Dr Mai Chin A Paw
Dept of Public and Occupational Health
EMGO Institute, VU University Medical Center
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Project title
Determinants of effective interventions: mediators and moderators of school-based interventions aimed at energy balance behaviour (2008/65)
Scientific abstract
Obesity is an established risk factor for many cancers. Particularly alarming are the increasing rates of obesity among children, portending continuing increases in the rates of obesity and obesity-related cancers for many years to come. Obesity is the long-term consequence of a sustained positive energy balance, in which energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. To improve the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving energy balance behaviours (EBB), there is the need to identify how (analysis of mediators), for whom, and under what circumstances (analysis of moderators) these interventions can lead to improvement of EBB. Few projects have used their data for analysis of mediators of intervention effects (or lack thereof). In addition, few studies have analysed if these effects were more prominent among or restricted to certain subgroups (analysis of moderators). The present study is unique in that it combines data of relevant state-of-the art intervention studies from different countries to address this gap in knowledge.
The study aims to conduct secondary analyses to identify mediators and moderators of school-based EBB interventions. The current study will inform future interventions and guide further research on the mechanisms through which EBB interventions exert their effects. Only by understanding the causes of intervention successes and failures can we systematically improve interventions and thus improve public health.
Project plain language abstract
Obesity is an established risk factor for many cancers. Particularly alarming are the increasing rates of obesity among children, portending continuing increases in the rates of obesity and obesity-related cancers for many years to come. Obesity is the long-term consequence of a sustained positive energy balance, in which energy intake exceeds energy expenditure. To improve the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving energy balance behaviours (EBB), there is the need to identify how (analysis of mediators), for whom, and under what circumstances (analysis of moderators) these interventions can lead to improvement of EBB. Few projects have used their data for analysis of mediators of intervention effects (or lack thereof). In addition, few studies have analysed if these effects were more prominent among or restricted to certain subgroups (analysis of moderators). The present proposal is unique in that it combines data of relevant state-of-the art intervention studies from different countries to address this gap in knowledge. The proposal aims to conduct secondary analyses to identify mediators and moderators of school-based EBB interventions. The current proposal will inform future interventions and guide further research on the mechanisms through which EBB interventions exert their effects. Only by understanding the causes of intervention successes and failures can we systematically improve interventions and thus improve public health.
| Institution and location | Degree | Year | Scientific Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groningen University, The Netherlands | MSc | 1986-1992 | Human Movement Science |
| VU University Medical Center, The Netherlands | MSc | 1993-1994 | Epidemiology |
| Wageningen University, The Netherlands | PhD | 1995-1999 | Human nutrition and physical activity epidemiology |
| 1999–Present | Senior-researcher/associate professor at the EMGO Institute and Department of Public and Occupational Health, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. |
| 1995–1999 | PhD fellow at the department of Human Nutrition and Epidemiology, Wageningen University, The Netherlands. |
| 1993–1995 | Research associate, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. |
Research interests
Physical activity epidemiology; physical activity interventions; overweight and obesity; nutritional epidemiology.
