Christine Helle

• Medin, Anine Christine; Vik, Frøydis Nordgård; Helle, Christine; Helland, Sissel Heidi; Wills, Andrew Keith & Osorio, Natalie Garzon [Show all 22 contributors for this article] (2024). Scaling up evidence-based digital early life nutrition interventions in a county setting: an implementation trial – protocol for Phase 2 of the Nutrition Now project. Frontiers in Public Health. ISSN 2296-2565. 11. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1326787. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Few effective health interventions transition from smaller efficacy or effectiveness studies to real-world implementation at scale, representing a gap between evidence and practice. Recognising this, we have developed Nutrition Now – a tailored digital resource building on four efficacious dietary interventions, aiming to improve nutrition in the important first 1,000 days of life. Nutrition Now targets and guides expectant parents and parents of 0–2 year olds, serves as a reliable source of evidence-based information for midwives and public health nurses at maternal and child healthcare (MCH) centres, and offers pedagogical tools for early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff. The aim of this study is to implement Nutrition Now at scale and evaluate the impact of different sets of multifaceted implementation strategies on implementation outcomes. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with three study arms will be used, providing either low, medium or high implementation support, when rolled out in 50 municipalities in 2 counties in Norway. Nutrition Now will be implemented in MCH and ECEC settings and made available to expectant parents and parents of 0–2 year olds through social media and MCH. The implementation support builds on strategies described in the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) implementation framework and is informed by dialogues with stakeholders. Impact of the different degree of implementation support will be assessed by examining reach, adoption, fidelity, and sustainability using usage data generated from the Nutrition Now resource, publicly available municipal data and qualitative interviews with MCH and ECEC staff. Discussion: Nutrition Now Phase 2 will break new ground by scaling up successively delivered and complementary dietary interventions in the first 1,000 days of life in a real-life context. The project also seeks to identify what level of implementation support is most effective when implementing digital, scalable, evidence-based early-life nutrition interventions in community settings. The project will inform implementation research and provide knowledge about effective implementation strategies to be used in a national scale-up of Nutrition Now. Trial registration: The study is registered prospectively (submitted 14/06/2022, registration date: 19/06/2022) in the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry (ISRCTN): reg. Number: ISRCTN10694967, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10694967.

• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2023). Maternal mental health is associated with children's frequency of family meals at 12 and 24 months of age. Maternal & Child Nutrition. ISSN 1740-8695. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13552. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Diet during the child's first years is important for growth and development. In toddlerhood, higher diet quality is reported among children eating meals together with family. Although previous literature has documented several associations between maternal mental health and early child feeding practices, less is known about the relationship between maternal mental health and child frequency of shared family meals. This study explores associations between maternal symptoms of anxiety and depression, measured by The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist (SCL-8), and toddler participation in family meals. We used cross-sectional data from the Norwegian study Early Food for Future Health, in which participants responded to questionnaires at child age 12 (n = 455) and 24 months (n = 295). Logistic regression was used to explore associations between maternal mental health and child having regular (≥5 per week) or irregular (<5 per week) family meals (breakfast and dinner), adjusting for relevant child and maternal confounding variables. Children of mothers with higher scores of anxiety and depression had higher odds of Irregular family meals at both timepoints; (OR: 2.067, p = 0.015) and (OR: 2.444, p = 0.023). This is one of few studies exploring associations between maternal mental health and child frequency of shared family meals in early childhood, a period where the foundation for life-long health is shaped. Given the high prevalence of mental ailments and disorders, these findings are important and may inform future public health interventions. Further exploration of this relation is needed, including longitudinal research to test predictive associations and qualitative studies to increase insight and understanding.

• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2023). A qualitative study of public health nurses' perspectives and experiences on nutritional guidance for parents of infants and toddlers. Maternal & Child Nutrition. ISSN 1740-8695. doi: 10.1111/mcn.13546. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In Norway, public health nurses (PHNs) are responsible for giving parents nutritional knowledge, but limited research describes how they perceive this task. This study explores PHNs' perceptions and experiences on nutritional guidance for parents of infants and toddlers. Semistructured interviews with six PHNs were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. Five main themes were identified: (1) Dietary guidance for parents is central to the work; (2) PHNs perceive they have parents' trust, and parents are in general open to nutrition counselling; (3) food and meals must be seen in light of the family context; (4) The dialogue must be adapted to the individual family; and (5) PHNs have expertise on nutrition; however, updating knowledge is difficult. Nutritional guidance was perceived by PHNs as a core activity. They felt that they had parents' trust, and that parents were particularly open to nutritional guidance during the first 2 years. Counselling was generally well received, but conversations on overweight were perceived as difficult. PHNs strove to tailor their guidance to individual needs. However, providing guidance on a wide range of issues in different families and cultures could be challenging. They acknowledged a need for updating knowledge but the offer of courses was sparse. Our findings suggest a discrepancy between how nutrition is prioritized in the education of PHNs and what they encounter in clinical practice. In the future, this should be given more attention given the PHNs' unique position to promote healthy eating and long-term health.

