If you were a policymaker, which treatment would you disinvest? A participatory value evaluation on public preferences for active disinvestment of health care interventions in the Netherlands.

Introduction: Currently, it is not known what attributes of health care interventions citizens consider important in disinvestment decision-making (i.e. decisions to discontinue reimbursement).

Cost-effectiveness of a stepwise cardiometabolic disease prevention program: results of a randomized controlled trial in primary care.

Background: Cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) are the major cause of death worldwide and are associated with a lower quality of life and high healthcare costs. To prevent a further rise in CMD and related healthcare costs, early detection and adequate management of individuals at risk could be an effective preventive strategy. The objective of this study was to determine long-term cost-effectiveness of stepwise CMD risk assessment followed by individualized treatment if indicated compared to care as usual.

Lifetime cost-effectiveness and equity impacts of the Healthy Primary School of the Future initiative.

Background: This study estimated the lifetime cost-effectiveness and equity impacts associated with two lifestyle interventions in the Dutch primary school setting (targeting 4-12 year olds).

Methods: The Healthy Primary School of the Future (HPSF; a healthy school lunch and structured physical activity) and the Physical Activity School (PAS; structured physical activity) were compared to the regular Dutch curriculum (N = 1676). An adolescence model, calculating weight development, and the RIVM Chronic Disease Model, calculating overweight-related chronic diseases, were linked to estimate the lifetime impact on chronic diseases, quality adjusted life years (QALYs), healthcare, and productivity costs.

A social cost-benefit analysis of meat taxation and a fruit and vegetables subsidy for a healthy and sustainable food consumption in the Netherlands.

Background: Implementation of food taxes or subsidies may promote healthier and a more sustainable diet in a society. This study estimates the effects of a tax (15% or 30%) on meat and a subsidy (10%) on fruit and vegetables (F&V) consumption in the Netherlands using a social cost-benefit analysis with a 30-year time horizon.

Methods: Calculations with the representative Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (2012-2014) served as the reference.

Cost-effectiveness of mandatory bicycle helmet use to prevent traumatic brain injuries and death.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main cause of mortality and severe morbidity in cyclists admitted to Dutch emergency departments (EDs). Although the use of bicycle helmets is an effective way of preventing TBI, this is uncommon in the Netherlands. An option to increase its use is through a legal enforcement.

A social cost-benefit analysis of two One Health interventions to prevent toxoplasmosis.

In the Netherlands, toxoplasmosis ranks second in disease burden among foodborne pathogens with an estimated health loss of 1,900 Disability Adjusted Life Years and a cost-of-illness estimated at €45 million annually. Therefore, effective and preferably cost-effective preventive interventions are warranted. Freezing meat intended for raw or undercooked consumption and improving biosecurity in pig farms are promising interventions to prevent Toxoplasma gondii infections in humans.

Limited salt consumption reduces the incidence of chronic kidney disease: a modeling study.

Background: In addition to blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, high-salt intake has been associated with renal diseases. The aim of this study is to estimate the potential health impact of salt reduction on chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in the Netherlands.

Methods: We developed a dynamic population health modeling tool to estimate the health impact of salt reduction on CKD and ESKD.

Consequences of restricted STI testing for young heterosexuals in the Netherlands on test costs and QALY losses.

Background: Due to rising costs caused by increasing demand for sexually transmitted infection (STI) care, the Dutch government changed the funding of STI clinics. In 2015, a more restrictive testing policy was introduced with syphilis and HIV tests only on indication for younger, heterosexual clients. We evaluated intended savings and missed syphilis and/or HIV infections and explored efficiency of possible test policies.

Correction: Mortality and Length of Stay of Very Low Birth Weight and Very Preterm Infants: A EuroHOPE Study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Variations and Determinants of Mortality and Length of Stay of Very Low Birth Weight and Very Low for Gestational Age Infants in Seven European Countries.

The EuroHOPE very low birth weight and very low for gestational age infants study aimed to measure and explain variation in mortality and length of stay (LoS) in the populations of seven European nations (Finland, Hungary, Italy (only the province of Rome), the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland and Sweden). Data were linked from birth, hospital discharge and mortality registries. For each infant basic clinical and demographic information, infant mortality and LoS at 1 year were retrieved.

Mortality and Length of Stay of Very Low Birth Weight and Very Preterm Infants: A EuroHOPE Study.

