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Publication Promoting water consumption among children through a social network intervention: a cluster randomized controlled trial on a Caribbean island(2025-01-16) Franken, Saskia; Smit, Crystal R.; de Moor, Marleen H. M.; de Leeuw, Rebecca N. H.; Franken, SaskiaThis study examined the effect of the evidence-based adapted social network intervention named Kies Awa (translation: Choose Water) on children’s water and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption. It also examined the moderating role of children’s descriptive and injunctive norms of water and SSB consumption on the intervention’s effect. Subject and methods: We conducted a cluster randomized control trial (RCT) where schools were randomized to one of two clusters: the intervention group (IG; Kies Awa intervention; 156 participants; M = 11.08, SD = 1.00; 53.8% girls) or the control group (CG; no intervention; 144 participants; M = 11.32, SD = 0.96; 52.8% girls). The primary outcome measure was water consumption and the secondary outcome was SSB consumption. Results: Linear mixed modeling analyses showed that water consumption increased significantly more among IG participants than in the CG (β = 0.141; p = 0.015). The effect on SSB consumption was moderated by perceived injunctive norms, which refer to social disapproval of consuming SSBs. Specifically, the intervention reduced SSB consumption for participants reporting high levels of injunctive norms (β = -0.052; p = 0.037). Conclusion: These findings suggest that Kies Awa, an evidence-based adapted intervention, could be implemented in other Caribbean islands to improve children’s water consumption. This approach could be integrated into school health programs, contributing to public health. These findings may help achieve the United Nations’ goal of ensuring healthy lives for all children, even in under-researched world regions. Clinical Trail Registration: Main ID number: NL-OMON26157, preregistration date 2018-12-20. https:// trial search. who. int/ Trial2. aspx? Trial ID= NL- OMON2 6157.Publication Local Investment Rules for Aruban Pension Fund: A Simulation of Welfare Effects for Pension Participants(University of the West Indies, 2019) Wojahn, Oliver; van Spaendonck, JorritPension funds in Aruba are required to invest at least 60% of their assets domestically. While this kind of localization requirement is common in many countries , the Aruban case is special because the economy is very small, both in absolute terms and even more so in relation to pension assets. Furthermore , the Aruban economy is almost exclusively dependent on tourism from the United States and Venezuela. These factors severely limit the opportunities to diversify risks domestically. Using a Monte Carlo simulation , we find welfare losses of up to USD 48,575 for moderately risk averse participants contributing for forty years into the mandatory pension scheme. The substantial losses suggest that pension funds should make better use of the flexibility allowed under the current regulatory regime and ramp up foreign holdings towards the statutory limit. Moreover, the Central Bank of Aruba should carefully weigh the benefits of the localization requirements, i.e. the support of the currency peg and local investment, against the welfare losses of pension participants.Publication Searching for Binding Constraints on Economic Growth in Aruba. Applying the Growth Diagnostics Approach(Lap Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012) de Kort, Rendell; de Kort, RendellAruba pulled off a remarkable economic recovery after the shutdown of the Lago oil refinery in 1986. Largely fuelled by the rapid expansion of the tourism industry, real gross domestic product growth rates averaged at 4.8 percent during the period 1986-1992. Yet in more recent years, growth rates have diminished and it has become evident that Aruba is unlikely to sustain its growth record relying solely on an expansionary tourism industry. By applying the Growth Diagnostic methodology this work analyses the binding constraint to growth in Aruba.Publication COVID-19 Post-Disaster Needs Assessment Bonaire: Socioeconomic assessment(World Bank Group, 2021) Boyer, Mary; Kambon, Asha; Justiniano, Ivelisse; Leeffers, Steffan; de Kort, Rendell; Koolman, Herry; Millan, Maia Florencia; Alders, ArxenOn March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and called on countries to activate and expand response mechanisms. In response, the Governor of Bonaire announced the first measures on