The final report of DEDIPAC, the Knowledge Hub of the JPI HDHL

DEDIPAC the Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity Knowledge Hub to integrate and develop infrastructure for research across Europe published the final report about what has been achieved in three years of intense and fruitful activities carried out by more than 300 scientists from 68 research centers in 13 countries across Europe.

Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity is the topic addressed by the DEDIPAC Knowledge Hub, i.e. by the scientists brought together in this first joint action of the JPI HDHL officially ended on 30th November 2016. The focus on the determinants of crucial health behaviours – i.e. on the reasons why people engage in unhealthy eating, too much sitting and not enough physical activity, and thus on the causes of the enormous burden of non-communicable disease - is urgent and important. Only with more insight in these causes effective interventions and policies can be developed and implemented to promote healthier lifestyles.

Over the past three years, DEDIPAC has delivered and created a strong basis to inform health promotion practice and policy makers. It provides solid ground for future research to gain further insights in the causes of unhealthy dietary habits and sedentary behaviours as well as in opportunities for meaningful evaluations of policies and complex interventions.
Building a network of researchers that can be a stepping-stone towards a long lasting infrastructure of scientists across Europe it made important steps for further harmonization of measurement and monitoring of dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours across Europe; provided a state-of-the-art overview of the present-day evidence regarding the determinants of these behaviours in different age groups by means of series of systematic reviews, frameworks, and secondary data analyses; translated these overviews into conceptual models and frameworks to inspire future research agendas; provided an overview of evidence-based best practices for the evaluation of policies and complex interventions to promote healthier lifestyles; built online toolboxes to facilitate researchers, practitioners and policy makers in making evidence-based choices regarding measurement and monitoring of the health behaviours as well as for policy evaluations. The JPI HDHL thanks the coordinator and all the organisations across Europe that made DEDIPAC such a successful initiative.

Further information on DEDIPAC, its activities and achievements is available at the following link