Sonja Feer

Work at ZHAW

Position

Research Associate

Focus

Public Health research with focus on child and adolescent health, health monitoring, digital Health Literacy

Teaching

• Digital Health Literacy
• Digital Public Health

Experience

• Reserach Associate
  ZHAW, Institut of Public Health
  04 / 2018 - today
• Physiotherapist
  various hospitals and practices in Switzerland
  08 / 2011 - 06 / 2015

Education and Continuing education

Education

• Master in Health Sciences
  University of Lucerne
  08 / 2014 - 06 / 2016
• Sportphysiotherapeutin
  spt Magglingen
  01 / 2011 - 12 / 2012
• Bachelor in Physiotherapy
  ZHAW
  08 / 2007 - 07 / 2011

Network

Membership of networks

European Public Health Association

Projects

• Health literacy of adolescents in Switzerland in an increasingly digital society / Team member / ongoing
• Literature review on risk and protective factors for the mental (ill) health of youth / Team member / completed
• Development of a Machine Learning program for Injury Surveillance in Children and Adolescents / Deputy project leader / completed
• Why do some older workers with adverse health conditions remain in the labor force while others exit early? / Team member / completed
• Health inequalities and the prolongation of working life / Team member / completed
• Research on international health promotion and prevention projects for the elderly / Team member / completed

Publications

Articles in scientific journal, peer-reviewed

• Feer, S. et al. (2025) 'Begegnungs- und Bewegungsförderung im Quartier', Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. doi: 10.1007/s11553-025-01239-y.
• Gut, V., Feer, S. and Baumann, I. (2024) 'A resource-oriented perspective on the aging workforce – exploring job resource profiles and their associations with various health indicators', BMC Public Health, 24(2559). doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20098-4.
• Burkhalter, D. et al. (2022) 'Financial reasons for working beyond the statutory retirement age : risk factors and associations with health in late life', International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), p. 10505. doi: 10.3390/ijerph191710505.
• Feer, S. et al. (2022) 'Health and labor force participation among older workers in Switzerland : a growth curve analysis', European Journal of Ageing, 19(4), pp. 1395–1406. doi: 10.1007/s10433-022-00716-z.
• Galliker, S. et al. (2019) 'Quality of leadership and presenteeism in health professions education and research : a test of a recovery-based process model with cognitive irritation and impaired sleep as mediators', Psychology, Health & Medicine, 25(2), pp. 239–251. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2019.1634823.

Written conference contributions, peer-reviewed

• Feer, S. et al. (2021) 'Health status and labour force participation among older workers in Switzerland : a growth curve analysis', in European Journal of Public Health. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab165.314.
• Feer, S. et al. (2019) 'Health status and labour force participation among older workers in Switzerland : a multilevel for growth analysis', in IAGG-ER, Gothenburg, Sweden, 23-25 May 2019.

Other publications

• Dey, M. et al. (2025) Schutz- und Risikofaktoren für die psychische Gesundheit von Heranwachsenden : eine Literaturübersicht zur internationalen und Schweizer Forschung. Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-34648.
• Baumann, I. et al. (2024) 'Recherche participative sur la transition de la vie professionnelle à la retraite', in Maeder, P. et al. (eds) Innovation et intervention sociales. Seismo, pp. 110–111. doi: 10.33058/seismo.20764.
• Feer, S., Nicoletti, C. and Baumann, I. (2024) Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention bei älteren Arbeitnehmenden : Modul für die Führungsweiterbildung der SVA. ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.60877/q4v2-vt83.
• Sommer, B. et al. (2024) 'Analysing physical activity : the complementary benefits of sensor-based and observational instruments', in 6th Digital Health Lab Day, Winterthur, Switzerland, 3 September 2024.
• Baumann, I. and Feer, S. (2023) 'Quand la santé se dégrade', Gerontologie CH : Praxis + Forschung, 2023(1), pp. 8–9. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-30710.
• Baumann, I. and Feer, S. (2023) 'Wenn die Gesundheit nicht mitspielt', Gerontologie CH : Praxis + Forschung, 2023(1), pp. 8–9. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-27150.
• Baumann, I. et al. (2023) 'Does raising retirement age affect retirees' health? : evidence from a Swiss reform', in Epidemiology Symposium 'Causality to Get Population Health Sciences Right', EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland, 29 March 2023.
• Feer, S., Zysset, A. and Dratva, J. (2023) Machbarkeitsstudie Datenerhebung Kinder- und Jugendunfälle. Bern: Schweizerische Beratungsstelle für Unfallverhütung bfu. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-2439.
• Baumann, I. et al. (2022) 'Financial reasons for retiring after the statutory retirement age and health: evidence from Switzerland', in Epi Unit Meeting, Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University, Sweden, 2. May 2022.
• Dratva, J. et al. (2020) Auswirkungen von Sport und Bewegung während der Arbeitszeit auf die Gesundheit und die Produktivität am Arbeitsplatz : Recherche Schweiz und International. Winterthur: ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften. doi: 10.21256/zhaw-21302.
• Feer, S. et al. (2018) 'Are our employees health literate who know what to do? : occupational health literacy in a university of applied sciences', in Swiss Public Health Conference 2018, Neuchâtel, 7-8 November 2018.

Oral conference contributions and abstracts

• Zysset, A. et al. (2024) 'Machine learning powered patient records analysis for injury monitoring in children and adolescents', in European Journal of Public Health. Oxford University Press, p. iii162. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckae144.413.
• Feer, S. et al. (2024) 'Machine learning approach to injury monitoring in children and adolescents', in European Journal of Public Health. Oxford University Press, p. iii24. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckae144.059.
• Feer, S. et al. (2024) 'Machine learning powered patient records analysis for injury monitoring in children and adolescents', in Swiss Public Health Conference, Fribourg, Switzerland, 3-4 September 2024.
• Juvalta, S., Feer, S. and Dratva, J. (2023) 'Digital health literacy – an evolving concept', in European Journal of Public Health. Oxford University Press, pp. ii45–ii46. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.121.
• Feer, S., Juvalta, S. and Dratva, J. (2023) 'Measuring digital health literacy in children and adolescents', in European Journal of Public Health. Oxford University Press, p. ii46. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckad160.122.
• Feer, S. et al. (2023) 'Wie ist die Datenlage zu Kinder- und Jugendunfällen in der Schweiz? : eine Machbarkeitsstudie zur Prüfung bestehender Datenquellen und neuer methodischen Ansätze', in Swiss Public Health Conference, Lausanne, Schweiz, 12.-13. September 2023.
• Galliker, S. et al. (2019) 'Quality of leadership and presenteeism in health professions education and research : a test of a recovery-based process model with cognitive irritation and impaired sleep as mediators', in 19th EAWOP Congress, 29 May - 1 June 2019, Turin, Italy : Abstract Book, pp. 1765–1766.

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