Guido Van Hal

• University of Antwerp

Objectives Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of cancer related disability and mortality. Despite efforts to implement mammography screening programs, uptake rates vary widely due to socioeconomic factors and accessibility challenges. To improve participation, interventions targeting barriers faced by underserved groups are crucial for promoting...

Background Excessive drinking among adolescents in Western Europe is prevalent, posing significant health risks and societal costs. Comprehensive data on adolescent drinking patterns is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies. Data on alcohol intoxication among adolescents provide valuable insights in this context. Methods To gain i...

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. While screening tools such as the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) aid in early detection, they do not provide insights into individual risk factors or strategies for primary prevention. This study aimed to develop and internally validate an interpreta...

Objectives: European guidelines stress the importance of informed decision-making in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. However, tailored tools that facilitate this process among underserved people and general practitioners (GPs) in Flanders are still lacking. This study aimed to co-create a shared decision-making (SDM) tool for CRC screening with...

Background/Objectives: This study investigates the incidence of acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) in adolescents in Belgium, by comparing nationwide estimations based on health insurance data with a recently published hospital chart study in Antwerp. In this way, the scope of AAI among adolescents in Belgium can be estimated more precisely. Methods:...

Objectives: To assess the association of the COVID-19 pandemic with an uptake rate and screening interval between two screening rounds in colorectal cancer screening program (CRCSP) and identify the disproportionate correlation of socioeconomic status (SES) factors. Methods: An analysis was performed on aggregated screening and SES data at the area...

European guidelines stress the importance of informed decision-making in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. However, tailored tools that facilitate decision-making for underserved people and general practitioners (GPs) in Flanders are lacking. This study aimed to develop a tailored shared decision-making (SDM) tool for CRC screening, specifically a...

With over 2 million cases diagnosed annually, breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related disability and mortality. Despite global efforts to implement mammography screening programs, uptake rates vary widely across settings due to socioeconomic factors and accessibility challenges. To improve participation, targeted interventions addressing...

Background Excessive drinking among adolescents in Western Europe is prevalent, posing significant health risks and societal costs. Early initiation of alcohol use and binge drinking are associated with adult alcohol use disorders. Collecting comprehensive data on adolescent drinking patterns is crucial for developing effective prevention strategie...

Shared decision-making (SDM) tools hold promise for guiding informed choices in cancer screening. However, their effectiveness among underserved people, as well as the specific characteristics of these tools preferred by this group and clinicians, remains unclear. This review aimed to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of SDM tools for cancer...

Background Binge drinking and acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) are common in Belgian adolescents, posing a risk of serious health consequences. To develop cost-effective preventive measures for problematic alcohol use in adolescents in Belgium, more insight into the background of this group is necessary. Methods To gain more insight into the preva...

Hazardous alcohol use tends to be more prominent among higher education students. The COVID-19 pandemic severely altered student life, raising questions on its impact on students’ alcohol use patterns. The current study examined cross-country variations in drinking behaviors (weekly drinking and binge drinking), and the extent to which these variat...

Introduction Interval cancer (IC) is an important quality indicator in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Previously, we found that fecal immunochemical test (FIT) ICs are more common in women, older age, right-sided tumors, and advanced stage. Here, we extended our existing stage IV patient cohort with clinicopathological and molecular characteris...

Mental health problems occur frequently among university students, with depression and anxiety being the most prevalent. University students with mental health problems have more chances of dropping out, in particular, because of poor help-seeking. Studying seems to be stressful, with potential problematic factors being leaving the nest and forming...

Background Alcohol consumption is prevalent among students, with a common tendency to overestimate peers' alcohol use, contributing to increased consumption. This misperception is evident among Flemish students. This study aimed to develop and assess a Social Norms Approach (SNA) intervention targeting Flemish students to correct misperceptions and...

Background The complex management of health needs in multimorbid patients, alongside limited cost data, presents challenges in developing cost-effective patient-care pathways. We estimated the costs of managing 171 dyads and 969 triads in Belgium, taking into account the influence of morbidity interactions on costs. Methods We followed a retrospec...

