Multi-level interventions for the prevention of lifestyle related non communicable diseases in Romania

Project facts

Project promoter:
National Institute of Public Health
Project Number:
RO19-0004
Target groups
Civil servants/Public administration staff,
Schools and other institutions providing education and/or training at all levels
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€1,384,180
Final project cost:
€1,179,097
From Norway Grants:
€ 1,002,232
The project is carried out in:
Romania

Description

Romania faces a high burden of non-communicable diseases, being a European country with relative low life expectancy primarily due to high levels of diabetes, coronary heart diseases and cancers. Historically, preventive services are strongly underrepresented when compared with curative type of health services. The project aims to develop health care system tools for appropriate health risk assessment and risk management in the general population (through primary health care) as well as outreaching youth with preventive services for adopting healthier lifestyles (through community based interventions in schools and kindergartens). The main expected results of the project are: 100 pilot communities with partnership agreements signed, 250 health professionals and 800 teachers/education professionals trained in using preventive tools developed under the project, legislative proposals aimed at improving the existing legal framework elaborated, and 40,000 persons benefit from lifestyle related preventive interventions developed under the project, of which about 50% are children and youth.

Summary of project results

Romania faces a high burden of non-communicable diseases, being a European country with relative low life expectancy primarily due to high levels of diabetes, coronary heart diseases and cancers. Historically, preventive services are strongly underrepresented when compared with curative type of health services. The project had aim to develop health care system tools for appropriate health risk assessment and risk management in the general population (through primary health care) as well as outreaching youth with preventive services for adopting healthier lifestyles. Concerning the project results, under Component A, through up-to-date evidence-based guidelines on clinical practice in primary health care (developed clinical prevention guide) and Health Risk Assessment tools (Prevent IT app), identification can be made as quickly as possible of individuals with high risk profiles for non-communicable diseases (NCD) as well as diagnosis of these diseases in early clinical stages. Thus, an integrated prevention model of NCD has been developed, which contributes to reducing the burden of non-communicable diseases at individual, community and medical level. By means of this model, at the level of public health, it was obtained a more efficient and effective patient management and disease management, thus contributing substantially to the prevention of the NCD and a potential long-term economic benefit due to the increase in the quality of life of specific populations, by lowering the NCD burden of patients and the costs related to NCD. Until project end, 29306 persons on the general practitioners lists have benefited from integrated preventive intervention. Under the Component B, the PP has focus on public health training in order to strengthen community care for children and adolescents. The results obtained were: A community manual (guide) was developed aimed to synthesize evidence and allow teachers and educators to train children and parents on healthy behaviors, the HBSC Study – Health Behaviour in School Aged Children, training programs for 2,327 people (teachers, educators, school physicians, school nurses, community and Roma health mediators), there were printed 16800 textbooks distributed in all 42 counties of the country, 411,464 children in schools are educated to adopt healthy eating and physical activity, 3649 schools and kindergartens can implement the adoption of healthy behaviors. In terms of sustainability, the project will be continued by a new project financed within European Public Health Challenges Programme- EEA Grants 2014-2021.

Summary of bilateral results