معرفی
Annelies Overwijk is a Behavioral Scientist and active researcher at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, working within the Healthy Ageing, Allied Health Care and Nursing Centre of Expertise. She successfully defended her PhD around August 2022, as documented in the press release 'Gepromoveerd. Annelies Overwijk: 'Iedereen heeft recht op een gezond leven'' (Everyone has the right to a healthy life). Her academic work focuses on developing practical interventions to support healthy lifestyles for people with intellectual disabilities.
Dr. Overwijk's research centers on behavior change techniques, healthy lifestyle interventions, and specialized training programs for direct support professionals working with people who have intellectual disabilities. She has made significant contributions to understanding how to effectively support individuals with intellectual disabilities in adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyles through her work on the 'De Krachten Gebundeld' research project (2017-2021), where she served as a Co-Investigator. Her research fingerprint shows strong activity in Intellectual Disability (100%), Direct Support Professionals (87%), Healthy Lifestyle (83%), and Behaviour Change Techniques (39%).
Her publication record demonstrates a clear trajectory toward practical application in disability care settings. Overwijk has developed assessment tools including questionnaires to measure professional attitudes toward healthy nutrition, and has created educational programs specifically tailored for supporting healthy lifestyles among people with intellectual disabilities. Her recent work (2022-2024) shows increasing focus on personalized, integrated approaches to lifestyle support.
Dr. Overwijk maintains an active presence in her field through numerous knowledge dissemination activities. She has organized workshops such as 'Gezond leven met een beperking: gewoon, gemakkelijk, leuk en lekker?!' and has speaking engagements scheduled through 2025. Her collaborative approach is evident in her work with multiple co-investigators across various projects focused on improving health outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities, demonstrating her commitment to translating research into practical care improvements.
