| 1. |
- Alexandrou, Christina, 1981-
(författare)
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MINISTOP 2.0 : a smartphone app integrated in primary child health care to promote healthy diet and physical activity behaviors and prevent obesity in preschool-aged children
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- BackgroundChildhood overweight and obesity is currently estimated to affect 39 million children under the age of five worldwide. After the COVID-19 pandemic, further increases have been observed in several countries including Sweden, where an increased incidence was observed in 3- and 4-year-old children, especially in disadvantaged areas. This development emphasizes the urgent need for population-based childhood obesity prevention interventions, and Swedish primary child health care provides an ideal setting for primary preventive efforts during the preschool years. However, thus far, previous child health care-based obesity prevention interventions have demonstrated limited effectiveness. As previous interventions also have been face-to-face delivered and thus resource-demanding; new, and scalable ways of delivering interventions also need to be evaluated. Mobile health or mHealth refers to the use of mobile devices for medical and public health practice and provides opportunity for development and dissemination of digital interventions for various purposes and populations at scale. This thesis reports the results of the MINISTOP 2.0 project, which covers the development and evaluation of the MINISTOP 2.0 digital intervention, from adaptation and translation of the intervention to Somali, Arabic and English (Paper I), to evaluation of real-world effectiveness within the Swedish primary child health care setting (Paper II) followed by exploration of user experiences and implementation aspects (Paper III) and a cost-consequence analysis of the intervention costs (Paper IV). AimThe overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate whether a 6-month parent-oriented mHealth intervention (MINISTOP 2.0 app), embedded in the routine services of Swedish primary child health care, can be used to improve diet and physical activity behaviors, and decrease the prevalence of over-weight and obesity in 2.5-to-3-year-old children. MethodsThe MINISTOP 2.0 project utilized a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation study design to enable simultaneous evaluation and exploration of intervention effectiveness, user experiences and implementation aspects. Paper I: A qualitative exploration of user requirements in an app-based parental support intervention was conducted through three focus group interviews with Somali- (n = 5), Arabic- (n = 4), and Swedish-speaking parents (n = 6), and individual interviews with child health care nurses (n = 15). Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Paper II: A two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial was conducted at 19 child health care centers located in six Swedish regions. Participating parents (n = 552) were invited during their routine visit at 2.5/3-years at their primary child health care center. All baseline and follow-up procedures were conducted by the nurses. Parents that were randomized to the control group received standard care, while the intervention group received access to the MINISTOP 2.0 app for six months, alongside standard care. Prior to randomization, nurses measured the child’s height and weight for assessment of BMI, and parents answered a questionnaire about their child’s intake of fruit and vegetables, sweet and savory treats, and sweet drinks; time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and screen time; and parental self-efficacy (PSE) for promoting healthy diet, physical activity, and screen time behaviors. These baseline procedures were then repeated at a 6-month follow-up visit to the child health care center. Paper III: A qualitative exploration of user experiences, acceptability, and feasibility of the MINISTOP 2.0 intervention was conducted through individual interviews with parents (n = 24) with diverse backgrounds, and with child health care nurses (n = 15). Data was analyzed using content analysis. Paper IV: Data on all costs related to the MINISTOP 2.0 intervention, including costs for app and interface upkeep as well as salary costs for introduction and dissemination of the app by nurses, was collected retrospectively. A cost-consequence analysis was then performed to estimate the costs of the intervention. ResultsPaper I: Parents expressed several challenges related to promoting healthy eating behaviors, such as worrying about their child not eating enough, and difficulties balancing different food cultures. There were also requests for the app content to be accessible through alternative modes of delivery (e.g., audio/video) for parents with low literacy. Nurses underlined the importance of supporting parents early with health behavior interventions, and the value of a shared digital platform, available in several languages, to facilitate communication with parents. Paper II: Seventy-nine percent of the participating parents (n = 552) were mothers and 62% had a university degree. Among the children, 24% had two foreign-born parents. Children in the intervention group had lower in-takes of sweet and savory treats (-6.97 g/day; p = 0.001), sweet