Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a New Instrument for Measuring Sleep Length and Television and Computer Habits of Swedish School-Age Children.

The aim was to develop a new instrument for measuring length of sleep as well as television and computer habits in school-age children. A questionnaire was constructed for use when children visit the school health care unit. Three aspects of the validity of the questionnaire were examined: its face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Test-retest reliability was assessed by giving the questionnaire twice, 2 weeks apart, to the respondents. The questionnaire was assessed as being reasonably valid, the test-retest results (n = 138) showing 90.4% of the estimates regarding bedtime on weeknights on the two survey occasions to lie within ± 30 min of each other, the test-retest agreement also being rather close (κ > .600) regarding both sleep and media habits. The instrument can be a valuable tool in a clinical setting, both for measuring sleep habits in a class and for discussing sleep with individual school children and their families

Sleep and Television and Computer Habits of Swedish School-Age Children

The aim of this study was to investigate sleep, television and computer habits and enjoyment and feelings of tiredness in school of school-age children and adolescents in Sweden. An instrument found to be valid and reliable here was distributed to 3,011 children aged 6, 7, 10, 14, and 16 years. Those sleeping less than the median length of time reported a significantly lower degree of enjoyment of school. Short sleep was found to be associated with having a bedroom TV, spending more than 2 hr a day at the TV or the computer, being tired in school, and having difficulties both in waking up and in sleeping. Discussing sleep and media habits with schoolchildren and their parents regarding matters of optimal sleep and of how media habits affect sleep and learning is seen to be an important task of the school health service

Evaluation of a School-Based Program Aimed at Preventing Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the implementation of a universal school-based cognitive behavioral program whose target is to prevent depressive symptoms in adolescents. The study had a quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest, and a 1-year follow-up and provides an illustrative calculation for the implementation costs of the intervention. Sixty-two students (aged 14) and seven tutors participated. A majority of the students and all of the tutors were satisfied with the intervention. The students, both females and males, rated their depressed symptoms as significantly lower after the course; and for the females, this was maintained 1-year postintervention. The implementation costs for the initial 2 years were about US$300 per student. Positive effects of a universal school-based cognitive behavioral intervention aiming at preventing depressive symptoms in adolescents were found, especially among females

