J W R Twisk
Biographic Data
| ID | 121901 |
|---|---|
| NAME | J W R Twisk |
| GIVEN NAMES | J W R |
| FAMILY NAME | Twisk |
| SIGNATURE | TWISK J W R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9617-1020 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 71 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 35 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 71 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1994 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
A winding pathway with hidden barriers: The role of selection in diversity
Dear EditorWe read the recent study by Steenman et al. [1] with interest. Understanding how different groups of students find their way into medical study (or not) is important. Steenman et al. ana
Evaluation of a toolbox for the prevention of skin cancer among outdoor workers: An intervention study
Introduction: Due to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure at work, outdoor workers face a higher risk of keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) than indoor workers. This study evaluates the short-term effectiveness of a sun-safety risk communication toolbox aimed to increase sun-safety behavior among male outdoor workers. Methods: This parallel-controlled, non-randomized study included outdoor construction and arboricultural workers, recruited from five com…
The bidirectional relationship between severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and lifestyle factors in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: A contemporaneous and prospective analysis
Previous studies on other psychiatric disorders have found that unhealthy lifestyle factors are associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms. It appears that OCD might differ in these aspects. In the present study, drug and alcohol use, higher BMI, and a composite score of unhealthy lifestyle factors were not associated with more severe OCD symptoms and did not predict greater symptom severity two years later. However, consistent with finding…
The Effects of the Jump ‐In Whole‐School Intervention on the Weight Development of Children in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
BACKGROUND: This study assessed the effects of the "Jump-in" whole-school intervention in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on children's weight development by comparing children exposed to the intervention and controls from 3 other large Dutch cities. Jump-in is a comprehensive intervention that aims to stimulate healthy nutrition and physical activity in children at primary schools in Amsterdam. In addition, the relationship between the intervention'…
Effectiveness of a Comprehensive School-Based Sex Education Program for Young Adolescents in the Netherlands
How to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Health Promotion Actions Developed Through Youth-Centered Participatory Action Research
Most actions targeting children’s health behaviors have limited involvement of children in the development, potentially contributing to disappointing effectiveness. Therefore, in the 3-year “Kids in Action” study, 9- to 12-year-old children from a lower-socioeconomic neighborhood were involved as coresearchers in the development, implementation, and evaluation of actions targeting health behaviors. The current study describes the controlled trial…
Causal Mediation Analysis with a Binary Mediator: The Influence of the Estimation Approach and Causal Contrast
Although causal mediation analysis clarifies causal effect estimation, little attention has been devoted to the differences between causal estimation approaches. This paper illustrates the difference between the causal estimation approaches for mediation models with a binary mediator. Using a Monte Carlo simulation study and an empirical data example we show that the regression- and simulation-based approaches provide indirect and total effect es…
A Longitudinal Study in Worrisome Sexual Behavior Following Sexual Abuse in Infancy or Early Childhood: The Amsterdam Sexual Abuse Case
Worrisome sexual behavior (WSB) is often described as an outcome specific to child sexual abuse (CSA). Therefore, it is highly relevant to study WSB in relation to sexual abuse, especially in very young children, as it is hard to recognize sexual abuse in children who have limited verbal capacities of disclosing. Over time, literature describing WSB following CSA has gradually broadened. However, a gap remains regarding the long-term development …
The effectiveness of an additive informal social network intervention for forensic psychiatric outpatients: Results of a randomized controlled trial
This is the first RCT examining the effectiveness of an additive informal social network intervention in forensic psychiatric outpatients. Although no improvements were found on mental wellbeing, the additive intervention was effective in reducing hospitalization and criminal behavior. The findings suggest that forensic outpatient treatment can be optimized by collaborating with informal care initiatives aimed at improving social networks within …
Selection for health professions education leads to increased inequality of opportunity and decreased student diversity in The Netherlands, but lottery is no solution: A retrospective multi-cohort stu…
Background Concerns exist about the role of selection in the lack of diversity in health professions education (HPE). In The Netherlands, the gradual transition from weighted lottery to selection allowed for investigating the variables associated with HPE admission, and whether the representativeness of HPE students has changed.Method We designed a retrospective multi-cohort study using Statistics Netherlands microdata of all 16-year-olds on 1 Oc…
Treatment alliance and needs of care concerning religiousness and spirituality: A follow-up study among psychiatric inpatients