drinks (-31.52 g/day; p < 0.001), and screen time (-7.00 min/day; p = 0.012) com-pared to the control group at follow-up. Parents in the intervention group also reported higher total PSE (0.91; p = 0.006), PSE for promoting healthy diet behaviors (0.34; p = 0.008) and PSE for promoting healthy physical activity behaviors (0.31; p = 0.009) compared to the control group. For children’s MVPA or BMI z-score, no statistically significant effect was observed between groups. Finally, parents also reported high satisfaction with the app, and 54% reported using the app once a week or more. Paper III: Findings indicated that the app was well accepted and appreciated, as it increased knowledge and awareness around current health behaviors. Furthermore, evidence-based information available in one place and from a trusted source, was highly valued, especially when living in a country with a different culture than your own. The app was also acknowledged as a feasible support tool and a suitable complement to the standard care offered during visits. Finally, due to the accessibility in different languages and the possibility of disseminating the app at scale, both nurses and parents described the app as an appropriate tool for reaching larger populations of parents as well as parents in need of additional support. Paper IV: The total cost for the MINISTOP 2.0 intervention was 437 439 SEK based on the 277 families in the intervention group. The cost for child health care nurses introducing and registering families for the app represented only 9% of the total cost per family, which was considerably lower in comparison to other similar childhood obesity prevention interventions. Also, notably, for upscaling, sharing running costs for the user interface for larger populations of children, would result in much lower total costs per family. ConclusionsOverall, qualitative findings for adapting the intervention highlighted the need for early access to information, as well as the importance of adapting interventions to also be accessible for parents with migrant background and parents with lower literacy. When disseminated through primary child health care, the MINISTOP 2.0 intervention resulted in statistically significant reduced intakes of sweet and savory treats, sweet drinks, and screen time in children (primary outcomes) as well as increased PSE for promoting healthy diet and activity behaviors (secondary outcome). The app was well accepted and perceived as a feasible support tool for parents. Furthermore, accessibility in different languages was also appreciated. Finally, the relatively low salary costs in comparison to face-to-face interventions suggest that the MINISTOP 2.0 app and caregiver interface may be an affordable preventive effort for early promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors in children when scaled up on a population level. Altogether, the results from the papers in this thesis support the large-scale implementation of the MINISTOP 2.0 app within the Swedish primary child health care setting for promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviours in 2.5-to-3-year-old children.
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| 2. |
- Bendtsen, Marcus, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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mHealth intervention for multiple lifestyle behaviour change among high school students in Sweden (LIFE4YOUth) : Protocol for a randomised controlled trial
- 2021
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Ingår i: Public Health Nursing. - : BMC. - 0737-1209 .- 1525-1446 .- 1471-2458. ; 21:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundNational surveys in Sweden demonstrate that the majority of young people do not engage in health promoting behaviours at levels recommended by the Public Health Agency of Sweden. The objective of this study is to estimate the effectiveness of a novel mHealth intervention named LIFE4YOUth, which targets multiple lifestyle behaviours (alcohol, diet, physical activity, and smoking) among high school students in Sweden.MethodsA 2-arm parallel groups single blind randomised controlled trial (1:1) will be employed to estimate the effectiveness of the novel mHealth intervention. Students will be recruited at high schools throughout Sweden, and will be included if they fulfil one of six criteria relating to unhealthy behaviours with respect to alcohol, diet, physical activity and smoking. Eligible participants will be randomised to either receive the novel intervention immediately, or to be placed on a waiting list for 4 months. The intervention consists of a combination of recurring screening, text messages, and an interactive platform which is adaptable to individual preferences. Outcome measures with respect to alcohol, diet, physical activity and smoking will be assessed through questionnaires at 2 and 4 months post randomisation.DiscussionThe findings of this trial could be generalised to a diverse high-school student population as our recruitment encompass a large proportion of schools throughout Sweden with various educational profiles. Furthermore, if effective, the mHealth intervention has good potential to be able to be scaled up and disseminated at high schools nationally.Trial registrationRegistered prospectively on 2020-05-20 in ISRCTN (ISRCTN34468623).
