Funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3, Theme 10.
Highlights
Besides presenting the main sociodemographic and psychosocial factors associated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet among Italian adults and free-living older adults aged ≥ 65 years, WP 5.3 also examines individual and environmental aspects that might prevent this age group from maintaining consistent, healthful eating habits, as in line with Spoke 1 and its targeted tasks regarding social isolation, low-income, neighbourhoods with high rates of poverty, and poor nutrition literacy.
A further goal also concerning Spoke 6 relies upon identifying innovative Mediterranean diet models designed to promote healthy and sustainable nutrition in people of all ages and socioeconomic levels and to evaluate their effectiveness using suitable preclinical and clinical models.
Information and knowledge on the new Mediterranean diet standards will be provided through multiple dissemination and communication strategies, mainly aimed at developing guidelines for "family Mediterranean nutrition" among schoolchildren and teenagers, appropriate for all family members. This task will be implemented in conjunction with Spoke 7.
Work Package 5.3 will also deliver and validate, in connection with Spoke 4, a customised algorithm aimed at generating a diet that optimises blood glucose levels in pregnant women and healthy children for the first 1000 days and later for long-term efficacy for weight maintenance.
Identify the factors influencing adherence to the Mediterranean diet with attention to children and adolescents in Italy (including consumer needs and preferences, local determinants/drivers of food choices in connection with Spoke 1).
Identify key sociodemographic and psychosocial factors associated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet in adults and free-living older adults throughout Italy, and also detecting individual-level and environmental barriers that may affect this age group engaging in consistent healthful dietary habits in connection with Spoke 1 (e.g., social isolation, low-income, neighbourhoods with high rates of poverty, poor nutrition literacy).
To identify innovative models of a Mediterranean diet aimed at promoting healthy and sustainable nutrition in different age and socioeconomic range populations and assessing the efficacy of a new model of Mediterranean diet using adequate preclinical and clinical models (in connection with spoke 6).
Promotion of the new Mediterranean diet-based models using multiple dissemination, communication strategies, targeting also "family nutrition" based on the Mediterranean diet suitable for all members of the family, among school children and adolescents (in connection with Spoke 7).
To develop and validate personally tailored algorithms for designing diets that optimise blood glucose levels in pregnant women and healthy children during the first 1000 days and long-term efficacy for weight maintenance in later ages (in connection with Spoke 4).
Survey to retrieve background data on adherence to the Mediterranean diet principles in specific target groups (school children, adolescents, pregnant women, adults, and the elderly) (M12)
Protocols to design clinical trials and supporting models to promote traditional and innovative Mediterranean-based dietary patterns (M18)