Monitoring complications of colonoscopies after a positive faecal immunochemical test (FIT-colonoscopies) is crucial in FIT-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We investigated the occurrence of bleeding and perforation post FIT-colonoscopies (2013–2019) in Flanders and the contributing factors. A retrospective case–control study was conducted,...

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between inclusion to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a CCT program in the Philippines, and malnutrition in children and adolescents and examine the perceptions and experiences of parents and other stakeholders on how 4Ps influenced child nutrition. Methods: A concurrent mixed-...

Individualized risk prediction models for colorectal cancer (CRC) play a pivotal role in shaping risk-based screening approaches, garnering attention for use in informed decision making by patients and clinicians. While the incorporation of new predictors and the development of advanced yet complex prediction models can enhance model performance, t...

Background Despite the recognized benefits of structured cancer screening, tests outside organized screening programs are common. Comprehensive reports on outside program screening in Europe are lacking, but the Flemish breast cancer (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs monitor data on non-organized tests prescribed by GPs and specia...

Background The complex management of health needs in multimorbid patients, alongside limited cost data, presents challenges in developing cost-effective patient-care pathways. We estimated the costs of managing 171 dyads and 969 triads in Belgium, taking into account the influence of morbidity interactions on costs. Methods We followed a retrospec...

Binge drinking among adolescents is common in Belgium, posing a risk of serious health consequences. Until today, only estimations of the prevalence of acute alcohol intoxication (AAI) in adolescents have been made. Research into potential risk factors has not yet been conducted in Belgium. Therefore, this study aims to gain more insight into the p...

This review aimed to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of shared decision-making (SDM) tools for cancer screening and explored the preferences of vulnerable people and clinicians regarding the specific characteristics of the SDM tools. A mixed-method convergent segregated approach was employed, which involved an independent synthesis of quan...

Background and aims: adenoma detection rate is a well known quality parameter for colonoscopy. However recently other quality parameters have emerged. We wanted to evaluate the histology of the resected polyps, different quality indicators of colonoscopy and post colonoscopy colorectal cancer (PCCRC) in Belgium and analyzed data about colonoscopie...

Background This study aimed to determine the effects of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), a CCT program in the Philippines, on the multiple faces of malnutrition in children and adolescents and examine the perceptions and experiences of parents and other stakeholders on how 4Ps influenced child nutrition. Methods A concurrent mixed-method...

Substance use is one of the public health issues among university students. The study aimed to estimate the prevalence, influence of faculty, and identify possible risk factors for substance use among University of Antwerp students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among University of Antwerp students from March to April 2021. A total of 2769...

Alcoholgebruik is veelvoorkomend onder Vlaamse studenten. Opvallend hierbij is dat studenten de neiging hebben het alcoholgebruik van andere studenten te overschatten. Gezien studenten gevoelig zijn voor de sociale context en de percepties die zij hebben van hun omgeving, kan dit tot gevolg hebben dat zij zelf ook meer alcohol gaan drinken. Van dez...

BACKGROUND: South Africa has the highest number of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in sub-Saharan Africa, with the CRC projected new cases at 8 000 per 100 000 population by 2030. Screening assists with the early detection and control of cancer. This study determined knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) related to CRC among Health Care Workers...

Regular physical activity (PA) plays a key role in maintaining physical and mental well-being; and even in pandemic time, it has special importance. This study investigated the changes in patterns of moderate and vigorous PA prior to and during coronavirus pandemic in a diverse sample of 125 higher education institutes from 26 countries. Associatio...

Participation in sports and other leisure activities can be an effective tool to enhance feelings of societal belongingness and inclusion among minority group members. Through a survey administered to 8,444 pupils, the present study compared minority pupils’ (Middle Eastern and Eastern European youth) and majority pupils’ involvement in a broad arr...

The faecal immunochemical test (FIT) has been increasingly used for organised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We assessed the impact of a six-year existing FIT screening programme in Flanders (Belgium) on CRC incidence, mortality and survival. The Flemish CRC screening programme started in 2013, targeting individuals aged 50–74 years. Joinpoint...

