People who have migrated to the Netherlands as refugees, labor migrants, or family migrants often experience mental and physical health problems resulting from traumatic events, daily stressors, and challenging living conditions. These difficulties can negatively influence their quality of life and participation in Dutch society. Although Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht (the G4) offer preventive interventions for migrants at increased risk of mental health problems, current efforts lack coherence, sustainable embedding, and dedicated support for labor migrants with psychosocial issues.
BOOST‑G4 aims to address these gaps by developing a coherent and scalable prevention package for young adults and adults (16+) who have migrated to the Netherlands within the past five years. The package focuses on early detection of mental health problems, strengthening mental well‑being and resilience, and promoting healthier lifestyle behaviors. It will be implemented and evaluated among status holders and civic integration participants, with potential expansion to labor migrants.
The project proceeds in three phases. In Phase 1, the team develops the prevention package and assesses the scalability, effectiveness, and coherence of existing interventions. In Phase 2, the package is adapted to the specific needs of each G4 city, expanded to additional groups such as labor migrants, and evaluated to compare outcomes across different contexts. In Phase 3, the project delivers practical implementation materials, including an online dashboard, a financial plan for sustainable adoption, and guidelines for long‑term integration and future expansion to other groups at increased risk.
BOOST‑G4 is a collaborative initiative that brings together academic partners, municipalities, public health professionals, practitioners working with migrant communities, experts by experience, and societal organizations. This multidisciplinary collaboration ensures that the prevention package is scientifically robust, feasible in practice, and responsive to the real‑life experiences of migrant communities.
Ultimately, BOOST‑G4 aims to strengthen mental well‑being among recently arrived migrants in the G4 and reduce health disparities, while providing municipalities with a solid and scalable prevention infrastructure.
VU TEAM MEMBERS
- Prof. dr. Marit Sijbrandij, Full Professor
- Dr. Els van der Ven, Associate Professor
- Dr. Aniek Woodward, Research Associate
- Cansu Alözkan Sever, Research Associate
