The ELSA AI lab Northern Netherlands (ELSA-NN) is committed to the promotion of healthy living, working and ageing. By investigating cultural, ethical, legal, socio-political, and psychological aspects of the use of AI in different decision-making contexts and integrating this knowledge into an online ELSA AI tool, ELSA-NN aims to contribute to knowledge about trustworthy human-centric AI and development and implementation of health technology innovations, including AI, in the Northern region. Specific focus will be on investigating low social economic status (SES) perspectives, since health disparities between high and low SES groups are growing world-wide, including in the Northern region.

Much stress in the first 1000 days, from pregnancy to 2 years, can be harmful for life. HEALS Applied aims to detect such stress in young children at an early stage, and where necessary support the parents. HEALS Applied combines knowledge about co-creation and stress with the excellent Dutch preventive care during pregnancy and at well-child care, and develops new methods for early detection of harmful stress. HEALS Applied thus contributes to healthy and safe growing up of children, and provides new knowledge about stress; about sensors and biomarkers; about better support for parents; and about application in preventive care.

Subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are considered to be at high risk for a severe course of the disease caused by Covid-19. They were instructed to stay home and practice social distancing earlier than the general Dutch population. However, it is unclear whether patients with COPD are also more susceptible to the Covid-19 virus and whether environmental factors play a role in susceptibility and progression of Covid-19 related symptoms. We will study this in the Lifelines population.

Despite the tight labor market, many people with autism are unemployed. In collaboration with autistic people, employers, organisations, insurers, company doctors, trade unions and scientists we investigate what people with autism need to attain suitable sustained employment, what are success factors, what approaches exist and how they can be used more and better nationally.

Almost 50% of all work disability claims in The Netherlands regard young workers (<35 years) with mental health problems. Today, starters in the labour market and young working adults have to earn a living in a new world of work (e.g. more temporary work, multiple jobs) with transformed labour markets (e.g. more self-employment and a 24/7 work cycle in a global economy). This evidently challenges mental health. The available evidence on work and mental health is fragmented, i.e. focused on specific exposures and/or worker groups, and had not turned the lens to life prior to work. We need transdisciplinary thinking that integrates principles from life course theory with public health methods to examine working life trajectories of young adults. In this project, we will conduct in-depth trajectory and life course analyses with 15-year follow-up data from the unique Dutch TRAILS cohort to derive the main working life trajectories of young adults. A new measurement at age 28/29 years will be added to TRAILS to extend these trajectories and to collect new data on mental health and the interaction of work and family life in early adult life. Young adults work functioning will be examined with longitudinal data in the exceptional Dutch three-generational LifeLines cohort. We will use the Danish longitudinal Vestliv birth cohort, enriched with register data, for cross-national comparisons of young adults working life trajectories. To learn how the socio-political context shapes the working life trajectories of young adults in the Netherlands and in Denmark, multi-perspective qualitative data will be gathered from key stakeholders in policy and practice, and from young adults. The project builds upon collaboration with a multidisciplinary international group of experts and stakeholders in policy and practice to identify opportunities for effective policies and practices that sustain a healthy workforce for tomorrow.