A young branch takes on all the bends that one gives it. In adolescence the foundation is laid for someone’s life. Developments and experiences at this young age are vital for later health, for better or for worse. Therefore it is important to learn adolescents healthy behavioral patterns with respect to eating, drinking, smoking, exercising, sexual relations, etc.. Although adolescents are easy to reach for health educators, for example via schools or parents, regularly they are not open for it and many adolescents show resistance against well-meant advice. We examine how the effectiveness of health communication, for example via (social) media, parents or school, can be increased.
The prevalence of anxiety- and depression-related complaints in adolescents and emerging adults has risen over the last decade, but youth face barriers when seeking professional help. Many therefore rely on social media for mental health information. Online short videos (OSVs) are a new form of online health information, which may come with risks and benefits for susceptible adolescents and […]
Read more »
The prevalence of anxiety- and depression-related complaints in adolescents and emerging adults has risen over the last decade, but youth face barriers when seeking professional help. Many therefore rely on social media for mental health information. Online short videos (OSVs) are a new form of online health information, which may come with risks and benefits for susceptible adolescents and emerging […]
Read more »
A healthy lifestyle – a healthy diet and regular physical activity – significantly contributes to the prevention of chronic diseases. People with lower socioeconomic position (SEP) often have unhealthier lifestyles compared to those with higher SEP. However, interventions aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle often struggle to reach the lower SEP population and may even exacerbate social inequality. One possible […]
Read more »
Many adolescents and young adults consume a lot of alcohol, which is related to serious negative consequences for both youth and society. A recent development is that young people nowadays place a lot of posts about this alcohol use on Social Networking Sites (SNS), such as Facebook and Instagram. Alarmingly, most of these messages show alcohol in a positive light. […]
Read more »
This PhD project focuses on gaining a better understanding of aspects that determine the effectiveness of interpersonal communication about alcohol and binge drinking. The overarching goal is to explore how interpersonal communication can be used to improve anti-alcohol and binge drinking interventions targeted at late adolescents (17-19 years old). We examine aspects such as: conversational valence (tone of voice), peer […]
Read more »
Low-educated adolescents with learning difficulties drink and smoke more than other adolescents. How can this target group be effectively educated about alcohol and tobacco? In this project, this is studied among 12-15 year old adolescents who follow schools for special education or adolescents at pre-vocational schools who receive special attention. Seven experiments are performed that test various variations of a […]
Read more »
Opinions differ on whether it is wise or foolish to have recovered addicts inform adolescents about the risk of use of alcohol, tobacco or drugs (ATOD). Some think that this will deter adolescents from using ATOD; in contrast, others think that this might stimulate experimental use. On the one hand, by informing adolescents in a lively way about their own […]
Read more »