Centre of Expertise Urban Vitality
Nutrition and Exercise
A healthy body composition is essential for the health and physical performance of children, elderly people, athletes and people with chronic illnesses alike. The Nutrition and Exercise Professorship explores the impact of nutrition and exercise on body weight, fat mass, and muscle mass (and the preservation thereof) among these demographics. Through both preventative and curative interventions, the professorship aims to contribute to the health and physical performance of children, elderly people, athletes and people with chronic illnesses.
In addition, the professorship also scrutinises the efficiency and effectiveness of the professional support and supervision that is in place and the usefulness and validity of the measuring tools that are applied. It turns out that there are only a limited number of measuring tools that are suitable for practical application, and they are not sufficiently developed yet. Through applied research in its own Amsterdam Nutritional Assessment Center (ANAC), the professorship seeks to improve this state of affairs.
Objectives
The primary objectives of the Nutrition and Exercise Professorship are:
- Contributing to the development and quality of the education offered by training professionals.
- Contributing to the development and quality of clinical practice by working alongside healthcare practitioners conducting applied research aimed at developing an innovative, evidence-based approach.
- Ongoing and proactive promotion of the exchange of knowledge between the worlds of research, education and clinical practice.
Focus areas and projects
Under the auspices of the professorship, dieticians, nutrition scientists and movement scientists work together alongside external clients, universities, lecturers and students.
Focus area 1: effective and future-proof dietetics.
Projects:
- DIEET
- PROSYST
Focus area 2: helping children in Amsterdam achieve a healthy weight.
Projects:
- NUTRABCD
- PRESCHOOL@HEALTHYWEIGHT
Focus area 3: muscle preservation, body composition and physical functioning among adults and elderly people.
Projects:
- MPS muscle preservation study
- TO-BE
- PROBE
- Vitamine
- UV-VOS
Focus area 4: weight management in sports.
Project:
- AISS