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Lena Hansen Malnes

Lecturer

Department of Health and Nursing Science

Email: lena.h.malnes@uia.no
Phone: +47 38142101
Mobile phone: +4747291022

Office IU 020 (Universitetsveien 1, 4630 Kristiansand, Norway)

Research groups

Physical Activity and Health across the LifeSpan (PAHLS)

Areas of responsibility

I am involved in guiding, teaching, and grading exam papers at the bachelor’s and master’s levels in areas such as clinical practice studies, bachelor projects, and applied statistics. Currently, I am also engaged in an exciting doctoral program in Health and Sports Science. Moreover, I am the project leader of a development project creating a digital, open course package in the SPSS statistics program for staff and students at the University of Agder.

My background:

Nursing Assistant
Clinical Nurse
Master in Public Health Science
Ph.D. in Health and Sports Science (ongoing)

My current research:

The overarching theme of my thesis is adolescence physical activity, with a specific focus on active travel. We investigate factors influencing whether adolescence walk or bike to and from school. As part of a larger, multi-centre research project called "School In Motion" (ScIM), we examine how physical education and school-based physical activity influence adolescents travel habits to school. We also aim to identify determinants that contribute to adolescent’s travel habits, particularly in their local environments and around schools. This information is derived from geographic mapping data. The research has the potential to contributed to effective strategies for increasing the use of environmentally friendly transportation methods that also involve regular physical activity.

My previous research:

During my master's program, I delved into the topic of "E-biking among inactive Norwegian adults." In this project, I was part of a larger collaboration involving University of Agder, University of Bergen and University of Stavanger, where we investigated the extent to which participants cycled to work when provided with e-bikes. We also explored whether cycling with the e-bike could improve the physical fitness of individuals who typically did not cycle to work. Our findings showed a roughly 7% improvement in participants' physical fitness over the 8 months of having an e-bike at disposal

My nursing practice:

As a nurse, I have worked with diverse patient groups, primarily older adults and elderly patients, with one or more chronic conditions—both in hospitals and healthcare centers. At the healthcare center, I was part of an interdisciplinary team, contributing to needs assessment and applications for community health services. My clinical experience has given me valuable insights into living with chronic conditions. Additionally, my experience in interdisciplinary teams and healthcare service assessment has provided me with a holistic perspective on patient care.

Future prospects:

I am looking forward to continuing my work in research and knowledge development related to healthy lifestyle habits. My aim is to contribute to the prevention of chronic diseases and other health-related issues by promoting physical activity among the population.

If you are interested in my work or wish to collaborate or explore possibilities, please feel free to reach out. I am available for a conversation via email or by telephone.

Tuition

During year 2024, I will be supervising and teaching at the bachelor's and master's levels.

Bachelor's courses:

1st year:		1nd year		3rd year
SYP120	Practice Teacher	SYP223	Practice Teacher	SYP-323	Practice Teacher
SY-120	Teacher	SYP225	Practice Teacher	SY-323	Supervisor

Master courses:

1. års studenter		2. års studenter
SY-440	Teacher in applied statistics	ME-519	Teacher in applied statistics
ME-422	Teacher in research methods

Examiner tasks:

SY-323	Bachelor project
SY-320	Complexity and leadership
SY-122	Pathophysiology
SY-440	Research Methods

Tags: Lena Malnes, Malnes, Lena, Active travel, Active commuting, Physical Activity, ScIM, School In Motion, SPSS

