People with a lower socioeconomic status are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease yet are often harder to reach through preventive care and digital health tools. Many existing technologies do not adequately reflect people’s everyday circumstances, needs and preferences. As a result, innovations intended to improve health can unintentionally widen existing inequalities.

The EQUITY project, Enhancing Quality, Understanding, and Inclusion in Healthcare through socio-Technical AI sYstems, aims to change this. Led by Ben Allouch, the consortium will work in close collaboration with residents, healthcare professionals, community organisations, local authorities, employers, labour organizations, hospitals and health insurers to develop and test inclusive AI in an integrated pathway for prevention, early detection and follow-up.

AI tools developed with communities

The project centres on co-creation with citizens in their own neighbourhood and employees in their daily work setting: developing technology together with the people and organisations who will use it. The consortium will investigate three AI-supported solutions:

• an accessible health check in the community;
• straightforward monitoring tools for use at home; and
• a conversational AI tool designed to help people find appropriate support.

Together, these tools are intended to make preventive cardiovascular care easier to access, build trust and provide longer-term support. The pathway will be embedded in neighbourhoods, workplaces and home environments.

Collaboration across research and society

Health inequalities cannot be solved through technology alone. EQUITY therefore combines expertise from different disciplines with close collaboration between academic and societal partners. The consortium includes the University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam UMC and Eindhoven University of Technology, alongside a broad network of public, private and community partners.

The grant was awarded through the NWO-KIC call Reducing health inequalities – Technology for people with a lower socio-economic position. NWO awarded grants to two projects under this call, with a combined budget of €7 million

Read more

• NWO announcement: Two grants awarded under the KIC call ‘Reducing health inequalities’
• ELSA Lab