Willem van Mechelen's research while affiliated with The University of Queensland and other places

Publications (914)

Article
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Background A randomised trial of European Fans in Training (EuroFIT), a 12-week healthy lifestyle program delivered in 15 professional football clubs in the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, successfully increased physical activity and improved diet but did not reduce sedentary time. To guide future implementation, this paper i...
Article
on.soundcloud.com/XQb2T Link to first ever fully accessible audio publication of a research study so that people with visual impairments, who are the end users of this study, can access the research. Read by Mr Peter Drury, sports commentator.
Article
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Background A healthy lifestyle is indispensable for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. However, lifestyle medicine is hampered by time constraints and competing priorities of treating physicians. A dedicated lifestyle front office (LFO) in secondary/tertiary care may provide an important contribution to optimize patient-centred lifestyle c...
Article
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Objectives Athletes with impairments play sports with a risk of sustaining head injuries and concussions. However, the scientific knowledge needed to improve care is lacking. This qualitative study explores English blind 5-a-side footballers’ perceptions of concussion, concussion risks and prevention to improve para concussion care. Methods Nine s...
Article
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This paper investigated facilitators and barriers to implementing the European Football Fans in Training program (EuroFIT) in professional sports clubs in England, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal. We analyzed qualitative data collected at clubs that delivered EuroFIT, based on semi-structured interviews with coordinating staff (n = 15), coach...
Article
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Background. Injury risk is high in Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) students. Insights into specific injury locations per sex, setting, sports, and curriculum year are needed to develop preventive measures. Purpose. To compare injury distributions by body locations in PETE students and how these distributions differ by sex, type, onset,...
Article
Mukherjee, S, Fok, JR, and van Mechelen, W. Electrical stimulation and muscle strength gains in healthy adults: A systematic review. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2022-Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) is a popular method for strength gains among athletes and fitness enthusiasts. This review investigated the literature from 2008 to 2020 on...
Article
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Background: There is much evidence to implement physical activity interventions for medical reasons in healthcare settings. However, the prescription of physical activity as a treatment, referring to as 'Exercise is Medicine' (E = M) is currently mostly absent in routine hospital care in The Netherlands. To support E = M prescription by clinicians...
Article
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Aims To investigate the effectiveness of a 3-year worksite lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular metrics and to study whether outcomes are influenced by baseline subclinical atherosclerosis (SA) by non-invasive imaging. Methods and results A randomized controlled trial was performed to compare a lifestyle intervention with standard of care in a...
Article
Objective: To investigate the construct validity of the Steep Ramp Test by longitudinally comparing the correlation between Maximum Short Exercise Capacity (MSEC) of the Steep Ramp Test (SRT) and direct measurements of VO2peak during or shortly after treatment in patients with breast cancer and the potential impact of chemotherapy-induced symptom...
Article
Objective To develop a trail running injury screening instrument (TRISI) for utilisation as clinical decision aid in determining if a trail runner is at an increased risk for injury. Design Multiple methods approach. Methods The study utilised five phases 1) identification of injury risk factors 2) determining the relevance of each identified ris...
Article
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Objectives Despite the many proven advantages of a physically active lifestyle in patient populations, prescription of exercise is currently not widely implemented in routine clinical practice. The aims of this study were twofold: (1) to assess perceptions of clinicians on the current practice of exercise is medicine (E=M) prescription in two Dutch...
Article
Objective To review and frequently update the available evidence on injury risk factors and epidemiology of injury in trail running. Design Living systematic review. Updated searches will be done every 6 months for a minimum period of 5 years. Data sources Eight electronic databases were searched from inception to 18 March 2021. Eligibility crit...
Article
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Background Increased physical activity (PA), reduced time spent sedentary (SED), healthier diet and reduced body weight may all have a positive impact on cardiometabolic risk. The relative importance of change in each of these variables on cardiometabolic risk, however, is unclear. We therefore sought to investigate the relative contributions of ch...
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Trail running involves running on varying natural terrains, often including large elevation gains/losses. Trail running has a high risk of injury, and runners often participate in remote regions where medical support is challenging. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiology, clinical characteristic, and associated injury risk factors...
