Factors affecting perceived change in physical activity in pregnancy.

Objective: reduction of physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is common but undesirable, as it is associated with negative outcomes, including excessive gestational weight gain. Our objective was to explore changes in five types of activity that occurred during pregnancy and the behavioural determinants of the reported changes in PA.

Design: we performed a secondary analysis of a cross sectional survey that was constructed using the ASE-Model - an approach to identifying the factors that drive behaviour change that focuses on Attitude, Social influence, and self-Efficacy.

Come On! Using intervention mapping to help healthy pregnant women achieve healthy weight gain.

Objective: Gaining too much or too little weight in pregnancy (according to Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines) negatively affects both mother and child, but many women find it difficult to manage their gestational weight gain (GWG). Here we describe the use of the intervention mapping protocol to design 'Come On!', an intervention to promote adequate GWG among healthy pregnant women.

Design: We used the six steps of intervention mapping: (i) needs assessment; (ii) formulation of change objectives; (iii) selection of theory-based methods and practical strategies; (iv) development of the intervention programme; (v) development of an adoption and implementation plan; and (vi) development of an evaluation plan.

Responding to maternal distress: from needs assessment to effective intervention.

Objectives: To perform a needs assessment of maternal distress to plan the development of an intervention for the prevention and reduction of antenatal maternal distress.

Methods: We searched PubMed, OVID and EBSCO and applied the PRECEDE logic model to select the data. Experts in the field validated the findings.

The effect of Wazzup Mama?! An antenatal intervention to prevent or reduce maternal distress in pregnancy.

We evaluated the effect of the intervention WazzUp Mama?! on antenatal maternal distress in a non-randomized pre-post study including healthy women in 17 Dutch midwifery practices. The control group (n = 215) received antenatal care-as-usual. The experimental group (n = 218) received the intervention.

Weight gain in healthy pregnant women in relation to pre-pregnancy BMI, diet and physical activity.

Objective: to explore gestational weight gain in healthy women in relation to pre-pregnancy Body Mass Index, diet and physical activity.

Design: a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 455 healthy pregnant women of all gestational ages receiving antenatal care from an independent midwife in the Netherlands. Weight gain was assessed using the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines and classified as below, within, or above the guidelines.

Factors influencing maternal distress among Dutch women with a healthy pregnancy.

Background: Maternal distress is a public health concern. Assessment of emotional wellbeing is not integrated in Dutch antenatal care. Midwives need to understand the influencing factors in order to identify women who are more vulnerable to experience maternal distress.

Dutch midwives' behavioural intentions of antenatal management of maternal distress and factors influencing these intentions: an exploratory survey.

Objective: to explore midwives' behavioural intentions and the determinants of these intentions with regard to the management of antenatal care of women with maternal distress.

Design: an exploratory survey using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics calculated expanded TPB constructs, demographic information, personal characteristics and work related details.

Tailored print communication and telephone motivational interviewing are equally successful in improving multiple lifestyle behaviors in a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Computer tailoring and motivational interviewing show promise in promoting lifestyle change, despite few head-to-head comparative studies.

Purpose: Vitalum is a randomized controlled trial in which the efficacy of these methods was compared in changing physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption in middle-aged Dutch adults.

Methods: Participants (n = 1,629) were recruited via 23 general practices and randomly received either four tailored print letters, four motivational telephone calls, two of each type of intervention, or no information.

Vitalum study design: RCT evaluating the efficacy of tailored print communication and telephone motivational interviewing on multiple health behaviors.

Background: A large proportion of adults fail to meet public health guidelines for physical activity as well as fruit, vegetable and fat intake. Interventions are needed to improve these health behaviors. Both computer tailoring and motivational interviewing have shown themselves to be promising techniques for health behavior change.

Informing one's family about genetic testing for hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC): a retrospective exploratory study.

Background: The family-link approach of case finding is considered the fastest and most efficient approach to trace people with hereditary disease. Therefore, there is a need to understand if, why, and how people with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) inform their biological family.

Aim: To explore people's perspective on informing one's biological family regarding a hereditary predisposition for HNPCC.

Effects of in-school and tailored out-of-school smoking prevention among Dutch vocational school students.

This paper evaluates a smoking prevention intervention aimed at vocational school students, consisting of an existing Dutch in-school program (three lessons each lasting 50 min) and a computer-based tailored out-of-school program (three tailored letters with smoking prevention messages mailed to students' homes). Nineteen schools that already participated in the in-school program were randomly assigned to the in-school or to the combined in-school and out-of-school condition. The remaining 17 schools were randomly assigned to the out-of-school condition or to the control group.

Do Dutch 11-12 years olds who never smoke, smoke experimentally or smoke regularly have different demographic backgrounds and perceptions of smoking?

Background: Most adolescent smokers start smoking before the age of twelve. Little is known about the behavioural smoking determinants of Dutch primary school children.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of students from the final year of 143 Dutch primary schools.

Short-term effects of a randomized computer-based out-of-school smoking prevention trial aimed at elementary schoolchildren.

Background: Smoking prevention programs usually run during school hours. In our study, an out-of-school program was developed consisting of a computer-tailored intervention aimed at the age group before school transition (11- to 12-year-old elementary schoolchildren). The aim of this study is to evaluate the additional effect of out-of-school smoking prevention.