KlimaFit
Digital Approaches to Heat Resilience through Active Mobility
Climate change is leading to an increasing number of hot days in Austria, which pose a significant health risk, especially for groups that are vulnerable to cardiovascular issues. Paradoxically, traditional heat adaptation strategies—such as avoiding physical activity outdoors—can negatively impact health in the long term and promote climate-damaging behavior. KlimaFIT is developing an innovative approach: Scientific evidence shows that significant acclimatization effects occur after just 10 days of physical activity in warm conditions, greatly improving heat tolerance. Active mobility thus offers a “double dividend”: it promotes both health and climate protection.
The Role of LBI-DHP
As a project partner, the institute contributes its proven aktivplan application, which has already been successfully used in cardiovascular rehabilitation. Within the KlimaFIT framework, this will be expanded into a KlimaAktivPlan application that enables personalized, climate-conscious training planning and adaptation. By integrating the MORE research platform, adaptive interventions and comprehensive monitoring can be implemented.
The Consortium
The consortium, led by Trafficon – Traffic Consultants GmbH (Salzburg), brings together interdisciplinary expertise: Paracelsus Medical University provides clinical and physiological expertise, Paris Lodron University Salzburg contributes expertise in geodata processing and sustainable mobility, while HELIOS GmbH (Bolzano) brings over 20 years of experience in behavior change and design-thinking methods.
Our team develops technologies in a co-creative process with rehabilitation patients to support behavior change, such as gamification and nudging elements / just-in-time adaptive interventions, specifically tailored to the life transition situation of rehabilitation. The situational intervention service uses ontologies for situation recognition and “pushes” motivating triggers based on environmental parameters and individual needs.
Utilization Perspective for LBI-DHP
The project opens up potential for further development as a digital health application and strengthens the institute’s position in research and development of innovative solutions for vulnerable groups in the context of climate change.
Dr.-Ing. Jan David Smeddinck, BSc, MSc
Co-Director and Principal Investigator
+43 (0) 5 7255 82711 wna.fzrqqvapx@yot.np.ng