March 14. With those measures began initiatives to safeguard the population and to support their livelihoods. Bonaire is particularly susceptible to the downturn in the global economy resulting from the pandemic and measures such as border closures. The variety of economic activities is limited and tourism dependent, which makes Bonaire economically vulnerable. Thus, the national and local governments aimed to address the key challenges of maintaining the capacity for care, preventing a financial and economic downturn, and maintaining public order and safety. Transport connections and border controls were secured to access necessary support and to prevent virus spread through irregular crossings. The purpose of this assessment was to define a comprehensive program of recovery because of the effects and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the people and economy of Bonaire. The scope of the study entailed an examination of all sectors of the economy to capture the change in flows resulting from the disruption of production, access to goods and services, and the direct and indirect costs of management of the pandemic. Some of these costs are health-related but many are social costs to buffer households from the full effects of the pandemic. The study required the collection of quantitative data at the sector level about the situation before and during the event. Data constraints have guided the assessment towards the productive and infrastructure sectors of the economy. The cross-cutting issues of disaster risk financing, gender and the environment have also been examined.Publication Diagnostics on the technology divide on Aruba(Futura, 2022) de Kort, Rendell; de Kort-Yee, Lay HingAruba wants to know how technology can turn businesses into digital exporters and people into global value creators.Publication Advancing Disaster Risk Financing in Sint Maarten(World Bank Group, 2023) Boyer, Mary; Wielinga, Doekle; Gunaskera, Rashmin; de Kort, Rendell; Wrede, Peter; Whyte-Givans, Sophia; Justiniano, Ivelisse; Macabuag, JoshHistorical losses due to hurricanes have been significant in Sint Maarten (SXM) since 1960, with the most severe impact having been experienced in 2017 following Hurricane Irma. The objective of this report is to provide recommendations to the Government of Sint Maarten (GoSXM) for the formulation of a country-specific comprehensive disaster risk financing (DRF) strategy based on the assessment of the legislative, financial management, fiscal, and insurance market environment in SXM. It is envisioned that this report will be used as a planning tool for the potential development of an all-encompassing DRF strategy that would equip the GoSXM with information and instruments to manage contingent liabilities posed by disasters.Publication De economische consequenties van de verdwijning van Natalee Holloway(MeJudice, 2015) Hassink, Wolter; de Kort, Rendell; Ridderstaat, JorgeMet de verdwijning van Natalee Holloway in 2005 ontstond een media-aandacht voor Aruba. Die aandacht heeft significante gevolgen gehad voor de Arubaanse economie. In een speurtocht naar de gevolgen van haar verdwijning vinden de economen Hassink, De Kort en Ridderstaat dat dit een negatief effect had op de Arubaanse economie van tussen de 0,5 en 2,1 procent van het (nominale) Arubaanse BBP (bruto binnenlands product) op jaarbasis in 2005 en tussen de 2,5 en 4,0 procent van het BBP in 2006.Publication Building Resilience in Aruba’s Food Security During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond(World Bank Group, 2020) Boyer, Mary; Horton, John; Millán, Maria Florencia; Grosjean, Christope F.R.; Ernesto, Arias Ramón; Mora Lopez, Elena; Wrede, Peter; de Kort, Rendell; Justiniano, Ivelisse; Chapman, RegisA strong agriculture sector and food security system can diversify the economy and systematically strengthen national capacities to better manage risk and recovery from exogenous and endogenous shocks and enhance climate resilience. The severity of the COVID19 shock has created an opportunity to rethink economic strategy in ways that not only help manage risk but can provide the stimulus to investing in new ways to create sustainable jobs. These jobs can improve livelihoods and quality of life, the environment, and national cultural identity. A sustainable food security strategy in Aruba can be grounded in two pillars: i) commercial-scale food and agriculture based on a particular set of business expansions or start-ups that can function as viable and profitable food and agricultural businesses in the