Storytel supports large Swedish scientific study into young students’ health
Storytel and audiobooks will have active roles in a large research project being carried out by the Swedish School of Sport and Health Science (GIH) into the physical and mental health of young people. The GIH study will start during the autumn term 2021, focusing on eighth graders (14–15 years old) in Sweden.
“The health of young people is incredibly important and has been in the spotlight during the pandemic. Our aim is to involve around 2,500 pupils between 2021 and 2023,” says Gisela Nyberg, Associate Professor at GIH.
In September, The Swedish School of Sport and Health Science (GIH) is to start a research study into physical activity and healthy brain functions among young students. Storytel and audiobooks are going to be an integral part of this study. The aim of the GIH study is to investigate whether various measures carried out during an extended school day, such as exercising while listening to an audiobook, improve the brain health of school pupils, in terms of their cognitive functions and their mental health.
“There is a lot of discussion, not only in Sweden but also around the world, about screen time being linked to a sedentary lifestyle and poor health, particularly among young people. Our vision is to help create a better world and understand how our products can contribute to mental and physical well-being and personal development. So we’re really looking forward to seeing the results of this GIH study during the upcoming years,” says Åse Ericson, Country Manager for Sweden at Storytel.
Storytel is going to provide audiobook subscriptions that will allow study participants to walk and listen to audiobooks at scheduled times during the school day. The researchers will evaluate the young students’ physical and mental well-being as well as their cognitive functions before, during and after the study.
“The pandemic seems to have had a negative impact on young people’s physical activity and mental well-being. In line with Agenda 2030, we are going to develop and evaluate various measures in this study. This will enable us to discover what actually works at school to counteract this negative trend,” says Gisela Nyberg, Associate Professor at GIH.
The study has been initiated by Skandia’s Ideas for Life Foundation and is financed by Skandia, GIH and the Knowledge Foundation, as well as the co-producing partners Storytel, IKEA, Permobil and the Swedish Crown Princess Couple’s Foundation/Generation Pep.
FNCA Sweden AB is the company’s certified adviser. FNCA can be reached at info@fnca.se or +46 8 528 00 399.
For more information, please contact:
Dan Panas, Head Global Communications & PR, Storytel
Tel: +46 70 186 52 90
Email: dan.panas@storytel.com
Therese Lindström, PR Manager Sweden, Storytel
Tel: +46 76 133 39 19
Email: therese.lindstrom@storytel.com
About GIH – The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences
The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, conducts nationally leading and internationally respected research in the field of sports, physical activity, and health. The overall area of education, research and collaboration with external partners is dedicated to sport, physical activity and health, a highly topical knowledge field in meeting the sustainability challenges defined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
About Storytel
Storytel is one of the world’s largest subscribed audiobook and e-book streaming services and offers listening and reading of more than 700,000 titles on a global scale. Our vision is to make the world a more empathetic and creative place with great stories to be shared and enjoyed by anyone, anywhere and anytime. Storytel’s streaming business is conducted under the brands Storytel and Mofibo. Storytel’s publishing business area is carried out through the audiobook publisher StorySide and acclaimed Nordic publishing houses such as Norstedts, People’s Press and Gummerus. Storytel operates in 25 markets around the globe and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
