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Aim: To investigate early career progression and national insurance use in young adults with paediatric coeliac disease.

Methods: We performed a register study of a population born in Sweden between 1976 and 1992. Coeliac disease was diagnosed before 15 years of age. The comparison population was matched 4:1 by sex, region of residence at birth and birth year/month. We analysed education, employment, income, job position and national insurance use (sickness benefits, parental leave benefits and social welfare provision) at 25 and 30 years of age.

Results: We identified 1812 individuals with coeliac disease (6888 comparison population) at 25 years of age and 263 individuals (984 comparison population) at 30 years of age. No statistically significant differences were seen in education, employment, income, job position, use of parental leave benefits or social welfare provision. More individuals with coeliac disease used sickness benefits at age 25 years (OR 1.34 [95% CI 1.12–1.59]).

Conclusion: In this register study, we showed that coeliac disease diagnosed in childhood does not cause disadvantages on career progression on a population level. However, findings suggest that coeliac disease increases the risk for sickness benefit use.

I stora delar av den offentliga sektorn försvåras prioritering av insatser eftersom forskning om insatsernas kostnadseffektivitet saknas. Ändå måste prioriteringsbesluten fattas. Hur kan beslutsunderlagen i denna situation bli bättre? I artikeln presenteras ett verktyg för att göra en rimlighetsbedömning avseende kostnadseffektiviteten av sådana insatser för barn och unga — Kalkylverktyg för insatser mot social utsatthet (KAMSO). Metoden och ett beräkningsexempel presenteras. Både den samhällsekonomiska kostnadseffektiviteten med vunna goda år som utfallsmått och de finansiella fördelningseffekterna beskrivs. Artikeln avslutas med en diskussion om utvecklingsmöjligheter för KAMSO.

Aim: To study the development of overweight, obesity and underweight among 4-year-olds from 2007 to 2022, covering the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Methods: This repeated cross-sectional analysis was conducted in Västerbotten County, northern Sweden. It used data on weight, height, age and sex, which were collected when children attended their 4-year check-ups at any of the 38 Child Health Centres.

Results: The data comprised 42 614 4-year-old children (52% boys). From 2007 to 2022, the prevalence of overweight decreased from 13.4% to 9.5% in the boys and from 14.9% to 12.0% in the girls. The prevalence of obesity decreased from 3.7% to 1.8% in the boys and from 2.4% to 2.0% in the girls. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, overweight and obesity temporarily increased for both the boys and girls, but the levels had returned to pre-pandemic levels by 2022. The prevalence of underweight increased among both boys and girls.

Conclusion: Our study documents a decline in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Swedish 4-year-olds over more than a decade, except for a surge during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, we observed an unexpected increase in the prevalence of underweight during the same period.

Background: Obesity is a global public health issue with increasing prevalence and notable differences across population. Previous studies on body mass index (BMI) trends and inequalities have focused on overweight/obesity prevalence or average BMI changes, overlooking differences across the BMI distribution. This study investigates whether changes in BMI distribution are uniform or different over time and educational attainment.

Methods: This study is based on repeated cross-sectional surveys in Västerbotten, Sweden. Study participants were expectant parents visiting antenatal care (2010–2019) as part of the Salut Programme. During early pregnancy, 18,215 women and 17,890 male partners completed questionnaires. Quantile regression analyses were conducted to assess BMI distribution changes over time and by education for men and women.

Results: The BMI distribution for women showed a sharper increase in the upper tail in 2018/19 compared to 2010/11, whereas for men, the upper tail showed a gradual rise over years. Similar changes in BMI distributions were observed over time across both educational groups, with a notable increase in the higher BMI segments.

Conclusion: The study revealed weight gain inequalities, with higher BMI segments experiencing a disproportionately higher rise compared to others. Identifying high-risk groups in vulnerable settings will better equip decision-makers to design and implement targeted intervention strategies to reduce overweight and obesity.

