Health and welfare are very important, both for individuals and for society as a whole. They have a major bearing on quality of life, and personal quality of life is a key determinant of social vitality. The Health and Welfare research theme is concerned with prevention. Research within this theme contributes to improvement of the circumstances of groups and individuals in our local and regional communities. Focus topics include young people, the elderly, addiction, and psychiatry and technology in health care.

Exercise, Health and Welfare

How do exercise and physical experience interact with health and welfare? And how can psychosocial problems be managed or negated by interventions that focus on exercise and physical experience?

The Healthy City

The health and welfare of Zwolle’s young people are central to this research accent. The main factors determining the healthiness of local children’s lifestyles are studied and influenced at the city or neighbourhood level.

ICT innovations in Health Care

Effective and efficient use of ICT is essential in health care. But what do patients or clients need? What are the parameters of their expectations? And is care actually improved by the ICT that is deployed?

Innovation in Geriatric Care

The Health and Welfare research team seeks to contribute to improved quality of life for the elderly. The independence of older clients and the competences of care professionals are recurring focus issues.

Palliative Care, Ethics and Communication

How can quality of life be improved for patients in the final phase of life and those around them? Practical research is undertaken to generate new ideas concerning ethics and communication in the antemortem period. The role of care providers is central to this work.

Obesity Prevention

Childhood obesity is a major social problem because of its influence on the future productivity of affected individuals and on the cost of caring for them. By developing, sharing and applying knowledge, we seek to contribute to the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Addiction Prevention

The team’s work in the field of Addiction Prevention is aimed at the professionalisation of people who work to prevent addiction. We develop tools with a view to enhancing communication with at-risk groups and we study the personal characteristics and experience-based expertise of people working in prevention.