The first 1000 days: the foundation for the Healthy Generation
Faculty of Medicine, University of Amsterdam
As they say, “a good start is half the battle”. Researchers at the Department of Epidemiology and Data Science and Obstetrics and Gynaecology are committed to raising awareness of the importance of healthy living for new-borns and young people. They promote awareness by means of books, public lectures, nationwide campaigns, and collaboration with healthcare funds..
The researchers aim to make parents (and parents-to-be), policymakers, and professionals aware of the importance of a good start in life, and they are doing so successfully. The book De eerste 1000 dagen [The First 1000 Days] – the first copy of which was presented to the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), Hugo de Jonge – led to a national programme (over EUR 40m) called Kansrijke Start [A Favourable Start]. This was accompanied by an extensive campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle among young people through social media and TV programmes. For the past year, the researchers have been promoting a healthy start and future for children by distributing a set of recommendations that they have drawn up for greater balance within the family (comprising feeling, thinking, home, body/nutrition, and school/social).
They intend using the grant from the Rewarded! Fund for further collaboration with parents, children, and young people. So as to reach the target groups more effectively, they plan to collaborate with social media influencers, for example.
Websites:
Nieuws.nl – Spangas maakt kinderen bewuster van gezondheid
1e 1000 dagen
Gezonde Generatie
Kansrijke Start
Coordinator:
Tessa Roseboom, hoogleraar
Other group members:
Leonard Hofstra, hoogleraar
Hamza Yousuf, promovendus
Arne Popma, hoogleraar
Malon van den Hof, postdoc
