Current projects:
- HBSC Flanders: The study 'Adolescents and health' is part of the international Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study, adopted by the WHO Regional Office for Europe as a collaborative study. The study aims to increase our understanding of adolescents' wellbeing, health behaviors and their social contexts.
- FWO research project regarding park visitation and use in older adults. This project looks at which park attributes attract older adults and how these attributes are related to the physical, mental and social health of this target group.
- FWO research project investigating the relationship between the physical environment and mental health in older adults with a low socio-economic status. Mobile electroencephalography will be used to measure electrical activity of the brain when older adults walk through their neighbourhood. This enables to examine how physical environmental factors relate to acute changes in older adults’ emotional states such as relaxation and excitement. In addition, we will examine how changes to a 3D virtual environment influence older adults’ emotional states.
- FWO research project aiming to identify critical environmental street characteristics influencing the safety and appeal for active transport by manipulations of virtual reality 3D walk/cycle through environments.
- BOF participatory project that focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of an intervention to promote healthy sleeping habits in adolescents. Within this project, the principles of participatory research and those of the Intervention Mapping Protocol are combined for the first time.
- BOF doctoral project aiming to develop, implement and evaluate an intervention to reduce sedentary behaviour in adolescents at secondary schools using a participatory approach. The Intervention Mapping Protocol is used as a guideline.
- Doctoral project with the aim of investigating the determinants of alcohol consumption, the various prevention strategies and the relationship between alcohol consumption and leisure activities.
- Research project that has the aim to develop an awareness campaign to promote palliative care in the general population in Flanders. During the first phase the focus will be on generating insight into the different institutional and public discourses surrounding palliative care. In the second phase the campaign will be developed in close collaboration with stakeholders and using the intervention mapping protocol. This project is part of an interuniversity FWO SBO-research project, CAPACITY, aiming to develop capacity in palliative care across society. (collaboration with the End-of-Life Care Research group)
- Project regarding timely initiation of palliative care. This project focuses on communication about palliative care and more specifically on the behavior ‘starting a conversation about palliative care with a treating physician (e.g. family physician, oncologist) ’ from the perspective of people with incurable cancer. (collaboration with the End-of-Life Care Research group)
- BOF doctoral project that focuses on identifying the crucial individual and environmental determinants of parental food choices by focus groups, and testing the usability and acceptability of innovative intervention strategies. In a later phase, a RCT will give insight in the effectiveness of these intervention strategies on dietary choices of parents. (collaboration with the Department of Marketing, Innovation and Organisation)
- FWO funded PhD project with the aim to assess the implementation in routine practice of exercise interventions (e.g. clinical pathway) in prostate cancer patients receiving hormone treatment and other evidence-based guidelines (such as cardiometabolic and bone screening, nutrition, etc.) for the optimal management of hormone therapy-induced side effects. (collaboration with the Department of Human Structure and Repair)
- Doctoral project aiming at the development of a care pathway for bladder cancer patients. Patients care needs are investigated during treatment in order tailor treatment to their needs and an e-health movement program is developed using the Intervention Mapping Protocol. (collaboration with the Department of Human Structure and Repair)
Previous research projects:
- REWARD
- The Toybox study
- project about the use of photographs to study environment-physical activity relationships
- project about the promotion of active transport in older adolescents
- project about active use of Public Open Spaces in adolescents aged 12-16
- project about the promotion of an active lifestyle in working young adults: the Active Coach app
- ENERGY
- IDEFICS
- HELENA
- HOPE