IMr Blue Zone

IMr Blue Zone citizen-science project monitors lifestyle behaviour using wearables to improve the healthy lifestyle behaviour/knowledge of the population and healthcare professionals in the Meuse-Rhine region. 

Life expectancy of citizens in the Meuse-Rhine region appears to very substantially within and between regions. To quantify and explore some of the potential underlying reasons for this, the Hasselt, Liège, Aachen and Maastricht university Blue Zone consortium launches a large-scale interregional citizen-science project. IMR Blue Zone monitors physical activity and mental health variables of 1,000 citizens. With these variables, they develop practical guidelines that improve the lifestyle behaviour of vulnerable groups and increase basic knowledge about healthy lifestyles among healthcare professionals. The project partners also aim to develop preventive medicine strategies for policy makers. 

The practical guidelines are ultimately tools for policy makers to facilitate healthy lifestyle behaviour and improve healthy lifestyle literacy, especially for the selected vulnerable group in the Meuse-Rhine region.