Introduction

Getting enough exercise and eating a healthy diet are both equally important for good health. This is common knowledge. Yet many children and young people in the Netherlands still lead an unhealthy lifestyle.

This has consequences, both personal and social. So how do you prevent this? Or, more precisely, how can you teach children to start moving more - and keep moving? And how can you encourage young people to make healthier food choices?

About the research group

Mission

The research group focuses on promoting a healthy lifestyle among young people (ages 4-24 years) in the Haaglanden region by working together with current and future professionals and the target group to develop, evaluate and implement innovative products and programmes and services that promote physical activity and healthy food choices.

Vision

The research groups aims to work to promote a healthy lifestyle among young people ages 4 to 24 years through sustainable behaviour change. This behaviour change is achieved by converting knowledge about movement, diet, behaviour change, technology, interaction design and pedagogy into innovative products and programmes and services that consciously and/or subconsciously inspire children and young people to lead a health lifestyle. These efforts are based on a belief in the power of seduction and implicit learning, alongside persuasion and explicit learning. The innovations are integrally based on the desires, needs and perceptions of the target group and stakeholders. We work in a demand-driven and practice-oriented manner. That is why the research group works together closely with professionals in the field and the degree programmes and answers research questions originating directly from the professional field.

About the professor

dr. Sanne de Vries

Sanne graduated with a degree in Human Movement Sciences and Epidemiology from the VU University Amsterdam. From 2000 to 2013, she worked as a researcher and project leader at TNO. Sanne earned her PhD from the VU University Amsterdam in 2009 in Social Medicine with a thesis entitled 'Activity-friendly neighbourhoods for children'. Sanne has been involved in more than 75 research projects involving young people, movement and health and has published more than 200 scientific reports. Her primary focus is on the role of the physical environment in movement behaviour, physical education and ‘nudging’, as well as the assessment of physical activity in young people

+31 (0)6 - 46 87 68 52
[email protected]

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Sanne de Vries

Team

Within our Research Group we work together to promote a healthy lifestyle for young people (4-24 years) in the Haaglanden region. We do this by developing, evaluating and implementing innovative products, programs and services together with (future) professionals and the target group.
 

Meet our team

Lectoraat GLSO 10 jaar Team

Projects

Start (V)aardig

Start (V)aardig is a study on the physical literacy of preschoolers. After all, children who learn to exercise well at an early age and enjoy it, often develop an active lifestyle. Neighbourhood sport coaches can play a...

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Influencergame

De serious game om leerlingen van het vmbo weerbaar te maken tegen gezondheidsgerelateerde desinformatie op social media.

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Play-friendly cities

More and more children in the Netherlands are overweight, don't exercise enough and have poor motor skills. For children to become healthy and fit adults, it is important to encourage them to exercise more.

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News

8 February 2024

Research

Launch of Research Project 'Mbo-students in Action for Plant-Based Food'

At the heart of the project are Mbo students: their perceptions of plant-based food, their consumption of plant-based food, and the solutions they themselves propose to increase the consumption of plant-based food.

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4 December 2023

Research

Lecturer THUAS appointed as Medical Delta Lecturer

Many children do not meet the physical activity guidelines and make unhealthy food choices. Sanne de Vries, PhD endeavours to facilitate a healthy start for everyone through her work, recognizing that "Children and...

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24 January 2023

Research

Interview with a researcher in the neighbourhood: Marieke Breed

Health issues and social problems often go hand in hand. This accumulation of problems is too often still seen as individual problems.

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Publications

Article

Viewing behavior in dynamic sports situations

An innovative study into viewing behavior in hockey

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Article

Investigating young children’s physical activity through time and place

A study into children's exercise behavior, in which the GPS data of 248 children was shared.

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Article

The Participant Journey Map: Understanding the Design of Interactive Augmented Play Spaces

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Article

Agreement Between the KTK3+ Test and the Athletic Skills Track for Classifying the Fundamental Movement Skills Proficiency of 6- to 12-Year-Old Children

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