Work Package 1 – Understanding Mediterranean Lifestyle Adherence
While the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle are widely recognised for their health benefits, levels of adherence vary greatly across countries and population groups. Understanding how people perceive and adopt this lifestyle is essential to designing effective and inclusive interventions.
Work Package 1 (WP1) provides the scientific foundation of MEDIET4ALL by delivering a harmonised, cross-country assessment of Mediterranean lifestyle adherence and its key determinants.
Objectives of WP1
WP1 focuses on two main objectives:
Assess current behaviours and perceptions related to the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle across diverse populations.
Generate evidence-based insights to support the development and testing of innovative MEDIET4ALL solutions, including the Smart Coach digital tool.
Approach
WP1 is coordinated by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and relies on a multicentre, data-driven approach:
A large-scale multilingual electronic survey conducted in eight countries.
Analysis of dietary habits, physical activity, sleep, social behaviours and lifestyle perceptions.
Investigation of sociodemographic, economic and cultural factors influencing adherence.
This methodology ensures both scientific robustness and cultural relevance.
Key achievements
At the midpoint of the project, WP1 has delivered:
A GDPR-compliant survey translated into six languages.
Data collected from around 4,000 participants across eight countries.
A comprehensive statistical and ethical framework.
Completion of data collection and primary analyses.
The survey has already led to several peer-reviewed publications in international scientific journals.
From evidence to action
WP1 also contributes to the co-development of the MEDIET4ALL Smart Coach. Ethical approvals have been obtained, and a 12-week bi-centre intervention will assess the tool’s ability to improve lifestyle adherence, well-being and related health outcomes.
Impact and next steps
WP1 outcomes support researchers, policymakers, industry and citizens by transforming data into actionable knowledge. The next phase will focus on further dissemination of results, best-practice guidelines and the implementation of the Smart Coach intervention.