Vi vet idag inte tillräckligt om sömnvanor, medievanor och dess relation till andra livsstilsfaktorer såsom fysisk aktivitet och övervikt hos barn och ungdomar. Med förändringarna i samhället förändras också våra barns och ungdomars sömn- och livstilsvanor. Detta är frågor som många ställer till elevhälsan. I detta kapitel kommer resultat från studier om sömn, medievanor och livsstil att beskrivas. Vi kommer även att sätta ljuset på frågor som är angelägna att studera vidare.

Sjutton lärarstudenter i idrott och hälsa deltog i ett utvecklingsprojekt på lärosätet med syftet att undersöka hur studenternas resonemang i hälsa och miljö utvecklades under de tre månaderna projektet varade. Datainsamlingen bestod av enkäter och fokusgruppsintervjuer. Seminarier med föreläsningar och diskussioner samt ett studiebesök vid ett Science center utgjorde aktiviteter i projektet. Studenterna uttryckte sina kunskapsbrister och kritiserade undervisningen de genomgått i hållbar utveckling i ungdomsskolan och lärarutbildningen, och menade att den oftast handlat om sopsortering. De kopplade efterhand samman människors hårdutnyttjande av skog och mark med försämring av människans livsvillkor och hälsa. Merparten av studenterna vidgade perspektivet, från ett egocentriskt till ett biocentriskt synsätt. Studenterna sade sig under studien utveckla ett personligt engagemang för hälsa och miljö.

Det förekommer brister avseende forskningsanknytningen i lärarutbildningen (Hattie & Marsh, 2006). I studien fångas den yttre miljön tillsammans med teknikutvecklingens påverkan. Levnadsvanor och handlingsberedskap inkluderas också i studien och benämns den inre miljön. Syftet var att undersöka en grupp lärarstudenters sätt att resonera kring hälso- och miljöfrågor under ett tremånadersprojekt. Centralt var att via seminarieform vägleda studenterna, som befann sig i slutfasen av sin lärarutbildning, i integrerad aktuell didaktisk forskning om folkhälsovetenskap, miljövetenskap och lärande för hållbar utveckling, samt undersöka deras syn på begreppet forskningsanknytning.

Övergripande frågeställning var:

Hur resonerar lärarstudenter i hälso- och miljöfrågor kopplat till den yttre och inre miljön?

Studenterna uttryckte också sina erfarenheter av forskningsanknytning i utbildningen.

Sjutton studenter i lärarutbildningen deltog i projektet. Seminarier, enkäter och fokusgruppsintervjuer genomfördes. Teoretiska utgångspunkter för analysen var Agens modell för hälsofaktorer och System jorden (Dahlgren & Whitehead, 1991; Andersson, 2001).

Studenterna uttryckte sina kunskapsbrister och kritiserade undervisningen de genomgått i hållbar utveckling i ungdomsskolan och lärarutbildningen, och menade att den oftast handlat om sopsortering. Så småningom kopplade de samman människors hårdutnyttjande av skog och mark genom transporter till och från träning med försämring av människans livsvillkor och hälsa. Studenterna vidgade perspektivet, från de innersta till de yttre sfärerna. Studenterna fann svårigheter att definiera ”forskningsanknytning” och ingen hade sökt eller läst vetenskapliga artiklar av nyfikenhet eller eget intresse. Den integrerade utgångspunkten kan likt frågor med naturvetenskapligt innehåll utifrån ett samhällsperspektiv medverka till utveckling av undervisningsredskap i kommande lärargärning (Ekborg et al., 2009). En medveten strategi var att förmedla vårt eget forskningsarbete vilket ligger i linje med Hattie & Marsh (1996) som pekar vikten av att studenter får möjlighet att möta sina lärare i forskarrollen, samt på de brister som kan uppstå då forskningsaktiviteter och undervisningsaktiviteter isoleras ifrån varandra. Lärarstudenter möter inte forskning eller konfronteras med forskningsfrågor kontinuerligt vilket kan tolkas som att forskning inte tillhör själva professionen. Det är viktigt att reflektera kring lärandeprocesser i högre utbildning.

The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with self-reported physical activity (PA), self-perceived physical fitness and competence in physical education (PE) among young children. The study included physical tests, anthropometric measures and a questionnaire. The study group comprised 206 children (114 boys and 92 girls, aged 8-12 years). Positive Odds Ratio was used in the logistic regression analyses. High level of self-reported PA was associated with membership of sport clubs and high self-perceived physical fitness. Variables associated with high self-perceived competence in PE were low age, high physical performance, living with both parents, high self-perceived physical fitness, male gender and enjoying PE. Variables associated with high self-perceived physical fitness were low age, high performance in endurance running, high self-reported PA, positive self-perceived body function and high self-perceived competence in PE. Correlations between children's self-perceived competence in PE and actual measured physical performance, between the self-perceived fitness and endurance performance and between self-reported PA and physical performance could be seen as a form of concurrent validity. One implication of the study for practitioners might be that children's own perceptions of their physical competence and activity levels could be used to roughly identify groups of children who are at risk of remaining physically inactive and therefore more prone to be unhealthy.

