Amsterdam UMC has arisen from the (administrative) merger of Amsterdam’s two academic hospitals, the Academic Medical Center (AMC) and the VU University Medical Center (VUmc) in 2018. Amsterdam UMC represents the medical faculties of the two universities associated: the University of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Amsterdam UMC is a large medical center in the Netherlands. It brings together health care, research and education to improve people’s health. The center was formed in 2018 when two university hospitals in Amsterdam joined together. Amsterdam UMC is connected with the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and works with many experts.
In the B-Challenged project, the researchers from Amsterdam UMC work with children, families and local partners to understand and improve children’s outdoor play and healthy eating. Their research group Child & Adolescent Public health Research & Innovation (within the Department of Public and Occupation Health), called CAPRI, studies children’s health and how to make positive changes in real life.
www: https://amsterdamumc.org/en/research.htm
www: https://jeugdengezondheid.org/en/
www: https://abcd.amsterdamumc.nl/en/home-en/
Human movement scientist, specialized in movement behaviors, child-friendly research methods and participatory (action) research. Associate professor at the Department of Public and Occupational Health. As project coordinator, she is responsible for the central management and execution of the project.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8764-5631
Pure (personal) profile: Taetske Altenburg – Amsterdam UMC
University Research Chair professor at Amsterdam UMC location VUMC in Amsterdam with a background in human movement science and epidemiology. Mai is the coordinator of the EC-funded YoPA project that inspired the B-Challenged project. She is also chair of CAPRI.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6259-2441
Pure (personal) profile: Mai Chin A Paw – Amsterdam UMC
Health scientist, specialized in the mental health of children and adolescents. Senior researcher at the Department of Public and Occupational Health, section CAPRI. As project manager, she is responsible for the central management and support of the coordinator in the execution of B-Challenged.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9878-3530
Pure (personal) profile: Leonie Klaufus – Amsterdam UMC
Teatske, Mai, Leonie, Laura and Renée are involved in the co-creation, implementation and evaluation of actions aimed at stimulating outdoor play and related dietary behaviours, for and in collaboration with children and adult actors in a neighbourhood in the western part of Amsterdam.
Epidemiologist, specialized in early life programming of overweight and cardiometabolic functions by intrauterine and early postnatal nutritional, metabolic, and hormonal environment. PI of the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD)-study, a longitudinal birth cohort study. As PI of the ABCD-study, she contributes to the project by facilitating the use of existing ABCD-data to explore social and physical environmental factors that enable or hinder children’s outdoor play, physical activity, sedentary behaviours and healthy dietary behaviours within different contexts.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3641-4048
Pure (personal) profile: Tanja Vrijkotte – Amsterdam UMC
Social health scientist, specializing in social determinants of health and health inequalities in adolescents and young adults. As a postdoctoral researcher within the ABCD study, she supports the use of ABCD data and contributes to project research examining social determinants of child health behaviors.
ORCID: Marlies Visser (0009-0004-2734-6543) – ORCID
Pure (personal) profile: Marlies Visser – Amsterdam UMC
Health scientist specialized in children’s health. Senior researcher at the Department of Public and Occupational Health, section CAPRI.
Laura supports the coordination and execution of B-Challenged.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8126-1955
Pure (personal) profile: Laura Belmon – Amsterdam UMC
PhD Candidate with a background in sociology and an interest in systems thinking and participatory action research with children and adolescents. Renée coordinates and facilitates the co-creation sessions, and is closely involved in the implementation and evaluation of the developed actions in the Netherlands. Renée is also involved in the European project CONNECTION, which is similar to B-Challenged, but instead focuses on adolescents.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6313-1436
Pure (personal) profile: Renée Wink – Amsterdam UMC
The Institute of Mother and Child (IMiD) in Warsaw is a leading Polish research and clinical institution dealing with the health of children, adolescents, and women. For more than 70 years, it combines scientific, diagnostic, and therapeutic activities, supporting the development of paediatrics, neonatology, perinatology, and public health. The Institute conducts population-based studies, develops standards of medical procedures, and implements national and international projects to improve health of children and adolescents. As a reference and consulting centre, it cooperates with the Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF and other international institutions.
