Societal Participation and Health (SPH) organized an engaging event titled 'Societal Participation and Health meets Sociology.' The primary focus was on fostering a new collaboration with the Department of Sociology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This marks a promising beginning toward deeper cooperation between the APH program and Sociology.
The program on October 5 featured speakers from both Sociology and SPH, followed by an opportunity for networking and getting to know one another better. Firstly, Arjen de Wit (assistant professor at the Department of Sociology) presented his work on volunteering and mental health. Among other insights, he discussed the benefits of volunteer work for the health and well-being of those engaged in it.
Next, Marjolein Broese van Groenou (professor at the Department of Sociology) presented her research on the interdependence between work and informal care. This is a crucial topic as the demand for informal care is expected to rise significantly in the coming years while the supply continues to decrease, partly due to an increased retirement age.
Following these presentations, SPH colleague Sietske Tamminga(assistant professor at Amsterdam UMC) shared her work on the MEES study. The aim of this study was to improve the measurement of societal participation by expanding the PROMIS item bank. This item bank consist of a comprehensive set of questions (items) designed to measure the same construct: societal participation.
Finally, Cécile Boot announced that the SPH program leaders have allocated budget for further collaboration between SPH researchers and researchers from the Department of Sociology of the Vrije Universiteit in 2024. In the fall of 2023, a SPH call for proposals will be issued in this regard.