PhD defence Lisanne Arayess

Keywords: Overweight, Obesity, Paediatrics, Personalised health care

"Tailored To Thrive: A Personalised Approach to Paediatric Overweight"

This thesis explored the need, challenges, and solutions for a personalised approach to the prevention and care of children with overweight and obesity.

Part 1 examined factors important for this approach, including parenting practices and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research also showed that early stages of chronic diseases are not only present in children with obesity, but already in two-thirds of children with overweight.

Part 2 focuses on healthcare professionals. They described the challenges they experience in conversations about weight and lifestyle with families, and the support they need to improve these conversations.

Part 3 focuses on the scaling up of the lifestyle intervention Your Coach Next Door (YCND) across multiple Dutch provinces by sharing lessons learned and the study protocol. YCND is currently the only lifestyle intervention for children that meets the criteria for reimbursement under the Dutch basic health insurance.

The thesis concludes with the developed Watering Can model, which illustrates the structure needed for personalised, measurable, and scalable care for children with overweight and obesity.

Click here for the live stream.