Occupational Health
“Paid employment is an important determinant of health and health inequalities. Our research aims to contribute to creating an inclusive labour market for all social groups.”
Paid employment is an important determinant of health and health inequalities. It is an important challenge to enable persons to work longer in good health, in particular for vulnerable groups. Our research aims to contribute to creating an inclusive labour market for all social groups. Important questions addressed by our research are: How does work affect health and how does health affect work? Which factors determine work ability and sustainable employment during the working life? How can workers with chronic diseases remain productive at work? What interventions and policies enhance sustainable employability? How (cost-)effective are these interventions and policies?
Highlights
Student life challenges and mental health
Several studies have been conducted focusing on students' mental health. Mental health problems are highly prevalent among university students. What are important determinants of mental health problems among students? How do mental health problems among students impact the transition to paid employment? These and other questions are addressed in these studies. One study showed that a higher exposure to student life challenges, such as faculty shortcomings, an unsupportive climate and a high workload, is associated with poorer mental health. Student life challenges – in their objective and subjective component – may therefore be a target for interventions to improve mental health among university students. This study is led by Fabio Porru, MD.
Re-integration in BOLD cities
Municipalities need more insight in the effectiveness of their employment services on entering paid employment among unemployed persons. By making use of big, open and linked data (‘BOLD’) and a quasi-experimental study design, we evaluated the effectiveness of re-integration activities for unemployed persons in Rotterdam. The project continues – in close collaboration with Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University – by evaluating the effectiveness of employment services in The Hague and Amsterdam. Data from the municipality registers and Statistics Netherlands are used to get insight in 1) what works for whom, and 2) the effects of employment services on sustainable employment, income and health. In addition, data dialogues are conducted among welfare recipients, to discuss the conditions under which the use of big data and data analytics to improve employment services is meaningful and acceptable. This study is led by dr. Merel Schuring.
