Sleep, pain and participation in education and work 

In short: This project aims to improve our understanding of how sleep, pain, and social factors interact during this important stage of life. Using device-measured sleep data, we will investigate how sleep behaviours and sleep disorders, alone and in combination with chronic pain, influence the risk of school dropout and the use of healthcare services. We will also examine how family relationships and the school environment may shape these associations. Building on this knowledge, we will develop and evaluate a video-based psychoeducational tool designed to help young adults with chronic pain improve their sleep habits and sleep quality. By improving sleep, we hope to support greater participation in education, work, and everyday life. The project brings together researchers and partners from NTNU, St. Olav’s University Hospital, the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), and Trondheim Municipality to address this important public health challenge. 

Contact person: Eivind Schjelderup Skarpsno 

Project members involved: Karen Hara, Elisa Maharjan, Charlotte Hessevik 
Project period: 2026-2030 
Funder: Stiftelsen Dam 

Supporting health and work participation in midlife women  

In short: This project aims to address 4 of the 10 highlighted knowledge gaps in menopause research: (1) risk factors and strategies to manage sleep disturbances; (2) impact of different lifestyles in different stages of menopause; (3) identification of safe and effective non-hormonal treatments; and (4) approaches to prepare women for menopause and support informed decision making. This project has close collaboration with Trondheim Municipality/Healthy Life centre, University in Bergen, Nav and University of Copenhagen. 

Contact person(s): Anne Lovise Nordstoga, Hanne Finnestrand 

Other members involved: Lene Aasdahl, Eivind S. Skarpsno 

Project duration: 2026-2030 

Funder: NTNU Health and Life Science  

The role of sleep, inflammation, and genetic vulnerability in psoriasis 

In short: Sleep problems are common among people with psoriasis, but we still know surprisingly little about how specific sleep characteristics, such as insomnia, affect the disease. Sleep plays an important role in regulating the immune system and inflammation, and poor sleep may contribute to both the development and progression of psoriasis. This project aims to improve our understanding of the relationship between sleep and psoriasis. We will examine objectively measured sleep patterns and insomnia in individuals with psoriasis, investigate how insomnia and inflammation interact in disease risk, and explore whether genetic predisposition to insomnia, sleep duration, and chronotype is associated with psoriasis. 

Contact persons: Eivind Schjelderup Skarpsno, Mari Løset 
Project members involved: Atle Kongsvold, Paul Jarle Mork 
Project period: 2026-2030 
Funder: Stiftelsen Dam 

Physical Activity Variation  

In short: In this project we are interested in maximising the information obtained from minute-to-minute, objective measurements of physical activity. Using accelerometer data collected as part of HUNT4 we aim to describe patterns and variation in people's daily physical activity, rather than relying solely on daily totals and averages. Furthermore, we are interested in whether there are potential causal relationships between differences in how physical activity is accumulated and optimal health benefits. 

Contact person(s): Julia Debik, Rachel McLeod 

Other members involved:  Paul Jarle Mork 

Project duration: 2025-2029 

Funder: Onsager fellowship 

Musculoskeletal Health in Menopause Transition 

In short: Menopause is a natural phase of life and marks the end of the reproductive years. Studies show that women in menopausal transition are more likely to experience musculoskeletal pain compared to men in midlife and women of other ages. Increasing evidence suggests that the decline in sex hormone levels during menopausal transition influences musculoskeletal health. However, MSK pain is rarely considered as a symptom of menopause and seldom treated as such. This project aims to gain insight into the association between menopause and musculoskeletal health, and to investigate the influence on work participation. The Health Survey in Nord Trøndelag (The HUNT study) and the Norwegian Prescription Database will be used to perform the project. This knowledge can support women’s health and inform strategies to retain women at work during the menopause transition and thereafter.  

