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Understanding the Exposome

Policy Actions from Equal-Life 

What is the physical domain of the exposome? 

Given the as yet relative novelty of the exposome concept and the innovative and explorative nature of applying the exposome concept to mental health and cognition in children on the one hand, and the combined assessment of the physical and social exposome on mental health on the other hand, many Equal-Life findings require further research and corroboration before 

strong recommendations can be made. Nonetheless, several recommendations based on Equal-Life can be made at this stage. One clear message from both Equal-Life findings and from stakeholder discussions is that policy interventions and actions should be done in an interdisci-plinary fashion, across silo-boundaries of physical environment and social environment policy domains. To facilitate this interdisciplinary process, the Equal-Life toolbox provides helpful tools. Also, training materials from Equal-Life have been developed (go to training materials). 

In Equal-Life a so-called logic model was developed to translate research findings into policy action. A logic model clearly and concisely represents the relationships between policy actions, mediators and outcomes. Logic models can serve as practical tools for planning, implementation, and evaluation, ensuring that all aspects of the intervention are aligned and systematically addressed. By mapping out the logical sequence of interventions and expected outcomes, stakeholders can understand the pathways through which exposures affect health outcomes. Finally, program theories depicted in logic models also serve as valuable tools for monitoring and evaluation. 

Figure 12 gives an example of such a model and applies it to the expected changes of actions aimed at promoting mental health and cognitive development in prenatal and young children (0-3 years of age). The recommendations are organised into three distinct levels—societal, com-munity, and individual—each addressing different scopes of impact. 

For an extensive list of tentative recommendations for actions per age group please see Deliverable D7.3. 

Policy interventions relevant to the Equal-Life project 

 

Some tentative examples of policy interventions relevant to the Equal-Life project, categorised across six domains and three levels of governance: Societal, Community, and individual. This will be updated at a later stage and will be included here. Using untargeted analysis, a set of relevant physical exposures was identified that are important for mental health and cognitive development in children (see Deliverables D7.2 and D7.3). 

In addition, the effects of physical exposures were investigated in targeted analysis using the cohort data as well as in-depth analysis (See the finding page)

Cohort name
Cohort type
Study design
Geographical scale
Country
Age range (years)
Calendar year
Number of children
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