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CS&E Seminar: Stephen Kimani, Thursday September 8, 2011

Speaker: Stephen Kimani, CSIRO, Tasmanian ICT Centre, Australia
Title: Designing for Healthy Living
Time and Location: Thursday, September 8, 2011, at 12:00, Aula Magna

Abstract: Chronic conditions (such as heart disease and stroke) have become the chief causes of death globally. The World Health Organization predicts that by 2030, three-quarters of all deaths in the world will be due to such chronic non-communicable diseases. Over 70 per cent of cardiovascular disease deaths and around 50 per cent of all chronic disease deaths are attributable to a small number of risk factors, which include: unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and high blood pressure. Globally, these factors are increasing as people switch to foods high in fats, salt and sugars, while their work and living situations make them much less physically active. Over 1.6 billion adults worldwide are overweight and it is projected that by 2015, the number could reach 2.3 billion. Tobacco use is also increasing in low-income and middle-income countries. It is interesting to note that the aforementioned risk factors are few and are lifestyle modifiable. The lifestyle that people adopt can therefore negatively or positively influence their health and wellbeing. The above discussion clearly points to an opportunity for design solutions that empower people to manage or change their lifestyles, and address their health conditions. This talk highlights the Human-Computer Interaction research activities that Dr. Stephen Kimani has been carrying out for supporting healthy living.

Contacts: Domenico Lembo, Massimo Mecella, Tiziana Catarci

Computer Science & Engineering seminar series web page: www.dis.uniroma1.it/~seminf

 

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