The Alpe D’HuZes challenge has been completed

Last Thursday I cycled Alpe D’Huez mountain together with more than 1000 other riders to raise money on behalf of the Alpe D’HuZes (“Alpe 6 Times”) foundation for the Dutch Cancer Society to fund cancer rehabilitation research.

I took on the mountain 6 times that day; some went as far as 9 times I heard…

The foundation raised more than 5 million Euros with the event. This enables the funding of a comprehensive cancer rehabilitation research program called A-Care, and the establishment of an endowed chair at the VU University’s faculty of psychology and education and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research on psychosocial support for cancer patients.

Click here for my own video impression of the event, shot from the bike...

Alpe D’HuZes is close

Just over 1 week to go before I will try to cycle up and down Alpe D’Huez mountain for the Alpe D’Huzes (“Alp –six-times”) event to raise funding for cancer research. The Alpe D’Huzes foundation has organised this event now for the forth year in a row, each year raising more money to support important cancer-related research. The EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research coordinates an Alpe D’HuZes funded research program on effectiveness of cancer rehabilitation interventions, and will host an endowed chair on psychosocial support for cancer patients.

On June 4, the cycling event will covered live on line via live.opgevenisgeenoptie.nl. Please visit http://deelnemers.alpe-dhuzes.nl/acties/HansBrug/Individuele-renners for more information on my personal sponsors for this fund raising event. The pictures attached to this message show the front and back of my shirt with the names of the larger sponsors that I will wear with pride on the day of the event.

HOPE (Health promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe) reported its progress

In a preconference workshop at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO), organised by the European Association of the Study of Obesity, the HOPE project held its 2nd ‘Network of Networks’ meeting. HOPE stands for Health promotion through Obesity Prevention across Europe, and it’s a European Commission funded research project that aims to aims to bring the scientific knowledge on overweight, obesity and their determinants together and use the expertise of researchers all over Europe to help to tackle the obesity epidemic.
More specifically HOPE aimed to carry out quantitative analyses, modelling and systematic reviews on obesogenic physical activity and nutrition behaviours, their environmental determinants, consequences on health and health inequalities among children and adults, and prevention interventions, in order to provide an evidence-based inventory of best practices for the development of evidence-based policies and interventions for obesity prevention across the European Union.
We are now in the final stages of the HOPE project. We are now finalizing a series of systematic reviews, a series of scientific papers on secondary analyses, as well as epidemiological modelling to present scenario’s of what may happen to the obesity epidemic and its consequences on health and disability, if evidence-based interventions and policies are implemented across Europe.
These scientific reports will soon be submitted as deliverables to the European Commission, as well as to international scientific journals for peer review and publication.
At the Network of Network meeting, that I co-chaired with professor Philip James, we presented our results and the translation of these results into concrete policy recommendations to an audience of scientists, policy advisors, and government officials. We will use their feedback to fine tune our conclusions and recommendations that will be available via our website in the next few months.
Click here for some pictures of the presenters, discussants and audience at the HOPE meeting.

Experts see more in health protection than health education to help to prevent MP3 player-induced hearing loss among adolescents.

Hearing loss among adolescents is a growing concern. Exposure to loud music via personal MP3 players is one of the important risk behaviours. What can be done about this? To explore the potential determinants of engaging in such music-listening behaviour and possible intervention strategies to change such behaviours, Ineke Vogel conducted a series of studies, combining quantitative and qualitative research among adolescents as well as potential ‘intermediaries’ for preventive interventions. One of her studies was recently published in the journal Pediatrics.
In order to identify parties involved in the prevention of MP3-induced hearing loss among adolescents and potentially effective prevention strategies and interventions, thirty experts in fields such as scientific research, medical practice, community health professions, education, youth work, music entertainment, and enforcement authorities participated in a qualitative, electronic, 3-round, Web-based Delphi study.
Multiple parties involved in the prevention of MP3-induced hearing loss among adolescents were identified; the most relevant are the adolescents themselves, their parents, manufacturers of MP3 players and earphones, and governmental authorities. The experts did not expect that adolescents in general would perform the necessary protective behaviours to prevent MP3-induced hearing loss. Two environmental health protection measures were identified as both relevant and feasible to be implemented. The authors conclude that authorities, the music industry in general, and especially manufacturers of MP3 players and earphones should recognize their responsibility and create a safer MP3-listening environment by taking measures to protect today's youth from the dangers of listening to high-volume music on MP3 players.

