general practioners develop a lifestyle concept, based on combination of Low Fat High Carb food and programs to stimulate activity on regular basis
“GezondDorp" is Dutch for healthy village. The general practitioners in the village of Leende developed a life style concept because they noticed an increasing and more than average number of people with obesity. Their concept was based on more activity and change in food habits. The food approach was based on a strategy of Low Carb High Fat. This diet provides daily food based on natural products (e.g. natural fats and unprocessed food) and no carbohydrates. Besides that, programs of sports and activities were developed to stimulate fysical activity. The approach leads to sensational results in the village community, such as weight loss, decrease of medicine use and more daily activity among the participants. The results are being monitored by a scientific researchers.
One of the backbones of the project is de community approach. The practitioners, inhabitants of the village themselves, organized several meetings in one of the local restaurants to tell about their plan and soon it lead to several active communities of citizens that started implementing the method.
GezondDorp is a flourishing project with a strong community-based character.
Some examples of media that have been used so far:
▪ Newsletter (monthly) over 800 readers
▪ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GezondDorp/;
▪ GezondDorp Belevingsmarkt (yearly event with 4K visitors): https://belevingsmarkt.gezonddorp.nl/
Resources needed
1000 hours annualy, out of pocket costs vary with the extend of the approach
Evidence of success
he approach lead to sensational results in the village community, such as weight loss, decrease of medicine use and more daily activity among the participants. Other results:
N=30 with 18 participants medication diabetes was (partly) stopped
• Participants generally feel fitter
• LCHF can be maintained well
• Improve liver values (less fatty liver)
• Blood pressure drop, so less medication!
• Less intestinal complaints
• Less allergy / hypersensitivit
Difficulties encountered
Bottom-up approach with 2 doctors (figureheads): Dancing Guy
Include local businesses from scratch
KISS: Keep it stupid simple!
Overwhelmed by amount of participants in 2016; 220 instead of 30
Overwhelmed by (media) attention; positive and negative
Health preventio
Potential for learning or transfer
The project is an example of a community based project
Tags: Citizens, Food, Health, Local
