Teun Remmers

these methodologies enable researchers to investigate time-specific and location-specific analyses between the environment and PA behavior. Driven by fast-developing technological innovations and interest in the consumer market, collecting continuous streams of objective biometric data (e.g. activity and sleep patterns, blood glucose, blood pressure) becomes increasingly affordable. These technological innovations enlarge the possibilities to increase our understanding of specific relationships between PA and the environment, and enable us to combine data from multiple sensors to investigate under which circumstances the data from these sensors deviate or correlate. Most importantly however, these fast-developed biometric sensors should be extensively validated both in research-level as well as in consumer-level products, in order to avoid researchers as well as consumers to interpret these findings based on erroneous data. Dissemination of results and products The main innovative aspects of the results presented in this thesis are the investigation of PA within the specific social and organizational contexts, and the integration of objective measurements from multiple sources (i.e. accelerometers, registries of weather stations, global positioning systems and geographic information systems). In addition, the studies have additional innovative aspects in focusing for example on dynamics of PA in important phases in the development of childhood (i.e. the transition between primary and secondary school) and relationships with associated risk factors (i.e. the adiposity rebound period). Empirical evidence is increasing regarding the influence of the publically accessible physical environment on for example children's leisure time PA and active transport. Therefore, results from studies using innovative methodology as presented in chapter 7, 8 and 9 may be of special interest to municipalities that attempt to create and facilitate supporting environments, incorporating multiple policy sectors such as urban design, transport, safety, and health. GPS and GIS methodologies are also suited to intuitively grasp and visually inspect mobility patterns of individual persons in their environment and observe trends across the day. Therefore these techniques can be integrated in innovation-platforms involving for example several municipality-sectors, universities, and commercial parties such as construction or transport companies. These innovation- platforms can systematically implement and analyze small-scaled natural experiments in publically accessible environments, targeting for example PA behaviors. Chapters 8 and 9 of this thesis have been made possible by continuous collaboration between the municipality of 's-Hertogenbosch and Maastricht University. Active collaboration with the municipality facilitated the recruitment of participants, data collection, and data analyses. We have planned additional meetings with various sectors of the municipality in the near future to further disseminate specific knowledge based on chapters 8 and 9, and to prioritize additional small-scaled analyses based on questions raised in interaction with the municipality. Another example of such collaboration between municipality-sectors, commercial parties and universities is the recently developed A2health study. This study evaluates an infrastructural change where main roads will be replaced by greenspaces and