Article
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Objective To investigate the association between the acute:chronic workload ratio (ACWR) and running-related injuries (RRI). Methods This is a secondary analysis using a database composed of data from three studies conducted with the same RRI surveillance system. Longitudinal data comprising running exposure (workload) and RRI were collected biwee...
Conference Paper
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Background Trail running (TR) is characterised by uneven varying running surfaces, with large elevation gains/losses. Therefore, the injury and illness profiles of TR may differ compared to road running. Limited information is available on injury and illness among trail runners (TRs) to help develop interventions towards injury prevention. Objecti...
Article
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Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests contrasting health effects for leisure-time and occupational physical activity. In this systematic review, we synthesized and described the epidemiological evidence regarding the association between occupational physical activity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. Methods: A literature search was p...
Article
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Purpose Shift work has been related to obesity and diabetes, but the potential mediating role of lifestyle is yet unknown. Our aim was to investigate this mediating role of physical activity, diet, smoking, and sleep quality in the relationships between shift work, and obesity and diabetes. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 3188 shift workers...
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Purpose This cross-sectional study aimed to compare the association between self-reported sleep duration and cardiometabolic risk among men and women corporate executives and investigate potential lifestyle, work- and stress-related mediators thereof. Methods Self-reported sleep duration and lifestyle, occupational, psychological and measured anth...
Article
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Background: The extent to which eligible individuals in a target population are willing to participate in interventions is important when evaluating the efficacy of public health interventions. Objectives: As part of a process evaluation of an ongoing randomized controlled trial, this study aimed to identify the proportion of risky drinkers who wer...
Article
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Background Trail running is characterised by large elevation gains/losses and uneven varying running surfaces. Limited information is available on injury and illness among trail runners to help guide injury and illness prevention strategies.Objective The primary aim of this review was to describe the epidemiology of injury and illness among trail r...
Article
Background Behavioral and social sciences theories/models have been gaining attention in sports injury prevention. Objective To investigate the potential of the Theory of Planned Behavior in explaining running-related injury preventive behavior. Methods Six-month prospective cohort study based on data gathered from a randomized controlled trial....
Article
To identify primary target groups for injury prevention in physical education teacher education (PETE) students, risk differences between subgroups by sex and curriculum years were compared in a retrospective cohort study (2000 to 2014). Injuries recorded by health care professionals at the medical facility of a Dutch PETE college were used to calc...
Article
Objective Sleeping less or more than the 7-8 h has been associated with mortality in the general population, which encompasses diversity in employment status, age and community settings. Since sleep patterns of employed individuals may differ to those of their unemployed counterparts, the nature of their sleep-mortality relationship may vary. We th...
Article
Background: Rugby carries a risk for serious injuries, including acute spinal cord injuries. The lifetime health consequences of these injuries may be far-reaching. Purpose: In this study, we aimed to describe barriers and facilitators to healthcare and rehabilitation, in individuals with rugby-related spinal cord injuries in South Africa. Methods:...
Article
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This study explored the perspectives of dancers and staff of the Dutch National Ballet, regarding injury definition, injury risk factors, and preventive measures. We conducted two focus groups: one with the medical/artistic staff and another with dancers. Data were analyzed inductively by two independent coders, through the constant comparative met...
Article
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Objective: Physical activity (PA) has substantial benefits across a range of health outcomes. There is uncertainty about the PA-specific health effects, and in particular, the occupational domain. In this umbrella review, we synthesised available evidence on the associations between occupational PA (OPA) and health-related outcomes (including cance...
Article
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Objective This study aimed to investigate the association between shift work, and burnout and distress, and differences by degree of satisfaction with shift schedule and its impact on private life.Methods Population 4275 non-shift factory workers and 3523 rotating 5-shift workers. Workers participated between 2009 and 2016 one to three times in the...
Article
Background/aim BokSmart is a nationwide injury prevention programme that aims to reduce players’ injury risk mainly through education of coaches and referees in mandatory biennial education courses. These courses are held throughout each rugby season. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess whether these courses were associated wi...
