Before the start and during the first weeks of their first year, it has been observed by teachers that engineering students start with a high level of motivation, which often seems to decrease during the course of the first semesters. Such a decrease in motivation can be a main driver for students …

Chronic widespread pain is highly present in patients with the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type (EDS-HT), but up to now, evidence for generalized hyperalgesia is lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate whether pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) at both symptomatic and asymptomatic body …

Physical and psychosocial stress and recovery are important performance determinants. A holistic approach that monitors these performance determinants over a longer period of time is lacking. Therefore this study aims to investigate the effect of a player’s physical and psychosocial stress and recovery …

Background: Most studies on birth settings investigate the association between planned place of birth at the start of labor and birth outcomes and intervention rates. To optimize maternity care it also is important to pay attention to the entire process of pregnancy and childbirth. This study explores …

Objective To determine the effectiveness of a client or care‐provider strategy to improve the implementation of external cephalic version. Design Cluster randomized controlled trial. Setting Twenty‐five clusters; hospitals and their referring midwifery practices randomly selected in the Netherlands. Population Singleton …

BACKGROUND: Given the negative consequences of early alcohol use for health and social functioning, it is essential to detect children at risk of early drinking. The aim of this study is to determine predictors of early alcohol use that can easily be detected in Preventive Child Healthcare (PCH). METHODS: …

Stimulating physical activity behaviour in persons with a physical disability is important, especially after discharge from rehabilitation. A tailored counselling programme covering both the period of the rehabilitation treatment and the first months at home seems on the average effective. However, a …

Stricter environmental policies, increased energy prices and depletion of resources are forcing industries to look for bio-based and low carbon footprint products. For industries, flax is interesting resource since it is light, strong, environmental friendly and renewable. From flax plant to fiber products …

Objective To evaluate whether a specific period after birth (in weeks postmenstrual age [PMA]) and specific elements of sucking are associated with abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 2 years using a longitudinal approach. Study design Fifty-two preterm infants participated in this longitudinal …

This thesis seeks to discover how personal leadership education functions in the Netherlands and to suggest recommendations for its improvement. To this end, personal leadership courses and students’ attitudes towards those courses at six higher education institutions were researched. Personal leadership …