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| 3. |
- Bendtsen, Marcus, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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The Mobile Health Multiple Lifestyle Behavior Interventions Across the Lifespan (MoBILE) Research Program : Protocol for Development, Evaluation, and Implementation
- 2020
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Ingår i: JMIR Research Protocols. - Toronto, Canada : JMIR Publications Inc. - 1929-0748. ; 9:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Clustering of multiple lifestyle risk behaviors has been associated with a greater risk of noncommunicable diseases and mortality than one lifestyle risk behavior or no lifestyle risk behaviors. The National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden reported in 2018 that it is important to provide additional support to individuals with multiple lifestyle risk behaviors, as risks from these behaviors are multiplicative rather than additive. However, the same report emphasized that there is a lack of knowledge regarding interventions that support changes to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.Objective: The MoBILE (Mobile health Multiple lifestyle Behavior Interventions across the LifEspan) research program has brought together two Swedish research groups supported by international collaborators. Through this collaboration, we aim to design and evaluate a number of novel and tailored mobile health (mHealth) multiple lifestyle behavior interventions across the life span of different health care populations. In addition, the MoBILE research program will extend ongoing research to include mHealth interventions for migrant pregnant women and children.Methods: Each project within the MoBILE program will focus on a specific group: pregnant women, preschool children, high school and university students, and adults in primary and clinical care. All the projects will follow the same 4 phases: requirements, development, evaluation, and implementation. During the requirements phase, implementers and end users will aid the design of content and functionality of the interventions. In the development phase, findings from the first phase will be synthesized with expert domain knowledge and theoretical constructs to create interventions tailored to the target groups. The third phase, evaluation, will comprise randomized controlled trials conducted to estimate the effects of the interventions on multiple lifestyle risk behaviors (eg, alcohol, nutrition, physical activity, and smoking). The final phase will investigate how the interventions, if found effective, can be disseminated into different health care contexts.Results: The research program commenced in 2019, and the first results will be available in 2020. Projects involving pregnant women, preschool children, and high school and university students will be completed in the first 3 years, with the remaining projects being planned for the program’s final 3 years.Conclusions:The development of evidence-based digital tools is complex, as they should be guided by theoretical frameworks, and requires large interdisciplinary teams with competence in technology, behavioral science, and lifestyle-specific areas. Individual researchers or smaller research groups developing their own tools is not the way forward, as it means reinventing the wheel over and over again. The MoBILE research program therefore aims to join forces and learn from the past 10 years of mHealth research to maximize scientific outcomes, as well as the use of financial resources to expand the growing body of evidence for mHealth lifestyle behavior interventions.
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| 4. |
- Seiterö, Anna, 1982-
(författare)
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mHealth Targeting Physical Activity, Diet, Alcohol, and Smoking among Swedish High School Students : Processes and Outcomes of a Multiple Health Behavior Change Intervention (LIFE4YOUth)
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Effective health promotion and disease prevention strategies are required to achieve societies where preventable diseases are effectively prevented. Physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use are all determinants for high-prevalent diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. The cumulative risk of multiple health risk behaviors exceeds the combined risk of each individual behavior. Because health behaviors are formed during childhood and adolescence and occur in clusters that overall affect health, interventions targeting multiple health behaviors in these populations may have a lasting impact on public health. Schools are important for health promotion and disease prevention in children and adolescents. Nevertheless, the literature indicates that school-based interventions that involve school staff to address health-risk behaviors tend to be short-term projects due to barriers that impede long-term implementation. Mobile phones can provide resources for adolescents to promote their health, such as health applications and short text messages that do not rely on school personnel. However, more research is required to better understand whether stand-alone mobile phone-delivered interventions that target multiple health behaviors are a viable way to encourage health-promoting behaviors in adolescents.Aim: This thesis aims to gain knowledge about health behavior change among Swedish high school students, including the use and effects of an mHealth intervention (LIFE4YOUth) targeting four health behaviors (physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking). The overall aim was addressed through four sub-studies, which specifically aimed to: identify and describe how high school students perceive health behavior change and how mobile phones are used in the process of change (Paper I), explore how high school students understand, interpret, and apply the content of LIFE4YOUth and describe consequences on psychological resources relevant to behavior change (Paper II), investigate