During the past decades there has been an increase in mental ill-health problems among children. Social-emotional learning (SEL) has shown promise to promote well-being by supporting children in developing abilities to cope with everyday difficulties. Structured SEL programs can be part of the school curriculum from early age. However, teachers' positive perceptions of the values of such programs are essential for program success. The aim of this evidence synthesis was to describe and understand teachers' experiences of providing SEL programs to students and their perceived effect on students' mental well-being. We followed the ENTREQ and PRISMA guidelines. Systematic searches were conducted and we included seven studies with a moderate level of methodological limitations. We conducted a thematic meta-synthesis, and confidence in the evidence was assessed with GRADE-CERQual. Teachers perceived that students developed a higher level of coping with their feelings and created improved relationships as a result of the SEL programs. As they received new tools to support students' well-being, teachers were positive to the programs. They noted, however, that the programs needed adaptation to the local context. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-synthesis on the experiences among teachers on the impact of SEL programs on students' well-being. Notably, the results suggest that SEL programs could help teachers to attend to students' mental health. After conducting extensive searches for data, only studies from high-income countries were found. Therefore, further studies are needed within low-income countries in regard to SEL programs and experiences among teachers on students' mental wellbeing. It would also be beneficial to synthesize research on the students and their experiences on how SEL programs impact their mental well-being.

Background: Trends in overweight and obesity among expectant parents can provide useful information about the family environment in which children will grow up and about possible social inequalities that may be passed on to them. Therefore, we aimed to assess whether the prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity changed over time in pre-pregnant women and their male partners in northern Sweden, and if there were any educational inequalities.

Methods: This study is based on cross-sectional data from a repeated survey of the population in Västerbotten, Sweden. The study population included 18,568 pregnant women and 18,110 male partners during the period 2010–2019. Multinomial logistic regression models were fitted separately for pregnant women and male partners to assess whether the prevalence of age-adjusted underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity had evolved between 2010 and 2019, and whether trends differed by educational level.

Results: Among women, obesity prevalence increased from 9.4% in 2010 to 11.7% in 2019. Among men, it went from 8.9 to 12.8%. Educational inequalities were sustained across the study period. In 2019, the prevalence of obesity was 7.8 percentage points (pp) (CI = 4.4–11.3) higher among women with low compared to high education. The corresponding figure for men was 6.4 pp (CI = 3.3–9.6).

Conclusions: It is not obvious that the prevalence of obesity among parents-to-be will decrease under current dispositions. Public health policies and practice should therefore be strengthened.

Background: Abnormal birth weight - small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age (LGA) - are important indicators for newborn health. Due to changes in lifestyle in recent decades, it is essential to keep up-to-date with the latest information on maternal factors linked to abnormal birth weight. The aim of this study is to investigate SGA and LGA in relation to maternal individual, lifestyle and socioeconomic characteristics.

Methods: This is a register-based cross-sectional study. Self-reported data from Sweden's Salut Programme maternal questionnaires (2010-2014) were linked with records in the Swedish Medical Birth Register (MBR). The analytical sample comprised 5089 singleton live births. A Swedish standard method using ultrasound-based sex-specific reference curves defines the abnormality of birth weight in MBR. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to examine crude and adjusted associations between abnormal birth weights and maternal individual, lifestyle and socioeconomic characteristics. A sensitivity analysis, using alternative definitions of SGA and LGA under the percentile method, was undertaken.

Results: In multivariable logistic regression, maternal age and parity were associated with LGA (aOR = 1.05, CI = 1.00, 1.09) and (aOR = 1.31, CI = 1.09, 1.58). Maternal overweight and obesity were strongly associated with LGA (aOR = 2.28, CI = 1.47, 3.54) and (aOR = 4.55, CI = 2.85, 7.26), respectively. As parity increased, the odds of delivering SGA babies decreased (aOR = 0.59, CI = 0.42, 0.81) and preterm deliveries were associated with SGA (aOR = 9.46, CI = 5.67, 15.79). The well-known maternal determinants of abnormal birthweight, such as unhealthy lifestyles and poor socioeconomic factors, were not statistically significant in this Swedish setting.

Conclusions: The main findings suggest that multiparity, maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity are strong determinants for LGA babies. Public health interventions should address modifiable risk factors, especially maternal overweight and obesity. These findings suggest that overweight and obesity is an emerging public health threat for newborn health. This might also result in the intergenerational transfer of overweight and obesity. These are important messages for public health policy and decision making.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the health and economic outcomes of a universal early intervention for parents and children, the Salut Programme, from birth to when the child completed five years of age.