Website: www.imid.med.pl
pedagogue with a specialization in social work andspecialist in public health, health promotion, health education, and psychodietetics. Assistant Professor and head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Health at the IMiD. In the B-Ch project she coordinates all project activities and actively engages in research, including collaboration with stakeholder and children, data interpretation, and preparation of key deliverables.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anna-dzielska-9399829a
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7396-8504
psychologist and specialist in health promotion, and health education. Assistant Professor at the Department of Child and Adolescent Health at the Institute of Mother and Child. In the B-Ch project facilitates participatory workshops primarily with adult stakeholders and oversees recruitment processes. Responsible for advanced data analysis, including qualitative analysis, interpretation, and preparation of scientific publications.
physical activity specialist, pedagogue,specialist in public health, health promotion, and health education. Assistant Professor at the Department of Pedagogy and Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education, the Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw. In the B-Ch projectfacilitates participatory workshops with adult participants and leads stakeholder engagement. Contributes to the development of evaluation tools and supports data interpretation and preparation of scientific outputs.
political scientist, specialist in public health, health promotion, and health education. Research Assistant at the Department of Child and Adolescent Health at the IMiD. In the B-Ch projectfacilitates participatory workshops with children and coordinates recruitment of participants. Supports data processing and contributes to scientific outputs and reports.
sociologist. Senior Specialistat the Department of Child and Adolescent Health at the IMiD. Acts as a facilitator during workshops with child participants and assists in recruitment. Helps with data collection and preparation for analysis and publication.
pedagogue.SeniorSpecialistat the Department of Child and Adolescent Health at the IMiD. Provides logistical and technical support and co-facilitates workshops with children. Assists with data collection and editing of scientific reports and dissemination materials.
The Institute of Sports Science and Biomechanics (IOB) at the University of Southern Denmark has for many years been a key player in research and education within sport, physical activity, and biomechanics. The institute integrates strong natural science, health science, and social science perspectives and is internationally recognised for its research excellence. It is currently (2025) ranked second worldwide in its field in the Shanghai Ranking, highlighting its high academic standards and global impact.
In the B-Challenged (B-Ch) project, IOB is responsible for the research conducted in Denmark (in Rudkøbing on the Island Langeland). IOB is also coordinator of work package WP3 related to evaluation.
Website: www.sdu.dk/da/om-sdu/institutter-centre/iob_idraet_og_biomekanik
is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics (IOB) at the University of Southern Denmark. Her research focuses on how various factors influence human behaviour, particularly children’s physical activity, and she applies these insights in intervention research, developing programs in co-creation with target groups to effectively promote physical activity.
In the B-Ch project she leads work pages WP3 and coordinates all project activities in Denmark. She actively engages in research, including recruitment and collaboration with stakeholder and children, data interpretation, and preparation of key deliverables.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/charlotte-skau-pawlowski-40ba547a
ORCID: 0000-0003-1407-613X
a school teacher and MSc in Sport Science and Health, works as a research assistant affiliated with the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics (IOB) at the University of Southern Denmark. In the B-CH project, her primary role is to facilitate participatoryworkshops with both children and adult stakeholders, and she is responsible for conductinginterviews with children as part of the co-creation process and helps implementing the co-created actions.
MSc in Philosophy, works as a project officer affiliated with the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics (IOB) at the University of Southern Denmark. His work focuses on securing funding for the implementation of co-created initiatives, supporting the implementation of these initiatives, and assisting with data collection as well as the editing of reports and dissemination materials.
The Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS develops effective strategies for the prevention of chronic, non-communicable diseases. Supporting a healthy life-course early on is our primary goal. The focus of our research is therefore on factors beyond individual diseases, such as lifestyle and environment, biological and social factors, as well as early detection of diseases and drug safety. Our research spectrum covers methodological development, the identification of the causes of diseases, and intervention and implementation research. Since September 2016, BIPS has been WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Three departments of BIPS are involved in the B-challenged project:
The ‘Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research’ department and the ‘Statistical Methods in Epidemiology’ department both investigate longitudinal data from the IDEFICS / I.Family cohort to provide evidence on physical and social environmental factors related to children’s activities. The Department Prevention and Evaluation’ is conducting the Co-Creation intervention in neighborhoods in the city of Bremen, Germany.
Website: www.bips.eu
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/leibniz-bips
Prof Dr. Wolfgang Ahrens is the former head of the Department Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research. A key focus of his research addresses the causes of lifestyle diseases as well as their primary prevention and the scientific evaluation of intervention measures. Further research interests lie in the area of the aetiology of cancer with focus on environmental factors and occupational exposures and the use of secondary data for epidemiological research. He initiated the largest Europe-wide intervention study on overweight, obesity and other disorders in children conditioned by nutrition, lifestyle and social factors (www.idefics.eu; 2006-2012) and coordinated the subsequent prospective cohort study on lifestyle, diet and exercise in children, adolescents and their parents – the I.Family study (www.ifamilystudy.eu; 2012-2017).
ORCID:0000-0003-3777-570X
is a statistician ‘Statistical Methods in Epidemiology’ department focusing on causal inference methods and longitudinal data analysis. She is investigating longitudinal data from the IDEFICS / I.Family cohort to model hypothetical interventions of environmental factors and causal effects on physical activity in children and adolescents.
