of relevant datasets providing information on eating and lifestyle habits, accessibility, drivers, and barriers towards a healthy diet of defined groups (children, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, and older subjects). 

The last goal is to develop an OnFoods cohort that systematically assesses target populations’ nutritional status, eating behaviour, physical activity, and lifestyle within the Italian geographical area covered by the participant institutions. 

The cohort will be elaborated by applying shared procedures and questionnaires that will add information lacking from the existing datasets and provide a setting for validating biomarkers, new interventions, and educational strategies.

Task and deliverables

Task 5.1.1.

Identification of areas in Italy, based on existing databank, in order to: a) assess the populations at higher risk of over- and under-nutrition b) select the strategic partners to meet and educate the at-risk population (schools, recreative centres, churches, other associations) in connection with Spoke 7.

Task 5.1.2.

Analysis of existing data on food consumption, lifestyle and biochemical/genetic parameters in Italian population groups along the lifecycle: elaboration of available datasets providing information on eating and lifestyle habits, accessibility, drivers and barriers towards a healthy diet of defined groups (children, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, older subjects) in connection with Spoke 1.

Task 5.1.3

Development of an ONFOODS cohort (including relevant target groups along the lifecycle) within the geographical area covered by the participant institutions with the aim to systematically assess nutritional status, eating behaviour, physical activity and lifestyle in target populations through the application of shared procedures and questionnaire able to add information lacking from the available datasets and to provide a setting for the validation of possible biomarker (see WP 5.4.) new intervention (in connection with Spoke 4) or educational strategies (in connection with spoke 7).

Milestones

M5.1.1.

List of areas with higher incidence of over- and under-nutrition (M6)

M5.1.2.

Search for existing data available in the databank on food consumption, accessibility, drivers, and barriers towards a healthy diet of defined groups (M12)