[Athens], [8^th and 9^th February 2023]

SUBJECT: Kick off meeting “Health4EUkids”

At the kick off meeting of the European program “Health4EUkids” that took place on 8th and 9th February 2023 in Athens, the Alternate Minister of Health, Mina Gaga, the chairman of the 6th Health Region of Ministry of Health, Giannis Karvelis, and the scientifically responsible of the program, Dr. Apostolos Vantarakis, professor of hygiene from the University of Patras, as the coordinator partners welcomed the collaborated partners (Greece, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain) of the joint action of the EU4Health European program co-funded by European Union and HaDEA. Additionally, Mr. Alessandro Chiodini, the Scientific project Officer presented online: “the Grant management, Reporting and Amendments”. Finally, Dr. Emmanuella Magripli, ass. professor in Nutritional Epidemiology & Public Health Laboratory of Dietetics and Quality of Life from University of Athens presented: “Child Obesity Facts. Is it all about Diet?”.

The “Health4EUkids” program is included in the field of health promotion and prevention of non-communicable diseases, by indicating best practices and specific risk factors from research results on childhood obesity that have already been developed from previous research actions, namely Grünau Moves (Germany) and Smart Family (Finland).

The “Health4EUkids” specific objectives for each Member State (MS) that will implement actions according to the two best practices are to increase data and survey requirements and prerequisites, to strengthen a cooperative approach in tackling childhood obesity by facilitating the exchange of knowledge and learning skills among the MSs and the best practice providers, to improve the planning and development of the policies to tackle childhood obesity and to facilitate transferability and sustainability of best practices.

The expected results of the “Health4EUkids” program focus on the identification of concrete challenges in the prevention of non-communicable diseases and policy solutions in the form of best practices and the innovative solutions for collaborative actions between the MSs and the European Commission, in order to tackle the public health challenge of childhood obesity.