Background: Patient satisfaction with religious/spiritual (R/S) care during mental health treatment has been associated with a better treatment alliance. Aims: To investigate the longitudinal relations between (un)met R/S care needs and treatment alliance/compliance over a 6-month period. Method: 201 patients in a Christian (CC) and a secular mental health clinic completed a questionnaire (T0) containing an R/S care needs questionnaire, the Worki…
The Association Between Possible Stressors and Mood Outcomes in Older Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities
Major life stressor and conflict emerged as important stressors for resilience research within the psychological domain in LTCF residents. Further (longitudinal) research is necessary to determine the directionality and relevance of the strong association of conflict with mood for LTCF practice
The Use of Traditional and Causal Estimators for Mediation Models with a Binary Outcome and Exposure-Mediator Interaction
An important recent development in mediation analysis is the use of causal mediation analysis. Causal mediation analysis decomposes the total exposure effect into causal direct and indirect effects in the presence of exposure-mediator interaction. However, in practice, traditional mediation analysis is still most widely used. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the similarities and differences between the causal and traditional estimators for…
Predictors of Intensive Treatment in Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Background: Few studies have investigated which patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) do not recover through regular cognitive behavior therapy or pharmacotherapy and subsequently end up in intensive treatment like day treatment or inpatient treatment. Knowing the predictors of intensive treatment in these patients is significant because it could prevent intensive treatment. This study has identified predictors of intensive treatment …
Steeling or Sensitizing? A Longitudinal Examination of How Ongoing Accumulation of Negative Life Events Affects Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults
As a population, older adults appear to become more resilient against new stressors as they accumulate experience in dealing with negative life events. Findings on mastery tentatively suggest that accepting limits to one's own control over life circumstances may foster a steeling effect
Trends in Neuromotor Fitness in 10-to-12-Year-Old Dutch Children: A Comparison Between 2006 and 2015/2017
Children with a low level of neuromotor fitness are less skilled to participate in sports activities. Moreover, lower levels of neuromotor fitness are related to adiposity, lower cardiovascular health and poor self-esteem in children. The aim of this paper was to determine neuromotor fitness in 10-to-12-year-old Dutch children over a ten-year period. Test scores measured in 2015/2017 (N=533 in 2015, N=941 in 2017) were compared with scores of sam…
The longitudinal relationship between income and social participation among Chinese older people
The vital role of active social participation in older people's lives is widely acknowledged. The maintenance of adequate levels of social participation is an essential element of successful aging. Low income may inhibit older people from engaging in social activities. Given its recent rapid economic growth, China provides a unique setting for the study of changes in income and social participation among older people over time. In this study, the…
The Amsterdam Sexual Abuse Case: What Scars did it Leave? Long-Term Course of Psychological Problems for Children Who have been Sexually Abused at a Very Young Age, and their Parents
Longitudinal research of CSA in infancy and early childhood is scarce. The current study examined the long-term course of psychological outcomes (PTSD, dissociation and internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems) in children who were sexually abused in the early childhood. Additionally, we looked into the outcomes for their parents by assessing PTSD symptoms and negative emotional reactions towards the sexual abuse of their child. We exa…
Hopelessness and Other Depressive Symptoms in Adults 70 Years and Older as Predictors of All-Cause Mortality Within 3 Months After Acute Hospitalization: The Hospital-ADL Study
OBJECTIVE: Depression among older adults predicts mortality after acute hospitalization. Depression is highly heterogeneous in its presentation of symptoms, whereas individual symptoms may differ in predictive value. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of individual cognitive-affective depressive symptoms during acute hospitalization and investigate the predictive value of both overall and individual cognitive-affective depressive symp…
Sports participation and health-related quality of life: A longitudinal observational study in children
As frequency is more relevant than the form of sports participation, children should be encouraged to perform any kind of sports activity on a very regular base
Predicting quality of life during and post detention in incarcerated juveniles
Methods incorporating trauma-sensitive focus and relaxation techniques in treatment protocols in juvenile justice institutions may be of added value in improving the general functioning of these individuals
Self-Reported Physical Activity is Not a Valid Method for Measuring Physical Activity in 15-Year-Old South African Boys and Girls
Physical activity plays an important role in the prevention of chronic lifestyle-related diseases. The development of valid instruments for the assessment of physical activity remains a challenge in field studies. The purpose of the present study was therefore to determine the level of agreement between physical activity objectively measured by the ActiHeart ® (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd, Cambridge, UK) device and subjectively reported physica…