resource conditions presented, and ii) widespread microscale residential producers that are highly efficient users of land and water, incorporating climate-smart techniques and devices, and applying proven production techniques. Each pillar must consider different factor endowments for optimal production, including land, water, growing medium, technology, energy, labor and know-how, capital, and financial requirements, as well as a market opportunity. Strategic guidelines can steer the development of each pillar and the overall resilience of the agriculture sector. These include a strategic public communication campaign to increase local production, enhancing demand for local produce, enhancing quality standards for local produce, incentivizing experimentation in production, involving youth, pioneering innovative technologies, leveraging access to global research and resources through international partnerships, and continued analysis and assessment of production to better understand results.Publication Forecasting tourism demand through search queries and machine learning(2017) de Kort, RendellThis paper utilizes different machine learning techniques for tourism demand forecasting. Considering the magnitude of tourism in terms of economic contribution to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), policy making could benefit greatly from accurate tourism demand forecasting. This paper pursues a novel approach of identifying relevant search query features through google correlate and applying machine learning techniques to estimate individual source market series prior to aggregation. The prediction performance of several machine learning methods is assessed when applied to monthly tourist arrivals from individual source countries to Aruba from 1994 to 2016. The results indicate that machine learning techniques in combination with novel internet datasets sets pose great potential for achieving accurate tourism demand forecasts.Publication De haalbaarheid van inversteringsprojecten bij Bureau Interne Diensten (BID)(University of Aruba, 2019) Arrindell , JoshuaPublication Curaçao Food Security Assessment - Enhancing the Resilience of Vulnerable Households while Boosting Sustainable Economic Growth(World Bank Group, 2023) Channa, Hira; Wielinga, Doekle; Boyer, Mary; Horton, John; Millán, Maria; de Kort, Rendell; Justiniano, Ivelisse; van Baren, PieterIn 2020-2021 Curaçao suffered an extended hiatus in tourism and disruption to its economy caused by the COVID-19 lockdown. Nearly two-thirds of Curaçao’s households reported a drop in income during the pandemic closures. Yet unlike many of their Caribbean neighbors, few Curaçaoans faced significant hardship finding enough food, with only 2 percent reporting going a full day without a meal during this period. The population was protected principally because of economic assistance received from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. That safety net intervention cannot of course, be guaranteed in the event of a future food crisis. Considering that, the government of Curaçao has decided to re-examine its food security policies and vulnerabilities as an island economy that is nearly entirely dependent on imports to feed its population. This assessment reviews the four fundamental elements of food security as a framework of analysis, namely, the availability, access, utilization, and stability of the food supply to continually meet the nutritional needs of the entire population.Publication De inzet van een academische taalvaardigheidstoets voor eerstejaarsstudenten in het hoger onderwijs in Suriname: eerste resultaten en uitdagingen(Anton de Kom Universiteit (AdeKUS), Instituut voor Maatschappijwetenschappelijk Onderzoek IMWO, 2021) Matawlie, Widya; Pelgrim, S.; Heeren, J.; De Wachter, Lieve; Mijts, Eric; Neus, Hilde; Bérénos, Bernadette; Echteld, Elisabeth; Groothuijse, Kitty; Severing Holman, Ria; Rutgers, Wim; Severing, RonaldPublication Understanding the behavioral determinants of adolescents’ water consumption: A cross-country comparative study(ScienceDirect, 2023) Franken, Saskia; Smit, Crystal R.; de Leeuw, Rebecca N. H.; van Woudenberg, Thabo J.; Burk, William J.; Bevelander, Kirsten E.; Buijzen, MoniekSubstituting the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) with that of water can have a positive effect on adolescents’ health. However, despite the attention on this topic in the Global North, it is relatively understudied in other regions of the world, such as the Caribbean. To guide the development of future