Hi everyone, I am Meeke Hoedjes. I am employed as assistant professor at the department of Medical and Clinical Psychology at Tilburg University since September 2017. I am currently employed at the department I graduated from in 2006. Before I started my current position at Tilburg University, I was employed as a postdoctoral researcher at the department of Health Sciences at VU University Amsterdam for 5 years. I obtained my PhD at the Erasmus University Medical Center in 2011. My PhD-project was about psychological health and health behavior change after complicated pregnancies. Health psychology and health promotion are central in my research line ‘Towards sustained health behavior changes in patient populations to improve health outcomes’. Since my postdoctoral position, my research has primarily focused on oncology patients. However, recently my focus has broadened to chronic diseases with the start of two PhD-projects targeting health behavior change in individuals with multimorbidity.
Project Title
I’m involved in multiple research projects all aiming to promote health behavior change in patient populations. Although most projects aim to promote health behavior change in different populations of cancer survivors, my two most recent projects aim to promote health behavior change in a broader patient population: individuals with multiple chronic diseases. One of those two projects is specifically aimed at how to promote health behavior change in individuals from low socioeconomic status, ethnic minorities, and/ or with low health literacy.
Systemic or behavioral change(s) addressed
Health behavior changes, primarily changes regarding diet and physical activity (and weight management), but also including sleep, alcohol consumption, and smoking.
Theoretical approach
I have worked with different theories and models of health behavior (change) (including the Self-Determination Theory, the Health-Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory), but prefer to use a bottom-up approach when it comes to individual determinants of health behavior change and promotion of health behavior changes at the individual level.
Empirical research strategies
Intervention studies; longitudinal observational study; mixed-method studies; qualitative research (focus groups, semi-structured interviews); Delphi study; systematic reviews, Ecological Momentary Assessment, subjective (questionnaires) and objective assessment of lifestyle (accelerometer); n of 1 design; co-creation. Intervention Mapping; Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy; Behavior Change Wheel.
Possibilities for inter- and transdisciplinary collaboration
During my academic career so far, I have learned the value of multidisciplinary collaboration and the importance of incorporation of multiple levels (e.g., policy, organizational, inter-individual, individual) to reach sustainable solutions to solve complex issues such as achieving health behavior change in patient populations. One of the reasons I am enthusiastic about joining the Social Transition and Behavioral Change research team is that I recognize that in collaboration with colleagues from different disciplines we could come to better and more comprehensive solutions for achieving (sustained) health behavior changes at multiple levels. I will be able to bring in expertise on how to achieve health behavior change at the individual (and to a lesser extent at the inter-individual) level. I am very eager to learn more about the view of the current members of this research team on how to achieve sustained (health) behavior changes on the inter-individual, organizational, and societal level. And I am very much looking forward to co-creating new research ideas together.
Social transition(s) addressed
Our ageing population is accompanied with increasing (multi)morbidity, mortality, and health care costs caused by chronic diseases. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (t2dm), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer are highly prevalent chronic diseases that often co-exist. The number of individuals diagnosed with one or more of these chronic diseases is increasing drastically. These chronic diseases develop due to common underlying lifestyle-related risk factors such as overweight and obesity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity has been increasing and is expected to further increase over the next decades, placing a high burden on society in terms of health care and health care costs. Healthy lifestyle changes and weight loss in overweight and obese individuals may improve health-related outcomes, such as quality of life, and reduce health care costs. With this growing number of individuals with chronic diseases, there is a need for cost-effective, easily accessible, personalized yet scalable interventions. The importance of favorable lifestyle changes in the prevention of chronic diseases and to promote health outcomes in individuals with chronic diseases is widely recognized. This is illustrated by the ‘Nationaal Preventieakkoord’ and the ‘Knowledge Agenda Prevention’ (November 2018), the recent policy change among Dutch health insurance companies to reimburse the costs for combined lifestyle interventions and lifestyle coaches, as well as the recently (september 2022) released Integral Care Agreement (Integraal Zorg Akkoord).
Receiving a chronic disease diagnosis, such as diabetes type 2 or cancer, can be experienced as a life-changing event, not only for the individual involved but also for their direct social environment. Receiving such a diagnosis is often viewed as a teachable moment or window of opportunity for lifestyle change.