Daniel Berglind

Daniel Berglind

Principal Researcher | Docent
Visiting address: Solnavägen 1 E, 11365 Solna
Postal address: K9 Global folkhälsa, K9 GPH Magnusson Berglind, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • A selection of grants (main applicant >2022)

    ·       2022. Cancerfonden: Fellowship prevention. Increasing population levels of physical activity and leveling out inequalities in physical health in preschoolers: a randomized physical activity trial in Stockholm public preschools. 3, 648, 000 SEK.

    ·       2022. KI Stiftelser: Junior researcher grant. Gröna skolgårdar: ett evidensbaserat samskapandeprojekt med Stockholms stad där skolgårdar byggs om med grönska för att öka fysisk aktivitet och välbefinnande hos skolbarn. 256, 300 SEK.

    ·       2022. Formas: Forskare tidigt i karriären. Gröna skolgårdar: ett evidensbaserat samskapandeprojekt med Stockholms stad där skolgårdar byggs om med grönska för att öka fysisk aktivitet och välbefinnande hos skolbarn. 3, 512, 336 SEK.

    ·       2023. ALF (Stockholm County Council). Gröna skolgårdar: ett evidensbaserat samskapandeprojekt med Stockholms stad där skolgårdar byggs om med grönska för att öka fysisk aktivitet och välbefinnande hos skolbarn. 1, 200, 000 SEK.

    ·       2024. Formas. Bygga om skolgårdar med grönska för att öka skolbarns fysisk aktivitet och hälsa samt mildra klimatförändringarna i städer. 6, 000, 000 SEK.

    ·       2024. Forte projekt. Bygga om skolgårdar med grönska för att öka skolbarns fysisk aktivitet och hälsa samt mildra klimatförändringarna i städer. 4, 200, 000 SEK.

    ·       2024. Forte gästforskare. Använda en kombination av GPS och accelerometerdata för att identifiera komponenter som ökar skolbarns fysiska aktivitet. 385, 000 SEK.


    PhD supervision
    PhD-Supervision 2 students as main supervisor and 3 students who have defended

    Degree of Doctor, Medical Sciences
    Thesis defense 2014-12-11, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska
    Institutet. Thesis title: “Maternal obesity surgery: Effects in women, spouses and offspring”
    2004 - 2005: English, Stockholm University, Sweden
    2005 - 2010: Master degree in Biomedicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

    Degree of Associate Professor (Docent i Folkhälsovetenskap), Karolinska Institutet 2020-01-15, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet

Research

  • Research description

    My research focuses on developing, evaluating, and implementing population-level interventions and policies to promote physical activity and improve health across the life course, with a particular emphasis on children and young people. A central theme of my work is how everyday environments — such as preschools, schools, schoolyards, and local communities — can be designed and governed to support healthy movement behaviours at scale.

    I have a strong interest in preschool and school-based physical activity promotion, health-related policy implementation, and the role of built and natural environments in shaping physical activity, wellbeing, and long-term health. My research combines randomized controlled trials, natural experiments, intervention studies, and large-scale registry-based epidemiology to generate evidence that is both scientifically robust and directly relevant for policy and practice.

     Current projects

    Physical activity policies in preschools
    A randomized controlled trial conducted in collaboration with the City of Stockholm evaluating the effects of implementing physical activity policies in 124 preschools. The study investigates how policy-level changes influence physical activity among more than 3, 500 preschool children.

    Green schoolyard reconstruction and child health
    An intervention study, also conducted in collaboration with the City of Stockholm, examining the effects of schoolyard reconstructions with increased greenery on approximately 3, 500 schoolchildren. Outcomes include physical activity, wellbeing, and environmental effects.

