Healthy Living As a Service

Project

Although life expectancy is rising rapidly, nearly half of the Dutch population has a chronic condition due to an unhealthy lifestyle, such as too little exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption, stress, poor sleep and unhealthy diet. This has major consequences for quality of life and leads to an increasing use of health care. The pressure on health care is increasing rapidly while there are fewer health care personnel.

Also, the gap between people from different socioeconomic backgrounds is widening. We use smart sensors, such as in "smart watches," sensors dei can measure sleep and stress, to measure the health and living environment of participating citizens. Through dialogue with citizens, we learn what different users want and how they interact with the technology. The information is combined in a toolbox with artificial intelligence to coach citizens, support them in making healthy choices and motivate them to stick with it.

Working Group 1:

Committed People

People think differently about health and technology, and that's because they value different things. Differences in personal values may stem from culture, background, environment or age. This means that there is no universal way to live a healthier life.

Technology that supports healthy lifestyles is usually offered in only one way. Working Group 1 explores with citizens their personal values and how these lead to different health and technology needs, desires and expectations. It then looks at how technology can contribute to better health that fits well with different individuals and their environments.

Fieldlabs are used to gain experiences and combine new knowledge with feedback from citizens. In this way, we can look together at how we can use technology to support healthy habits and motivate people.

Coordinator: prof. Dr. Geke Ludden

Working Group 2:

Social People

How can citizens improve their health by using digital technology?

Working Group 2 will playfully teach citizens how to use digital technologies such as wearable sensors to improve their health.

To this end, Art & Technology labs will be set up, physical spaces enriched with sound, light, choreography and other art elements that respond to sensors that, for example, measure your heart rate. These labs will take place in different field labs.

The Healthy Living as a Service project approaches citizens within fieldlabs who are interested in the relationship between technology and health and are eager to discover how artificial intelligence works in this. Thus, in the Art & Technology labs, citizens learn to understand how digital technology can improve their health.

Coordinator: Dr. Anke Coumans

Working Group 3:

Smart People

How will we measure the personal health and environment of the citizens involved?

Working Group 3 will select appropriate sensors for the project. This includes wearable sensors such as smart watches that collect information on physical activity, stress, heart rate, nutrition, sleep quality and environmental sensors that provide information on air quality and weather conditions.

The choice of sensors depends on the citizens, the other working groups and the availability of sensors on the market. It is important to find reliable sensors and to store the collected data securely on a platform that guarantees the privacy of those involved.

Working Group 4 will process the data on health parameters and lifestyle.

Coordinator: Dr. Charissa Roossien

Working Group 4:

Smart Data

How can the information measured by sensors lead to a healthy lifestyle?

Working Group 4 is building the Healthy Living as a Service toolbox, which provides citizens with tailored advice and coaching for healthy lifestyles.

The toolbox collects information via wearable sensors, such as Smart Watches and sensors that measure the environment, on health parameters such as physical activity, heart rate, sleep quality, stress, and environmental factors such as air quality and weather conditions.

Artificial intelligence is used to provide personalized advice to support and coach citizens to improve their lifestyle and motivate them to stick with it.

Coordinator: Dr. Elisabeth Wilhelm

Working Group 5:

Healthy People

How can citizens improve their lifestyles?

Adapting your lifestyle to become healthier is difficult because it involves changes in eating and exercise habits that are difficult to maintain. Therefore, it is important to take psychological and social aspects into account when making lasting lifestyle changes.

Working Group 5 is investigating whether personalized behavioral changes to become healthier can be better sustained with the support of customized coaching and use of apps (eHealth). Lifestyle modifications are made based on personal profiles of citizens and their wishes are listened to. The toolbox developed in Working Group 4 provides the personal profiles.

Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Michiel Reneman

Working Group 6:

Healthy Cities & Villages

How does the built environment affect the health of citizens?

Working Group 6 investigates how the layout of a living environment (such as city, village, neighborhood) affects the daily lives of citizens in the fieldlabs. We map their daily habits in terms of destinations, activities, distances and modes of transportation.

For this we use publicly available geographic information and information from interviews with citizens in the fieldlabs. Using sensors such as GPS and heart rate monitors, we investigate where and when the design of the living environment affects citizens' behavior and well-being, and whether socioeconomic background plays a role in this.

Finally, we are looking at how the actual needs of citizens can be better incorporated into the design of the living environment in order to promote the health of citizens.

Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Cor Wagenaar

Working Group 7:

Motivated People

How can citizens be motivated to sustain lifestyle changes long-term?

There are many activities and technologies to improve citizens' lifestyles. But the long-term effects are limited. For example, people use a pedometer in the beginning, but then don't use it anymore. Personalized feedback and motivational techniques are important to change behavior.

Support at the individual, social and community levels is crucial. Working Group 7 is investigating the effectiveness of certain technologies to change behavior for better health. They are also looking at whether needs differ between groups of different socioeconomic status and how this changes with long-term use. The result will lead to a technological solution for lasting better health. Personalized support for citizens with different socioeconomic statuses will be included.

Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Arie Dijkstra

Working Group 8:

Applied Toolbox

Does the developed Healthy Living as a Service toolbox lead to a healthier lifestyle?

The toolbox is intended to help citizens make their lifestyles healthier. Working Group 8 will test the toolbox in the fieldlabs and, based on feedback, adjust and improve the toolbox.

This will be done in successive rounds where first individual components will be tested and later the entire toolbox. We want to match citizens' wishes as closely as possible and achieve lasting lifestyle change.

Working group 8 also coordinates the cooperation between the other working groups and the fieldlabs. Good cooperation is crucial for the project to optimally align activities with citizen initiatives in the fieldlabs.

Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Claudine Lamoth

Working Group 9:

Operation, Realization & Knowledge Sharing

How can the Healthy Living as a Service toolbox best be exploited?

The success of the toolbox depends on its use by citizens, who can thereby modify their lifestyles. The toolbox can serve as an example of a system that can improve people's health by promoting behavior change through information collected by wearable sensors and artificial intelligence.

The SROI analysis measures the social value of the investment, while the ROI analysis examines the feasibility of a business plan. With a positive outcome, there are several exploitation options, including offering it as a service by health insurers, employers and municipalities. Citizens can subscribe and companies can expand the toolbox. A new company can be established for exploitation.

After successful tests in the fieldlabs, the toolbox will be offered to citizens in several municipalities in the Northern Netherlands and eventually throughout the Netherlands.

Coordinator: Dr. Adrie Bouma

Working Group 1Working Group 2Working Group 3Working Group 4Working Group 5Working Group 6Working Group 7Working Group 8Working Group 9