Project News

Can you tell us a few things about yourself?

My name is Stella Vlachou. I have been married for the past 13 years, I have a 9-year-old child, and for the last year I have been living in Kallithea, Attica.

What motivated you to participate in the program?

My parents were taking medication for Type 2 diabetes, and I was afraid that I might have the same problem. I had done some tests that showed prediabetes, so I decided to participate in this program.

Here’s what Christina Pelekanou, DigiCare4You implementer from Greece, has to say about being involved in the DigiCare4You project:

 “Hello. My name is Christina Pelekanou, I am a dietitian–nutritionist from Athens, and I am based at the Health Center of Ilioupoli, where for the past two years I have been supporting families as part of the DigiCare4You programme.

Consortium partners from the DigiCare4You project published a new article in the journal mHealth investigating user preferences for the design and features of digital health apps used to support the self-management of chronic conditions and healthy lifestyles.

The results suggest that mHealth apps should support shared goal-setting with healthcare professionals, limit notification and data entry burden, and focus on physical health monitoring.

How will DigiCare4You assess the effectiveness of the solution?

At the participant level, the outcome evaluation is based on the changes found between baseline, 12 and 24-month follow-ups in clinical indices including various blood measurements, blood pressure, anthropometric values and self-reported quality of life.

Read more here

Implementation and process evaluations are an integral part of health intervention trials. To assess the overall effectiveness of the DigiCare4You solution, a process evaluation plan and tools were developed to evaluate whether the programme was implemented as planned across the various levels and stages of the programme.

Read more about the process evaluation here.  

Curious to learn about the policies and programmes that exist for the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes and hypertension in the DigiCare4You implementation countries?

Read more about how the health systems in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Spain are organised, along with their key policies and programmes here

Creating healthier and more supportive local environments plays an important role in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Engaging individuals, families and schools can help foster conditions that support sustainable behaviour change and promote overall wellbeing within communities.

In May 2025, a series of community-based activities designed to raise awareness of, and encourage, healthier behaviours among diverse population groups were implemented in Bulgaria.

DigiCare4You aims to improve the early prevention and management of Type 2 Diabetes and hypertension via a community-based, person-centred solution, integrating both social and healthcare systems, supported by the use of digital tools. 

As an implementation research project, DigiCare4You must follow legal and ethical standards to ensure the protection of participant data and privacy, the integrity of the research process, and compliance with relevant regulations while achieving its objectives. 

To identify the strengths and limitations of the digital screening tools and gain feedback for improvements, a series of tests and online surveys were conducted in the four implementation countries.

The system was accepted by users, considered easy to learn, and received high ratings for usability, highlighting the potential of DigiCare4You’s digital tools to enhance community-based screening services for both citizens and health professionals.

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