Maarten Schmitt will, especially in the field of physiotherapy, do research into movement problems of people and factors that contribute positively to the improvement of the movement problems. Important care issues are the increase in the number of people with (often multiple) chronic conditions and the number of people with an unhealthy lifestyle. The research within his research group has four themes:
- (Un)healthy behaviour in relation to physical activity
- Moving (dis)functioning ('disability')
- Chronic (musculoskeletal) pain
- Methodology of physiotherapeutic research
The research is in line with the policy of the municipality of Rotterdam to improve the health status of its population. Encouraging people to exercise more has proven to be effective. The obstacles mainly concern people’s motivational factors, lack of knowledge and insight, physical factors and environmental factors. The research therefore focuses on one hand on the question of how movement problems for people with chronic conditions can be reduced, so as to be able to function better in daily life. On the other hand, the research focuses on the question of how people with an unhealthy lifestyle can be encouraged to exercise, which reduces the risk of health problems. The objective is to contribute to improving the health status of the Rotterdam population.