The objective of this paper was to compare health outcomes and hospital care use of very low birth weight (VLBW), and very preterm (VLGA) infants in seven European countries. Analysis was performed on linkable patient-level registry data from seven European countries between 2006 and 2008 (Finland, Hungary, Italy (the Province of Rome), the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden). Mortality and length of stay (LoS) were adjusted for differences in gestational age (GA), sex, intrauterine growth, Apgar score at five minutes, parity and multiple births.

Chlamydia screening is not cost-effective at low participation rates: evidence from a repeated register-based implementation study in The Netherlands.

Objective: In three pilot regions of The Netherlands, all 16-29 year olds were invited to participate in three annual rounds of Chlamydia screening. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of repeated Chlamydia screening, based on empirical data.

Methods: A mathematical model was employed to estimate the influence of repeated screening on prevalence and incidence of Chlamydial infection.

[More efficient testing policy at STI clinics].

Objective: To assess the efficiency of the testing policy change in 2012 in sexually transmitted infection (STI) outpatient clinics: persons who attend the clinic and are aged < 25 years without other risk factors are initially tested only for chlamydia, and only in the event of a positive test result will they be tested for other STIs. Other possible changes in the STI testing policy were explored.

Design: Explorative study.

Tobacco control policies specified according to socioeconomic status: health disparities and cost-effectiveness.

Introduction: Little is known about the cost-effectiveness of tobacco control policy for different socioeconomic status (SES) groups. We aimed to evaluate SES-specific cost-effectiveness ratios of policies with known favorable effect in low-SES groups: a tobacco tax increase and reimbursement of cessation support.

Methods: A computer model of the adult population specified by smoking behavior (never/current/former smoker), age, gender, and SES simulated policy scenarios reflecting the implementation of a €0.

Effects of population based screening for Chlamydia infections in the Netherlands limited by declining participation rates.

Background: A large trial to investigate the effectiveness of population based screening for chlamydia infections was conducted in the Netherlands in 2008-2012. The trial was register based and consisted of four rounds of screening of women and men in the age groups 16-29 years in three regions in the Netherlands. Data were collected on participation rates and positivity rates per round.

Cost-effectiveness of counseling and pedometer use to increase physical activity in the Netherlands: a modeling study.

Background: Counseling in combination with pedometer use has proven to be effective in increasing physical activity and improving health outcomes. We investigated the cost-effectiveness of this intervention targeted at one million insufficiently active adults who visit their general practitioner in the Netherlands.

Methods: We used the RIVM chronic disease model to estimate the long-term effects of increased physical activity on the future health care costs and quality adjusted life years (QALY) gained, from a health care perspective.

Effectiveness of yearly, register based screening for chlamydia in the Netherlands: controlled trial with randomised stepped wedge implementation.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of register based, yearly chlamydia screening.

Design: Controlled trial with randomised stepped wedge implementation in three blocks.

Setting: Three regions of the Netherlands: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and South Limburg.

The polypill in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: cost-effectiveness in the Dutch population.

Objectives The aim of the present study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of the polypill in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Design A health economic modelling study. Setting Primary healthcare in the Netherlands.

Differences in muscle load between computer and non-computer work among office workers.

Introduction of more non-computer tasks has been suggested to increase exposure variation and thus reduce musculoskeletal complaints (MSC) in computer-intensive office work. This study investigated whether muscle activity did, indeed, differ between computer and non-computer activities. Whole-day logs of input device use in 30 office workers were used to identify computer and non-computer work, using a range of classification thresholds (non-computer thresholds (NCTs)).

Statistics predict kinematics of hand movements during everyday activity.

Bayesian decision theory suggests that the statistics of an individual's actions (prior experience) play an important role in motor control and execution. To elucidate this relation, we recorded 7 million mouse movements made by a group of 20 computer users across a 50-day work period, allowing us to estimate the prior distribution of spontaneous hand movements. We found that the most frequent movements were in cardinal directions.

Computer work duration and its dependence on the used pause definition.

Several ergonomic studies have estimated computer work duration using registration software. In these studies, an arbitrary pause definition (Pd; the minimal time between two computer events to constitute a pause) is chosen and the resulting duration of computer work is estimated. In order to uncover the relationship between the used pause definition and the computer work duration (PWT), we used registration software to record usage patterns of 571 computer users across almost 60,000 working days.

Coarse-to-fine eye movement strategy in visual search.

Oculomotor behavior contributes importantly to visual search. Saccadic eye movements can direct the fovea to potentially interesting parts of the visual field. Ensuing stable fixations enables the visual system to analyze those parts.