Minds, meals and motivations - Understanding lifestyle change for cognitive health: insights from research and everyday practice

This PhD research examines the experiences of older adults who participate in a lifestyle intervention aimed at preventing or slowing cognitive decline, using the Dutch FINGER-NL study as a central case. Through interviews, questionnaires, and longitudinal analyses, participants were followed over time to better understand why they take part, how their motivation develops, and how lifestyle changes do, or do not, become part of everyday life. The studies show that many participants are motivated by personal concerns about memory and dementia, often influenced by experiences within their family or social environment. At the same time, motivation alone rarely leads to lasting change. Engagement with the intervention and lifestyle change develops in different ways over time and is shaped by daily routines, available support, life events, and personal circumstances. The thesis also explores how complex lifestyle interventions work and connects these insights with dietetic care for people with obesity in primary healthcare. Across both settings, a similar pattern emerges: sustainable lifestyle change depends not on advice alone, but on support that combines personalised guidance with a trusting relationship with healthcare professionals.