Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC) is the largest private University in Europe. It consists of five national campuses hosting 49 institutes, 24 departments, 79 research centres, 5 university research centres, 6 spin-off and a number of laboratories at the cutting edge of technology. The research centre that will be involved in this project is called Consumer & Health Engagement Research Center (EngageMinds Hub). EngageMinds HUB Center is located in Milan and Cremona and it is devoted to the study and promotion of citizens’ engagement (consumers, patients, families etc.) in health and food related processes.
EngageMinds HUB Center addresses the needs of individual consumers, but also of consumer associations to make them active and responsible actors in their wellbeing and healthcare management. We are the first Italian multidisciplinary research centre aimed at promoting and implementing scientific activities―inspired by the principles of consumer psychology―related to the issue of engagement in health behaviours (esp. primary and secondary prevention, health promotion, management of health care) and to the study of people’s engagement in food choices and habits.
The Center’s activities are carried out with the collaboration of professors, researchers, and qualified experts from different disciplinary sectors (psychology, agricultural, food and environmental sciences, economics, medicine, law, sociology, banking sciences) at national and international level with a view to foster trans-disciplinarily and cross-cultural comparison.
Our contribution to the project
1We have an established expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods applied to health, social and consumption problems, and our Center is considered an excellent point of reference worldwide.
2We contribute the evidence-based Model of Patients and Consumer Health Engagement (PHE Model) that we developed, which assesses the individual’s psychological readiness to take an active role in his/her own health management. The Model is published and cited worldwide and used both as a KPI to measure effectiveness of intervention to improve patient and consumer health engagement, and as a theoretical approach to develop patients support and educational programs.
e-mail: engagemindshub@gmail.com - guendalina.graffigna@unicatt.it