Catharina Pijls Prize for Kathelijne Bessems

The Catharina Pijls Foundation is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. As part of this, they handed out a one-time donation to a project with real-world impact. Kathelijne Bessems (Department of Health Promotion) accepted this donation on January 30 prior to the Catharina Pijls lecture. 

The grant will be used over the next eight months to adapt two existing neighbourhood approaches to increasing food skills, namely Cheap Healthy Food and Zin in Koken, for people with a chronic condition such as type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. In small groups, participants engage in hands-on assignments and cooking activities. The approach goes beyond imparting knowledge about what your body needs. 

“We want to respond to the practical obstacles people face, such as healthy shopping on a small budget, the influence of media and temptations in the supermarket on your purchases and energy-efficient cooking.” Through principles of co-creation, participants, the GGD, dietician Lomme, front-line professionals, and researchers will determine the design and content of the intervention. This process is guided by action-oriented research. 

More information on the projects: GGV and ZiK 

Congratualations to Kathelijne!