explanations for engagement among high school students with access to LIFE4YOUth (Paper III), and estimate the two- and four-month effectiveness of LIFE4YOUth on individual health behaviors (physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking) compared to a waiting list control condition (Paper IV).Intervention: The LIFE4YOUth intervention gave participants four-month access to weekly prompts for recording health behaviors and receiving feedback based on national guidelines, a four-module interactive dashboard with content structured around two main questions: why change and how to change health behaviors, and text message services for each targeted behavior.Methods: All studies were conducted between 2019 and 2023 and included approximately 800 students from high schools all over Sweden. Two studies had a qualitative approach, with data collected through focus groups (Paper I) and individual interviews with "think aloud" techniques (Paper II). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis (Paper I) and qualitative content analysis (Paper II). One study (paper III) had a mixed-methods design with data collected from participants in the intervention arm of the LIFE4YOUth trial. The analysis included statistical analyses, qualitative content analysis, and qualitative comparative analysis. Finally, a two-armed randomized controlled trial (1:1) with an intervention group and a waiting list control group was enrolled (Paper IV). Data was collected through web-based questionnaires at baseline and after two and four months. All primary outcomes were analyzed using regression models with inferences drawn from Bayesian analysis and null hypothesis testing.Results: The process of health behavior change was understood as a learning process facilitated by independence, an open approach, and self-acceptance while striving for social ideals such as togetherness with friends. Participants engaged with LIFE4YOUth to varied extent, which can be explained by varied interest in behavior change, experiences with the intervention, and circumstances in their social environment. Most participants responded to the weekly prompts in ≤ 2 out of 16 weeks, with 58% engaging with the intervention at least once. The dashboard content had the potential to provide participants with insights that facilitate health behavior change, but participants understood, interpreted, and applied the content in varied ways depending on whether they deliberately acknowledged their interpretation of concepts, took their prior knowledge into consideration to comprehend what was not explicitly outlined, and placed themselves in the center by accounting for their personal needs when interacting with the content.After two months, the intervention group participants had on average 50 minutes more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week compared with the control group participants (95% CI = -0.19; 99.73, probability of effect = 97.4%, P=.05), and on average 0.32 more daily portions of fruits and vegetables (95% CI = 0.13; 0.53, probability of effect = 99.9%, P=.001). Furthermore, the probability of effect on weekly consumption of sugary drinks was 86% (IRR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.73; 1.1, P=.29) and 94% on monthly frequency of heavy episodic drinking (IRR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.55; 1.07, P=.14). The evidence for effect was weaker after four months. There was no marked evidence for an effect on weekly alcohol consumption or smoking cessation.Conclusion: The findings of this thesis indicate that the LIFE4YOUth intervention can raise Swedish high school students’ awareness of their health behaviors, encourage them to change their health-risk behaviors, and facilitate their process of adopting new behaviors. Nonetheless, the intervention’s potential may vary depending on high school students' interest in and cognitive processing of the intervention content. The strongest evidence for effect was on the weekly time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity and the daily number of portions consumed of fruit and vegetables. These findings should encourage further research to gain more robust evidence on whether and how stand-alone mHealth multiple behavior change interventions are effective in promoting healthy behaviors among adolescents.
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| 5. |
- Söderström, Emmie, 1990-
(författare)
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HealthyMoms - promoting healthier lifestyle and weight gain during pregnancy with special emphasis on migrant women
- 2024
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background: Gestational weight gain (GWG), affects almost 50% of pregnant women and effective and scalable interventions are needed and should be inclusive for all irrespectively of origin. The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the HealthyMoms app targeting GWG as well as dietary and physical activity behaviors and how the app may be adapted to also reach women of migrant backgrounds. The first part evaluated the effectiveness of the HealthyMoms trial and the dietary assessment method used in it (Paper I-II). The second part aimed to explore how the HealthyMoms app could be adapted to reach Arabic- and Somali-speaking women (Paper III-IV). Methods: Paper I was a randomized controlled trial in healthy pregnant women (n=305). After baseline assessment (week 14), women were randomized to the intervention (n=152) or control group (n=153). The intervention group received standard care and the HealthyMoms app. The primary outcome was GWG between baseline and follow-up measurement (week 37). Secondary outcomes included body fatness (air displacement plethysmography), dietary habits (SHEI score), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (accelerometry), glycemia and insulin resistance. Paper II: Nested validation study of RiksmatenFlex (dietary assessment method in HealthyMoms) in a subsample of the trial. Three days of dietary data (energy, foods groups, macronutrients and SHEI score) from RiksmatenFlex