Prof. Dr. Theda Radtke
Head of Health Psychology and Applied Diagnostics
Contact
Building S, Room S.15.05
Consultation hours by appointment only
Phone: +49 (0) 202 439 3349
radtke[at]uni-wuppertal.de
Due to my research semester, I am out of office until October 2024.
Please send any requests to me in my function as chairperson of the examination board exclusively to gpapsychologie[at]uni-wuppertal.de
Further Information
With my research, I aim to contribute to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals. This involves, on one hand, investigating potential factors influencing mental processes and (health) behavior. On the other hand, I focus on developing interventions for prevention and health promotion, which may also have positive implications for climate and environmental protection.
Psychological Mechanisms of Health Behaviour (Protective and Risk factors)
(e.g. sustainable mobility, smartphone use, exercise, nutrition)
- Social and environmental factors influencing health behaviour (e.g. in the context of nutrition or especially in adolescence)
- Compensatory and transfer effects of health behaviour
Development, Implementation and Evaluation of Theory-based Prevention and Interventions
- Healthy smartphone use and digital disconnection (e.g., in families, couples)
- Increasing physical activity (e.g., planning interventions to enhance physical activity in adolescence)
- Environment-based interventions (e.g., cycling as a more sustainable form of mobility, nudge interventions for more exercise)
Better smartphone use
In several studies, we are investigating how healthier smartphone use and digital disconnection in daily life can be achieved. To this end, we are conducting ecological momentary assessment studies in everyday life as well as intervention studies with couples and employees.
TWOgether
TWOgether aims to increase the physical activity of adolescents. The focus is to investigate whether long-term increases in activity are more successful when undertaken together with a friend. The study utilized end-of-day diaries and activity sensors to ensure precise monitoring of physical activity. Adolescents were followed for a period of six months. Participants included teenage friends aged between 14 and 18 years, who were identified as insufficiently active according to the official recommendations of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
Bike/pedelec use
As part of several co-operations (e.g. EHPS Innovative Initiative Grant), psychological, infrastructural, design, traffic, environmental and social factors associated with cycling and/or pedelec use are to be recorded in order to derive starting points for interventions. In the sense of a real-world laboratory approach, qualitative and quantitative survey methods will be used in a participatory research style.
As part of several collaborations (e.g., EHPS Innovative Initiative Grant), psychological, infrastructural, design, traffic, environmental, and social factors related to cycling and/or pedelec usage are to be assessed to derive successful intervention. Following a real-world laboratory approach, qualitative and quantitative data collection methods will be conducted in a participatory research style.
Winter Semester
- Lecture and seminar: Health Psychology
- Project work in Health Psychology
- Colloquium in Health Psychology
- Seminar on Psychological Diagnostics in Practice
- Lecture on Testing & Decision Making
Summer Semester
- Lecture on Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Ethical-Legal Foundations
- Project work in Health Psychology
- Colloquium in Health Psychology
- Lecture on Introduction to Psychological Diagnostics
Career
Since October 2020 Professor of Health Psychology and Applied Diagnostics, University of Wuppertal, Germany
2019-2020 Professor of Health, Work, and Organizational Psychology, Witten/Herdecke University, Germany
2018 Research stay at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, Physically Active Lifestyles Research Group (USQ PALs; Prof. Biddle)
2014-2019 Senior teaching and research associate, University of Zurich, Switzerland, Applied Social and Health Psychology (Prof. Scholz)
2012-2014 Post-doc and teaching fellow, University of Konstanz, Germany, Developmental and Health Psychology (Prof. Scholz)
2007-2011 Research and teaching fellow, University of Zurich, Switzerland, Social and Health Psychology (Prof. Hornung), and project staff member of the Tobacco Monitoring Switzerland on behalf of the Federal Office of Public Health
2001-2006 Diploma studies in Psychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
Awards
08/2018 Early Career Award from the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS)
06/2018 Early Career Award from the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), Division 8, Health Psychology
12/2009 Tandem Grant for the research project 'Compensatory Health Beliefs in dieting women' in collaboration with Dr. D. Kaklamanou from the University of Sheffield, awarded by the European Health Psychology Society (EHPS)
09/2009 Young Research Award from EHPS for poster presentation at the 23rd EHPS Conference in Pisa, Italy
Selected Publications (Peer-Review)
- Radtke, T., Apel, T., Schenkel, K., Keller, J., & von Lindern, E. (2021). Digital detox – a passing trend or a lasting solution in the smartphone era? A systematic review of the literature. Mobile Media & Communication. doi.org/10.1177/20501579211028647
- Haug, S., Paz Castro, R., Scholz, U., Kowatsch, T., Schaub, M. P., & Radtke, T. (2020). Efficacy of a mobile phone-delivered just-in-time planning intervention to reduce alcohol use in adolescents: results of a randomized controlled crossover trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research mHealth and uHealth, 8(5), e16937. doi: 10.2196/16937
- Radtke, T., Liszewska, N., Horodyska, K., Boberska, M., Schenkel, K., & Luszczynska, A. (2019). Cooking together: The IKEA effect on family vegetable intake. British Journal of Health Psychology, 24, 896-912. doi: 10.1111/bjhp.12385
- Radtke, T., Luszczynska, A., Schenkel, K., Biddle, S., & Scholz, U. (2018). A cluster randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of an individual planning intervention with collaborative planning in adolescent friendship dyads to enhance physical activity (TWOgether). BMC Public Health, 18, 911. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5818-6
- Radtke, T., Ostergaard, M., Cooke, R., & Scholz, U. (2017). Web-based alcohol intervention: study of systematic attrition of heavy drinkers. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 19(6):e217. doi:10.2196/jmir.6780
Complete list of publications here