Sports participation and psychosocial health: A longitudinal observational study in children
This study shows that from a longitudinal perspective, fewer internalizing problems and better prosocial behaviour were seen in children who were active in sports. Fewer internalizing problems were also associated with the kind of sports participation; for example, with performing outdoor sports. No associations were found for externalizing problems. Future research should preferably take the form of an intervention to investigate whether the obs…
A Healthy Lifestyle in Old Age and Prospective Change in Four Domains of Functioning
Objective: The aim of this article is to study the associations between healthy lifestyle in old age and decline in physical, psychological, cognitive, and social functioning. Method: A population-based sample of 3,107 Dutch men and women aged 55 and 85 years (1992/1993; Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam) was used with five 3-yeary follow-up examinations. Lifestyle score, based on smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body …
The effect of an organizational level participatory intervention in secondary vocational education on work-related health outcomes: Results of a controlled trial
Netherlands Trial Register NTR3284 (date registered: February 14 2012)
Predicting transitions in the use of informal and professional care by older adults
To prepare the care system for a rising population of older people, it is important to understand what factors predict the use of care. This paper reports a study of transitions in the use of informal and professional care using Andersen-Newman models of the predictive predisposing, enabling and need factors. The study has drawn on Longitudinal Ageing Study Amsterdam (LASA) data on the use of care and the contextual factors. The data were collect…
Stability and Change of Neuroticism in Aging
Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used to study the relationship between neuroticism and aging. At baseline, cross-sectional analyses of data from 2,117 respondents (aged 55-85 years, M = 70) showed no significant age differences. The magnitude of the 3- and 6-year stability coefficients was high, and 12% of the elderly participants showed a clinically relevant mean level change. Longitudinal multilevel analyses showed a small…
Religious Involvement and 6-Year Course of Depressive Symptoms in Older Dutch Citizens: Results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam
There is a consistent negative association over time between church attendance and depressive symptoms in older Dutch citizens. Both stress-buffering as well as depression-evoking effects of religious involvement are found
A Healthy Lifestyle in Old Age and Prospective Change in Four Domains of Functioning
Objective: The aim of this article is to study the associations between healthy lifestyle in old age and decline in physical, psychological, cognitive, and social functioning. Method: A population-based sample of 3,107 Dutch men and women aged 55 and 85 years (1992/1993; Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam) was used with five 3-yeary follow-up examinations. Lifestyle score, based on smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body …
Steeling or Sensitizing? A Longitudinal Examination of How Ongoing Accumulation of Negative Life Events Affects Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults
As a population, older adults appear to become more resilient against new stressors as they accumulate experience in dealing with negative life events. Findings on mastery tentatively suggest that accepting limits to one's own control over life circumstances may foster a steeling effect
Applied analysis of recurrent events: A practical overview
Study objective: The purpose of this paper is to give an overview and comparison of different easily applicable statistical techniques to analyse recurrent event data. Setting: These techniques include naive techniques and longitudinal techniques such as Cox regression for recurrent events, generalised estimating equations (GEE), and random coefficient analysis. The different techniques are illustrated with a dataset from a randomised controlled …
Epidemiological disaster research: The necessity to include representative samples of the involved disaster workers. Experience from the epidemiological study air disaster Amsterdam-Esada: Table 1
Objective: To study whether the methods used to select participants in research on prevalence rates of the health effects of exposure to a disaster may cause bias. This study compared background characteristics, disaster exposure, and complaints reported by (1) police officers who participated in an epidemiological study and underwent a medical examination, and (2) police officers who only participated in an epidemiological study. Design and Sett…
The relationship between health (malnutrition) and educational achievements (Maths and English) in the rural children of South Africa
What determines drop out in prospective studies of coronary heart disease risk factors between youth and young adulthood: The Young Hearts Study: Table 1
The growing recognition of the importance of early life factors in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) may increase prospective research in this period of life. From a methodological point of view, drop out of subjects, particularly when this is selective, is a major threat to the validity of the results. Specific information about determinants of drop out in current studies may therefore yield important information for future studies…
Tracking of blood pressure in children and youth
