Lecturer
BSc (Netherlands), MSc (Clinical), PhD (Otago)
Tel +64 3 479 8387
Email lara.vlietstra@otago.ac.nz
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7397-1308
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lara-Vlietstra
Deputy Director of CARE (Collaboration of Ageing Research Excellence, a University of Otago Research theme)
Background
Lara Vlietstra joined the School in 2022 as a lecturer. After successfully graduating as a physiotherapist (2014, Avans, the Netherlands), she obtained two master’s degrees (2017, Clinical Health Sciences, Utrecht University/University Medical Centre Utrecht, and Geriatric Physiotherapy, Avans+) before coming to Otago to complete her PhD in pre-sarcopenia (2021, Department of Medicine & School of Physiotherapy).
Besides her ongoing research projects and her teaching, she is currently the Deputy Director for CARE, a National Executive member of the New Zealand Association of Gerontology (NZAG), Council member for the Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research (ANZSSFR) and an Associate Editor for the Australasian Journal on Ageing.
Teaching
Research
Since being awarded a PhD for her thesis on pre-sarcopenia in middle-aged adults, Lara’s research has focused on healthy ageing and the prevention of age-related diseases, with a particular focus on physical activity and sarcopenia.
She is currently the co-primary investigator of the GAMES Study. The Games Athletes Medical Evaluation and Status (GAMES) Study is a study that is researching New Zealand Olympians, Paralympians, and Commonwealth Games athletes as they age. Additional research interests include falls and frailty in older adults.
Lara has active research collaborations in Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Postgraduate Students
Lara is currently welcoming Honour’s and Master’s students beginning 2023.
Publications
de Lucena Alves, C. P., de Almeida, S. B., Pessoa Lima, D., Neto, P. B., Miranda, A. L., Manini, T., Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., … Costa, E. C. (2023). Muscle quality in older adults: A scoping review. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 24, 462-467. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.02.012
Vlietstra, L., Kirk, B., Duque, G., Qualls, C., Vellas, B., Andrieu, S., … Waters, D. L. (2023). Using minimal clinically important differences to measure long-term transitions of osteosarcopenia: The New Mexico Aging Process Study. Experimental Gerontology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112106
Zanker, J., Sim, M., Anderson, K., Balogun, S., Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Dent, E., … Vlietstra, L., … Waters, D. L., … Scott, D. (2022). The Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research (ANZSSFR) sarcopenia diagnosis and management task force: Findings from the consumer expert Delphi process [Brief report]. Australasian Journal on Ageing. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ajag.13164
Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., Jones, L. M., Wilson, L., & Meredith-Jones, K. (2022). High-intensity interval aerobic and resistance training to counteract low relative lean soft tissue mass in middle age: A randomized controlled trial. Experimental Gerontology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2022.111991
Zanker, J., Sim, M., Anderson, K., Balogun, S., Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Dent, E., … Vlietstra, L., … Waters, D. L., … Scott, D. (2022). Consensus guidelines for sarcopenia prevention, diagnosis and management in Australia and New Zealand. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia & Muscle. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13115
Freire, Y. A., Cabral, L. L. P., Browne, R. A. V., Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., Duhamel, T. A., & Costa, E. C. (2022). Daily step volume and intensity moderate the association of sedentary time and cardiometabolic disease risk in community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study. Experimental Gerontology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2022.111989
Journal - Research Article
Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., Jones, L. M., Wilson, L., & Meredith-Jones, K. (2022). High-intensity interval aerobic and resistance training to counteract low relative lean soft tissue mass in middle age: A randomized controlled trial. Experimental Gerontology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2022.111991
Journal - Research Article
Meredith-Jones, K., Taylor, R., Brown, R., Cooke, R., Vlietstra, L., Manning, P., Poulton, R., & Haszard, J. (2021). Age- and sex-specific visceral fat reference cutoffs and their association with cardio-metabolic risk. International Journal of Obesity, 45, 808-817. doi: 10.1038/s41366-021-00743-3
Journal - Research Article
Hendrickx, W., Vlietstra, L., Valkenet, K., Wondergem, R., Veenhof, C., English, C., & Pisters, M. F. (2020). General lifestyle interventions on their own seem insufficient to improve the level of physical activity after stroke or TIA: A systematic review. BMC Neurology, 20, 168. doi: 10.1186/s12883-020-01730-3
Journal - Research Article
Waters, D. L., Vlietstra, L., Qualls, C., Morley, J. E., & Vellas, B. (2020). Sex-specific muscle and metabolic biomarkers associated with gait speed and cognitive transitions in older adults: A 9-year follow-up. GeroScience, 42, 585-593. doi: 10.1007/s11357-020-00163-7
Journal - Research Article
Vlietstra, L., Stebbings, S., Meredith-Jones, K., Abbott, J. H., Treharne, G. J., & Waters, D. L. (2019). Sarcopenia in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: The association with self-reported fatigue, physical function and obesity. PLoS ONE, 14(6), e0217462. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217462
Journal - Research Article
Waters, D. L., Qualls, C. R., Cesari, M., Rolland, Y., Vlietstra, L., & Vellas, B. (2019). Relationship of incident falls with balance deficits and body composition in male and female community-dwelling elders. Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 23(1), 9-13. doi: 10.1007/s12603-018-1087-4
Journal - Research Article
Vlietstra, L., Hendrickx, W., & Waters, D. L. (2018). Exercise interventions in healthy older adults with sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 37(3), 169-183. doi: 10.1111/ajag.12521
Journal - Research Article
de Lucena Alves, C. P., de Almeida, S. B., Pessoa Lima, D., Neto, P. B., Miranda, A. L., Manini, T., Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., … Costa, E. C. (2023). Muscle quality in older adults: A scoping review. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 24, 462-467. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.02.012
