Ny norsk lagstiftning och psykisk hälsa på Folkhälsoarenans agenda 

Färsk NORMO-rapport om levnadsvanor i Norden

Den 2 december lanserades rapporten NORMO 2025 (Nordic Monitoring) som ger en unik inblick i vuxnas och barns hälsorelaterade levnadsvanor i Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge och Sverige. Rapporten ger en evidensbaserad grund för bättre policyutveckling för att främja ett mer jämlikt och socialt hållbart Norden.

Ohållbara matvanor är en av de största riskfaktorerna för sjukdomar som hjärtkärl-sjukdom, cancer, diabetes och demens. Rapporten visar att vi behöver åtgärder för att förbättra levnadsvanorna i Norden.

• 56 procent av vuxna och vart femte barn i Norden är överviktiga eller har obesitas.
• Intaget av frukt, grönsaker och fullkorn har minskat, medan konsumtionen av livsmedel som innehåller socker har ökat sedan 2014.
• Alkoholkonsumtionen är fortfarande hög och vi dricker dubbelt mer energidrycker jämfört med 2014.

A strait apart: Everyday life on the margins in Copenhagen and Malmö

Copenhagen and Malmö are separated by only a few kilometers, connected by the Øresund Bridge. Yet a new study, recently published in NAD, shows that for socially marginalized people who use drugs, the differences in everyday life can feel like crossing an ocean rather than a strait. For decades, Denmark has pursued a harm reduction approach to drug policy, introducing drug consumption rooms, syringe exchange, and heroin-assisted treatment, while Sweden has long upheld the vision of a drug-free society and criminalized both use and possession.

Stories of parties, risk and youth in Iceland

Young people’s drinking habits are often framed in terms of health risks and prevention, but for those experiencing it, alcohol carries different meanings. In a study published in NAD, Icelandic researchers Annadís Greta Rúdólfsdóttir and Ragný Þóra Guðjohnsen set out to explore how young people themselves imagine the connections between alcohol, gender, and responsibility. Instead of surveys or interviews, students were asked to complete fictional stories set at parties where drinking was involved.

Expert meeting on children and young people’s health and well-being – Focus on physical activity within the school sector

The Nordic network for physical activity played an active role in the expert meeting on children and young people’s health and well-being focusing on physical activity within the school sector that was arranged in May 2025. The primary aim of the meeting was to facilitate the exchange of experiences among Nordic and Baltic countries on improving the health and well-being of children and young people. Highlighting concerns over low physical activity levels and excessive sedentary behaviour, the meeting focused on enhancing health-promoting and preventive measures. Strategies and best practices that can strengthen policy development within the school sector, with the aim of promoting physical activity and equitable health were discussed.

The results of the expert meeting have been summarised in the meeting report Expert meeting on children and young people’s health and well-being – Focused on physical activity within the school sector.

Are we prepared to tackle addiction in community pharmacies?

Pharmacists frequently meet customers struggling with nicotine dependence, alcohol problems, or medication misuse - yet these issues are rarely addressed in everyday interactions. In this PopNAD article a team of finnish reserachers present findings from a new Finnish study exploring the role of community pharmacies in addiction prevention and care. The study shows that while pharmacists are ready and willing to engage in addiction-related counseling, they lack the tools, training, and structural support to make it part of routine practice.