A meeting on Diabetes and Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention in Europe, organized by the International Diabetes Federation - Europe was held in Brussels. The meeting was part of the activities of "Feel4Diabetes" project for dissemination of the results of the research, in which MU-Varna is a partner.
The results of the most recent studies in prevention of NCDs were presented at the meeting by leading lecturers from the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, the UK, as well as experts in NCDs from the WHO, OECD. Besides the scientists representatives of other stakeholders in the field of prevention and prophylaxis of diabetes and NCDs took part at the meeting - health policy at local and national level, branch organizations of food and beverage producers at European level, nutritionists. Participants from Bulgaria were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nataliya Usheva from the Faculty of Public Health – a researcher in Feel4Diabetes project and Assoc. Prof. Antoaneta Tsvetkova, Chairperson of the Healthcare Commission at Varna Municipality.
"Feel4Diabetes" project is funded by the European Commission under Horizon 2020 Programme and Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD), aiming at the promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle in families across Europe.
The present programme is a school-based and public-based intervention, with the participation of the whole families of school children in grades 1 to 4.
The programme works in close cooperation with the Municipality of Varna, using all the available resources (facilities and staff) to create more favourable social surroundings and environment for the families, as well as providing more opportunities for physical and family activities in the afternoons and at weekends. Moreover, support is provided to families with a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes in the coming years. The participants in the programme in Bulgaria are more than 6000, and according to the research results during the first year, the programme has had the best cost-effectiveness indicators of the implemented interventions compared to the other participating countries (Belgium, Greece, Spain, Hungary and Finland).
