After obtaining her masters and PhD in Health Sciences at Maastricht University and VU Amsterdam, Emely de Vet specialised in health promotion and disease prevention. At Utrecht University, she studied the psychology of behavioural change. She has worked at Wageningen University & Research since 2013 on the interface of health sciences and behavioural sciences and was appointed personal professor in 2016. In 2019 the Consumption and Healthy Lifestyles group was formed, of which De Vet is chair and professor. With her team, she studies why people exhibit (un)healthy behaviour and how interventions influence this behaviour. Since 2020 she is also a member of the Health Council.
‘What I like about my domain is its complexity. The core is the behaviour of people within their societal and socio-cultural context, the impact of government policies, supermarkets and health care. We study this from different perspectives and domains. This is a difficult puzzle that can only be solved together. This is also about justice. The focus is currently on the medical treatment of afflictions. There should be much more focus on prevention. If a healthier lifestyle becomes accessible to everyone, the health deficits of disadvantaged people will shrink.’
Half of all Dutch adults are overweight, which makes them more susceptible to corona. A healthier lifestyle may help mitigate the effects of a COVID-19 infection and help prevent various chronic illnesses. This alleviates the pressure on health care and gives us a head start in future pandemics. Wageningen researchers…