Danielle Timmermans inaugurated as professor of Patient Participation in Healthcare Decisions

On Friday April 24 Dr. Danielle Timmermans was inaugurated as endowed chair at the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research. Her chair focusses on research related to patient participation in health and health care decisions. An important part of her research is focussed on risk perceptions, and the role of such perceptions as a determinant of decisions and choices related to health behaviours and health care.

EMGO+ awards for Petronella van ’t Veer and Nannah Tak

At the general meeting of the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research (see next message on this Blog!) on Wednesday April 22, the EMGO+ awards were announced. The EMGO+ Science Award for the best paper of a junior researcher was for Petronella van ‘t Veer-Tazelaar for her paper in Archives of General Psychiatry, entitled Stepped-Care Prevention of Anxiety and Depression in Late Life. This study, published in one of the highest ranked journals in the field, indicated that stepped-care intervention is effective in prevention of onset of anxiety and depression among elderly individuals.
The EMGO+ Societal Impact Award was awarded to Nannah Tak for her work on the evaluation of fruit and vegetable schemes in primary schools. Her studies, based on the ‘Schoolgruiten’ and ‘Pro Children’ projects. Showed that school-based interventions to promote fruit and vegetable consumption among school-aged children consisting of free school fruits and vegetables and a nutrition education curriculum are indeed associated with higher intakes, and such interventions are cost-effective. Her studies have received much media attention. Based on these studies and other studies in the field, the European Commission has decided to support school fruit and vegetable schemes throughout the European Union.

The EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research has started

Yesterday, the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, EMGO+, was officially launched with a kick off meeting in ‘Pakhuis de Zwijger’ in Amsterdam.
EMGO+ is an trans-disciplinary, and interfaculty research institute. The faculties of Medicine, of Psychology & Education, and of Earth and Life Sciences participate in this new institute, that builds on the strong foundation of the ‘old’ EMGO Institute for Extramural Medicine. Click here for some pictures of the event

The formation of EMGO+ is based on a detailed business-case and is supported by a start-up subsidy from the board of the VU University.

With a 300+ attendance, and with presentations by Prof. Lex Bouter, vice chancellor of the VU University, Prof. Wim Stalman, dean of the VU University Medical Center, and Prof. Paul van der Maas, chair of the Netherlands Health Council’s Advisory Council for Health Research we received a good overview of the chances and challenges for EMGO+, and its mission.

The mission of the Interfaculty Research Institute for health and care research is to encourage, initiate, conduct and publish excellent research of international standing to improve public and occupational health, primary care, rehabilitation and long-term care.

More specifically, by fulfilling its mission the institute is aiming to contribute to improving evidence-based:
• Public and occupational health;
• Primary health care;
• Rehabilitation practice;
• Long-term health and health care.

In these fields the institute aims to contribute to:
• Strengthening the evidence-base for current ongoing practice;
• Innovation of practice;
• Innovation of relevant research methodology;
• Provide input and direction for education and training for researchers and practitioners.

Scientific output in terms of acquisition of research grants, completion of doctoral thesis, and publications in peer reviewed international scientific journals, as well as societal impact are the indicators of the overall performance of the Interfaculty Research Institute.

Later on the day, we had the big EMGO+ quiz, the different research programs met in sub-group sessions. After some drinks and a buffet dinner, the EMGO+ Science and Societal Impact Awards were announced. The kick-off meting ended with a party with a great performance by the EMGO+ band.