was compared to 24 h telephone dietary recalls (n=52). Total energy expenditure (TEE) was measured with the doubly labelled water method (n=24). Paper III: A qualitative exploration of healthcare professionals’ views on supporting healthy lifestyle behaviors in pregnant migrant women was performed through individual interviews over phone or in person with healthcare professionals working in maternity healthcare (n=14). An inductive thematic analysis was performed. Paper IV: Individual interviews with Arabic (n=10) and Somali women (n=9) exploring what support is needed for healthy lifestyle behaviors and how the HealthyMoms app could be adapted. Data was analyzed using content analysis (inductive latent approach). Results: Paper I: No statistically significant effect on GWG was observed, although data indicated that the effect of the HealthyMoms app differed according to pre-pregnancy BMI, where women with overweight and obesity in the intervention group had lower GWG compared to the control group in the imputed (–1.33 kg; 95% CI –2.92 to 0.26; P=.10) and completers-only analyses (–1.67 kg; 95% CI –3.26 to –0.09; P=.031). Participants in the intervention group further had higher SHEI score at follow-up compared to the control group (0.27; 95% CI 0.05-0.50; P=.017). No other effects for secondary outcomes were found. Paper II: Average energy intake from RiksmatenFlex (10015 [SD 2004] kJ) was similar to TEE (10252 [SD 1197] kJ) (P=.596). Mean differences between average intakes of unhealthy and healthy foods and average SHEI score between RiksmatenFlex and 24 h telephone dietary recalls were small, although Bland and Altman analyses showed wide limits of agreement for all variables. Moreover, correlations between dietary variables assessed with the two dietary methods were high (r=0.751-0.931; P<.001). Paper III: Healthcare professionals discussed challenges in their health promotion work including cultural and educational aspects as well as the need of increased awareness among pregnant migrant women and persons in the social context. Healthcare professionals further highlighted a lack of resources in the clinical practice and a need for increased cultural awareness in themselves to support healthy lifestyle behaviors. Providing the HealthyMoms app in Arabic and Somali with culturally adjusted information could be a helpful tool for women and for healthcare professionals in maternity healthcare. Paper IV: Arabic- and Somali-speaking women expressed a need of more knowledge about pregnancy and healthy lifestyle behaviors. The social context, and especially partners could support lifestyle behaviors. The social context could further be a source of misinformation which might negatively affect women’s diet or physical activity. Women had high trust in maternity healthcare but wanted more information related to lifestyle behaviors. A translated HealthyMoms app was seen as a helpful support for lifestyle behaviors, and it was reported that translation alone could be sufficient, however, audio- and video content was requested as well as inclusion of partners in the app. Conclusions: This thesis shows that the HealthyMoms app significantly improved dietary habits among pregnant women and has potential to reduce GWG in women with overweight and obesity. The dietary assessment method (RiksmatenFlex) showed acceptable agreement for average energy, macronutrients, key food groups and adherence to dietary guidelines, which strengthens the credibility of the obtained trial results and supports further use of the method. Finally, this thesis demonstrates the potential of the HealthyMoms app also for Arabic- and Somali-speaking women, i.e., two of the largest migrant groups in Sweden. It was requested that the app should include audio and video content, however, the need of other cultural adaptations needs further investigation.
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| 6. |
- Thomas, Kristin, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Mobile phone-based lifestyle support for families with young children in primary health care (MINISTOP 2.0) : Exploring behavioral change determinants for implementation using the COM-B model.
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Health Services. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2813-0146. ; 2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Obesity in childhood is a public health concern worldwide and mobile phone-based interventions (mHealth) has shown to facilitate obesity prevention. However, more research is needed on the implementation of digital tools in routine primary care. This study explored behavior change determinants for implementing a health promotion mHealth intervention (MINISTOP 2.0 app) targeting parents of 4-year-olds.METHODS: Secondary data from telephone interviews (n = 15) with child health care nurses working within primary child healthcare in Sweden was analyzed using directed content analysis and the COM-B model.RESULTS: Barriers for implementation included: limited knowledge about using technology and reservations about how and to what extent parents would use mHealth. Potential facilitators included nurses' openness to learn and try new tools, confidence in their role and engagement in reaching parents as well as beliefs that the app could improve practice by prompting dialogue and being a shared platform. Nurses expressed a strong professional identity and shared understanding of their practice, mechanisms that could potentially inhibit or facilitate implementation.CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest cautious optimism regarding implementing mobile phone-based tools in child primary healthcare in terms of capability, opportunity and motivation among stakeholders. Implementation strategies such as educational outreach visits and making the intervention testable among stakeholders could further facilitate implementation in this clinical context. However, more research is needed on behavior change determinants in different stages of real-world implementation.
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