Research group Our research builds on the Salut Child Health Intervention Programme, a collaboration between Region Västerbotten and Umeå University promoting health from pregnancy through adolescence. Using a life-course perspective and population-based data, we study child development, mental health, overweight - obesity, and their social and intergenerational determinants. Our aim is to generate evidence that informs policy and practice and supports equitable health and wellbeing for children and families.
Our research is grounded in the Salut Child Health Intervention Programme, a long-standing collaboration between Region Västerbotten and Umeå University. The name “Salut” originates from the term “salutogenesis”, which highlights the individual’s capacity to generate health. The programme promotes health and prevents illness from pregnancy through childhood and adolescence, integrating maternal and child health care, dental care, preschools, and schools, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and health equity.
Building on this research-practice platform, we investigate child health and development from a life-course perspective, with a particular focus on mental health, overweight and obesity, and their social, contextual, and intergenerational determinants. Using population-based data and both quantitative and qualitative methods, we examine how health and health inequalities evolve over time. Our goal is to generate knowledge that informs practice and policy, strengthens health promotion and prevention, and contributes to more equitable health and wellbeing for children and their families.