Journal - Research Other
Vlietstra, L., Kirk, B., Duque, G., Qualls, C., Vellas, B., Andrieu, S., … Waters, D. L. (2023). Using minimal clinically important differences to measure long-term transitions of osteosarcopenia: The New Mexico Aging Process Study. Experimental Gerontology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2023.112106
Journal - Research Other
Zanker, J., Sim, M., Anderson, K., Balogun, S., Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Dent, E., … Vlietstra, L., … Waters, D. L., … Scott, D. (2022). The Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research (ANZSSFR) sarcopenia diagnosis and management task force: Findings from the consumer expert Delphi process [Brief report]. Australasian Journal on Ageing. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ajag.13164
Journal - Research Other
Zanker, J., Sim, M., Anderson, K., Balogun, S., Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Dent, E., … Vlietstra, L., … Waters, D. L., … Scott, D. (2022). Consensus guidelines for sarcopenia prevention, diagnosis and management in Australia and New Zealand. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia & Muscle. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.13115
Journal - Research Other
Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., Jones, L. M., & Meredith-Jones, K. (2020). High-intensity interval aerobic resistance training to counteract low relative appendicular lean soft tissue mass in middle age: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 9(10), e22989. doi: 10.2196/22989
Journal - Research Other
Vlietstra, L., Meredith-Jones, K., Stebbings, S., Abbott, J. H., Treharne, G. J., & Waters, D. L. (2017). Sarcopenic obesity is more prevalent in osteoarthritis than rheumatoid arthritis: Are different processes involved? Rheumatology, 56(10), 1816-1818. doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kex303
Journal - Research Other
Davies, J. W. T., Waters, D. L., Hale, L., Vlietstra, L., & Pelicioni, P. H. S. (2022). Reliability of remote gait and balance assessment of people with Parkinson's disease. New Zealand Medical Journal, 135(1557), (pp. 102-103). Retrieved from https://journal.nzma.org.nz/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Davies, J., Waters, D., Hale, L., Vlietstra, L., & Pelicioni, P. (2022). Reliability of remote gait and balance assessment of people with Parkinson's disease. In K. Horne (Ed.), Proceedings of the 38th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research (AWCBR). (pp. 84). Retrieved from https://www.queenstownresearchweek.org
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Reynolds, A. N., Hodson, L., de Souza, R., Diep Pham, H. T., Vlietstra, L., & Mann, J. (2022). Saturated and trans fat intakes on mortality and non-communicable disease incidence: Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes (NZSSD) Annual Scientific Meeting. (pp. 27). Retrieved from https://www.ivvy.com.au/event/NZSSD22/welcome.html
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., & Meredith-Jones, K. (2020). Protective and harmful factors associated with pro-dromal sarcopenia in an early middle-aged birth cohort. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 39(Suppl. 2), (pp. 29-30). doi: 10.1111/ajag.12811
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Hendrickx, W., Vlietstra, L., Valkenet, K., Wondergem, R., Veenhof, C., English, C., & Pisters, M. F. (2019). The effect of lifestyle interventions on the amount of physical activity after stroke or transient ischemic attack: A systematic review. Proceedings of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) Congress. PLSoA-2232. Retrieved from https://www.wcpt.org
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Meredith-Jones, K., Vlietstra, L., Haszard, J., & Waters, D. (2018). Repeated childhood fracture is not related to abnormal bone or body composition in middle age. Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS) 28th Annual Scientific Meeting. (pp. 117). Retrieved from https://www.anzbms.org.au/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Vlietstra, L. (2018). Exercise interventions in healthy older adults with sarcopenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Proceedings of the Physiotherapy New Zealand Conference. (pp. 95). Retrieved from https://pnz.org.nz/conference
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Vlietstra, L., Meredith-Jones, K., & Waters, D. (2018). Early middle-age prevalence of sarcopenia, osteopenia and osteosarcopenia in a birth cohort. Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society (ANZBMS) 28th Annual Scientific Meeting. (pp. 118). Retrieved from https://www.anzbms.org.au/
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Vlietstra, L., Waters, D. L., & Meredith-Jones, K. (2018). Prevalence of pro-dromal sarcopenic-obesity in middle-aged adults: Association with BMI and physical function. Proceedings of the Australian & New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia & Frality Research (ANZSSFR) Annual Meeting. (pp. 53). Retrieved from https://anzssfr.org/past-meetings
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Vlietstra, L., Meredith-Jones, K., Stebbings, S., Abbott, J., Treharne, G., & Waters, D. (2017). Sarco-osteopenia in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: Implications for clinical practice. Internal Medicine Journal, 47(Suppl. 2), (pp. 5). doi: 10.1111/imj.13426
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Vlietstra, L. (2021, May). High-intensity interval aerobic resistance training to counteract pre-sarcopenia in middle age, a randomised controlled trial. Verbal presentation at the Asia Pacific Virtual Symposium on Sarcopenia and Frailty Research, [Online].
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Vlietstra, L. (2021, October). Emerging research in ageing, possibilities and opportunities. Verbal presentation at the Hope Foundation for Research on Ageing Meeting, [Online].
Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs
Vlietstra, L. (2021, March). Screening and treating pre-sarcopenia in middle-aged adults. Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research Seminar, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].
Other Research Output
Vlietstra, L. (2018, July). Screening and treating pro-dromal sarcopenia and sarcopenic-obesity in middle-aged adults. Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].
Other Research Output
Vlietstra, L. (2021). Screening and treating pre-sarcopenia in middle-aged adults (PhD). University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/12078
Awarded Doctoral Degree