Simple Summary Lung cancer is the most common and deadliest cancer worldwide, and the number of new cases per year is expected to grow. Belgium is among the top 10 countries with most new cases of lung cancer in the world, with lung cancer incidence accounting for 11.8% of all cancers diagnosed and 23.8% of all cancer-related deaths. This study aim...

Social support has been shown to be a crucial element in the well-being of children and adolescents. The present research article investigated how various sources of social support (i.e., parental support, teacher support and peer support) are related to school well-being and general well-being,. A survey was administered to N = 12,215 primary scho...

Background Participation in mammography screening comes with harms alongside benefits. Information about screening provided to women should convey this information yet concerns persist about its effect on participation. This study addressed factors that may influence the intention to screen once a woman has been informed about benefits and harms of...

Background Matched field-substitution has been applied in the Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS) since the first round. During data-collection, non-participating households are replaced by substitute households, if needed up to seven times. In this manuscript, the use of field-substitution in the six rounds of BHIS (1997–2018) is assessed. We i...

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy is a known public health problem in South Africa. Maternal, perinatal morbidity and mortality are known to be associated with anaemia in pregnancy. Very little is known from literature with regards to the progression of anaemia during the antenatal period of pregnancy. Objectives: To estimate haemoglobin levels,...

Background Binge drinking by adolescents in Belgium is an increasing problem, according to emergency physicians who have recently alerted society about the increasing numbers of adolescents admitted to hospital due to acute alcohol intoxication (AAI). Until now, only estimations of the prevalence of AAI in adolescents are known and research about p...

Background: Screening program effectiveness is generally evaluated for breast cancer (BC) as one disease and without considering the regularity of participation, while this might have an impact on detection rate. Objectives: To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of a mammography screening program for the major molecular subtypes of invasive B...

Objective To evaluate the effect of irregular screening behaviour on the risk of advanced stage breast cancer at diagnosis in Flanders. Methods All women aged 50–69 who were invited to the organized breast cancer screening and diagnosed with breast cancer before age 72 from 2001 to 2018 were included. All prevalent screen and interval cancers with...

Background Overdiagnosis of invasive breast cancer (BC) is a contentious issue. Objective The aim of this paper is to estimate the overdiagnosis rate of invasive BC in an organised BC screening program and to evaluate the impact of age and follow-up time. Methods The micro-simulation model SiMRiSc was calibrated and validated for BC screening in...

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Flemish colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program (by fecal immunochemical test, FIT) was suspended and non-urgent medical procedures were discommended. This study estimates how this impacted diagnostic colonoscopy (DC) scheduling after a positive FIT and the interval between both in 2020. Methods: An o...

Alcoholgebruik kan bij jongeren leiden tot onomkeerbare gezondheidsschade. In Nederland geldt sinds 2014 een minimumleeftijdsgrens voor alcohol van 18 jaar. Van 2007–2017 werden ziekenhuisopnamen van jongeren < 18 jaar met een alcoholintoxicatie geregistreerd en geanalyseerd. In totaal werden 5.346 adolescenten die in deze periode werden behandeld...

Optimal antenatal care (ANC) opens the windows of opportunities for timely identification and interventions for the prevention of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. The objectives were to determine the antenatal care utilisation patterns and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes. A retrospective cohort study of all women giving...

Vroegtijdige opsporing van dikkedarmkanker (zowel binnen als buiten het BVO DDK) is algemeen laag in de faciliteitengemeenten, en zeer laag in de Vlaams-Brabantse faciliteitengemeenten.

Background Public health measures such as physical distancing and distance learning have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 related knowledge deficit can increase fear that leads to negative mental health and COVID-19, especially among adolescents. Therefore, our study aimed to assess COVID-19 related knowledge deficit and its...

Despite the recognized benefits of fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and mammography screenings, participation in breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs is still suboptimal. This study investigates municipal characteristics associated with their BC/CRC screening uptake profiles among women aged 55–69 years. Using data from 308 muni...

Despite the recognized benefits of fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and mammography screenings, participation in breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs is still suboptimal. This study investigates municipal characteristics associated with their BC/CRC screening uptake profiles among women aged 55–69 years. Using data from 308 muni...

