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Critical Public Health Research Group

The Critical Public Health Research Group provides a stimulating and supportive academic milieu within which members with diverse interests and at various stages of their academic careers can come together to share and debate ideas relating to public health and health promotion.

Affiliation:: Faculty of Social and Health Sciences
Academic discipline:: Health, sports and welfare

Our current topic areas (outer circles) and thematic interests (inner circle) are represented in the figure.

Such a context creates a milieu for the development of people and projects towards key institutional goals.

What we research

Public health sciences is a well-established international interdisciplinary field, spanning the social and natural sciences. It draws on and is informed by diverse theoretical perspectives and is underpinned by a range of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The research group is thus an ‘umbrella’ field, which provides a dynamic context within which collaboration and synergy can be developed.

In naming the group Critical Public Health, we highlight our interest in bringing critical questions to the theory and practice of public health and health promotion in an increasingly complex and, at times, rapidly changing world. Through discussion and debate, members of the group explore new ways of thinking about public health and health promotion, which relate to contemporary social life in a global world. See an illustration of our current topic areas and thematic interest in the illustration at the top.

More about the research group

Projects

Our research covers a diverse range of topics and issues, which are illustrated in our current portfolio of projects:

The sWELL (School Wellbeing) project: Physical Activity, Schools, Learning and Mental Health

Ingeborg Barth Vedøy, Eivind Aadland, Knut Skulberg, Patrick Foss Johansen, Hege Eikeland Tjomsland, Svein Barene, Miranda Thurston

Schools exert powerful influences on children and young people’s educational life chances, as well as their mental health and levels of physical activity. The Physical Activity, Schools, Learning and Mental Health project aims to understand how physical activity is associated with mental wellbeing and academic achievement at an individual and school level. Phase I of the study was a prospective cohort study of pupils from 11 lower secondary schools in Norway. Between 2016 to 2018, pupils in 8th grade were followed up into 9th and 10th grades with annual data collection. The overall purpose was to explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between objectively measured physical activity (accelerometry) and mental health (in terms of mental health problems, mental wellbeing, and self-esteem), and academic achievement. Phase II of the study continues to explore the large dataset that was generated during Phase I of the study. In addition to new analyses, the physical activity data has been re-analysed using multivariate pattern analysis, which aims to clarify whether patterns of the relationships between for example, physical activity and academic achievement differ with higher resolution of the physical activity data. Further exploration of the longitudinal linked data is also ongoing.

Mental health, stigma, and inequity: Strengthening human rights-based mental health care in Indonesia through participatory action research

Børge Baklien, Marthoenis Marthoenis, (Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia) Victor Chimhutu, Hege Eikeland Tjomsland, Miranda Thurston

The World Health Organization views improving mental health as an urgent global priority if progress on Sustainable Development Goals is to be made. Yet mental health problems are rising globally and responsible for considerable economic and social costs for society, communities, and families. In many low and lower middle-income countries where mental health is particularly poor and health systems are fragile, there is an urgent need to transform primary health care (PHC) and strengthen communities by focusing on promotion, prevention, early intervention, and recovery and reduce the reliance on medical interventions. Supporting human rights is viewed as the most effective way of initiating and sustaining such transformations. In this project we use participatory action research (PAR) to involve local communities at every stage of the research process. PAR has the potential to bring about change by researchers and local communities working together to understand complex problems and develop solutions. We aim to engage the community in designing and testing out new ways of better supporting mental health at a local level through health centres and schools and with a greater emphasis on promotion and prevention. The project is based in Aceh province, Indonesia. Our research team involves a collaboration between the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and the Syiah Kuala University in Aceh.

Evaluation of the MOVE project: A 25-week randomised controlled trial of short physical activity breaks during ordinary classes in upper secondary school

Svein Barene, Silje Kittelsen, Ingeborg Barth Vedøy, Linda Røset, Karoline Hansen (PhD Fellow from the Centre for Practice-oriented Educational Research, HINN), Sigbjørn Litleskare (Technology for health and Physical Activity Research Group, HINN) in collaboration with Harald Oseland, Anders Farholm and Birgitte Nordahl Husebye from Østfold University College, and Viken County.