Sömn, medievanor och livsstil hos ungdomar

In the academic year 2008/2009 Pernilla Garmy initiated a longitudinal study regarding sleep, media habits, and lifestyle in school aged children (ages 6–16; n=3011 in collaboration with all the school nurses in the city of Lund in southern Sweden. The results showed that the questionnaire was reasonable (Garmy et al. 2012a), that short sleep periods were associated with fatigue and less enjoyment in school (Garmy et al. 2012b), and that excessive screen time (i.e. time spent at television and/or computer) was linked with overweight children (Garmy et al. 2014). In the academic years 2011–2012 and 2012–2013, a follow-up study was conducted. The baseline investigation consisted of children who were 6–7 years old and about 10 years old during the follow-up investigation. The study was then repeated in collaboration with all of the school nurses in the city, and the survey and height and length measurements were conducted for all 10-year old school children during individual health visits with the school nurse (n=1300) (Garmy et al. 2018). This study showed that short sleep periods and long screen time were linked with obesity (Garmy et al. 2018). In the academic years 2015–2017, the students were about 14 years old, and the school nurse again offered a health visit that included height and weight measurements, and the school nurses once again collaborated and distributed the survey to the students (n=1518). At this time, interest in the study had started to spread, and in addition to the city of Lund, another four municipalities were included in the study. At present, this material is being analyzed in three master level theses, and the results should be published in scientific journals in 2018. The cohort is about 16 years during the academic years 2017–2019 and who have entered the first year in the secondary upper school, in which the school nurse once again will offer individual health visits. At this follow-up investigation, questions in the survey regarding physical activity, body image, and use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs have been added. We have also received ethical approval to compare the survey responses regarding sleep, media, and lifestyle with the school grades that measure academic success. Our hypothesis is that sleep and media habits affect academic success. The sleep length of the students in our studies is about 30 to 40 minutes shorter than in the earlier studies of Klackenberg (1982) involving children born in the 1950s. Our results are in line with other studies that show that the sleep length has decreased among adults and also among children. According to an extensive literature review by Matricciani et al. (2012), sleep period has decreased by an hour among children and adolescents during the last 100 years. Today we live in a 24-hour society in which work and spare time are distributed around the clock. Television, computer games, and social media can be used around the clock. This happens at the same time as the adult population on addition to children and adolescents are facing increased sleeping difficulties, shorter sleep length, and stress-related problems. It is therefore of utmost importance to investigate sleep, media habits, and lifestyle in a longitudinal perspective. Research Questions The aim of the current study was to investigate longitudinal sleep, media habits, body image, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI) among adolescents. Specific research topics were expressed in terms of six questions: 1. Do sleep patterns change over time? 2. Are different media habits associated with irregular or shorter sleep? 3. Are media habits and sleep length associated with obesity? 4. What is the prevalence of sleeping difficulties among adolescents? 5. Is there a link between physical activity, media habits, body image, obesity, and sleep? 6. Are the screening instruments, Minimal Insomnia Symptom Scale (MISS) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), valid and reliable among adolescents? Project Relevance Sleep, media habits, and lifestyle among children and adolescents are in a rapidly changing. School has an important role to play in this area, and in school health care, we get many questions from children and parents regarding these issues. There is a lack of knowledge regarding sleep and media habits, and the way in which these habits are related to other lifestyle factors such as physical activity and obesity. Foremost, there is a great need for longitudinal studies in this area. Method The sample consists of all students in first year of upper secondary school in the academic years 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 in four southern Swedish municipalities. Both public and private schools are included. The students will respond to a web-based survey regarding sleep, media habits, physical activity, body image, use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and self-reported health during the school day. The responses will be compared with grades (measuring academic success) and BMI (height and weight measurements by the school nurse). The students have participated in the survey three times earlier: 1) at the ages of 6–7, 10, and 14. The survey has now been supplemented with Minimal Insomnia Sleep Symptoms questionnaire (MISS) (Broman et al., 2008, Westergren et al., 2015). Information about height and weight are collected from the school health journal. Trained school nurses have conducted all of the measurements. The weight is measured at a digital scale, which is calibrated annually. Children’s height is measured without their shoes using a manual height measure. BMI (kg/m2) is used to calculate the relative weight. Since BMI varies with the gender and age among the children, the international age and gender specific BMI curve developed by Cole et al. (2000) is used to identify adolescents who are overweight or obesity. Students with a BMI value correlating to >25 in late adolescence is classified as overweight, whereas a value correlating >30 is considered obese. Qualitative data will also be collected via focus adolescent group interviews regarding healthy sleep and media habits in addition to the phenomena Fear of Missing Out, FoMo. Qualitative content analysis (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004) will be used.Syftet är att undersöka sömnmönster, medievanor, kroppsuppfattning, fysisk aktivitet och Body Mass Index hos ungdomar. Ungdomar med problem med sömn har tredubblats sedan slutet av 1980-talet. Sömnlängden har minskat en ungefär en timma hos barn och ungdomar under de senaste hundra åren, samtidigt som medievanor och aktivitetsmönster har förändrats stort. Skolsköterskan Pernilla Garmy initierade en longitudinell undersökning om sömn och livsstil i Lund under läsåret 2008-2009. Drygt 1500 elever har följts från förskoleklass, årskurs 1, årskurs 4, årskurs 8, och nu, läsåren 2017-2018 samt 2018-2019 har eleverna börjat på gymnasiet. Sömn och livsstilsvanor är just nu under förändring hos barn och ungdomar. I elevhälsan får vi många frågor från barn och föräldrar om dessa frågor. Det föreligger en kunskapslucka om aktuell sömnlängd, medievanor och dess relation till andra livsstilsfaktorer såsom aktivitet och övervikt. Det finns en stark efterfrågan av longitudinella studier i detta fält

Spädbarnsmassage : en litteraturöversikt

Massage of infants has been practiced globally and been advocated by health professionals. This article provides an overview of studies of its effect involving randomised controlled trials (RCT) and clinical controlled trials (CCT) published 1995–2005. A computer-aided search utilizing Cochrane Library, Medline and Cinahl was carried out in May 2006, the search words «infant massage» limited to clinical controlled trials (CCT) for infants aged 0–23 months being employed. The twenty articles satisfying the inclusion criteria were analysed. Results in six different areas are taken up: weight gain, analgesia, behavioural development and sleep patterns, parent-infant interaction, bone mineralization, and protection against infection. The major findings were that infant massage increased weight gain and provided protection against infections in both preterm and full term infants. Massage intervention appeared to improve behavioural development and sleep patterns. Infant massage was found to improve mother infant interaction for mothers with postnatal depression and parental interaction with premature babies, its likewise improving bone mineralization in premature infants when combined with physical activity. Massage therapy was shown to provide analgesia and to sometimes help colicky infants. No harmfull effects of infant massage were reported

Stress, smärta och läkemedel

Över hälften av flickorna och en tredjedel av pojkarna på gymnasiet har ofta huvudvärk, magkont eller ryggsmärta. Elever som dessutom känner sig nedstämda använder smärtstillande läkemedel i högre utsträckning.

Den goda pedagogiken lockar fram mer av barnet bakom autismen : erfarenheter av en förskoleverksamhet för barn med autism

Våren 2003 planerades det för en speciell förskoleverksamhet för barn med autism som skulle starta till hösten i området där jag arbetade som skolsköterska. Eftersom jag har ett särskilt intresse för detta ansökte jag om stipendium genom Riksföreningen för barnsjuksköterskor för att utvärdera denna nya verksamhet. Det resulterade i en fallstudie som presenteras nedan. Ur intervjumaterialet med föräldrar och pedagoger utkristaliserades tre huvudkategorier: Pedagogik, Miljö samt Utveckling. Det kan ses som ett flöde, att pedagogik i samverkan med miljö ledde till utveckling. Personal och föräldrar berättade om hur nöjda de var med verksamheten, men av organisatoriska orsaker lades den ändå ner efter två år.