Detta kapitel handlar om fysisk aktivitet, rörelse och idrott bland barn och ungdomar med sikte på hälsa, vuxenliv och framtid! Kapitlet startar med att förklara vad fysisk aktivitet är för någonting och dess effekter på människan. Därefter kommer en kort översikt om hur barn lär sig rörelser, hur förskola och skola arbetar med fysisk aktivitet och avslutas med en kort redogörelse av några av  mina genomförda forskningsstudier bland barn och ungdomar.

Som ett folkhälsopolitiskt mål har Sveriges regering angett att den fysiska aktiviteten ska ökas i alla åldrar i befolkningen. Frågan är hur det ska gå till? Andelen vuxna, ungdomar och barn som är fysiskt inaktiva är stor. Detta kapitel handlar om motivation, självförtroende, fysisk och motorisk förmåga, kunskap och insikt som individer har eller utvecklar för att kunna vara fysiskt aktiva på en adekvat nivå genom hela livet. En viktig del av denna utveckling sker under barn-och ungdomstiden och kapitlet inriktas på denna fas i livet. Begreppen Physical Literacy och Fundamental Movement Skills beskrivs och i slutet av kapitlet presenteras en egen studie om fysiska aktivitetsnivåer bland 15–16-åringar, samt deras självrapporterade skador i samband med fysiska aktiviteter i föreningsidrott och i skolsammanhang.

Ökad digitalisering i förskolan strider mot samlad forskning om skärmtid för små barn. Barnens totala skärmtid riskerar att bli oförsvarlig, skriver universitetslektor Ann-Christin Sollerhed.

The aim was to gain knowledge of young people’s physical status and physical activity, and to further the understanding of the role of school physical education in a salutogenic public health perspective. Two studies were performed in southern Sweden. Study 1 was performed in 1996 among 301 adolescents aged 16–19 in upper secondary school. It comprised three parts: a questionnaire, seven physical tests, anthropometrical measures and information on every student’s grades. Study 2, with a longitudinal design and annual measurements, was performed in 2000–2003 (n=205–275) among children aged 6–12 in two primary schools, one intervention school with expanded physical education lessons, and one norm school which followed the stipulated curricular time. The study comprised a questionnaire, eleven physical tests and anthropometrical measures. In Study 1, students in practical education for occupations such as industrial and building workers, mechanics, assistant nurses and hairdressers, all of which are occupations involving physical effort, had lower physical capacity than students in theoretical education among both boys and girls. A correlation was found between physical capacity and grades. An interrelation between Sense of Coherence (SOC) and attitudes to physical education was found, indicating that past experiences of physical activity and physical education could contribute to the development of SOC, and actual levels of SOC could influence the persistent attitudes to physical education and be important for lifelong physical activity. Study 2 showed high self-perceived competence in physical education among children to be associated with high physical performance, male gender, low age, living with both parents, high self-perceived physical fitness and enjoying physical education. Children who followed an expanded physical education programme during the three-year follow-up showed positive changes in physical performance compared to children in the norm school. The number of children with increasing body mass index (BMI) rose in both schools, but a lower increase in BMI could be seen in the intervention school. In both Study 1 and 2, the highest physical capacity was found among children and adolescents who reported a high level of physical activity in leisure time. This thesis shows it is possible to achieve improvement in physical status among young people with an increase of physical education lessons in school. Differences in physical capacity between prospective blue-collar and white-collar workers already in adolescence during education emphasize the need for early interventions to increase physical activity and capacity in young people.Physical education in the school setting could be seen as an important arena for improving physical capacity, positive self-perceptions and positive attitudes to physical activity, which could be important for public health.

Bakgrund

Barndomen anses vara en aktiv period i livet, men även barn har blivit mer fysiskt inaktiva under de senaste decennierna. Fysisk status i barndomen tenderar att fortsätta in i vuxenlivet och många av de sjukdomar som drabbar vuxna har visats ha primära orsaker i barn- och ungdomsåren. Samtidigt som den vardagliga fysiska aktiviteten har minskat för barn har tiden för skolämnet idrott & hälsa också minskat. Problematiken med fysiskt inaktiva barn är inte endast ett skolproblem, men eftersom alla barn oavsett hembakgrund finns i skolan är denna en kraftfull arena.

Syfte

Syftet med den treåriga interventionsstudien var att undersöka effekter av utökad tid för idrott och hälsa bland barn i 6-12-årsåldern avseende fysisk kapacitet och BMI-utveckling.