The overall aim of this 25-week randomised interventional study is to evaluate the feasibility and adherence of short pupil-led physical activity breaks in upper secondary school. Furthermore, we want to assess whether the measure contributes to increasing the pupils' general level of physical activity, which can potentially have positive effects on both physical fitness, ability to concentrate, well-being, learning behaviour and class climate. Briefly, 'MOVE'-breaks are short physical activity sessions of 6-7 minutes duration implemented as 'breaks' in regular 90-minute lectures. The 'MOVE'-breaks concept is thought to be linked to the interdisciplinary competence goal Public Health and Life Mastery, as well as to specific competence goals in physical education.

Shyness among young people: Cross-cultural comparisons in Uganda, Indonesia, and Norway.

Børge Baklien, Marthoenis Marthoenis, (Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia) Jerome Ntege, (Makerere University, Uganda), Victor Chimhutu, Ida Sørensen, Linda Røset, and Miranda Thurston

This project explores and compares the experiences of shyness among students in Indonesia, Norway, and Uganda. Shyness is discomfort or inhibition in social situations, potentially leading to adverse psychological and social outcomes. The study investigates cultural variations in the expression and perception of shyness, emphasizing differences between individualist and collectivist cultures. The goal is to gain insight into how shyness is understood and experienced by young people in diverse cultural contexts, contributing to an understanding of social withdrawal, loneliness, and the development of self-identity. The study emphasizes the importance of cultural nuances in interpreting shyness and its implications for education and social development.

Towards health promoting prisons? Exploring how prisons affect prisoners’ health, wellbeing and quality of life and co-creating ways of forming healthier institutions

Ingeborg Barth Vedøy, Victor Chimhutu, Linda Røset, Børge Baklien, Knut Skulberg, Patrick Foss Johansen in collaboration with Fra Innsatt til aktiv samfunnsdeltager research network (Inland County)

This is a 4-year PhD fellow position, the topic of which is prisoner health and wellbeing and the role of prisons. As a public health issue, there is concern that the Correctional Service is not meeting prisoners’ health, education and welfare needs and thus not adequately preparing them for their life in the community. This has led to interest in ‘health promoting prisons’, an approach designed to create the conditions for health and wellbeing within the settings of everyday life. The aim of the project is thus to explore the possibility of creating evidence-based change within prisons towards developing a health promoting prison. Participatory action research will be used to involve prisoners and staff in co-creation of the research process as well as the development and implementation of ideas for change, which will be tested out in the prison setting. The project has the potential to contribute theoretical and empirical knowledge concerning how prisons shape prisoners’ lives and what scope there is for change towards a health promoting setting.

Navigating transitions: Youth leisure and sports participation in Norway

Patrick Foss Johansen (PhD fellow) with Ken Green and Miranda Thurston

This doctoral dissertation offers an in-depth sociological investigation into the shifting landscape of youth leisure and sports participation in Norway. The study adopts a longitudinal approach to investigate youth sports participation, acknowledging the interconnectedness of life stages during the life course and the influence of early experiences on later outcomes. It aims to uncover patterns that influence sustained engagement in sports, with a focus on all aspects of young people’s lives including school.

The methodology involves both quantitative and qualitative methods, with the former charting the diversity and volatility of youth's leisure biographies, and the latter providing detailed accounts of individual choices and experiences. The study emphasizes the importance of understanding individualization in contemporary society and the role of significant supporting actors in shaping leisure choice. Key sociological concepts in the study include the broader understanding of 'sport', sporting repertoires, sporting careers, social biographies, youth, life course perspective, transitions, socialization, habitus, and the different forms of capital.

The Forever Young project. Maintaining independence among the elderly through a multicomponent physical activity programme delivered in a Norwegian municipal centre

Jonas Juan Skjelbred Torkildsen (PhD fellow) with Svein Barene and Liv Skomakerstuen Ødbehr (Health and Care in a Lifecourse Perspective Research Group)

The aging of the population is a major public challenge. Society must therefore try to make it possible for the elderly to maintain their independence for as long as possible, which can most likely be achieved through regular physical activity throughout their lives. The purpose of this PhD project is to investigate how to effectively facilitate an increased and sustained level of health-promoting physical activity among the elderly (>65 years) at a municipal volunteer centre. The project consists of 3 phases with the following focus; i) recruitment of participants and establishment of ownership/anchoring, as well as development of physical activity concepts in consultation with the participants (4-5 months), ii) a 10-week pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and potential physiological- and psychosocial short-term effects of the developed physical activity concepts, as well as degree of enjoyment during participation, and iii) a 16-month intervention study for evaluation of feasibility, adherence, sustainability, as well as potential physiological and psychosocial long-term effects of the physical activity concepts. Finally, a process evaluation will be carried out to see how successful the measure has been.

