Robert Memelink, one of the project leaders: ‘I imagine that participants will decide with their healthcare provider what they want to focus on after the lifestyle program has ended. How to achieve and maintain their goals. In this way we stimulate the health and independence of the elderly in the long term.’

Lifestyle intervention

Based on the PROBE research the Nutrition and Exercise research group developed the multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention 2Do. Target group: Overweight or obese people aged 55+ and type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. Dietitians offer the 2Do lifestyle intervention in close collaboration with physiotherapists or personal trainers. During the intervention, clients work intensively for 13 weeks to improve their blood sugar levels through the loss of fat mass and the maintenance and use of muscle mass. This is done through individual and group meetings and strength training. After completing the intervention, the dietician can offer the client a tailor-made follow-up programme. Support in this follow-up phase may reduce the risk of relapse. By digitizing 2Do, clients become familiar with the digital lifestyle intervention during the program. This increases the chance of maintaining the changed lifestyle.

Goal

Developing a digital version of the existing lifestyle intervention 2Do. With a digital version, dietitians can also support participants in the intervention after the program has ended in losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight while retaining muscle mass.

Method

Based on literature, knowledge from other projects and experiences of healthcare professionals who already use 2Do, the project team maps out which requirements the digital version must meet. Researchers then design the digital version and build it together with partner Chippr on the basis of the existing digital platform of the HvA research group People in Movement (MiB).

Expected results

A digital version of the existing lifestyle intervention 2Do. This version is in line with the existing MiB platform, on which, for example, the intervention for the ‘SO-NUTS project’ is based. Researchers at 2Do2Digital are developing a protein module on the MiB platform that allows participants to track and evaluate their protein intake.

What is the expected social impact?

The digital version of 2Do gives dieticians extra options to guide their clients through lifestyle changes. The digital version is especially helpful when guiding clients during the maintenance phase. Dieticians can schedule sufficient contact moments in this phase while reducing the contact time. The client can continue more and more independently.

How does the project contribute to education and research?

The project team involves students graduating from the Nutrition and Dietetics study program in the literature study. At a later stage, students from the Communication and Multimedia Design (CMD) program may also participate in the design of parts of the digital tool. In addition, the project team is collaborating with the App n protein research, in which protein intake also plays an important role.

Project duration

1 Feb 2023 -31 Dec 2023

Project manager

Annette Brons

Robert Memelink, Faculteit BSV, HvA

Researchers

Vincent Vijn

Robert Memelink

Funding

Urban Vitality Stimuleringsgeld

Partners

• Chippr

The ToP program is a national evidence-based intervention for very preterm children (<32 weeks gestation) and their parents, aimed at improving parent-child interaction and the development of the preterm child.

Good information provision about the development and health of the premature child is associated with better developmental outcomes. That is why knowledge transfer is one of the strategies of the ToP programme. This knowledge transfer takes place during 12 home visits.

Preliminary research showed that parents and paediatric physiotherapists (SMEs) need additional information about, for example, sleep, development, behaviour and nutrition. The ToP paediatric physiotherapists also indicated that the group of vulnerable parents with limited health skills benefited less from the information transfer that takes place during the intervention. They endorse the importance of providing clear and accurate information to parents.

The moderately preterm born children (32-34 weeks of pregnancy) are currently not eligible for the ToP programme, while the problems experienced by children and parents are very similar to the very preterm born children. An online information module (E-ToP) for increasing parents’ knowledge and understanding of the consequences of preterm birth and counselling their child is seen as promising by SME professionals. Paediatric physiotherapists see opportunities to reach a wider target group with this module.

The research question in this project is: ‘How can paediatric physiotherapists, in addition to the ToP programme, transfer more knowledge and insight to parents in an accessible and understandable way about the development of their very and moderately preterm child and about parenting after preterm birth?’

In the first phase of this project, the online application will be developed in co-creation with the paediatric physiotherapists, parents and other stakeholders. In creative workshops and focus groups, including parents with limited health skills, the functionalities, content and shortcomings of the online application are examined. In the second phase, the developed program is examined in a feasibility study (n=80) for applicability, usability and satisfaction. Impact on the professional field and education will take place during and after the project.

Project duration

1 Sep 2021 -1 Sep 2023

Project manager

Raoul Engelbert, Faculteit Gezondheid (HvA)

Researchers

prof. dr Somaya Ben Allouch

Joey van der Bie

Sergio Bondietti

dr Marije Kanis

Vincent Vijn

Daniel Bossen

Monique Flierman

Martine Jeukens

Anton van Kaam

Funding

SIA RAAK MKB

Partners

• Revalidatiegeneeskunde Amsterdam UMC
• Kindergeneeskunde Emma Kinderziekenhuis Amsterdam UMC
• TOP Kinderfysiotherapeuten
• Care4Neo Oudervereniging
• Pharos
• Zilveren Kruis Achmea
• Nederlandse Vereniging voor Kinderfysiotherapie

This research project is about prevention of unhealthy weight gain and obesity during crucial phases throughout the lifespan.

The aging population faces two conditions that threaten healthy aging: high fat mass (obesity) and low muscle mass and function (sarcopenia). Both conditions are independently associated with comorbidity, disability, low quality of life, and early death. The combination of both– referred to as sarcopenic obesity– synergistically increases the risk of adverse health outcomes. The two conditions often co-occur as they reinforce each other and share common aetiology, mainly poor nutrition and inactivity.

Although all aging people are at risk of gaining weight and losing muscle mass, during the transition from working life to retirement there is an even higher risk of becoming overweight and sarcopenic due to changes in hormonal status, poor nutritional intakes and lower physical activity levels. Even so, retirement offers a great window of opportunity to improve lifestyle, as older adults already need to restructure their daily activities. Furthermore, adopting a healthy lifestyle around the age of retirement offers sufficient time to prevent obesity, sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity and provides long-term benefits, including healthy ageing and dependence in later life.

To stimulate weight loss/prevent weight gain while preserving muscle mass, it is critical that both physical activity and adequate nutrition be addressed. It is key to change behaviour in a sustainable manner, providing scientifically proven, personalized, and acceptable principles that can be integrated in daily life. Health technologies are promising tools for delivering personalized and appealing lifestyle interventions to a large group of people while keeping health care costs low. At this moment, there is a lack of effective sustainable interventions that focus on retirement as an important turning point to promote both nutrition and physical activity behaviour.

We aim to provide essential insights required to develop innovative strategies for preventing obesity, sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity. Using these insights, we will design a personalized digital program focused on nutrition and exercise that helps empowering people to lose weight while preserving muscle mass and function. We focus on a population that is, on the one hand, at high risk of developing sarcopenic obesity, while on the other hand showing a great window of opportunity of adopting a healthier lifestyle.

Have a look at the SO-NUTS website for some useful videos regarding behavioral change for lifestyle improvement.

Image & Video

Project duration

1 Apr 2021 -31 Dec 2025

Project manager

prof. dr Peter Weijs, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS)

Researchers

prof. dr Somaya Ben Allouch

Joey van der Bie

dr Sumit Mehra

Vincent Vijn

dr Michel Oey

Stephanie Kramer MSc

Farzaneh Salehi

Josje Schoufour, AUAS

Funding

JPI Healthy Diet for Healthy Life (HDHL) (EU financiering)

Partners

• Alfonso Cruz-Jentoft – IRYCIS Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal
• Rocco Barazonni – European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN)
• Doris Eglseer – Medical University of Graz
• Judith Liddell – European Federation of the Association of Dietitians (EFAD)
• Yves Boirie – University Clermont Auvergne
• Trudy Voortman – Erasmus MC