NHV and child public health

Area of Science:

• Child Public Health
• Pediatrics
• Global Health

Background:

• The Nordic School of Public Health (NHV) prioritized child public health, aligning with the World Health Organization's (WHO) broad health ideology.
• Education and research at NHV emphasized public health methods tailored to children's unique needs within their social, economic, and political environments.

Observation:

• NHV offered specialized courses in child public health from 1979 until its closure, covering areas like Social Paediatrics and Measuring Children's Health.
• Numerous conferences and publications, including textbooks, advanced the field of child public health.
• The major NordChild research project, a cross-sectional study of children aged 2-17 in Nordic countries, was conducted in 1984, 1996, and 2011.

Findings:

• The NordChild project has resulted in 10 doctoral theses and over 130 publications.
• Initiation of the Nordic Network on Research of Refugee Children.
• Development and application of indicators for children's health at international, national, and local levels, including EU projects and work in Sweden and Greenland.

Implications:

• NHV's comprehensive approach significantly contributed to understanding and improving child public health.
• The research generated valuable data and fostered networks for continued study and policy development.
• Focus on indicators provides a framework for monitoring and evaluating child health globally.