Health and Welfare
Sustainable lifestyle and health from a public health perspective
The goal of this research is to contribute towards sustainable development with a focus on health and lifestyle from a public health perspective.
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Lifestyle factors, for example eating, exercising, smoking, drinking, sleeping, gaming, and networking, influence health and wellbeing in both positive and negative ways. Moreover, lifestyle factors may contribute to sustainable development on a global scale, for example through diet low in greenhouse gas emissions, environmentally friendly transportations, and social responsibility. Sweden has a well-developed welfare system compared to many other countries, but the prevalence of diseases is still unequally distributed between different socioeconomic groups. Also, the usage and access to health care resources differ between groups in the society, resulting in negative consequences for the individual, the community and public health in general.
Ongoing research projects
The aim of SOFCO is to develop a concept for the office of the future that promotes a healthy working life and lifestyle as well as contributes to sustainable development.
Project manager at MDU: Katarina Bälter
Main financing: The Knowledge Foundation, Synergi
The overall aim of the project is to increase knowledge and awareness of the global sustainability goals focusing on the potential of online education and how it can be used to increase digital health literacy and promote good health in general and child nutrition in particular. Government officials and NGO in Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia working with education, agriculture, health and social welfare and will build institutional capacity by participating in an online program mixed with interactive sessions with faculty at Mälardalen University (MDU) and Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).
Project manager at MDU: Katarina Bälter
Main financing: Swedish Institutet Public Sector Innovation Programme
From a gender perspective, the aim is to develop new knowledge about suicidal behavior among women and men in different occupations in the labor market in Sweden, to investigate risk and protective factors in the work environment for suicidal behavior, and to increase knowledge about preventive measures against suicidal behavior in the workplace.
Project manager at MDU: Susanna Toivanen
Main financing: Afa Försäkring