Metod

132 barn i åldrarna 6-12 år.

Två skolor i södra Skåne.

Årliga mätningar i form av fysiska test och antropometriska mått under åren 2000 och 2003.

Testresultaten standardiserades för ålder och kön samt adderades till en z-score för varje individ med medelvärdet 0 för hela gruppen.

En baslinjemätning gjordes år 2000 och därefter startade en interventionsstudie där ena skolan utökade till daglig gympa medan den andra fortsatte med 1-2 gånger per vecka.

Resultat

Fysisk kapacitet förbättrades i interventionsskolan jämfört med normskolan (1.09 vs –1.19; p=0.003), såväl konditionsmässigt (1.42 vs. –1.16; p<0.001) som i motorisk förmåga (0.57 vs. –0.65; p=0.010). Inga signifikanta skillnader kunde påvisas i styrketesten.

Förändringar i BMI var signifikant bättre i interventionsskolan (–0.32 vs 0.25; p=0.033).

Barnens BMI ökade med 6% under treårsperioden. Dock ökade inte BMI lika mycket i interventionsskolan som i normskolan.

En multipel regressionsanalys visade att vilken skola barnen gick på var avgörande för förändringarna i deras fysiska status, medan deras BMI i baslinjemätningen inte spelade någon roll. Det visade att utökad tid för idrott och hälsa gynnade både normalviktiga och överviktiga barn.

Konklusion

En ökning av antalet lektionstimmar i idrott och hälsa ökade barns fysiska kapacitet, vilket kan ses som positivt för barns hälsoutveckling. Förändringarna var särskilt påtagliga vad gällde konditionen och den motoriska skickligheten. Utökningen av tiden för idrott och hälsa gynnade både normalviktiga och överviktiga barn. Ökningen till 4-5 lektioner i veckan saktade ner ökningen i BMI (Body Mass Index), men var inte tillräcklig för att motverka en generell viktökning.

The aim of this study was to obtain better knowledge about teenagers' physical capacity and physical activity. The study group consisted of 301 students in upper secondary school, 191 students in practical education (74 girls and 117 boys) and 110 students in theoretical education (57 girls and 53 boys). The adolescents were 16-19 years old and lived in southern Sweden. The study comprised three parts: a questionnaire, seven physical tests (one test to predict maximal oxygen uptake, three strength tests, two flexibility tests and one balance test) and information on each pupil's grades. Pupils in practical education for occupations like industrial- and building workers, mechanics, assistant nurses and hairdressers, all of which are occupations involving physical effort, had lower physical capacity than pupils in theoretical education among both girls and boys. A correlation was found between physical capacity and grades.

The aim of this study was to assess whether a school-based program with expanded physical education lessons was effective in increasing children's physical capacity and in preventing excessive weight gain in children. The study performed in 2000-2003 comprised 132 children, 73 boys and 59 girls at baseline 6-9 years and in follow-up 9-12 years, attending two different schools with a similar size, appearance and structure in a rural area. The norm school (N-school) followed the stipulated curricular time, one to two physical education lessons a week, while the intervention school (I-school) increased it to four lessons. More positive changes in physical index (the sum of the age-standardized results in 11 physical tests) were found among children in the I-school than in the N-school. The number of children who increased body mass index (BMI) increased in both schools, but a lower increase in BMI could be seen in the I-school. Expanded physical education lessons could increase physical status among both overweight and normal-weight children, in particular aerobic fitness. The weekly dose of physical activity must be higher than 40 min a day and must start earlier in children's life to be more effective in combating BMI increase.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to find variables related to positive attitudes to physical education (PE) and strong sense of coherence (SOC) among adolescents. METHODS: The study included three parts: seven physical tests; a questionnaire which included ways of living, attitudes to PE, and subjective health, the 13-question version of SOC; and information on every student's grades. The study group comprised 301 teenagers (131 girls and 170 boys, aged 16-19 years) attending upper secondary school. Positive odds ratio was used in the logistic regression analyses with SOC and attitudes to PE as dependent variables. RESULTS: Variables related to positive attitudes to PE were strong SOC, high physical capacity, high leisure-time physical activity (PA), high grades in PE, and little time spent watching TV. Variables related to strong SOC were positive attitudes to PE, high grades in PE, very good subjective health, and feeling comfortable in school. Highest physical capacity, highest mean grades, and highest grades in PE were found among adolescents who reported exercise four times or more per week. CONCLUSIONS: An interrelation between attitudes to PE and SOC was shown. The relation between positive attitudes to PE and high scores in SOC indicated that past experiences of PA and PE could contribute to the development of SOC, and actual levels of SOC could influence the persistent attitudes to PE and be important for lifelong PA. One means of identification of favourable or unfavourable health behaviour among young people might be through PA patterns, and relations between attitudes to PE and SOC.

