Political stringency, infection rates, and higher education students' adherence to government measures in the Nordic countries and the UK during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak

Berg‐Beckhoff, Gabriele; Bask, Miia; Jervelund, Signe Smith; Guldager, Julie Dalgaard; Quickfall, A.; Khan, F. Rabiee; Oddsson, G.; Wel, K.A. van der; Sarasjärvi, Kiira Karoliina; Olafsdottir, S.; Buffel, Veerle; Skalická, V.; Velde, Sarah Van de

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107245

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Regarding the negative association between binge drinking and mental health problems among girls, this may be explained by the fact that girls with poor mental health are binge drinking alcohol less often compared with girls that do not have mental health problems [21]. As Sweden had no lockdown and a less stringent monitoring of the population’s compliance with the recommendations, the weak but significant association between exposure to COVID-19 and mental illness is consistent with previous research [22, 23].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Mental health problems among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study from Sweden

Källmen,

Hallgren

2024

Scand J Public Health

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Objective: Most international studies have concluded that exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with worse mental health. Sweden implemented lighter restrictions than many other countries. We evaluated the association between changes in exposure of COVID-19 restrictions and changes in mental health problems among Swedish adolescents. Method: Repeated cross-sectional data were derived from the Stockholm school survey, mandatory for all students in municipal schools and voluntary for students in private schools. Unexposed students were assessed in the year 2020 and exposed were assessed in 2022. Mental health was assessed using items similar to the psychosomatic problem scale. All variables were dichotomised, and a non-parametric logistic regression was used to evaluate associations. Results: A significant positive association was found between exposure of COVID-19 restrictions and self-reports of five to seven mental health problems a week for girls (odds ratio (OR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.18–1.41), but a non-significant association was found for boys (also after controlling for relevant covariates). Among boys and girls (shown), changes in mental health during the pandemic were moderated by social support from parents (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.98–2.51), bullying victimisation (OR 2.24, 95% CI 2.06–2.66), a sensation-seeking temperament (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.24–1.58) and school achievement (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.18–1.51). Conclusions: Compared with boys, adolescent girls self-reported worse mental health following COVID-19 exposure. Girls may have been more affected by social distancing regulations in Sweden during the pandemic than boys and may require additional psychosocial support post-pandemic. Social support from parents may play an important role.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Mental health problems among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study from Sweden

Källmen,

Hallgren

2024

Scand J Public Health

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“…Norway had no pregnant patients that required intensive care treatment in 2020, and intensive care admission rates for COVID‐19 were low overall 20 . Sweden had less stringent public health measures, and the implementation of such measures happened later than in the other countries 10,21–23 . It has been shown that early implementation of interventions and a higher Oxford SI was associated with a reduction in deaths 5 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 20 Sweden had less stringent public health measures, and the implementation of such measures happened later than in the other countries. 10 , 21 , 22 , 23 It has been shown that early implementation of interventions and a higher Oxford SI was associated with a reduction in deaths. 5 In the current study, countries with an early SI >50 had a lower incidence of COVID‐19‐related admissions for pregnant women.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early suppression policies protected pregnant women from COVID‐19 in 2020: A population‐based surveillance from the Nordic countries

Varpula,

Äyräs,

Aabakke

et al. 2024

Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand

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IntroductionThe Coronavirus 2019 Disease (COVID‐19) pandemic reached the Nordic countries in March 2020. Public health interventions to limit viral transmission varied across different countries both in timing and in magnitude. Interventions indicated by an Oxford Stringency Index ≥50 were implemented early (March 13–17, 2020) in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland, and on March 26, 2020 in Sweden. The aim of the current study was to assess the incidence of COVID‐19‐related admissions of pregnant women in the Nordic countries in relation to the different national public health strategies during the first year of the pandemic.Material and methodsThis is a meta‐analysis of population‐based cohort studies in the five Nordic countries with national or regional surveillance in the Nordic Obstetric Surveillance System (NOSS) collaboration: national data from Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway, and regional data covering 31% of births in Sweden. The source population consisted of women giving birth in the included areas March 1–December 31, 2020. Pregnant women with a positive SARS‐CoV‐2 PCR test ≤14 days before hospital admission were included, and admissions were stratified as either COVID‐19‐related or non‐COVID (other obstetric healthcare). Information about public health policies was retrieved retrospectively.ResultsIn total, 392 382 maternities were considered. Of these, 600 women were diagnosed with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and 137 (22.8%) were admitted for COVID‐19 symptoms. The pooled incidence of COVID‐19 admissions per 1000 maternities was 0.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.2 to 1.2, I2 = 77.6, tau2 = 0.68, P = 0.0), ranging from no admissions in Iceland to 1.9 admissions in the Swedish regions. Interventions to restrict viral transmission were less stringent in Sweden than in the other Nordic countries.ConclusionsThere was a clear variation in pregnant women's risk of COVID‐19 admission across countries with similar healthcare systems but different public health interventions to limit viral transmission. The meta‐analysis indicates that early suppression policies protected pregnant women from severe COVID‐19 disease prior to the availability of individual protection with vaccines.

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Political stringency, infection rates, and higher education students' adherence to government measures in the Nordic countries and the UK during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak

Cited by 2 publications

References 21 publications

Mental health problems among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study from Sweden

Mental health problems among adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional study from Sweden

Early suppression policies protected pregnant women from COVID‐19 in 2020: A population‐based surveillance from the Nordic countries

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