Xuxi Zhang

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the co ‐ authors, Ms. Mayinuer Yusufu, Dr. Tamara Alhambra ‐ Borrás, Dr. Jorge Garcés ‐ Ferrer, Dr. Estrella Durá ‐ Ferrandis, Dr. Lovorka Bilajac, Ms. Athina Markaki, Dr. Arpana Verma, Dr. Francesco Mattace ‐ Raso, Dr. Antonius J.J. Voorham, Mr. Greg Williams, Mr. Gary Clough, Dr. Elin Koppelaar, Mr. Tasos Rentoumis, Mr. Rob van Staveren, Ms. Irene Fierloos, Dr. Vanja Vasiljev, Dr. Ellen Rouwet, Dr. Oscar Zanutto, Ms. Antonella Buranello, Ms. Stefania Macchione, Dr. Scott Bennett, Mr. Shuaishuai Yang, Ms. Kaige Sun, Dr. Ningli Wang, Dr. Edwin B. Fisher, and Dr. Xinying Sun, for your fruitful collaboration. Thank you very much for your critical review of our manuscripts, and for your intelligent input. Special thanks to my lovely paranymphs Suzanne and Jie, thank you for all the time and efforts in helping me to prepare this defense. I am also thankful for your sweet support and help as friends in my daily life. Staying with you really makes my life bright. Dear Lu, Junwen and Guannan, I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’m so lucky to have you three accompany me from the beginning of my PhD study. You are the priceless treasure I gain from my PhD journey, and you are the strongest support for my life in Rotterdam. We share the ups and downs of life and make each other happier and braver. Because of you, I never feel lonely in the Netherlands. Dear Qin, Di and Wenyi, my dear old roommates and ‘families’ in Rotterdam, thank you for your sweet and warm support and understanding, especially in the difficult moments of life. You would wait for me back home no matter how late it was. You would accompany me to hospital when I was ill. You would listen to me and help me solve the problems when I met difficulties. You were always there when I need. I will keep our memorable moments of laughing and traveling in mind forever. My dear Dutch grandma and grandpa, Renske and Klaas, I would like to thank you for your warm support and love to me. I really enjoyed the sweet time we spent together. Your love stories and life attitude are full of philosophy of life. I wish you stay healthy and enjoy your wonderful life every day, and I hope I can visit you soon after this special period. I would like to say thank you to all the friends and colleagues in the Youth section and Department of Public Health, Lizi, Yuan, Xiaona, Yueyue, Lizhen, Kevin, Irene, Diana, Mirte, Esmee, Wilma, Dafna, Ellen, Ana, Raquel, Marleen, Minke, Laura, Famke, Anne, Michel, Demi… to name but a few, for your energy, understanding and help throughout my PhD journey. All of you have made this moment possible. I would like to thank the many, many people I met in the Netherlands who have encouraged and inspired me along the way of my PhD journey, Jinluan, Ling, Yuchan, Shuang, Bruna, Yuan Ma, Shuai, Lily, Dawei, Limeng, Wanlu, Yang, Yingying, Yifan, Di Long, Calvin, Huiqing, Shirong, Tongtong, Zhizhi … to name but a few! Thank you for all the positive energy you bring to me. 258 Appendices