Introduction, aim and theoretical framework

About 150 children with Down Syndrome (DS) are born in Sweden every year. According to the Swedish National Sports Confederation, these children have the right to play sports and to be physically active like other children. Sports for children should be based on children’s own needs and circumstances and take into account of the variations in development. Children with DS have been shown to have low fitness, poor motor skills, very lo participation in sports activities and a high prevalence of overweight (Whitt-Glover et al, 2006). The aim of the study was to investigate sports habits and physical activity (PA) among children and adolescents with DS in the age 8-18 years in Sweden.

Method

Information was obtained by a questionnaire performed among families with children with DS, all information was given by the parents. Furthermore, new additional questions focusing on PA and sports participation, attitudes and living habits among both children and adults were included. The sample consisted of 310 children with DS and their families in Sweden. The statistics were carried out by using SPSS. Additional information on children’s PA was given in written narratives. The written information was analyzed with qualitative text analyses.

Results

Overall activity patterns among children with DS seemed to be quite similar to the patterns among other childre without disabilities. A polarized picture emerged in which some were very active and some were completely inactive. Relationships between parents’ own level of PA and children’s activity could be shown, as well as associations between parental involvement in the activities and children’s activity levels. The parents expressed the difficulties children with DS have to participate in sports together with other children. Three main areas could be identified as barriers. 1. Time consuming. The parents stated that it was much time consuming to organize opportunities fo children with DS to engage in sports activities in the family situation. 2. Characteristics of the children. The children are slow and sometimes difficult to motivate which take a lot of effort. They also have physical problems, for example poor motor skills, perceptual difficulties, poor movement planning which exclude participation in many activities. Some parents also indicated a lack of endurance capacity and rapid mood swings as additional factors that contributed to the difficulties. 3. Society and sports clubs. Parents stated that there were few possibilities for PA which are manageable for children with DS offered by the society and sport clubs. Parents didn’t experience any negative reactions from other children without disabilities or their parents when children with DS participated in sports activities with other children. However, they had a feeling that the children with DS slowed down th tempo for the whole group.

Discussion and conclusions

The results highlight the barriers that parents of children with DS experience as detrimental for how much PA children with DS can undertake and the effect that common characteristics associated with DS can have on main taining an active lifestyle. Society and sport clubs seem to have a small range of activities for children with DS.

As an increase in pain symptoms among children has been shown in the last decades, the aim of this study was to describe perceptions of recurrent pain, measured physical fitness and levels of reported physical activity (PA) in children, and to investigate if any associations between PA, fitness and recurrent pain could be identified. A school-based study comprised 206 Swedish children 8?12 years old, 114 boys, 92 girls. A questionnaire with questions about perceived pain, self-reported PA and lifestyle factors was used. Health-related fitness was assessed by 11 physical tests. A physical index was calculated from these tests as a z score. High physical index indicated high fitness and low physical index indicated low fitness. ANOVA test, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to compare active and inactive children. The prevalence of one pain location (head, abdomen or back) was 26%, two 11% and three 4% (n=206). Female gender, living in single-parent families, low PA and low subjective health were associated with reported recurrent pain. Children reporting high levels of PA had high physical index and reported low prevalence of pain symptoms. The physical index and level of self-reported PA decreased gradually the more pain locations. Physically active children had higher fitness levels and reported less pain symptoms than inactive peers. Coping with pain is an integral part of PA, and active children learn to cope with unpleasant body sensations which together with high fitness may reduce the perception of pain. As an increase in pain symptoms among children has been shown in the last decades, the aim of this study was to describe perceptions of recurrent pain, measured physical fitness and levels of reported physical activity (PA) in children, and to investigate if any associations between PA, fitness and recurrent pain could be identified. A school-based study comprised 206 Swedish children 8?12 years old, 114 boys, 92 girls. A questionnaire with questions about perceived pain, self-reported PA and lifestyle factors was used. Health-related fitness was assessed by 11 physical tests. A physical index was calculated from these tests as a z score. High physical index indicated high fitness and low physical index indicated low fitness. ANOVA test, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to compare active and inactive children. The prevalence of one pain location (head, abdomen or back) was 26%, two 11% and three 4% (n=206). Female gender, living in single-parent families, low PA and low subjective health were associated with reported recurrent pain. Children reporting high levels of PA had high physical index and reported low prevalence of pain symptoms. The physical index and level of self-reported PA decreased gradually the more pain locations. Physically active children had higher fitness levels and reported less pain symptoms than inactive peers. Coping with pain is an integral part of PA, and active children learn to cope with unpleasant body sensations which together with high fitness may reduce the perception of pain.