Teaching

  • >1.500 teaching hours and course leader responsibilities

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2025 - 31 December 2028
    Research problem and specific questionsMore than half of Swedish schoolchildren do not meet the physical activity guidelines, which will have long-lasting effects on their health in adulthood. The school environment plays a crucial role in establishing healthy physical activity behaviors for a population. By reconstructing physical activity promoting schoolyards with greenery, physical activity levels among children can be increased at the population level and also mitigate health and environmental risks resulting from rising climate changes in urban areas. Research questions:How does schoolyard reconstruction affect physical activity levels, blood pressure, BMI, mental health and sleep in schoolchildren?Which components of schoolyard reconstruction are associated with changes (if any) in physical activity levels, blood pressure, BMI, mental health and sleep in schoolchildren?Are there components in the schoolyard reconstruction that affect the health outcomes of girls and boys differently?What would be the cost-effectiveness of schoolyard reconstruction on the physical activity and health outcomes of school children, and its impact on the microclimate and CO2-emissions in urban areas, if the project would be extended to other schools in Stockholm, and possibly Sweden as a whole? Data and MethodThe project will be designed as a quasi-experimental stepped-wedge trial, with schools serving as both intervention and control schools. Over the course of four years (2024-2027), a total of 20 schoolyard reconstructions will be evaluated, with five reconstructions per year. This project will include second and fifth grade children, totaling 3 600 children. Societal Relevance and UtilizationThe majority of schoolyards in Stockholm lack appealing play areas and are instead dominated by concrete and asphalt surfaces. As school participation is not segregated by socioeconomic factors, schoolyard reconstructions that promote physical activity can benefit children from all socioeconomic groups. Additionally, reconstructing schoolyards with greenery can mitigate health and environmental risks associated with increasing climate changes in urban areas. Plan for Project RealizationA formal decision has been made by the City of Stockholm to reconstruct 20 Stockholm public schoolyards from 2024 to 2027. The proposed project is a co-creation effort between the City of Stockholm, Cancerfonden, Arwidssonstiftelsen and Karolinska Institutet evaluating the effects of this decision.
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 December 2024 - 28 February 2026
  • Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
    1 May 2024 - 30 April 2028
    BackgroundThe school environment plays a crucial role in establishing healthy physical activity behaviors for a population. Unfortunately, most schoolyards in Stockholm lack appealing play areas and sun protective areas and are instead dominated by concrete and asphalt surfaces. Reconstructing schoolyards with greenery is a promising primary prevention strategy to increase physical activity levels among children at the population level and mitigate environmental risks resulting from increasing climate changes in urban areas.Project aimsIncrease physical activity levels among school children, independent of socioeconomic factorsEstablish an evidence-based bottom-up approach for schoolyard reconstructionsEvaluate the cost-effectiveness of schoolyard reconstructions with greenery on health outcomes and its environmental impact Methods A formal decision has been made by the City of  Stockholm to reconstruct 20 Stockholm public schoolyards from 2024 to 2027. This project is a co-creation effort between the City of Stockholm, Cancerfonden, Arwidssonstiftelsen and Karolinska Institutet evaluating the effects of this decision. The project will be designed as a stepped-wedge trial, with schools serving as both intervention and control schools. Over the course of 4 years, a total of 20 schoolyard reconstructions will be evaluated, with 5 reconstructions per year. The units of observation will be second and fifth grade children, totaling 3,600 children.
  • Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2027
    This is a co-creation project between the City of Stockholm, Cancerfonden, Arwidssonstiftelsen and Karolinska Institutet with the aim to establish an evidence-based approach for schoolyard reconstruction and investigate how schoolyard reconstructions influences physical activity levels and wellbeing among school children.The following research questions will be addressed:What is the causal effect of schoolyard reconstruction on the physical activity, wellbeing and sick leave of school children?What components in the schoolyard reconstruction interventions are associated with school children’s changes (if any) in physical activity, wellbeing and sick leave?The project will be designed as a non-randomized intervention with two conditions: intervention schools (schoolyard reconstruction) and control schools (no schoolyard reconstruction). Units of observation will be 2ndand 5th grade children (in total 3,600 children.The schoolyard reconstruction intervention components will all include greening but vary by the school (e.g., increase schoolyard size etc.), reflecting the local needs. In total, five schoolyard reconstructions per year in Stockholm public schools, will be included in the project during the years 2022-2025 (in total 20 schools).This project has the potential to improve physical activity and markers of health in children, across all socioeconomic groups, and perhaps population health in the long run, by physical activity promoting schoolyard reconstructions.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2016 - 31 December 2018

Employments

  • Principal Researcher, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2025-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2020
  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2014
  • Master Of Medical Science, Karolinska Institutet, 2010

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