ActiHealth

LL-00167

Active involvement of communities to improve healthy lifestyle habits

Common territorial challenge (s) that will be tackled by the project

The health profiles of Lithuania and Latvia share similarities due to shared climate and lifestyle habits. Main causes of death include non-infectious diseases like cardiovascular issues and malignant tumors, with mortality rates notably high in Daugavpils and Akmene districts. Since various health indicators in Latvia and Lithuania are still lower than the EU average, the health burden leads to a lower quality of life and a shorter life expectancy. Lifestyle factors like poor diet and sedentary behavior contribute to health issues, highlighting the need for interventions to promote physical activity and mental health across both countries.

Project objective

The project aims to enhance the health and well-being of communities in the Akmene and Daugavpils municipalities cross-border region by strengthening the capacity of healthcare professionals to address public health challenges and increasing engagement of community members of all ages in physical, mental health and healthy lifestyles activities through collaborative efforts.

Planned activities

The ActiHealth project aims to encourage residents to engage in various physical, mental health, and healthy lifestyle activities and also to create a framework for the health monitoring methodology, as well as ready-to-use tool-kit for the health specialists on community engagement. The experience of organizing wellness activities will be shared across countries. In addition, the project aims to train public health specialists to the more effective involvement of community members in health activities, which will result in increased public engagement and awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

Project results

The project developed new approaches to public health monitoring and community engagement into healthy lifestyle.

One of the most significant results is a public health monitoring methodology, which provides a systematic framework for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting health data from diverse sources including statistical information, health institutions, and environmental data. Also, during the project the practical toolkit for community engagement in health promotion activities was created. It offers comprehensive guidance on communication strategies, message formulation, visual aids, and collaboration techniques for effectively involving residents in health activities.

Download public health monitoring methodology in Lithuanian and Latvian languages.
Download practical toolkit for community engagement in health promotion activities in Lithuanian and Latvian languages.

Both documents were developed through six collaborative workshops, approved by both partner organizations, integrated into their operational procedures, and published in Latvian and Lithuanian languages on partners’ websites, as well as distributed to stakeholders.

Moreover, local communities of the cross-border region were involved in physical, mental health and healthy lifestyle promotion activities, public sports events:

in Lithuania, 20 groups participated in physical activity classes (10 sessions each), 20 groups attended mental health activities and 20 groups joined healthy lifestyle classes,
in Latvia, 10 Nordic walking groups, 10 Qigong and exercise groups, and 16 months of Mamanet activities were organized.
eight youth summer camps were conducted (4 in each country) with over 160 participants total.
four weekend retreats for elderly people successfully engaged seniors from both countries.
three large-scale cross-border events, e.g. Nordic walking masterclass, hiking tour, and orienteering competition, brought together participants from Lithuania and Latvia.

In addition to that, both project partners procured necessary equipment for health promotion activities, including exercise materials, health assessment devices, mental health activity supplies, healthy lifestyle promotion tools, and presentation equipment. All equipment continues to be used for ongoing community health programs.

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