Dutch experiences in new partnerships between science and practice in health promotion:Toward a fourth-generation university

For a long time already, attempts have been made to bridge the gap between research and practice. In this respect, society demands that universities should have a bigger social impact. University and society/societal organizations should work together (co-create) during the entire research process, from the articulation of the research question until the implementation of the results. There is controversy about the question whether it is possible for universities to work together with practice and at the same time to retain the academic quality standards. First, this article deals with the question what characteristics are important for universities in order to be able to work together with practice. In this respect, the Dutch scientist Steinbuch came up with a tantalizing idea arguing that universities may take a next step and develop into ‘fourth generation universities’. Second, it is described how a process of co-creation between university and the health promotion practice has been developed, bottom up, at Tranzo, Scientific Center for Care and Wellbeing, Tilburg University, the Netherlands. The ideas developed by Steinbuch and the results of the bottom up processes in Tilburg are combined. Consequences of the Tilburg experiences for the characteristics of a fourth-generation university are discussed as well as consequences for the role of universities in society

Social climate on alcohol in Rotterdam, The Netherlands: public opinion on drinking behaviour and alcohol control measures

Research was undertaken regarding the Dutch climate on alcohol in 1994 and results were compared with earlier findings. It was found that the social climate on alcohol in The Netherlands can be characterized by 'moderation'. Over the years, drinking without problems has become more acceptable (and is even encouraged at times) whereas excessive drinking and consequent problems still meet strong disapproval. Opinions concerning alcohol control measures mirror this attitude. Measures such as the restriction of drinking in public places and raising the age limits are endorsed by the public. However, more people are now against restrictions on the general availability of alcohol. Although drink-driving has decreased over the years, its prevalence is still high, especially among those who are most at risk

Estimating non-response bias in a survey on alcohol consumption: comparison of response waves

AIMS: According to 'the continuum of resistance model' late respondents can be used as a proxy for non-respondents in estimating non-response bias. In the present study, the validity of this model was explored and tested in three surveys on alcohol consumption. METHODS: The three studies collected their data by means of mailed questionnaires on alcohol consumption whereby two studies also performed a non-response follow-up. RESULTS: Comparisons of early respondents, late respondents and non-respondents in one study showed some support for 'the continuum of resistance model', although another study could not confirm this result. Comparison of alcohol consumption between three time response groups showed no significant linear pattern of differences between response waves. CONCLUSIONS: The hypothesis that late respondents are more similar to non-respondents than early respondents, could not be confirmed or rejected. Repeated mailings are effective in obtaining a greater sample size, but seem ineffective in improving the representativeness of alcohol consumption surveys

Kennisagenda samen gezond leven:Hoe dan?

In het begin van 2020 heeft staatssecretaris Paul Blokhuis het Kennisplatform Preventie in het leven geroepen. Dit platform bestaat uit experts uit de wetenschap, het beleid en de praktijk van preventie. Het doel is om tot meer samenhang te komen in de programmering en het gebruik van kennis over preventie, aan de hand van een dynamische kennisagenda. In haar meest recente agenda (Kennisagenda preventie 2021: mentale gezondheid op de agenda – ZonMw) stelt het kennisplatform dat hoe-vragen meer prioriteit verdienen dan wat-vragen, als het gaat om leefstijl en mentale gezondheid. Dit artikel licht de aanleiding en inhoud van de kennisagenda en het kennisplatform toe, en roept lezers op om mee te denken via [email protected]