Parental support to promote children's dietary and physical activity behaviours in disadvantaged settings

Background: A clear socioeconomic gradient in prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity exists in Sweden whereby children with low socioeconomic status (SES) have higher rates. Parents are an important target group for interventions to promote healthy behaviours and prevent unhealthy weight development in children. Aims: The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects and implementation of the Healthy School Start (HSS) parental support intervention to promote healthy child dietary and physical activity (PA) behaviours and prevent unhealthy weight development in disadvantaged settings in Sweden. Study I: To evaluate the effectiveness of the six-month HSS parental support programme targeting dietary habits, PA and body weight of six-year-old children in families with low SES in the school context. Study II: To explore the variation of how mothers and fathers with low SES influence their children’s dietary behaviours as explored during a real-life session of Motivational Interviewing (MI). Study III: To evaluate the psychometric properties of an instrument to measure parental self-efficacy for influencing children’s dietary, PA, sedentary, and screen time behaviours in the home environment. Study IV: To describe barriers and facilitators, related to intervention characteristics and process, that teachers and parents perceived as influencing the implementation of the HSS intervention. Methods: The HSS intervention was carried out for six months during 2012-2013 in pre-school classes with six-year-old children and included three components: 1. Health information to parents, 2. MI with parents, and 3. Classroom lessons with home assignments. Study I: Intervention effectiveness regarding children’s diet, and PA behaviours, and Body Mass Index standard deviation score (BMI-sds) was assessed in a cluster randomised wait-list controlled trial with 378 children randomised to either intervention or control group. Diet was measured by parent-report, PA objectively by accelerometer, and anthropometry was measured by the research group at baseline, post-intervention, and at five months follow-up. Study II: Phenomenography was applied to transcripts of MI sessions with 29 parents who focused on their children’s dietary habits in the session. Study III: Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on data regarding parental self-efficacy as reported by 229 parents in both intervention and control group at baseline. Correlations between factors and child behaviours were subsequently applied. Study IV: Qualitative content analysis was applied to focus groups with 14 parents and 10 teachers in the intervention group. Results Study I: A significantly lower intake of unhealthy foods and unhealthy drinks was observed after the intervention, of which the lower intake of unhealthy foods was still significant for boys at follow-up after five-months. A significantly lower BMI-sds was found after the intervention in children with obesity at baseline, but this effect was not sustained at follow-up. Study II, III, and IV: Results indicate that, in an intervention like the HSS, there is a need for increased focus on the parental capabilities to: - have a positive interaction around food with their child (study II) - recognize parental responsibility for the child’s dietary behaviours (study II and IV) - regulate own emotions around the child dietary behaviour (study II), and - trust the child’s satiety response (study II) - perform the intervention activities (study IV) - cooperate with the other parent (study II and IV) and with school (study IV) - believe in their own capability to support the child towards healthy dietary behaviours (study III) Conclusion: The HSS intervention was effective in decreasing the children’s intake of unhealthy foods, and partly regarding BMI-sds in areas with low SES, but had no effect on children’s PA behaviours. In future interventions, parental capabilities for positive parenting, cooperation, and for performing intervention activities have to be taken into account

The Feasibility and Potential of Training Correctional Officers in Flexible Styles of Communication to Reduce Burnout: A Multiple Baseline Trial in Real-Life Settings

Background: Burnout is typically high among correctional officers. By a training intervention in the flexible communication style ‘everyday conversations’ as a way to increase job-related resources, this study aimed to reduce burnout in Swedish correctional officers. Methods: In a stepped wedged waiting list design, 13 prison wards with 266 employees were randomized to the everyday conversations intervention at different time points during the study period. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey scales over 16 time points. Results: A significant reduction in cynicism was found. In addition, moderation effects relating to personal motivators and characteristics were found. Conclusion: There is feasibility and potential to implement communication skills to reduce burnout among employees in real-life prison settings

Neighborhood conditions in a Swedish context-Two studies of reliability and validity of virtual systematic social observation using Google Street View

IntroductionThe goal of these studies was to investigate the reliability and validity of virtual systematic social observation (virtual SSO) using Google Street View in a Swedish neighborhood context.MethodsThis was accomplished in two studies. Study 1 focused on interrater reliability and construct validity, comparing ratings conducted in-person to those done using Google Street View, across 24 study sites within four postal code areas. Study 2 focused on criterion validity of virtual SSO in terms of neighborhoods with low versus high income levels, including 133 study sites within 22 postal code areas in a large Swedish city. In both studies, assessment of the neighborhood context was conducted at each study site, using a protocol adapted to a Swedish context.ResultsScales for Physical Decay, Neighborhood Dangerousness, and Physical Disorder were found to be reliable, with adequate interrater reliability, high consistency across methods, and high internal consistency. In Study 2, significantly higher levels of observed Physical Decay, Neighborhood Dangerousness, and signs of garbage or litter were observed in postal codes areas (site data was aggregated to postal code level) with lower as compared to higher income levels.DiscussionWe concluded that the scales within the virtual SSO with Google Street View protocol that were developed in this series of studies represents a reliable and valid measure of several key neighborhood contextual features. Implications for understanding the complex person-context interactions central to many theories of positive development among youth were discussed in relation to the study findings

Home-Based Work and Home-Based Workers (1800-2021)

