Background: The environment affects children’s energy balance-related behaviors to a considerable extent. A context-based physical activity and nutrition school- and family-based intervention, named KEIGAAF, is being implemented in low socio-economic neighborhoods in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The aim of this study was to investigate: 1) the effectiveness of the KEIGAAF intervention on BMI z-score, waist circumference, physical activity, sedentary behavior, nutrition behavior, and physical fitness of primary school children, and 2) the process related to the implementation of the intervention. Methods: A quasi-experimental, controlled study with eight intervention schools and three control schools was conducted. The KEIGAAF intervention consists of a combined top-down and bottom-up school intervention: a steering committee developed the general KEIGAAF principles (top-down), and in accordance with these principles, KEIGAAF working groups subsequently develop and implement the intervention in their local context (bottom-up). Parents are also invited to participate in a family-based parenting program, i.e., Triple P Lifestyle. Children aged 7 to 10 years old (grades 4 to 6 in the Netherlands) are included in the study. Effect evaluation data is collected at baseline, after one year, and after two years by using a child questionnaire, accelerometers, anthropometry, a physical fitness test, and a parent questionnaire. A mixed methods approach is applied for the process evaluation: quantitative (checklists, questionnaires) and qualitative methods (observations, interviews) are used. To analyze intervention effectiveness, multilevel regression analyses will be conducted. Content analyses will be conducted on the qualitative process data. Discussion: Two important environmental settings, the school environment and the family environment, are simultaneously targeted in the KEIGAAF intervention. The combined top-down and bottom-up approach is expected to make the intervention an effective and sustainable version of the Health Promoting Schools framework. An elaborate process evaluation will be conducted alongside an effect evaluation in which multiple data collection sources (both qualitative and quantitative) are used.
AbstractThis study assessed the efficacy of a co-designed, school-based intervention meant to promote physical activityand fitness among Dutch prevocational secondary students. In a two-year clustered randomized controlled trial,students’ physical activity and fitness was measured by indirect and direct methods. In the intervention group,we used the triple-I procedure, a participatory action research method, to co-design the intervention together withthe students and schools. This procedure involved focus group discussions by interviewing and imagingtechniques, followed by a co-design process to align the intervention content and implementation processes withstudents’ preferences. The study involved 22 Dutch schools, with a total of 2685 13-to-14-year-old prevocationalsecondary students. Schools were randomly assigned to either intervention (11 schools, 1446 students) or controlgroup (11 schools, 1239 students).There were no significant intervention differences between students’ overallphysical activity behavior on intervention versus control schools. However, with regards to various specificphysical fitness indicators, such as the long jump, handgrip strength, shuttle run test, and the sum of skinfolds,intervention school students performed significantly better than the control group students. Furthermore, whentaking into account student participation, i.e. the success of the co-design process, schools with higher levels ofstudent participation showed higher shuttle run scores. However, such graded effects were not similarly apparentwith regards to students’ physical fitness indicators. This study showed that co-designing a comprehensivephysical activity intervention on numerous Dutch high schools via the Triple-I Interactive Method was feasible.Moreover, results showed that certain aspects of physical fitness were improved after two years of intervention,although taken together with the lack of effects on physical activity, results were mixed.
Objective: Self-management is a core theme within chronic care and several evidence-based interventions (EBIs) exist to promote self-management ability. However, these interventions cannot be adapted in a mere copy-paste manner. The current study describes and demonstrates a planned approach in adapting EBI’s in order to promote self-management in community-dwelling people with chronic conditions. Methods: We used Intervention Mapping (IM) to increase the intervention’s fit with a new context. IM helps researchers to take decisions about whether and what to adapt, while maintaining the working ingredients of existing EBI’s. Results: We present a case study in which we used IM to adapt EBI’s to the Flemish primary care context to promote self-management in people with one or more chronic disease. We present the reader with a contextual analysis, intervention aims, and content, sequence and scope of the resulting intervention. Conclusion: IM provides an excellent framework in providing detailed guidance on intervention adaption to a new context, while preserving the essential working ingredients of EBI’s. Practice Implications: The case study is exemplary for public health researchers and practitioners as a planned approach to seek and find EBI’s, and to make adaptations.
Receiving the first “Rijbewijs” is always an exciting moment for any teenager, but, this also comes with considerable risks. In the Netherlands, the fatality rate of young novice drivers is five times higher than that of drivers between the ages of 30 and 59 years. These risks are mainly because of age-related factors and lack of experience which manifests in inadequate higher-order skills required for hazard perception and successful interventions to react to risks on the road. Although risk assessment and driving attitude is included in the drivers’ training and examination process, the accident statistics show that it only has limited influence on the development factors such as attitudes, motivations, lifestyles, self-assessment and risk acceptance that play a significant role in post-licensing driving. This negatively impacts traffic safety. “How could novice drivers receive critical feedback on their driving behaviour and traffic safety? ” is, therefore, an important question. Due to major advancements in domains such as ICT, sensors, big data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in-vehicle data is being extensively used for monitoring driver behaviour, driving style identification and driver modelling. However, use of such techniques in pre-license driver training and assessment has not been extensively explored. EIDETIC aims at developing a novel approach by fusing multiple data sources such as in-vehicle sensors/data (to trace the vehicle trajectory), eye-tracking glasses (to monitor viewing behaviour) and cameras (to monitor the surroundings) for providing quantifiable and understandable feedback to novice drivers. Furthermore, this new knowledge could also support driving instructors and examiners in ensuring safe drivers. This project will also generate necessary knowledge that would serve as a foundation for facilitating the transition to the training and assessment for drivers of automated vehicles.