Malnes, Lena; Berntsen, Sveinung; Kolle, Elin; Ivarsson, Andreas; Dyrstad, Sindre Mikal & Resaland, Geir Kåre [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2023). School-based physical activity in relation to active travel – a cluster randomized controlled trial among adolescents enrolled in the school in motion study in Norway. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. ISSN 1479-5868. 20(1). doi: 10.1186/s12966-023-01534-x. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background Active travel and school settings are considered ideal for promoting physical activity. However, previous research suggests limited effect of school-based interventions on overall physical activity levels among adolescents. The relationship between physical activity in different domains remains inconclusive. In this study, we examined the effects of adding two weekly hours of school-based physical activity on active travel rates. Method We analyzed data from 1370 pupils in the 9th-grade participating in the cluster RCT; the School In Motion (ScIM) project. Intervention schools (n = 19) implemented 120 min of class-scheduled physical activity and physical education, in addition to the normal 2 hours of weekly physical education in the control schools (n = 9), for 9 months. Active travel was defined as pupils who reported walking or cycling to school, while motorized travel was defined as pupils who commuted by bus or car, during the spring/summer half of the year (April–September), or autumn/winter (October–February). The participants were categorized based on their travel mode from pretest to posttest as; maintained active or motorized travel (“No change”), changing to active travel (motorized-active), or changing to motorized travel (active-motorized). Multilevel logistic regression was used to analyze the intervention effect on travel mode. Results During the intervention period, most participants maintained their travel habits. In total, 91% of pupils maintained their travel mode to school. Only 6% of pupils switched to motorized travel and 3% switched to active travel, with small variations according to season and trip direction. The intervention did not seem to influence the likelihood of changing travel mode. The odds ratios for changing travel habits in spring/summer season were from active to motorized travel 1.19 [95%CI: 0.53–2.15] and changing from motorized to active travel 1.18 [0.30–2.62], compared to the “No change” group. These findings were consistent to and from school, and for the autumn/winter season. Conclusion The extra school-based physical activity does not seem to affect rates of active travel among adolescents in the ScIM project.
Malnes, Lena Hansen; Haugen, Tommy; Hansen, Bjørge Hermann; Kolle, Elin & Berntsen, Sveinung (2022). Establishing the Convergent Validity of the Travel Habit Questions in the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Questionnaire by Quantifying Active Travel in Norwegian Adolescents. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. ISSN 2624-9367. 4. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.761723. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Background: Active travel (cycling or walking to school) can be a substantial part of adolescents' daily physical activity. Research on transport activities primarily relies on self-reported indices of travel mode and travel time. However, many researchers do not report the psychometric properties of their instruments. The Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) questionnaire is a commonly used instrument, but the items in this questionnaire on travel habits have not yet been validated. The present study was conducted to investigate the convergent validity and agreement between the HBSC items and a travel diary on (1) transport mode to and from school and (2) travel time to school. Methods: The study sample consisted of 50 participants in the 9th grade (15 ± 0.3 years, 62% girls) from seven Norwegian schools. Outcome variables included transport mode and travel time derived from the HBSC items and a five-day travel diary. Convergent validity was assessed by evaluating Cohen's kappa for travel mode and the correlation coefficient (Spearman Rho) for travel time. Simple agreement calculations between the two measurement methods were also conducted. Results: The association between the HBSC questionnaire and the diary for travel mode to and from school was κ = 0.63 (P < 0.001) and κ = 0.77 (P < 0.001), respectively. The total agreement between the HBSC questionnaire and the diary for was 78%. However, the agreement was higher for walking (88%) and cycling (91%) than for motorized transport (67%). For travel time, the Spearman correlation coefficient was ρ = 0.60 (P < 0.001) between the HBSC questionnaire and the diary. The total agreement on travel time was 67%; however, active commuters (86%) seemed to more accurately estimated travel time than motorized commuters (55%). Conclusion: Although the overall agreement between the HBSC questionnaire and the diary for mode of transport was 78%, the HBSC questionnaire may underestimate the prevalence of motorized transport compared to walking and cycling.
Lobben, Stian Ellingsen; Malnes, Lena; Berntsen, Sveinung; Tjelta, Leif Inge; Bere, Elling Tufte & Kristoffersen, Morten [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2018). Bicycle usage and cardiorespiratory fitness among inactive adults provided with electrically assisted bicycles. Acta Kinesiologiae Universitatis Tartuensis. ISSN 1406-9822. 24, p. 60–73. doi: 10.12697/akut.2018.24.05.
Berntsen, Sveinung; Malnes, Lena Hansen; Langåker, Aleksander & Bere, Elling (2017). Physical activity when riding an electric assisted bicycle. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. ISSN 1479-5868. 14(55). doi: 10.1186/s12966-017-0513-z. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in Cristin

Malnes, Lena; Berntsen, Sveinung; Kolle, Elin; Ivarsson, Andreas & Dyrstad, Sindre Mikal (2023). School-based physical activity in relation to active travel among adolescents .
Malnes, Lena (2022). Tre grunner til å velge aktiv transport .
Malnes, Lena (2022). Tre grunner til å velge aktiv transport. lokalavisen fedrelandsvennen.
Kubens, Valerie & Malnes, Lena (2021). Hvordan skal vi få flere barn og unge til å gå og sykle til skolen? [Newspaper]. Fedrelandsvennen.
Åvitsland, Andreas; Leibinger, Eva; Lerum, Øystein; Malnes, Lena; Solberg, Runar Barstad & Dyrstad, Sindre Mikal (2018). Sammenhengen mellom fysisk form og psykisk helse hos norske 13-14-åringer.
Malnes, Lena; Bere, Elling Tufte & Berntsen, Sveinung (2017). Et mer aktivt og grønnere miljø med elsykkel. Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
Malnes, Lena Hansen; Bere, Elling & Berntsen, Sveinung (2017). Et mer aktivt og grønnere miljø med elsykkel. Fædrelandsvennen. ISSN 0805-3790.
Malnes, Lena Hansen; Lobben, Stian Ellingsen; Bere, Elling; Tjelta, Leif Inge; Kristoffersen, Morten & Mildestvedt, Thomas [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2016). How access to an E-bike affects amount and patterns of bicycle use in inactive Norwegian adults: A pilot study.
Kolle, Elin; Steene-Johannessen, Jostein; Säfvenbom, Reidar; Anderssen, Sigmund Alfred; Grydeland, May & Ekelund, Ulf [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2019). Hovedrapport: School in motion. Utdanningsdirektoratet.