Methods: This study adopted a retrospective observational design using routinely collected linked register data with respect to both exposures and outcomes from Västerbotten county, in northern Sweden. Making use of a natural experiment, areas that received care-as-usual (non-Salut area) were compared to areas where the Programme was implemented after 2006 (Salut area) in terms of: (i) health outcomes, healthcare resource use and costs around pregnancy, delivery and birth, and (ii) healthcare resource use and related costs, as well as costs of care of sick child. We estimated total cumulative costs related to inpatient and specialised outpatient care for mothers and children, and financial benefits paid to mothers to stay home from work to care for a sick child. Two analyses were conducted: a matched difference-in difference analysis using the total sample and an analysis including a longitudinal subsample.

Results: The longitudinal analysis on mothers who gave birth in both pre- and post-measure periods showed that mothers exposed to the Programme had on average 6% (95% CI 3–9%) more full-term pregnancies and 2% (95% CI 0.03-3%) more babies with a birth weight ≥ 2500 g, compared to mothers who had care-as-usual. Savings were incurred in terms of outpatient care costs for children of mothers in the Salut area ($826). The difference-in-difference analysis using the total sample did not result in any significant differences in health outcomes or cumulative resource use over time.

Conclusions: The Salut Programme achieved health gains, as a health promotion early intervention for children and parents, in terms of more full-term pregnancies and more babies with a birth weight ≥ 2500 g, at reasonable cost, and may lead to lower usage of outpatient care. Other indicators point towards positive effects, but the small sample size may have led to underestimation of true differences.

Social-emotional problems occurring early in life can place children at future risk of adverse health, social and economic outcomes. Determinants of social-emotional problems are multi-layered and originate from different contexts surrounding children, though few studies consider them simultaneously. We adopted a holistic approach by using Bronfenbrenner's process-person-context-time model as a structuring device. We aimed to assess what characteristics of families and children from pregnancy, over birth, and up to 3 years of age are associated with social-emotional problems in boys and girls. This study used regional data from the Salut Programme, a universal health promotion programme implemented in Antenatal and Child Health Care, and data from national Swedish registers. The study population included 6033 3-year-olds and their parents during the period 2010–2018. Distinct logistic regression models for boys and girls were used to assess associations between the family social context, parents' lifestyle, parent's mental health, children's birth characteristics, and indicators of proximal processes (the independent variables); and children's social-emotional problems as measured by the parent-completed Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional between 33 and 41 months of age (the outcome). Overall, a less favourable family social context, detrimental lifestyle of the parents during pregnancy, and parents' mental illness from pregnancy onwards were associated with higher odds of social-emotional problems in 3-year-olds. Higher screentime and infrequent shared book-reading were associated with higher odds of social-emotional problems. The multifaceted determinants of children's social-emotional problems imply that many diverse targets for intervention exist. Additionally, this study suggests that Bronfenbrenner's process-person-context-time theoretical framework could be relevant for public health research and policy.

BACKGROUND: Social-emotional ability is important for overall health and wellbeing in early childhood. Recognizing preschool children in need of extra support, especially those living in unfavourable conditions, can have immediate positive effects on their health and benefit their wellbeing in the long-term.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are social inequalities in preschool children's social-emotional problems, and whether inequalities differ between boys and girls.

METHOD: This study utilized repeated measures from cross-sectional population-based surveys of three-year old children (2014-2018). The final study population comprised of 9,099 children which was 61% of all the eligible children in Västerbotten County during the study period. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE) 36-month interval was used to measure children's social-emotional ability. Social inequalities were studied with respect to parents' income, education, and place of birth, for which data was obtained from Statistics Sweden. Multiple logistic and ordered regressions were used.

RESULTS: Among 3-year-olds, social-emotional problems were more common in the most vulnerable social groups, i.e. parents in the lowest income quintile (OR: 1.45, p < 0.001), parents with education not more than high school (OR: 1.51, p < 0.001), and both parents born outside Sweden (OR: 2.54, p < 0.001). Notably, there was a larger difference in social-emotional problems between the lowest and highest social categories for girls compared to boys. Higher odds of social-emotional problems were associated with boys not living with both parents and girls living in the areas of Skellefteå and Umeå, i.e. more populated geographical areas.

CONCLUSION: Already at 3-years of age social-emotional problems were more common in children with parents in the most vulnerable social groups. This does not fulfil the ambition of an equitable start in life for every child and might contribute to reproduction of social inequalities across generations.