Article
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Purpose The level of daily physical activity in patients with cancer is frequently assessed by questionnaires, such as the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). Objective assessments, with for example accelerometers, may be a good alternative. The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement between the PASE questionnaire and accele...
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PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between the moderating role of lifestyle, age, and years working in shifts and, shift work and being overweight.Methods Cross-sectional data were used of 2569 shift and 4848 non-shift production workers who participated between 2013 and 2018 in an occupational health check. Overweight (BMI ≥ 2...
Preprint
BACKGROUND The prescription of physical activity (PA) in clinical care has been advocated worldwide. This “exercise is medicine” (E=M) concept can be used to prevent, manage, and cure various lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Due to several challenges, E=M is not yet routinely implemented in clinical care. OBJECTIVE This paper describes the rati...
Article
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Background The prescription of physical activity (PA) in clinical care has been advocated worldwide. This “exercise is medicine” (E=M) concept can be used to prevent, manage, and cure various lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Due to several challenges, E=M is not yet routinely implemented in clinical care. Objective This paper describes the rati...
Article
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Objectives: Increasing physical activity reduces the risk of chronic illness including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Lifestyle interventions can increase physical activity but few successfully engage men. This study aims to investigate the 5 year cost-effectiveness of EuroFIT, a program to improve physical ac...
Article
Purpose: Fatigue is a common and potentially disabling symptom in patients with cancer. It can often be effectively reduced by exercise. Yet, effects of exercise interventions might differ across subgroups. We conducted a meta-analysis using individual patient data of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to investigate moderators of exercise interv...
Article
Objectives To explore how sports injury prevention takes place in elite sport practice and to describe the perspectives of athletes, coaches and physiotherapists regarding the most critical factors that help prevent injury in the elite sports context. Methods Qualitative study. Semistructured interviews with 19 international level athletes, coache...
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Objectives The aim of this review was to explore the notion of alcohol-related presenteeism; that is, whether evidence in the research literature supports an association between employee alcohol consumption and impaired work performance. Design Systematic review of observational studies. Data sources MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, AME...
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Objectives: To evaluate the effects of exercise interventions on sleep disturbances and sleep quality in patients with mixed cancer diagnoses, and identify demographic, clinical, and intervention-related moderators of these effects. Methods: Individual patient data (IPD) and aggregated meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Using...
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Context: Field hockey is popular worldwide; however, it entails a risk of injury. Injuries hamper players' participation in the sport and impose a burden on public health. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a structured exercise program among youth field hockey players on the injury rate, severity, and burden. Design: Quasi-experim...
Article
Most contact sports, including rugby union, carry a risk of injury. Although acute spinal cord injuries (ASCIs) in rugby are rare, the consequences of such injuries are far-reaching. Optimal management of these injuries is challenging, and a detailed understanding of the different barriers and facilitators to optimal care is needed. In this study,...
Data
Standard operating procedure for preparing activPAL data for analysis using automated sleep and non–wear-time algorithm. (PDF)
Data
Description of the SitFIT device for self-monitoring physical activity and sedentary behaviour and of MatchFIT to encourage game-based social interaction. (PDF)
Data
Intervention effect heterogeneity, grouped by moderator interaction on physical activity, sedentary time, and weight. (PDF)
Data
EuroFIT self-complete post-programme questionnaire. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)
Article
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Background: Reducing sitting time as well as increasing physical activity in inactive people is beneficial for their health. This paper investigates the effectiveness of the European Fans in Training (EuroFIT) programme to improve physical activity and sedentary time in male football fans, delivered through the professional football setting. Meth...
Data
EuroFIT self-complete 12-month questionnaire. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)
Data
EuroFIT statistical analysis plan. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)
Data
EuroFIT self-complete baseline questionnaire. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)
Data
Probability of EuroFIT being cost-effective compared with the comparison group. EuroFIT, European Fans in Training. (PDF)
Article
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Objective We undertook this qualitative study within an international circus company—Cirque du Soleil—to explore the narrative of artists and the artistic team in regards to injuries and their prevention and to describe the prevention of injuries from a systems thinking lens. Methods Focus groups (FG) with artists and semistructured individual int...
