Reducing health inequality
Teaser: Relatively large health disparities exist in Dutch society, particularly among people with a low socioeconomic position.
Centre of Expertise Health Innovation
There is a growing awareness that different forms of knowledge are needed to improve the health of people in a...
Introduction
Relatively large health disparities exist in Dutch society, particularly among people with a low socioeconomic position. There is a growing awareness that different forms of knowledge are needed to understand and improve the health of people in a lower socioeconomic position.
“Countering syndemic vulnerability: a community resilience approach” is one of four projects recently approved under the NWA program ‘Health disparities – better utilizing the health potential of people in a lower socioeconomic position. NWA stands for National Science Agenda.
Two neighborhoods in The Hague and Leiden
The project focuses on two neighborhoods in The Hague and Leiden: Moerwijk and Stevenshof. In co-creation with neighborhoods and citizens, a resilience method is being developed to address the structural mechanisms that lead to the socio-economic clustering of health problems in a neighborhood or community. This method is based on:
- Scientific insights into the accumulation of health problems.
- The causal and resilience processes in the various socio-ecological systems that lead to clustering or, conversely, counteract it.
- Knowledge of activities and their effects on resilience, health, and well-being.
The project's outcome will take the form of a detailed protocol, enabling other neighborhoods to subsequently work with this method as well. This will already be happening in two new neighborhoods in Nijmegen and Rotterdam at the end of the four-year project. You can read about how the collaboration has progressed so far and what the researchers and local residents are taking away from it in this interview with Marieke, Jacky, and Pieter.
Collaboration
The project was submitted by LUMC, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Leiden University of Applied Sciences, and IVO, with Prof. Dr. Jet Bussemaker as the lead applicant, in collaboration with a broad group of parties, including GGD Haaglanden, GGD Hollands Midden, the municipalities of The Hague and Leiden, insurers Menzis and Zorg en Zekerheid, welfare organizations SOL and Incluzio, national organizations such as Pharos, Divosa, and RVS, and international partners in the USA and UK.
News
A website has been established for this project where current events are shared and all research updates appear. View the website here: Countering syndemic vulnerability: a community resilience approach (project Bloesem) – IVO
Duration
This project started in August 2022 and will last 4 years.
More information
Marieke Breed [email protected]
Sanne de Vries, [email protected]
Or visit:
Countering Syndemic Vulnerability: reducing the accumulation of health and social problems