Background Matched field-substitution has been applied in the Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS) since the first wave. During data-collection, non-participating households are replaced by substitute households, if needed up to seven times. In this manuscript, the use of field-substitution in the six rounds of BHIS (1997–2018) is assessed. We in...

Hypertension is one of the crucial risk factors for morbidity and mortality around the world, and South Africa has a significant unmet need for hypertension care. This study aims to establish the potential risk factors of hypertension amongst adults in South Africa attributable to high systolic and diastolic blood pressure over time by fitting pane...

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many countries to issue far-reaching policy measures that may have led to increased substance use. Higher education students may have been disproportionally affected due to the rearrangement of educational life and their susceptibility to psychosocial distress and substance use. The current study examined associations...

Hypertension has become a major public health challenge and a crucial area of research due to its high prevalence across the world including the sub-Saharan Africa. No previous study in South Africa has investigated the impact of blood pressure risk factors on different specific conditional quantile functions of systolic and diastolic blood pressur...

Cancer of the cervix can be prevented by primary and secondary prevention methods. In order for these prevention methods to be practiced it is imperative that women are made aware of cervical cancer and the existing vaccination and cervical screening services available to them. A small intervention study to inquire on the effect of showing a short...

Despite the recognized benefits of fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and mammography screenings, participation in breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs is still suboptimal. In this study we investigate municipal characteristics associated with their BC/CRC screening uptake profiles among women aged 55-69 years. Using data from 308...

Background Breast cancer (BC) screening can be performed in a screening program (BCSP) or in opportunistic screening. The existing reviews on the determinants of non-participation depend on self-reported data which may be biased. Furthermore, no distinction was made between the probably different determinants of both screening strategies. Objectiv...

First-year university students encounter considerable academic stress, possibly resulting in mental health problems. Although studies have illustrated the academic and health benefits of sense of belonging, few studies have focused on its role in the relationship between academic stress and mental health complaints. The current study used structura...

Background: Misuse of prescription stimulants (PS) has been reported among students to enhance academic performance in Flanders (Belgium). However, PS misuse among students in the French-speaking community is unknown. The main purpose of the study was to estimate the prevalence of medical use and misuse of PS by university students in the French-s...

Background This study aimed to understand whether being informed about the awareness of benefits and harms of mammography screening impacts on the intention to be screened for breast cancer. Methods A cross-sectional survey of women from five countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom) was performed in January 2021. The survey...

Objective The misuse of prescription stimulants among students has been identified as a public health problem. To date, most research has focused on individual-level determinants of stimulant misuse, making research on the socio-cultural context of students’ misuse a priority. This study aims to test the applicability of the Theory of Triadic Influ...

Background Interval cancer (IC) is a critical issue in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. We identified factors associated with ICs after faecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening and explored the impact of lowering FIT cut-off or shortening screening interval on FIT-ICs in Flanders. Methods FIT participants diagnosed with a CRC during 2013–2018...

Sinds de jaren ’70 zijn er over de hele wereld verschillende screeningsprogramma’s voor dikkedarmkanker (DDK) geïmplementeerd met als doel het sterftecijfer van één van de belangrijkste kankergerelateerde doodsoorzaken ter wereld te verminderen. De momenteel gebruikte technieken vertonen echter tal van tekortkomingen die een negatieve invloed hebbe...

Background The surge of COVID-19 infections has prompted many countries to take unprecedented policy measures. In Belgium, the authorities implemented a nation-wide stay-at-home order for several months. Evidence of the mental health effect of such measures is scarce. A recent review by Brooks et al. has compiled a defined list of stressors affecti...

Background: Pregnant women in South Africa suffer from HIV and syphilis infections resulting in negative pregnancy outcomes. Little is known about the prevalence, incidence, seroconversion, and associated risk factors for those attending a midwife run obstetric unit. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was undertaken among pregnant women attendi...

Background: Expanding access to the internet resulted in more and earlier consumption of online pornography. At the same time, a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) among young men is seen. Increased pornography consumption has been suggested as a possible explanation of this rise. Objective: The aim of this study is to better underst...

Background We will present the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study (C19 ISWS). The C19 ISWS is a cross-sectional multi-country study that collected data on higher education students during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak (spring 2020). Methods The dataset allows to describe (1) the living conditions, financial conditions and ac...

