The Second General Assembly of the SWITCHtoHEALTHY project was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, on 17-18 May 2023 (hosting partner CERTH, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas).
The assembly provided an opportunity for all project partners to come together and share updates on the progress made thus far, as well as discuss the upcoming actions.
The SWITCHtoHEALTHY project aims to promote healthy eating habits based on the Mediterranean food models, also among children and adolescents, through three different action levels: the development of digital tools, new hands-on educational materials, and the creation of healthy snacks developed with co-creation groups. This report outlines the key highlights from the latest meeting.
During the Second General Assembly, it was announced that almost all 24 food prototypes had been successfully developed in collaboration with food companies and supportive Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs). This achievement represents a significant milestone for the project, as the prototypes will play an important role in promoting healthy eating habits.
Another accomplishment discussed during the meeting was the completion of all preparatory actions for the “Intervention study” in each country involved. The preparatory actions are the foundation for implementing effective interventions and collecting relevant data to evaluate the impact of the project.
The intervention components are:
1. Digital interactive tools.
2. Educational materials.
3. Educational activities for adolescents.
4. Healthy plant-based snacks for children.The project will implement a multicentric and multi-social family-based nutritional intervention across more than 300 families in three Mediterranean countries (Spain, Morocco, Turkey) for 3 months.
Another important development discussed during the meeting was the completion of the design for the educational game. The game aims to make learning about healthy eating fun and interactive for children. A ‘storyboard’ was developed and externally validated by 108 research participants, indicating the game’s potential effectiveness.
Regarding the communication activities, it was announced that a new dynamic version of the project’s website will be soon launched.
In conclusion, the Second General Assembly of the SWITCHtoHEALTHY project registered the progress made for the development of prototypes and the intervention study. Moreover, the design and external validation of the educational game showed the project’s commitment to innovative approaches in promoting healthy eating habits, based on the Mediterranean diet.
The third General Assembly has been scheduled between December 2023 and January 2024.