MELIORA – Multimodal Engagement and sustainable Lifestyle Interventions Optimizing breast cancer Risk reduction supported by Artificial intelligence

Programme: Horizon Europe
Project Status: ONGOING (January 2024 – January 2028)

 

What aims and scope

MELIORA aims to bring sustainable behavioural change to reduce effectively and cost-effectively the risk of breast cancer (BC) through the development and implementation of a novel intervention. The MELIORA intervention will be implemented in real-world settings in assorted studies targeting different social groups, including women at risk of developing cancer, cancer patients and survivors both in rural and urban areas. Particularly, these intervention studies will evaluate behavioural to nutritional, physical and alcohol consumption improvements fostering sustainable behavioural change. 

How it will become possible

In the realm of the MELIORA project, digital tools will play a pivotal role, particularly in crafting intervention materials for virtual coach involvement. These are intricately designed to deliver a personalised and interactive user experience, incorporating various functionalities to amplify engagement and efficacy. The integration of digital tools in the MELIORA project will not only facilitate the delivery of intervention material but also ensure a tailored and culturally sensitive approach, promoting positive health-related behaviour change across diverse populations and healthcare settings.   

Guided by the COM-B framework, which identifies capability (C), opportunity (O), and motivation (M) as pivotal factors influencing behaviour change, MELIORA strives to elevate participants’ capacities, chances, and drive for behavioural transformation, aiming for a valuable and personalised approach to mitigate the risk of breast cancer. 

At the core of this approach lies the development of a Virtual Coach, able to generate personalised recommendations, accounting for participants’ geographical, familial, occupational, and social contexts. These recommendations will specifically target areas such as healthy food options, strategies for reducing alcohol intake, and innovative methods to increase physical activity. This approach aligns seamlessly with the principles outlined in the European Code Against Cancer. 

To validate its findings and assess progress, the project will conduct cluster-randomised studies involving a total of 2080 participants across four European countries: Greece, Lithuania, Spain, and Sweden. This diverse participant pool will include healthy women at risk, their families, breast cancer patients, and survivors, providing a comprehensive and representative foundation for the assessment of MELIORA’s impact. 

Where EHMA will deliver

EHMA leads project communication and dissemination efforts, boosting awareness of the project and its network to amplify research visibility. We will aid in transferring MELIORA’s technology to market actors for future solutions. Through workshops involving diverse stakeholders, EHMA will gather data while also analysing the scalability and transfer potential of the MELIORA AI virtual coach. Additionally, we will establish a European Stakeholder and Policy Advisory Board, advising prevention programs internationally for replicating and scaling the project’s successes in cancer prevention plans. 

 

 

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or HaDEA. Neither the European Union nor HaDEA can be held responsible for them.

WHY YOU WILL BENEFIT

The MELIORA project offers several benefits to cancer patients and the entire healthcare community, fostering positive outcomes and promoting overall well-being.  

In particular, the project will create tailored support for all cancer patients through the Virtual Coach. By using the dynamic, interactive, and inclusive MELIORA Virtual Coach, the participants will have access to a series of intervention material pools useful for the promotion and change of their behaviour according to the COM-B model, and healthcare professionals will be able to create personalised and targeted interventions. To do so, the project will promote long-term health benefits by encouraging sustainable behavioural changes. By fostering enduring shifts in behaviour, MELIORA contributes to a preventive healthcare approach, potentially reducing the long-term burden on healthcare systems by preventing the risk of breast cancer. 

Moreover, MELIORA cultivates a united community by actively involving patients and their families in intervention studies, fostering a supportive network and collaborative efforts to bolster overall well-being. 

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