Background Data on non-organized colorectal cancer screening using fecal occult blood tests (FOBTs) is currently lacking. We identified factors associated with organized and non-organized FOBT screening. Methods Data of 308 municipalities in Flanders (6.6 million residents, 57% of Belgium) during 2015-2017 were analyzed. Logistic regression with g...

Background During COVID-19, various public health measures such as physical distancing and distance learning are being implemented. As a consequence, higher education (HE) students face social as well as mental trauma at a crucial developmental stage in their lives. Having inadequate COVID-19 related knowledge can lead to an exaggerated worrying as...

Despite the recognized benefits of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, uptake is still suboptimal in many countries. In addressing this issue, one important element that has not received sufficient attention is population preference. Our review provides a comprehensive summary of the up-to-date evidence relative to this topic. Four OVID databases we...

Higher-education students face substantial risks for developing depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic or experiencing exacerbated pre-existing depressive symptoms. This study uses data from the COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study, which collected data through a non-representative convenience sample in 125 higher-education ins...

Background Public health measures such as physical distancing and distance learning have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Having inadequate COVID-19 related knowledge can lead to excessive worrying as well as negative COVID-19 outcomes. Our study aimed to assess COVID-19 related knowledge and its association with worries among higher...

Municipal characteristics associated with response rate to organised colorectal cancer screening in Flanders Introduction In Flanders (Belgium), the response rate to organised colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is still suboptimal (~ 50%). We studied the characteristics of municipalities in the Flemish provinces with the highest and lowest response...

We investigated factors associated with organised and non-organised colorectal cancer screening using faecal occult blood tests, based on data from 308 municipalities in Flanders (6.6 million residents, 57% of Belgium) during 2015–2017. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to assess the associations between municipal c...

Breast cancer (BC) is a public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa with rising incidence and mortality. In Niger, BC is identified as the leading cancer morbidity and mortality within female population. Its epidemiological literature remains limited or not structured. The aim of this work was to summarize evidence in relation to epidemiology of fe...

Pregnant women experience perineal injuries during childbirth. The objectives of this cross-sectional retrospective study were to estimate the incidence, trends, and risk factors for perineal injuries of women who had childbirths from January 2013 to December 2017. We used logistic regression to identify risk factors for all injuries, episiotomy, a...

BACKGROUND Expanding access to the internet resulted in more and earlier consumption of online pornography. At the same time, a higher prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) among young men is seen. Increased pornography consumption has been suggested as a possible explanation of this rise. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to better understand...

Despite the existing methods, a trend towards a later initiation and completion of toilet training has been seen in Western society. This study is the first to investigate prospectively the efficacy of intensive group toilet training in daycare centres. The primary outcome of interest is the duration until the child is toilet trained. A cluster ran...

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer death in the USA for both men and women, and also worldwide, it is the commonest cause of cancer death. The five-year survival rate for LC depends on the stage at which it is diagnosed. It is over 50% for cases detected in a localized stage but when the disease has spread to other organs, the five-yea...

Background: Healthcare authorities worldwide search for ways to develop integrated care and interprofessional collaboration. In Belgium, Medical-Pharmaceutical Concertation (MPC) was introduced as a format to promote constructive dialogues between GPs and community pharmacists (CPs) with a focus on pharmacotherapy. Objective: To evaluate the imp...

This study aimed to determine the changes in health behaviors among students of a French university during the COVID-19 lockdown. An online retrospective survey was distributed to Rouen-Normandy University students at the end of the COVID-19 lockdown (13th March–11th May 2020). Voluntary university students were included. Data collected were on soc...

Background: Previous studies have associated certain risk factors with hazardous drinking in students. However, big cultural and geographical differences exist regarding alcohol use. Objectives: To determine whether or not there was a difference in hazardous drinking between Belgian and South African university students and to establish the risk...

Background: In Flanders, breast cancer (BC) screening is performed in a population-based breast cancer screening program (BCSP), as well as in an opportunistic setting. Women with different socio-demographic characteristics are not equally covered by BC screening. Objective: To evaluate the role of socio-demographic characteristics on the lowest 10...