Kick off Meeting of the PREVENT Project

In the days between July 3 and 4, our deputy director was in Athens for the Kick off Meeting of the PREVENT project, a Horizon Europe that will see us engaged in the coming years!

Here is the press release of the project launch:

“The new EU-funded project to improve and enhance primary cancer prevention by addressing childhood obesity through research implementation was launched today in Athens.
PREVENT, an innovative initiative supported and co-funded by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe Cancer Mission (HECM) program, aimed to identify, understand and overcome the barriers and challenges associated with managing childhood obesity.
The mission of the PREVENT project is rooted in epidemiological studies that have shown a clear link between obesity and increased risks of various cancers, including colon, endometrial, postmenopausal breast, and kidney cancer, among others.
As cancer represents a significant economic burden for the EU, amounting to an estimated annual cost of 100 billion euros, PREVENT aligns perfectly with the roadmap of the European Cancer Action Plan (EBCP). The EBCP is actively engaged in the fight against cancer, aiming to address the entire disease pathway and reduce the overall burden on the EU by 2025.
PREVENT will establish three Living Labs (LLs) with the participation of about 6,000 people, engaging all stakeholders to collaboratively design effective strategies to address childhood and adolescent obesity and its intricate link to cancer. Greece, Spain and Sweden have been selected as pilot countries for these Living Labs, which will serve as the basis for innovative solutions.
In addition, PREVENT aims to actively reach more than 10,000 schools and 3 million students aged 9-16 through extensive empowerment activities. By implementing interventions such as age-appropriate classroom education on healthy lifestyles using prevalent and innovative techniques, promoting healthier snacks and meals in school cafeterias, and supporting physical activities both at school but also at the community level, the PREVENT project aims to have a lasting impact. PREVENT has multiple goals in addressing obesity in children and adolescents. Aims to create communities of practice, analyze determinants of obesity and intervention policies, and identify types of cancer associated with obesity. The project also focuses on stakeholder engagement, creation of digital infrastructure and implementation of dynamic approaches for behavioral change. It involves ongoing evaluation through clinical assessments, user and societal-related analyses, and economic and sustainability assessments. In addition, PREVENT aims to enhance interventions by selecting effective strategies, supporting new business models, proposing legislation, and establishing ethical and legal frameworks for primary prevention strategies.
Ultimately, PREVENT seeks to establish a solid framework for ongoing evaluation and validation of new policies. The project’s evidence-based strategies, once developed, will be widely adoptable and implementable, paving the way for transformative change in addressing childhood and adolescent obesity and reducing cancer risks.
The PREVENT project brings together a consortium of 20 partners from across Europe, all working collaboratively to achieve its goals.