A regression discontinuity analysis of the social distancing recommendations for older adults in Sweden during COVID-19

BACKGROUND: This paper investigates the impact of a non-mandatory and age-specific social distancing recommendation on isolation behaviors and disease outcomes in Sweden during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March to July, 2020). The policy stated that people aged 70 years or older should avoid crowded places and contact with people outside the household.METHODS: We used a regression discontinuity design-in combination with self-reported isolation data from COVID Symptom Study Sweden (n = 96,053; age range: 39-79 years) and national register data (age range: 39-100+ years) on severe COVID-19 disease (hospitalization or death, n = 21,804) and confirmed cases (n = 48,984)-to estimate the effects of the policy.RESULTS: Our primary analyses showed a sharp drop in the weekly number of visits to crowded places (-13%) and severe COVID-19 cases (-16%) at the 70-year-threshold. These results imply that the age-specific recommendations prevented approximately 1,800 to 2,700 severe COVID-19 cases, depending on model specification.CONCLUSION: It seems that the non-mandatory, age-specific recommendations helped control COVID-19 disease during the first wave of the pandemic in Sweden, as opposed to not implementing a social distancing policy aimed at older adults. Our study provides empirical data on how populations may react to non-mandatory, age-specific social distancing policies in the face of a novel virus.SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: Online appendix with figures, tables, extra methods and results

Child Health Nurses' experiences of addressing psychosocial risk factors with the families they meet

Aim To examine how child health nurses perceive the routine assessment of psychosocial risk factors in the family environment as well as their self-reported competence and the present organisational conditions in this context. Method A mixed-methods design was used, including three focus group interviews and a web-based survey. Qualitative data were analysed using systematic text condensation. Quantitative data were analysed at the descriptive level. Results Nurses expressed that identifying psychosocial risk factors was both important and relevant to their work. They had little formal training and education on most psychosocial risk factors, and they lacked structured methods to address them. In areas where nurses reported more formal education and a structured methodology (depression, parental stress), they rated to a higher degree that they possessed sufficient skills and sense of security. The nurses perceived that they seldom came into contact with families with financial problems, hazardous alcohol use or intimate partner violence. Conclusions There is a gap between the nurses' attitudes regarding the importance of helping families in need and their ability to do so with the current level of training and methodological support. The results suggest that, in many cases, psychosocial problems remain undetected

Reading the Stockholm riots - a moment for social justice?

This article examines the 2013 riots in Stockholm in the context of other urban rebellions across disadvantaged metropolitan neighbourhoods in the North-Atlantic region over the past three decades of neoliberal transformation. The authors discuss the consequences of securitisation and police repression, institutional racism, the corrosion of citizenship and the structuring of inequality in Swedish cities. Beyond the violence of the recent riots, contemporary Sweden reveals the emergence of an autonomous, non-violent and organisationally embedded movement for social justice among young people contesting urban degradation and reclaiming the nation in terms of an inclusive citizenship, social welfare and democracy. The article asks whether the Stockholm uprising could possibly be read as a sobering moment of self-examination in Swedish politics that could open space up for new political voices