Home-Based Work and Home-Based Workers (1800-2021) is about the past and present of home-based work and homebased workers between 1800 and 2021 from a global perspective.; Readership: All interested in social and economic history, and especially in the past and present of home-based work and homebased workers

A healthy school start - Parental support to promote healthy dietary habits and physical activity in children: Design and evaluation of a cluster-randomised intervention

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Childhood obesity is multi-factorial and determined to a large extent by dietary habits, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Previous research has shown that school-based programmes are effective but that their effectiveness can be improved by including a parental component. At present, there is a lack of effective parental support programmes for improvement of diet and physical activity and prevention of obesity in children.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This paper describes the rationale and design of a parental support programme to promote healthy dietary habits and physical activity in six-year-old children starting school. The study is performed in close collaboration with the school health care and is designed as a cluster-randomised controlled trial with a mixed methods approach. In total, 14 pre-school classes are included from a municipality in Stockholm county where there is large variation in socio-economic status between the families. The school classes are randomised to intervention (n = 7) and control (n = 7) groups including a total of 242 children. The intervention is based on social cognitive theory and consists of three main components: 1) a health information brochure; 2) two motivational interviewing sessions with the parents; and 3) teacher-led classroom activities with the children. The primary outcomes are physical activity in the children measured objectively by accelerometry, children's dietary and physical activity habits measured with a parent-proxy questionnaire and parents' self-efficacy measured by a questionnaire. Secondary outcomes are height, weight and waist circumference in the children. The duration of the intervention is six months and includes baseline, post intervention and six months follow-up measurements. Linear and logistic regression models will be used to analyse differences between intervention and control groups in the outcome variables. Mediator and moderator analysis will be performed. Participants will be interviewed.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The results from this study will show if it is possible to promote a healthy lifestyle and a normal weight development among children from low-income districts with relatively limited efforts involving parents. Hopefully the study will provide new insights to the further development of effective programmes to prevent overweight and obesity in children.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN32750699">ISRCTN32750699</a></p

Ten new insights in climate science 2023

Non-technical summary. We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. Technical summary. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment Reports provides the scientific foundation for international climate negotiations and constitutes an unmatched resource for researchers. However, the assessment cycles take multiple years. As a contribution to cross- and interdisciplinary understanding of climate change across diverse research communities, we have streamlined an annual process to identify and synthesize significant research advances. We collected input from experts on various fields using an online questionnaire and prioritized a set of 10 key research insights with high policy relevance. This year, we focus on: (1) the looming overshoot of the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) the urgency of fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges to scale-up carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding future natural carbon sinks, (5) the need for joint governance of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) advances in understanding compound events, (7) accelerated mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility amidst climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. We present a succinct account of these insights, reflect on their policy implications, and offer an integrated set of policy-relevant messages. This science synthesis and science communication effort is also the basis for a policy report contributing to elevate climate science every year in time for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Social media summary. We highlight recent and policy-relevant advances in climate change research – with input from more than 200 experts

Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024

Non-technical summary: We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. Technical summary The IPCC Assessment Reports offer the scientific foundation for international climate negotiations and constitute an unmatched resource for climate change researchers. However, the assessment cycles take multiple years. As a contribution to cross- and interdisciplinary understanding across diverse climate change research communities, we have streamlined an annual process to identify and synthesise essential research advances. We collected input from experts on different fields using an online questionnaire and prioritised a set of ten key research insights with high policy relevance. This year we focus on: (1) looming overshoot of the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgency of phasing-out fossil fuels, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future of natural carbon sinks, (5) need for join governance of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) advances in the science of compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. We first present a succinct account of these Insights, reflect on their policy implications, and offer an integrated set of policy relevant messages. This science synthesis and science communication effort is also the basis for a report targeted to policymakers as a contribution to elevate climate science every year, in time for the UNFCCC COP. Social media summary We highlight recent and policy-relevant advances in climate change research - with input from more than 200 experts 1.</p

Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2023/2024

Non-technical summary: We identify a set of essential recent advances in climate change research with high policy relevance, across natural and social sciences: (1) looming inevitability and implications of overshooting the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgent need for a rapid and managed fossil fuel phase-out, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future contribution of natural carbon sinks, (5) intertwinedness of the crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. Technical summary The IPCC Assessment Reports offer the scientific foundation for international climate negotiations and constitute an unmatched resource for climate change researchers. However, the assessment cycles take multiple years. As a contribution to cross- and interdisciplinary understanding across diverse climate change research communities, we have streamlined an annual process to identify and synthesise essential research advances. We collected input from experts on different fields using an online questionnaire and prioritised a set of ten key research insights with high policy relevance. This year we focus on: (1) looming overshoot of the 1.5°C warming limit, (2) urgency of phasing-out fossil fuels, (3) challenges for scaling carbon dioxide removal, (4) uncertainties regarding the future of natural carbon sinks, (5) need for join governance of biodiversity loss and climate change, (6) advances in the science of compound events, (7) mountain glacier loss, (8) human immobility in the face of climate risks, (9) adaptation justice, and (10) just transitions in food systems. We first present a succinct account of these Insights, reflect on their policy implications, and offer an integrated set of policy relevant messages. This science synthesis and science communication effort is also the basis for a report targeted to policymakers as a contribution to elevate climate science every year, in time for the UNFCCC COP. Social media summary We highlight recent and policy-relevant advances in climate change research - with input from more than 200 experts 1.</p