• Vejrup, Kristine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Agnihotri, Neha; Helle, Christine & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2023). Diet in Early Life Is Related to Child Mental Health and Personality at 8 Years: Findings from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). Nutrients. ISSN 2072-6643. 15(1). doi: 10.3390/nu15010243. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There is rising concern about population mental health. Personality and mental health traits manifest early. Sufficient nutrition is fundamental to early development. However, little is known about early life dietary impact on later mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of exposure to a healthy and sustainable antenatal and early childhood diet with personality traits and symptoms of depression and anxiety measured at 8 years of age. This study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) and uses data from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) including 40,566 participants. Mental health measures and personality traits were assessed at 8 years. Dietary data from pregnancy, child age 6 and 18 months and 3 and 7 years were used. With few exceptions, inverse associations were observed between healthier diet at all time points and depression and anxiety symptom scores at age 8. We found positive associations between diet scores at almost all time points and extraversion, benevolence, conscientiousness and imagination. Inverse associations were observed between diet scores and neuroticism. Combined, these findings underpin a probable impact of both maternal pregnancy diet and early childhood diet on several aspects of child mental health.

• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2022). Associations between infant and maternal characteristics measured at child age 5 months and maternal feeding styles and practices up to child age two years. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261222. Full text in Research Archive
• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Wills, Andrew Keith & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2019). Examining the effects of an eHealth intervention from infant age 6 to 12 months on child eating behaviors and maternal feeding practices one year after cessation: The Norwegian randomized controlled trial Early Food for Future Health. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 14(8), p. 1–19. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220437. Full text in Research Archive
• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Wills, Andrew Keith & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2019). Evaluation of an eHealth intervention aiming to promote healthy food habits from infancy -the Norwegian randomized controlled trial Early Food for Future Health. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. ISSN 1479-5868. 16(1), p. 1–16. doi: 10.1186/s12966-018-0763-4. Full text in Research Archive
• Bjørset, Vilde Kristin; Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2018). Socio-economic status and maternal BMI are associated with duration of breast-feeding of Norwegian infants. Public Health Nutrition (PHN). ISSN 1368-9800. 21(8), p. 1465–1473. doi: 10.1017/S1368980017003925.
• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2018). Timing of complementary feeding and associations with maternal and infant characteristics: A Norwegian cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 13(6). doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199455. Full text in Research Archive
• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Omholt, Mona Linge & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2017). Early food for future health: a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of an eHealth intervention aiming to promote healthy food habits from early childhood. BMC Public Health. ISSN 1471-2458. 17(1). doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4731-8. Full text in Research Archive

