Lunch seminar on mental health problems
Mental illness among young people in relation to socio-economic factors and physical activity was the topic at the "Meet a Researcher" lunch seminar at Karlstad University on September 24, 2019. Yunhwan Kim and Li Ma at the Centre for research on child and adolescent mental health (CFBUPH) talked about their research.
Mental health problems are due to various factors in society. Yunhwan Kim, senior lecturer at the Centre for research on child and adolescent mental health (CFBUPH), together with Curt Hagquist has studied the link between economic and social factors and mental health. Changes in society over time, such as economic downturns, have led to increased concern for the family's situation and affected the way young people feel. The study Young in Värmland forms the basis of the studies. It has been performed every third or fourth year between 1988 and 2011, a total of eight times among ninth graders in Värmland.
Physical activity makes us feel better mentally
Another factor is physical activity. Studies in Finland, Denmark and Iceland have shown that there is a higher risk of mental health problems if you are physically inactive. However, there has been a weaker connection in Norway. Li Ma is a postdoctoral researcher at CFBUPH. She has, together with Curt Hagquist and Annette Løvheim Kleppang, studied what it looks like among Swedish youth. The study sample includes 4531 ninth graders. Among them, it appears that those who are physically active every day, week or month are feeling better than those who do not exercise at all. This applies to girls to a greater extent than boys.
- We need to encourage all young people to exercise more, especially girls, concludes Li Ma.