Part of a preventive pediatric strategy against cardiovascular diseases is the early identification of hypertension in childhood. There is a clearly established relationship between blood pressure measured during childhood and at later periods for the same individual. This relationship was investigated in studies of blood pressure tracking in children over the past two decades. This report reviews longitudinal studies that analysed tracking of bl…
Relation Between the Longitudinal Development of Personality Characteristics and Biological and Lifestyle Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease
OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to assess the stability of personality characteristics (ie, inadequacy, rigidity, dominance, self-sufficiency, and social inadequacy) over a 15-year period covering adolescence and young adulthood and to analyze the longitudinal relationships between personality characteristics and both biological (ie, lipoproteins, blood pressure, and body fatness) and lifestyle (ie, physical activity, dietary intake, smoking…
Longitudinal relationships between lifestyle and cardiovascular and bone health status indicators in males and females between 13 and 27 years of age; a review of findings from the Amsterdam Growth an…
The Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study is longitudinal co-hort study on 181 males and females initially aged 13 years, with follow-up measurements at ages 14, 15, 16, 21 and 27 years. Methods: Anthropometrical, biological and lifestyle parameters, and age 27 also bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (L2–L4), were measured repeatedly. Adolescent dietary intake and physical activity was related to adult cardiovascular and bone…
Physical fitness, body fatness, and physical activity: The Amsterdam Growth and Health Study
Physical fitness, body fatness, and physical activity: The Amsterdam Growth and Health Study
The purpose of this study was to examine sex-specific longitudinal relationships between physical fitness (cardiopulmonary and neuromotor fitness) and body fatness (sum of skinfolds) and to examine the influence of physical activity (weighted activity score) on these relationships. The data were obtained from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Study (AGHS), an observational longitudinal study of 98 females and 83 males, with six repeated measurement…
Adolescent motor skill and performance: Is physical activity in adolescence related to adult physical fitness?
In the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (AGAHLS), a cohort of about 400 boys and girls (mean age 13 years) were followed over a period of 20 years. Over that period repeated measurements were done of body dimensions (height, weight, skinfolds), physical fitness (eight motor performance field tests: plate tapping, bent arm hang, 10 × 5 m sprint, arm pull, sit and reach, standing high jump, 10 leg lifts, 12-min endurance run, and one …
Adolescent motor skill and performance: Is physical activity in adolescence related to adult physical fitness?
In the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (AGAHLS), a cohort of about 400 boys and girls (mean age 13 years) were followed over a period of 20 years. Over that period repeated measurements were done of body dimensions (height, weight, skinfolds), physical fitness (eight motor performance field tests: plate tapping, bent arm hang, 10 x 5 m sprint, arm pull, sit and reach, standing high jump, 10 leg lifts, 12-min endurance run, and one …
Smoking behaviour and biological maturation in males and females: A 20-year longitudinal study. Analysis of data from the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study
Skeletal age, years from PHV and years from menarche are no better predictors of smoking during adolescence than calendar age. The prevalence of smoking rises gradually with the increase in all four estimates of biological maturation. Timing of biological maturation was positively related to smoking but only at calendar age 13 (OR 3.34, CI 1.58, 7.07). None of the three measures to estimate timing of biological maturation was significantly relate…
What determines drop out in prospective studies of coronary heart disease risk factors between youth and young adulthood: The Young Hearts Study: Table 1
The growing recognition of the importance of early life factors in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD) may increase prospective research in this period of life. From a methodological point of view, drop out of subjects, particularly when this is selective, is a major threat to the validity of the results. Specific information about determinants of drop out in current studies may therefore yield important information for future studies…
Effects of health information in youth on adult physical activity: 20‐Year study results from the Amsterdam growth and health longitudinal study
In the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study (AGAHLS), a group of apparently healthy males and females (n = 200) were interviewed about their physical activities on eight separate occasions over a period of 20 years between 13 and 33 years of age (multi‐measured group: MM). Information about their health was given based on their personally measured lifestyle (activity, diet, smoking) and biological risk characteristics for chronic diseas…
Stability of somatotypes in 4 to 10 year-old rural South African girls
In 1996, a mixed Ellisras longitudinal study (ELS) was initiated to assess the stability of somatotypes in 408 girls who comprised 99 pre-school and 309 primary school children in Ellisras rural area in the Northern Province of South Africa. The children's somatotype was assessed using the Heath-Carter anthropometric method. Anthropometric dimensions were taken according to the protocol of the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthr…