Exploring alternative arenas for social, health and welfare support for migrants with caring responsibilities: A challenge to the existing state-centered and expert-based approach in Norway

Archlove Takunda Tanyanyiwa (PhD fellow) with Henning Pettersen (Co-creation in Research and Service Development Research Group, INN University) and Victor Chimhutu

Children and youth are at the center of the welfare state and those with health challenges such as learning disabilities, physical disability, drug and substance challenges and mental health require more collaboration and support. Migrant families and their children however, face adjustment challenges to a new culture, values, education, social expectations, different legal regimes and a different understanding of the health, social welfare, and caregiving systems in their host countries. The health and wellbeing of migrants with caring responsibilities (parents/family carer) due to the demands of providing care for the health and wellbeing of children and youth (who are mostly family members). The research thus, explores the experiences of migrants as being carers and their interaction with both voluntary and public welfare and support services in Norway. This is achieved by having a deeper exploration and collaboration with migrants with caring responsibilities (family careers) both in families but also in non-state actors’ programs.

Human–nature relations: A cross-cultural phenomenological study involving students in Norway, England, and Indonesia

Børge Baklien, Marthoenis Marthoenis (Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia) and Miranda Thurston

Exploring the putative role of nature in human wellbeing has typically been operationalized within a quantitative paradigm of research. However, such approaches are limited in the extent to which they can capture the full range of how experiences in nature might support wellbeing. We aim to inform the theoretical understandings of human-nature relations by conceptualizing human wellbeing as a lived ecological experience that takes place within a cultural context. We use a qualitative descriptive phenomenological approach to explore students’ ‘memorable moments’ in nature in England, Indonesia, and Norway. We position mental wellbeing in terms of humans’ responsiveness to their surroundings and, therefore, as rooted in the human condition. This perspective foregrounds being in nature as constituted as an interdependent and dynamic human process.

Digital food environments and their influence on the nutritional health of young women in Norway

Sabrina Ionata De Oliveira Granheim (PhD fellow) with Miranda Thurston, Liv Elin Torheim and Laura Terragni (both from Oslo Metropolitan University)

Food environments constitute a dynamic interface through which people engage with the food system around them and make choices about what foods to eat and when, how and with whom to prepare and consume food. Current food environment frameworks, however, give little recognition to the role of digitalization in reshaping food availability, acquisition and consumption, and the potential consequences for health and nutrition. In recognition of their importance for public health, the digital food environment has recently been included among the priorities for action by the World Health Organization in the European region. Yet little is known about the extent and form of this rapidly developing field and the potential consequences for the promotion of healthy diets.

Thus, this study aims to develop the concept of digital food environments by exploring and characterizing the digital food environment for young women in Norway alongside mapping out the potential implications for health and nutrition. The study takes a grounded theory approach since little is known about digital food environments from a systems perspective. A scoping review of the scientific literature related to digital health and the food environments will be followed by semi-structured interviews with young women.

Networks

The CPHRG has a growing network of national and international collaborators, as reflected in its interests, projects and members. There is a well-established collaboration with the Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Indonesia and an emerging collaboration with the African Renewal University and Kyambogo Universities in Uganda. The aim in consolidating and extending these international networks is to facilitate staff and student mobility and in so doing create a stronger context for collaboration on research and education.

The CPHRG is anchored strongly in the MA programme in Public Health Sciences. This anchoring is facilitated by members of the research group teaching on the programme and supervising students on their MA theses, as well as providing opportunities for students to participate in research. An annual research seminar during ‘forskningsdagene’ (thematic research days) during which all MA Public Health Sciences students meet with research group members has been establishing as interactive forum for developing researcher competence.

The CPHRG has a growing network of local, regional, and national partners beyond the higher education sector such as public health teams, actors in the education system, and social and welfare organizations. Collaborative interaction with these partners is important in facilitating the involvement of CPHRG members in developing research projects that investigate complex public health problems from the ‘real world’. Such networks also facilitate the dissemination of research findings and thus contribute to the development of evidence-informed policy and practice.

Contact the research group

Miranda Thurston

Professor

Email: miranda.thurston@inn.no
Phone: +47 62 43 02 76