Björg Helgadottir

I teach in the areas of physical activity and brain health, with a focus on how movement, as well as sedentary behaviour, affects cognitive functions and mental health in children and adolescents.

Another central teaching area is research methodology, with a particular emphasis on planning and conducting data collection reliably and ethically. This includes methods for measuring physical activity, choosing appropriate study designs, and understanding the practical steps involved throughout the research process.

In addition, I teach statistics, helping students understand and apply statistical analyses in research contexts

My research interests focus on how lifestyle factors, particularly physical activity and screen time, influence young people’s mental health and cognition.

I lead the research project SCREENFIT Opens in new window., which aims to develop and evaluate a co-created intervention to help adolescents achieve a more balanced screen use. The project focuses both on helping young people balance screen time with other important activities, such as physical activity, sleep, and schoolwork, and on promoting a more mindful use of the screen time that actually occurs.

I am also involved in a twin study Opens in new window. that examines how genetic and environmental factors interact in the relationship between physical activity and health outcomes. By studying twins, we can gain a clearer understanding of which aspects of activity patterns and health effects are influenced by hereditary factors and which are shaped by environmental conditions.

A third research area I work in is the School Project for Brain Health Opens in new window., in which we develop and evaluate an intervention delivered during an extended school day. The aim is to explore whether structured elements of physical activity, recovery and learning support can improve adolescents’ mental and physical health, cognitive functioning and academic performance.

In all research projects, we collaborate extensively with businesses, interest organisations and schools.