Healthy Lifestyle in a Supporting Environment
Centre of Expertise Health Innovation
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 supporting youth (ages 2-24) in developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
Vision
The research group strives for sustainable behavioral change in youth in the field of physical activity and nutrition. This behavioral change is achieved by converting knowledge about physical activity, nutrition, behavioral change techniques, technology, interaction design and pedagogy into innovative products, programs and services that support children and youth consciously or unconsciously in achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We believe in the power of cocreation, nudging and implicit learning alongside persuasion and explicit learning and in the power of a stimulating social and physical environment.
We work in a demand-driven and practice-oriented way. The wishes, needs and perceptions of the target group and stakeholders are central to the innovations. In addition, we work closely together with professionals in the field, such as physical education teachers, community sports coaches, dieticians, designers and policy makers.
We translate the knowledge we gain in research into concrete recommendations, tools and products for practice focused on sufficient and varied physical activity behavior and making healthy(er) food choices in contexts where children and young people spend a lot of time (home, school, daycare, neighborhood, sports, online). We also translate the knowledge to education and further training of (future) professionals.
About the professor
dr. Sanne de Vries
Sanne graduated in Human Movement Sciences and Epidemiology at the VU University Amsterdam. From 2000 to 2013, she worked as a researcher and project leader at TNO. Sanne finished her PhD at the VU University Amsterdam in 2009 in Social Medicine with her thesis entitled 'Activity-friendly neighbourhoods for children'. Sanne has been involved in more than 125 research projects involving youth, physical activity, healthy food choices and health and has published more than 200 scientific reports and papers. The role of the physical environment in physical activity, physical education and nudging have her special interest.
Additional positions
- Associate Professor LUMC Health Campus, Department of Public Health & Primary Care
- Member Recognition Committee Interventions, subcommittee 5 Sport and Physical Activity
- Chair SIA Platform Professors of Sport and Physical Activity
- Guest editor
- (Co) promotor - Leiden University, LUMC, UMCG, TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
+31 (0)6 - 46 87 68 52
[email protected]
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.