Article
Background: Exercise effects in cancer patients often appear modest, possibly because interventions rarely target patients most in need. This study investigated the moderator effects of baseline values on the exercise outcomes of fatigue, aerobic fitness, muscle strength, quality of life (QoL), and self-reported physical function (PF) in cancer pa...
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Introduction: Socioeconomic health differences have often been described, but remain insufficiently understood. Recent evidence suggests that workers who are high (compared with low) physically active at work are less healthy. Moreover, workers who are highly physically active at work are predominantly physically inactive during leisure time. Thes...
Article
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It is possible to prevent sports injuries. Unfortunately, the demonstrated efficacy and effectiveness of injury prevention approaches are not translated into lasting real-world effects. Contemporary views in sports medicine and injury prevention suggest that sports injuries are ‘complex’ phenomena. If the problem we aim to prevent is complex, then...
Article
Objective To optimally target exercise interventions for patients with cancer, it is important to identify which patients benefit from which interventions. Design We conducted an individual patient data meta-analysis to investigate demographic, clinical, intervention-related and exercise-related moderators of exercise intervention effects on physi...
Article
Background Though rare, rugby union carries a risk for serious injuries such as acute spinal cord injuries (ASCI), which may result in permanent disability. Various studies have investigated injury mechanisms, prevention programmes and immediate medical management of these injuries. However, relatively scant attention has been placed on the player’...
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Page 1: The listing of the author names and affiliations, which previously read.
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Objectives Rugby-related spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are rare but life altering and traumatic events. Little is known about the long-term consequences and outcomes of players who have sustained these injuries. This study investigated current quality of life (QoL) and factors associated with QoL, among individuals with rugby-related SCI in South Afr...
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Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of high intensity (HI) versus low-to-moderate intensity (LMI) exercise on physical fitness, fatigue, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in cancer survivors. Methods: Two hundred seventy-seven cancer survivors participated in the Resistance and Endura...
Article
Objectives: Youth rugby union is a popular sport with a high injury incidence density (IID) and burden. This high risk has called for further research into the factors affecting the injuries in youth rugby. The aim of the study was to analyse time-loss IID and burden in multiple schoolboy rugby teams over a season and the potential factors associa...
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Objective Recent evidence suggests the existence of a physical activity paradox, with beneficial health outcomes associated with leisure time physical activity, but detrimental health outcomes for those engaging in high level occupational physical activity. This is the first quantitative systematic review of evidence regarding the association betwe...
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Background To commence injury prevention efforts, it is necessary to understand the magnitude of the injury problem. No systematic reviews have yet investigated the extent of injuries in field hockey, despite the popularity of the sport worldwide. Objective Our objective was to describe the rate and severity of injuries in field hockey and investig...
Article
Objectives Youth rugby is a popular sport in South Africa (SA) with a high injury incidence. The annual SA Rugby Youth Week tournaments attract the top age group players in the country providing a sample of players for reliable injury surveillance. The aim of the study was to analyse the changes in time‐loss injury rates at the SA Rugby Youth Week...
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Background - Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling comlaints in atients with breast cancer and can effectively be reduced by hysical exercise, with small to moderate effect sizes. To identify heterogeneity in resonses to exercise and to further ersonalize exercise rescritions, moderators of exercise effects on fatigue should be investigat...
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This study describes the prevalence, incidence density, severity, and nature of injuries in elite field hockey players over the Dutch 2015–2016 season. Eighty players an- swered a baseline questionnaire and were subsequently followed up every 2 weeks to report the hours spent on training/competition and experienced injuries, which were registered u...
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This cross-sectional study investigated whether physical activity, social cohesion, and loneliness mediate the association between time spent visiting green spaces and perceived mental health and vitality. Questionnaire data were collected from 3,948 residents from 124 neighborhoods across four European cities. Multilevel linear regression analysis...
Article
Background: Night shift workers, particularly those working offshore, take a long time to recover from their shifts. The activities that shift workers, such as offshore employees, pursue during their leisure time can influence the process of recovery from work-related fatigue, but little is known about these leisure time activities. Objective: T...