Kristel Polhuis

Kristel Polhuis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Society at Wageningen University & Research. Her work focuses on designing salutogenic healthy eating programs for individuals with type 2 diabetes, integrating mental health and lifestyle behaviors into chronic disease management.

Research Interests:

• Application of salutogenesis to nutritional interventions
• Mental health and diabetes comorbidity
• Qualitative evaluation of dietary programs
• Behavioral change in adults with diabetes

Notable Projects:

• Lead PhD candidate in the 6-year project 'From diet to everyday-social life: a salutogenetic approach towards enabling healthful eating among diabetes type 2 patients' (2017-2023)
• Co-developer of the SALUD Study, a randomized controlled trial protocol for healthy eating interventions

Key Activities:

• Presented at the 7th International Conference on Salutogenesis (2024)
• Conducted workshops on salutogenic interventions at international conferences (2021)