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• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Helland, Sissel Heidi (2024). Forskerfokus: Den lange veien mot (noe) Matnyttig.
• Helle, Christine & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2024). Hvordan fremme gode spisevaner blant barn gjennom helsestasjonen. Christine Helle og Nina Cecilie Øverby fra UIA presenterer Matnyttig –forskningsprosjekt som skal fremme god ernæring tidlig i livet.
• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2023). Public health nurses' wishes, needs and expectations for the development and use of a new online resource on early nutrition – A qualitative study in the Nutrition Now project .
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie & Helle, Christine (2023). Er det sammenhenger mellom kosthold tidlig i livet og senere pykisk helse og personlighet?
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie & Helle, Christine (2023). Sammenhenger mellom kosthold tidlig i livet, psykisk helse og personlighet.
• Stiansen, Yngve; Øverby, Nina Cecilie & Helle, Christine (2023). Barne-kosthold påvirker psyken. [Radio]. NRK Sørlandssendinga.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Baksaas, Jenny Marie (2023). Kan barns kosthold påvirke personligheten deres? [Internet]. Psykologisk.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Forskere fant sterk sammen­heng mellom kosthold og barns person­lighet: – Viser seg å være enda klarere enn vi tidli­gere har trodd. [Newspaper]. Varden; varden.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Forskere fant sammenheng mellom kosthold og barns personlighet: – Viser seg å være enda klarere enn vi tidligere har trodd. [Newspaper]. Sunnmørsposten; smp.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Forskere fant sammenheng mellom kosthold og barns personlighet: – Viser seg å være enda klarere enn vi tidligere har trodd. [Newspaper]. Romsdals Budstikke; rbnett.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Forskere fant sammenheng mellom kosthold og barns personlighet: – Viser seg å være enda klarere enn vi tidligere har trodd. [Newspaper]. iTromsø; iTromsø.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Forskere fant sammenheng mellom kosthold og barns personlighet: – Viser seg å være enda klarere enn vi tidligere har trodd. [Newspaper]. Fædrelandsvennen; fvn.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Forskere fant sammenheng mellom kosthold og barns personlighet: – Viser seg å være enda klarere enn vi tidligere har trodd. [Newspaper]. Bergens Tidene; bt.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Godt kosthold kan gi mer robust personlighet. [Newspaper]. Aftenposten.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Humberset, Kathrine (2023). Forskere fant sammenheng mellom kosthold og barns personlighet: – Viser seg å være enda klarere enn vi tidligere har trodd. [Newspaper]. Aftenposten.no/foreldreliv.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Wehus, Walter (2023). Slik påvirker kostholdet personligheten din. [Internet]. UiA.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Wehus, Walter Norman (2023). Slik påvirker kostholdet personligheten din. [Internet]. Forskning.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Helland, Sissel Heidi; Helle, Christine; Wills, Andrew Keith & Lamu, Admassu Nadew [Show all 23 contributors for this article] (2023). Evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of evidence-based early-life nutrition interventions in a community setting a hybrid type 1 non-randomized trial – the Nutrition Now project protocol. Frontiers in Endocrinology. ISSN 1664-2392. 13. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1071489. Full text in Research Archive
• Grimsli, Silje Hammerstad; Helle, Christine & Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord (2021). Helse og idrettspraten; Kosthold og ernæring tidlig i livet (Podcast). [Internet]. https://www.uia.no/om-uia/podcast/helse-og-idrettspraten.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine; Medin, Anine Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Vik, Frøydis Nordgård (2021). Tidlig innsats som virker! Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
• Egge, Julie Haugen & Helle, Christine (2021). Jo mer frukt og grønt barna spiste, desto bedre var den mentale helsen. [Internet]. nrk.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helland, Sissel Heidi; Helle, Christine & Vik, Frøydis Nordgård (2021). Kosthold og ernæring i de første 1000 dagene – kan vi investere klokere?
• Helle, Christine (2021). Om kosthold og ernæring i de første 1000 dagene - utfordringer og muligheter.
• Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Helle, Christine (2021). «Om kosthold og ernæring de første 1000 dagene – utfordringer og muligheter».
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie & Helle, Christine (2020). Om betydningen av gode matvaner fra tidlig barndom.
• Gjestland, Hilde Skarvøy & Helle, Christine (2020). Forskning på fast føde. [TV]. NRK; Sørlandssendinga, Norge i dag.
• Helle, Christine (2019). Spedbarnsmat for fremtidig helse, . [Business/trade/industry journal]. Norsk Tidsskrift for Ernæring.
• Wehus, Walter Norman; Øverby, Nina Cecilie & Helle, Christine (2019). Gode matvanar startar før du blir fødd. [Internet]. uia.no.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Helle, Christine & Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord (2019). Is there an association between family meals in toddlerhood and maternal anxiety and depression symptoms?
• Helle, Christine (2019). The official opening of Priority Research Centre on Lifecourse Nutrition; summary and closing words.
• Helle, Christine (2019). Early Food for Future Health - a digital intervention to assist in transitioning infants from nursing to solid food .
• Wehus, Walter Norman & Helle, Christine (2019). Foreldre som fekk opplæring på nett serverte barna meir frukt og grønsaker. [Internet]. Forskning.no.
• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2019). Examining the effects of an eHealth intervention from infant age 6 to 12 months on child eating behaviors and maternal feeding practices one year after cessation: The Norwegian randomized controlled trial Early Food for Future Health.
• Helle, Christine; Bjørset, Vilde K; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2017). Socioeconomic status and maternal BMI are associated with duration of any breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding of Norwegian infants.
• Helle, Christine; Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord; Omholt, Mona Linge & Øverby, Nina Cecilie (2016). Early Food for Future Health - an E-health intervention aiming to promote healthy food habits from early childhood.
• Helle, Christine (2016). barnE-mat studien; et nettbasert forskningsprosjekt om spedbarn, ernæring og folkehelse.
• Helle, Christine (2016). Nyskaping og samskaping med DDU-midler. [Internet]. Universitet i Agder; beta.uia.
• Ludvigsen, Benedicte Goa & Helle, Christine (2016). Søker 1000 barnefamilier til matprosjekt. [Radio]. NRK Sørlandssendingen.
• Rosenvinge, Morten & Helle, Christine (2016). Smaken av noe nytt. [Internet]. Universitetet i Agder, Innaskjærs.
• Helle, Christine (2016). Nettstedet barnE-mat skal bidra til gode matvaner. Tidsskrift for helsesøstre. 2016(1), p. 40–43.
• Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Skreden, Marianne; Helle, Christine & Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord (2015). Mat, barn og mulighetsvinduet. Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
• Helle, Christine; Øverby, Nina Cecilie & Hillesund, Elisabet Rudjord (2019). Early Food for Future Health. A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of an eHealth intervention aiming to promote healthy food habits from early childhood. Universitetet i Agder. ISSN 978-82-7117-936-6.

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