A joint EMGO+ - C-PAN pre-ISBNPA meeting

Two days before the actual kick-off of the tenth annual meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) in Melbourne, we organised a pre-conference meeting to celebrate and confirm the very fruitful collaboration between the behavioral nutrition & physical activity research groups of EMGO+ (VU University and VU Medical Center) and of the Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research (C-PAN) (Deakin University).

After introductions and words of welcome from the two directors of EMGO+  and C-PAN, i.e. myself and Prof. David Crawford, researchers from both institutes presented overviews of different research lines, e.g. on pricing and labeling strategies to influence nutrition behaviors, on studies on disparities in behavioral nutrition and physical activity according to socio-economic status, on determinants and intervantions on sedentary behaviors, on genetic and environmental determinants of nutrition and physical activity behaviors, et cetara. Thereafter, three guests, (associate) Profs. Annie Anderson, Frank van Lenthe and Stuart Biddle, provided overviews on where they think the field of behavioral nutrition and physical activity is especially in need of further research. At the end of the day, researchers from broke out in small group sessions to develop innovative research ideas for joint projects.

The success of the collaboration between the two centers so far is illustrated by the fact that we have an intensive exchange program, with 9 researchers having visited C-PAn from EMGO+ or vice versa for a few weeks up to a couple of months, and by five joint externally funded research projects, sponsored by for example the European Commission and the World Cancer Research fund, as well as more than 10 joint international publications (the link provides some examples) and more than others 10 under review.