The relationship between health (malnutrition) and educational achievements (Maths and English) in the rural children of South Africa
Religious Involvement and 6-Year Course of Depressive Symptoms in Older Dutch Citizens: Results from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam
There is a consistent negative association over time between church attendance and depressive symptoms in older Dutch citizens. Both stress-buffering as well as depression-evoking effects of religious involvement are found
Epidemiological study air disaster in Amsterdam (Esada): Study design
In this paper we describe and discuss the design of the ESADA. The ESADA will provide additional scientific knowledge on the long-term health effects of technological disasters on professional workers
Diabetes-related symptoms and negative mood in participants of a targeted population-screening program for type 2 diabetes: The Hoorn Screening study
Stability and Change of Neuroticism in Aging
Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam were used to study the relationship between neuroticism and aging. At baseline, cross-sectional analyses of data from 2,117 respondents (aged 55-85 years, M = 70) showed no significant age differences. The magnitude of the 3- and 6-year stability coefficients was high, and 12% of the elderly participants showed a clinically relevant mean level change. Longitudinal multilevel analyses showed a small…
Predicting transitions in the use of informal and professional care by older adults
To prepare the care system for a rising population of older people, it is important to understand what factors predict the use of care. This paper reports a study of transitions in the use of informal and professional care using Andersen-Newman models of the predictive predisposing, enabling and need factors. The study has drawn on Longitudinal Ageing Study Amsterdam (LASA) data on the use of care and the contextual factors. The data were collect…
Applied analysis of recurrent events: A practical overview
Study objective: The purpose of this paper is to give an overview and comparison of different easily applicable statistical techniques to analyse recurrent event data. Setting: These techniques include naive techniques and longitudinal techniques such as Cox regression for recurrent events, generalised estimating equations (GEE), and random coefficient analysis. The different techniques are illustrated with a dataset from a randomised controlled …
Effect of a Tailored Physical Activity Intervention Delivered in General Practice Settings: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Objectives. We evaluated the effectiveness of a minimal intervention physical activity strategy (physician-based assessment and counseling for exercise [PACE]) applied in general practice settings in the Netherlands. Methods. Randomization took place at the general practice level. Participants were patients aged 18–70 years of age who had been diagnosed with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or non–insulin-dependent diabetes and had not been re…
Depression as a risk factor for the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A meta-analysis
Applied Multilevel Analysis: A Practical Guide for Medical Researchers
This is a practical introduction to multilevel analysis suitable for all those doing research. Most books on multilevel analysis are written by statisticians, and they focus on the mathematical background. These books are difficult for non-mathematical researchers. In contrast, this volume provides an accessible account on the application of multilevel analysis in research. It addresses the practical issues that confront those undertaking researc…
Longitudinal follow‐up of fitness during childhood: Interaction with physical activity
Health‐related fitness values during childhood (from age 11 to 16 years) were analyzed in relation to changes in physical activity level. One hundred fifty‐eight children were monitored over a 4‐year period. Twice a year, they performed six physical fitness tests: standing broad jump, 10 × 5‐meter shuttle run, sit‐and‐reach, handgrip, number of sit‐ups in 30 s, and 20‐m shuttle run. Height was measured four times per year to assess age at peak he…
Attribution of physical complaints to the air disaster in Amsterdam by exposed rescue workers: An epidemiological study using historic cohorts
This study provides further cross-sectional evidence for the role of causal attribution in post-disaster subjective physical health problems. After on average 8.5 years, almost a third (32%) of all the exposed workers, and almost half (45%) of the exposed workers with physical complaints, attributed these complaints to the disaster, including its aftermath. The similarity of the results across the occupational groups suggests a general rather tha…
Health-related quality of life of firefighters and police officers 8.5 years after the air disaster in Amsterdam
Epidemiological disaster research: The necessity to include representative samples of the involved disaster workers. Experience from the epidemiological study air disaster Amsterdam-Esada: Table 1
Objective: To study whether the methods used to select participants in research on prevalence rates of the health effects of exposure to a disaster may cause bias. This study compared background characteristics, disaster exposure, and complaints reported by (1) police officers who participated in an epidemiological study and underwent a medical examination, and (2) police officers who only participated in an epidemiological study. Design and Sett…
Medicine (63 works) · Psychology (41 works) · Gerontology (27 works) · Longitudinal study (24 works) · Internal Medicine (22 works) · Physical therapy (22 works) · Demography (21 works) · Psychiatry (20 works) · Environmental health (19 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (19 works)