BETTER4U

Unveiling the Origins of Obesity

BETTER4U is a 4-year Horizon Europe funded project (2023-2027) that aims to develop comprehensive research and innovative interventions to address and reverse the widespread increase in obesity and weight gain.

What is Obesity?

Obesity is the accumulation of excess fat in the tissue and is considered a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) in and of itself. But obesity can also increase an individual’s risk of developing other chronic NCDs, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and renal diseases, together with certain types of cancer.

The widespread prevalence of overweight and obesity among the global population has escalated in the recent decades into a silent epidemic, claiming over 4 million lives annually—1.2 million in Europe alone, according to numbers of the World Health Organization (WHO).

How can we address global obesity?

To understand overweight, all determinants should be considered, encompassing not only established factors like physical activity, eating patterns, and sleep routines—proven catalysts for weight gain—but also addressing often overlooked aspects like social and economic conditions. For the BETTER4U project, it is necessary to evaluate from a multifactorial perspective the conditions that trigger weight gain in most of the population and specific marginalized groups.

To tackle such an epidemic, BETTER4U will contribute to the development of tailor-made and evidence-based weight loss interventions. This initiative aims to facilitate users in achieving a healthier and longer life expectancy.

When using the BETTER4U App, we will receive and store physical activity data from the sensors of your smartwatch (if available), such as heart rate, step count, sleep and stress data, as well as meal information and photographs that you upload through the BETTER4U App.

We also collect your location data in the background to calculate indicators of your lifestyle, including travelled distance, transportation preferences and daily mobility patterns. You can disable the collection of location data in the background at any time in the BETTER4U App Settings.