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In July of this year the institute 4 Preventive Health issued a Seed Call for seed fund proposals. The call was open for transdisciplinary research proposals aligned with our research lines. Following a thorough selection process, the Seed Fund winners were announced during the Preventive Health Conference. We are pleased to present four projects containing 28 researchers who have been awarded seed grants.

Prista App

Advancing the Development, Tailoring, Evaluation, and Implementation of the PRISTA App for Dietary Support During Pregnancy and Postpartum for Mothers and Children

Many studies highlight the prevalence of suboptimal dietary patterns during pregnancy, the postpartum period, and childhood. Improving diets during these critical stages can reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, low birth weight, postpartum depression, childhood allergies, obesity, and cardiometabolic disorders. Early dietary habits often persist into adulthood, making the perinatal period a key opportunity to promote healthier behaviours. Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer scalable yet personalised nutritional guidance throughout pregnancy and the postpartum year, while also reducing the burden on healthcare professionals.

Despite the growing use of mHealth tools, there is a notable gap in the availability of apps providing personalised support, as well as limited evaluation of their effectiveness. The Regio Deal Foodvalley project Early Life developed a blueprint for the PRISTA app, focusing on maternal nutrition through a user-centred design approach. Future initiatives aim to refine, implement, and evaluate the PRISTA app to improve maternal and child nutrition during early life in the Netherlands. This seed call will support further development of these efforts and pave the way for larger funding opportunities.

Team:

EQUAL

Enhancing Equity for Active Living through Digital Tools (EQUAL)

Active lifestyle interventions, such as cycling infrastructure and green spaces, promote physical activity, improve public health, and enhance quality of life. However, these interventions often disproportionately benefit certain groups, exacerbating social and spatial inequities in cities. Marginalised populations, including those with low socioeconomic status. Refugees, youth, and older adults, frequently face barriers such as limited access to safe recreational facilities, reduced social networks, and economic constraints, which hinder their participation in active lifestyle initiatives.

Addressing these disparities requires an inter- and transdisciplinary approach that prioritises equity and inclusivity. Co-design and bottom-up decision-making processes can help tailor interventions to meet the needs of these groups, such as improving neighbourhood safety, expanding access to affordable facilities, and creating low-cost active transportation options. Digital tools, including virtual and augmented reality, have shown promise in engaging hard-to-reach populations by providing accessible, inclusive platforms for co-design and decision-making. However, existing research often lacks interdisciplinary collaboration and replicable methods for designing such tools.

The EQUAL project aims to bridge these gaps by exploring how digital tools can support equitable participation of marginalized groups in shaping active living interventions. A consortium of researchers and stakeholders will collaboratively develop concepts for digital participation tools and publish findings in an open-access paper, advancing innovative and inclusive approaches to active living.

Team:

  • Dr. Gamze Dane – TU/e Built Environment & Urban Development Initiative (UDI)
  • Dr. Bige Tuncer – TU/e Built Environment
  • Dr. S.M. Labib – UU Department of Human Geography & Spatial Planning
  • Dr. Hanneke Posthumus – UU Institute for Risk Assessment Studies & Data and Knowledge Hub Healthy Urban Living (DKH GSL)
  • Dr. Ayla Schwarz – WUR Consumption & Healthy Lifestyles
  • Dr. Sehnaz Cenani – Nexus Design Studio
  • Dr. Cagdas Durmazoglu – Nexus Design Studio

STITCH

Seamless transitions towards integrated, sustainable, and context-aware mental Healthcare

Mental health (MH) is a growing concern in the Netherlands, with nearly half of the population experiencing a MH disorder at some point in their lives, and even higher rates among disadvantaged groups such as ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals. In 2022, MH-related hospital admissions cost nearly €1 billion. The Dutch mental healthcare system faces challenges, including rising demand, long waiting lists, and capacity shortages, compounded by fragmentation across formal and informal care systems. This fragmentation, caused by governance, sectoral disconnects, and policy barriers, leads to delays, mis-referrals, and inconsistent follow-ups, impacting patient care and increasing strain on healthcare professionals and caregivers.

STITCH aims to address these challenges by developing a systems model prototype that captures the entire MH care continuum, integrating both formal and informal support systems. By visualizing patient flows, the project will pinpoint areas where breakdowns lead to negative outcomes, such as re-admissions, and will provide a comprehensive assessment of strengths and weaknesses across patient, organizational, and system levels. The ultimate goal is to create a digital mental healthcare twin to simulate and optimize care pathways, supporting evidence-based mental health policies.

Team:

Towards a healthy, sustainable and just protein transition

Transdisciplinary research to inform and shape dietary policies, interventions and the plant-based food environment

The Netherlands faces a growing challenge in transitioning from animal-based to plant-based protein sources, a shift necessary for both public health and environmental sustainability. The Dutch government has set a target to increase plant-based protein consumption from 43% to 50% by 2030, with recommendations to expand this to 60% to achieve healthier and ecologically sustainable diets. While plant-based diets can reduce the risk of vascular and kidney diseases, their health effects—especially for vulnerable groups like those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds—remain poorly understood. Additionally, novel plant-based products, though often marketed as healthy, may have negative health impacts due to being highly processed.

The project aims to bridge these gaps by exploring how plant-based diets affect kidney and vascular health across different socio-demographic groups. The researchers seek to identify the health effects of plant-based meat and dairy substitutes and understand how food environments and socioeconomic factors influence dietary choices. The focus is on promoting healthy and sustainable diets, particularly among vulnerable groups, by developing personalized interventions, policies, and digital tools.

Team:

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