Symposia

It is our pleasure to invite you to the first ARPH symposium on health and sustainability. Individual and planetary health are closely related: poor planetary health such as air pollution and heat waves increase the risk of diseases, and climate change makes the occurrence of pandemics more likely. A healthy environment, on the other hand, can also contribute to our personal health, just think of how taking a walk in nature can enhance our mental well-being. Our behaviour can play an important role in changing both individual and planetary health. Certain behaviours directly influence both, such as a sustainable healthy diet and active transport that can kill two birds with one stone – or in a more animal-friendly version, free two birds with one key. Theoretical models we know from health psychology on changing health behaviour appear applicable to also change pro-environmental behaviour.

At ARPH, we therefore want to especially highlight the research that investigates the connection between the natural environment, climate, and sustainability with health. We have brought together several members who will speak on diverse topics in environmental health psychology for this online symposium, which will be held on Thursday 17^th February 2022.

13.30 hrs – Welcome
Catharine Evers, Utrecht University; Ann DeSmet, Université libre de Bruxelles

13.45 hrs – Behavioural aftereffects of initial food consumption decisions: a conceptual review and experimental design
Suzanne Op ’t Landt, Wageningen University

14.10 hrs – Understanding what experts associate with healthy and sustainable diets – A first step in order to SWITCH the dietary behaviour of adolescents
Sanne Raghoebar and Anouk Mesch, Wageningen University

14.35 hrs – One’s meat another’s poison? Different social and personal norm perceptions across meat consumers
Sofie Wolfswinkel, Wageningen University

15.00 hrs – Short break

15.15 hrs – The potential of virtual reality to stimulate healthy and environmentally friendly food consumption
Eline Smit, University of Amsterdam

15.40 hrs – Understanding Perceptions of the Protein Shift:  Mapping Consumers’ Mental Models
Lieke Van den Boom, Utrecht University

16.05 hrs – Positive and negative transfer effects within and between health-promoting and pro-environmental behaviours
Ann DeSmet, Université libre de Bruxelles

16.30 hrs – Discussion
Marieke Adriaanse, Leiden University

Attendance is free, but registration is required. Please send a mail to Janet Hurtado, j.hurtado@uu.nl, before 10^th February 2022, to register for this symposium. You will receive login details upon registration.

On the 4th of October 2018 the first ARPH Junior Event took place in Utrecht. The afternoon started with an insightful and interactive workshop “brainfriendly working”, by Frans Duijts (de Hoofdzaken). The workshop was tailored to PhD/research-related work experiences such as stress, procrastination and the feeling of ‘what did I do today?’. After receiving tips and tricks on managing our to-do-lists based on the way our brain works, the workshop ended with some fun (physical) exercises – see photo. We continued with a ‘speeddating session’ in which we got to know each other better by sharing our successes and failures in our careers so far. At the end of the day we went for drinks in the city center, which was very ‘gezellig’.

All in all, it was a fun and fruitful event attended by junior researchers from many different universities. We agreed with each other that more junior events should be organized in the future, and we are open for suggestions for the next edition!

Thanks to all attendees for the inspiring afternoon!

Sofie van Rongen (sofie.vanrongen@wur.nl) and Monique Alblas (m.c.alblas@uva.nl)

Why this symposium?

ideos have thus far been developed for different purposes within the field of health psychology. Examples are videos to convey health information to patients, to influence health behaviors or to test the effect of physician-patient communication on patient outcomes. However, numerous methodological choices in the development of these videos may influence the impact or effectiveness of interventions or manipulations. There is presently little evidence about optimal methodological choices in video development. Therefore, the main goal of this symposium was to share knowledge and experience regarding the development of video for research by both the film industry as well as health psychology researchers. A summary of the day can be found here.

More information?

After the presentations there was plenty room for discussion and the afternoon was concluded with an informal market which offered the opportunity for researchers to present their own work. Researchers who are interested in the content of the different presentations can request the slides by sending an e-mail to Marij Hillen: m.a.hillen@amc.uva.nl.

Past decades have shown an exponential growth in the amount of data that is digitally collected and stored. This exponential growth of data is associated with the upcoming science of big data management. By linking a patient’s personal data to a person’s clinical data, new insights can be obtained to tailor the feedback, treatment, and coaching purposes to the needs of patients even better, paving the way towards real personalized healthcare. However, though this seems to be a promising development, it raises some questions as well.

For instance: A) Should people who live measurably healthy have the right on a lower health insurance contribution?, B) Is the implementation of big data in health care is a technical or a cultural challenge?, and C) Should physicians be able to understand the reasoning behind algorithms to be able to work with them? These and other inspiring questions on personalized healthcare and persuasive coaching were vividly discussed during the successful 7th edition of the conference “Supporting Health by Technology” on May 27, 2016.