ORCID: 0000-0001-9004-1540
is statistician in the ‘Statistical Methods in Epidemiology’ department. His research interests are geostatistical analyses and the assessment of environmental exposures as well as the modelling of activity sensor data. He is focusing on enriching environmental exposures to cohort data and investigating the interrelation of the physical and social environment.
ORCID: 0000-0003-0261-704X
is the head of the social epidemiology research unit at BIPS and runs the Leibniz Living Lab, a BIPS infrastructure for participatory health research. His research focuses on social determinants of health, specifically on migration and gender, as well as community-based participatory health promotion.
ORCID: 0000-0001-5140-7511
is a member of the social epidemiology research group at BIPS and coordinates the Leibniz Living Lab, a BIPS infrastructure for participatory health research. The focus of her research is participatory health promotion.
ORCID: 0009-0007-6650-4403
IIS Aragón is the Health Research Institute that brings together the “Lozano Blesa” and “Miguel Servet” University Hospitals, Primary Health Care, the University of Zaragoza, and the Aragonese Institute of Health Sciences. Its goals are to combine basic, applied, and clinical research, create a high-quality environment for research, teaching, and healthcare, and attract talent and scientific-technological infrastructure.
It was accredited in 2015 by the Carlos III Health Institute and the Government of Aragón. The IIS Aragón Foundation was created to manage its governance and help achieve its objectives.
The institute also implements short-, medium-, and long-term strategies to disseminate research knowledge to the public and healthcare users, with periodic evaluations conducted by highly qualified professionals.
B-Challenged is conducted as part of the Aragonese Primary Care Research Group and Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development Research Group. Both research groups have an outstanding, local, national and international track record in multidisciplinary, innovative and socially relevant research ranging from risk factors to health effects and from development to evaluation of interventions targeting Child and Adolescent Public Health.
www:
Family doctor in a primary care center and scientific specialized in health promotion and prevention. Primary Care Research Unit (GAIAP). Aragon Health Research Institute. RICAPPS Network. Carlos III Health Institute. Associate professor at the Department of Family Medicine. Faculty of Medicine. University of Zaragoza. As project coordinator, she is responsible for the central management and execution of the project.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8820-9105
Pure (personal) profile:
https://janovas.unizar.es/sideral/CV/cruz-belen-bartolome-moreno
https://www.gaiap.es/investigadores/cruz-belen-bartolome-moreno
https://sites.google.com/d/1M1k4e1ukVtIZVbd7Q2gRJv0Jwt1l1Kun/p/1z_lhvbYB1c_KlQJS365Y9JjcGBXSxN-g/edit
Nutrition and public health scientist, specialized in nutrition, lifestyle behaviors, and childhood obesity prevention. Full Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Coordinator of the GENUD research group at the University of Zaragoza. His research focuses on the prevention of nutrition-related chronic diseases in children and adolescents, with extensive scientific production and international recognition.
ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0454-653X
Pure (personal) profile: https://janovas.unizar.es/sideral/CV/luis-alberto-moreno-aznar
Family doctor working in a primary care health center, with a Master’s degree in Public Health and specialization in health promotion and community health. Researcher at the Primary Care Research Unit (GAIAP), part of IIS Aragón, and member of the RICAPPS Network of the Carlos III Health Institute. She is also a collaborating lecturer at the University of Zaragoza, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine.
ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8942-814X
Pure (personal) profile: https://janovas.unizar.es/sideral/CV/marta-domínguez-garcía
Nutrition scientist, specialized in diet, physical activity, and childhood obesity prevention. Researcher in the GENUD group at the University of Zaragoza and member of IIS Aragón and CIBEROBN. As project coordinator, she is responsible for the management and implementation of the European Bchallenged project in Zaragoza.
ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6173-5850
Pure (personal) profile:https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pilar-De-Miguel-Etayo
Dietitian and PhD student in Nutrition at the GENUD Research Group (University of Zaragoza). Member of IIS Aragón and CIBEROBN. Her research focuses on childhood nutrition and gut microbiota. She contributes to the local implementation of B-Challenged in Zaragoza.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0586-0384
Pure (personal) profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Isabel-Rueda-De-Torre
The Foundation of the Institute of Mother and Child aims to act for the protection of patients’ health and to promote preventive healthcare for children, adolescents, and pregnant women. Our primary role is to provide assistance to people who are ill and to their families. The Foundation is affiliated with the Institute of Mother and Child and directly supports it. In order to fulfill its objectives, the Foundation cooperates with academic and scientific communities by organicznik training courses and lectures, as well as broadly defined activities aimed at protecting the health of the Polish population. Another goal we set for ourselves is raising funds for the maintenance of medical equipment and for the development of medical and scientific facilities, thereby striving to ensure the highest possible quality of services.
The Foundation began its activities in March 2014.