Dissemination
Electronic tools for healthy choices
Technology has a large role to play in helping consumers make healthier choices and delivering significant cost savings to healthcare. Charlotte Holmes of Campden BRI (UK) looks at the technologies being developed in this field and describes the EU-funded project PRECIOUS.
Health Data Cooperatives, a healthy way to go!
Viewpoint by Andre Boorsma (TNO, NL)
What would happen if people took ownership of their health and lifestyle data? How might people benefit, in the short- and long-term, through financial incentives or better understanding of disease and improved treatments? Read more
QuaLiFY at 5th MoniQA International Conference
At the 5th MoniQA International Conference (Porto – PT, 16-18th September 2015) Siân Astley (EuroFIR AISBL) talked about QuaLiFY – Using scientifically credible data to underpin connected health in a session focusing on personalised nutrition, food and health infrastructures, and ICT supported consumer tools.
Self-tracking with Dried Blood Spots
Viewpoint by Thomas E. Gundersen (Vitas, NO)
Sakhi et al. (2015) talks about the feasibility of using self-sampled dried blood spots (DBS) as a substitute for blood samples collected by venipuncture in population studies. Invitations, instructions and DBS collection kits were sent to 4600 Norwegian women without prior notification. Read more
Potential of open data
Viewpoint by Sabri Abarkan (Vivsan, DE)
Entering a new era of technology and information distribution comes with growing demands. While in the past governments, scientists and businesses have capitalised on restricting access to information, many are beginning to see the potential in developing new services in an environment where information is readily available to everyone. Read more
Engaging adolescents in healthy lifestyle choices through smart technologies
Viewpoint by Florence Jimoh (FoodWiz, UK)
The number of smart devices available on the market is growing rapidly including stand-alone devices, such as tablets and phones, with many being used by consumers to monitor health. Wearable gadgets that link to smart devices also help users keep track of certain aspects of their lifestyle (e.g. exercise). Whilst it appears there is a real market for these devices, are they just for the health conscious? Read more
The right to reliable (food) information
Viewpoint by André Boorsma (TNO, NL)
in 2015, Google announced a remarkable initiative searching for medical information. Instead of their page-ranking algorithm, a method determining the importance of a website, based on numbers and quality of links is used. Medical information is part of the knowledge graph; boxes of information posted at the side of the search results. Read more
QuaLiFY invited to workshop ‘ICT and the future of Nutrition and Health’
On the 27th of February 2015, QuaLiFY participated in the ICT and the future of Nutrition and Health workshop jointly organized by the Active and Assisted Living (AAL) Programme and the ‘A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life’ JPI. The aim of the workshop was not only to share knowledge on how ICT can support the health of older adults, but also to identify gaps and offer opportunities for future collaborations.
Connected health: a new hype or a deeper change?
Viewpoint by Richard Zuber (23ème homme, FR)
Companies of all sizes – Withings, Fitbit, Garmin, Apple, etc. – from many countries are popping up with new devices and tools, and software including apps that share the same promise, namely to make our lives better! Read more