interventions, understanding the factors determining water consumption among Caribbean adolescents is important. This study examined the behavioral determinants of water consumption among adolescents in Aruba (the Caribbean) and compared them to those in the Netherlands (Western Europe). We used a theoretical model that integrates the dominant theoretical perspectives in the field of public health, including theories of planned behavior, social norms, and intrinsic motivation. This crosscountry study included 1,584 adolescents from Aruba and the Netherlands (52% girls; M = 12.34 years; SD = 2.14). The data were analyzed using regression analyses. This study found that in Aruba, adolescents with higher scores of intrinsic motivation, friends’ descriptive norms, attitudes, and behavioral control regarding water consumption drank more water. Moreover, the associations between water consumption and both intrinsic motivation as well as friends’ descriptive norms for adolescents in Aruba were stronger than those found in the Netherlands. These associations imply that it is even more important for Aruban adolescents than Dutch adolescents to be intrinsically motivated or to perceive their friends often consuming water to drink more water. The cross-country comparison implies that future interventions in Aruba aimed at increasing adolescents’ water consumption as an alternative to SSB should focus on enhancing their intrinsic motivation while considering their friends’ social norms.Publication Promoting Water Consumption on a Caribbean Island: An Intervention Using Children’s Social Networks at Schools(MDPI, 2018) Franken, Saskia; Smit, Crystal R.; Buijzen, MoniekSugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and the associated childhood obesity are major concerns in the Caribbean, creating a need for interventions promoting water consumption as a healthy alternative. A social network-based intervention (SNI) was tested among Aruban children to increase their water consumption and behavioral intention to do so and, consequently, to decrease SSB consumption and the associated behavioral intention. In this study, the moderating effects of descriptive and injunctive norms were tested. A cluster randomized controlled trial was completed in schools (mean age = 11 years ± SD = 0.98; 54% girls). Children were assigned to the intervention group (IG; n = 192) or control group (CG; n = 185). IG children were exposed to peer influencers promoting water consumption and CG children were not. Regression analyses showed that water consumption increased for IG children with a high injunctive norm score (p = 0.05); however, their intention to consume more water remained unchanged (p = 0.42). Moreover, IG children showed a decrease in SSB consumption (p = 0.04) and an increase in their intention to consume less SSB (p = 0.00). These findings indicate that SNIs are a promising instrument for health behavioral changes for Aruba and other islands in the Caribbean region.Publication Validering van een academische taalvaardigheidstoets in de Surinaamse context: testscores en testpercepties(OJS / PKP, 2023) Matawlie, Widya; Pelgrim, S.; Heeren, J.; De Wachter, LieveDe studieduur van studenten aan de Anton de Kom Universiteit Suriname is vaak langer dan de nominale studieduur. Omdat onderzoek laat zien dat taal een noodzakelijke (maar geen voldoende) voorwaarde is voor studiesucces, lijkt het nuttig om de academische taalvaardigheid van eerstejaarsstudenten te testen en zo nodig remediërende maatregelen aan te bieden. Hiervoor is een in Vlaanderen (België) ontwikkelde digitale academische taaltest als uitgangspunt gebruikt. Om de test te valideren voor de Surinaamse context deden 109 eerstejaarsstudenten van de Faculteit der Maatschappijwetenschappen de test. Testresultaten laten een veel lagere score voor Surinaamse studenten zien in vergelijking met resultaten in België. Ondanks de talige overeenkomst, was duidelijk dat de test niet zonder meer transfereerbaar is. Daarom focust dit onderzoek expliciet op de validiteit van de test in een Surinaamse context vanuit het argumentatief kader van Knoch en Elder (2013). Deze studie gaat vanuit dat kader dieper in (1) op de psychometrische kwaliteiten van de testitems; (2) op de testperceptie door de studenten en (3) op de perceptie door de docenten. Deze triangulatie van perspectieven verschaft een duidelijker inzicht in de validiteit van de test voor de Surinaamse context.Publication Getting the price right: Calibrating tourism price measures for Aruba(2011) Mosher, Wolter; de Kort, Rendell