Anna Sigríður Ólafsdóttir, Associate Professor of Nutritional Science at the Faculty of Sport, Leisure Studies and Social Education, runs the Icelandic part of the Leonardo project eQuity which is intended to increase the equality of disadvantaged groups to achieve better health. “The basic idea with the project is to create a European communication network concerning health and nutrition specially suited to this group. The opportunities offered by technology are innumerable and we believe we can better reach this diverse group through the help of technology than by other means,” Ólafsdóttir explains.
“We collaborate with the Health School at the Paediatric Hospital and we intend to develop materials that can be useful when working with families of children who are overweight. Using computers, phones and the latest technology we make it easier for this group to access varied materials and get more flexible consultation, enabling them to change their behaviour and get a better life. Our partners in the project have different focal points, for example maternal care for immigrants and support for the homeless,” Ólafsdóttir adds.
According to her the research indicates that disadvantaged groups in Europe have more health problems than the general public, including obesity and nutritional diseases. “This group contains people who have a harder time understanding health related information and find effective communication with health workers difficult, for example due to limited health literacy. This can also lead to people not getting suitable treatment. Using visual material along with simple language the likelihood that health related information is understood increases. This simplifies communication with health workers,” she says.
“The participants hope that by the end of 2013 we will have developed materials which make it easier for those working in the health care system to provide service to disadvantaged groups using constructive and motivating educational materials that will furthermore encourage healthier lifestyles. We also aim to improve skills in the use of technology to improve health and put in place a robust communication network between health workers in Europe. Thus the rapid development in technology in this field will best serve us,” Ólafsdóttir says.