Contact person(s): Anne Lovise Nordstoga, Allissa Mylan Nguyen 

Other members involved:  Lene Aasdahl, Eivind S. Skarpsno, Tom Ivar Lund Nilsen

Project duration: 2025-2028 

Funder: Norske Kvinner Sanitetsforening 

More information on the project can be found here: https://sanitetskvinnene.no/prosjektbibliotek/musculoskeletal-health-menopause-transition  

LABDA 

In short: LABDA is a network project funded by the EU's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme. The aim of the project is to develop advanced analysis methods of 24/7 data on physical activity and sleep. This knowledge is used in various models to study the connection between physical activity and sleep and to develop targeted interventions. 

Contact person: Paul Jarle Mork 

Other members involved:  Rayane Haddadj 

Project duration: 2023-2026 

Funder: Horizon Europe, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme 

More information on the project can be found here: https://labda-project.eu/ 

Better health for people with musculoskeletal pain

In short: This project aims to investigate the role of multimorbidity and familial factors (e.g., familial history of pain) on outcomes relevant for musculoskeletal pain management, i.e., long-term course of musculoskeletal pain, sickness absence, use of specialist healthcare and opioid medications. A series of prospective observational studies are conducted using rich data from the Health Survey in Nord-Trøndelag (the HUNT Study) linked to national registries. 

Contact person: Anna Marcuzzi 

Other members involved: Tom Ivar Lund Nilsen, Paul Jarle Mork, Anne Lovise Nordstoga, Sigmund Gismervik, Eivind Schjelderup Skarpsno, Lene Aasdahl 

Project duration: 2022-2026 

Funder: Stiftelsen Dam 

More information on the project can be found here: https://osf.io/qev97/overview  

SmaRTWork  

In short: SmaRTWork project - a digital system for personalized return to work recommendations for sick-listed with musculoskeletal disorders.  The decision support system will use "case-based reasoning" (CBR). The main principle of CBR is to use knowledge of previously successful "cases" to propose measures for new and similar "cases". The project is carried out in collaboration with the Department of Computer Technology and Informatics. 

Contact person: Lene Aasdahl 

Project duration: 2021-2027 

Funder: Research Council of Norway 

More information on the project can be found here: https://prosjektbanken.forskningsradet.no/project/FORISS/315041?Kilde=FORISS&distribution=Ar&chart=bar&calcType=funding&Sprak=no&sortBy=date&sortOrder=desc&resultCount=30&offset=0&Organisasjon.1=UoH-sektor  

Non-pharmacological treatment of sleep problems in primary care

In short: Non-pharmacological treatment of sleep problems in primary care is a study investigating the effectiveness of the municipal sleep course Sleep well on insomnia severity and other sleep- and health-related outcomes among participants with insomnia symptoms. 

Contact person(s): Ingebrigt Meisingset, Eivind Schejeldrup Skarpsno 

Other members involved:  Maria Hrozanova 

More information on the project can be found here: https://www.ntnu.edu/ism/non-pharmacological-treatment-of-sleep-problems  

DE-PASS

In short: The aim of this project is to identify and measure factors that influence physical activity in different age groups and arenas (school, work, leisure etc.) and use this knowledge to develop targeted interventions. 

Contact person: Paul Jarle Mork 

Project duration: 2021-2024 

Funder: EU COST Action Programme 

More information on the project can be found here: https://depass.eu/  

SupportPrim

In short: The SupportPrim project will develop and evaluate decision support systems for personalized care in patients with common musculoskeletal complaints in primary health care. Case-based reasoning, an artificial intelligence approach, and risk-stratified care will be evaluated in physiotherapy and general practice.  

Contact person: Ingebrigt Meisingset 

Project duration: 2020-2025 

More information on the project can be found here: https://www.ntnu.edu/supportprim  

The physical activity behavior and sleep study

In short: This project is a collaboration with the Department of Computer Technology and Informatics. The project develops new analysis methods (machine learning) of sensor data on physical activity and sleep collected in HUNT4. The data is used, among other things, to study the connection between genetics and physical activity/sleep, as well as the connection between physical activity/sleep and various health outcomes. 

Contact person: Paul Jarle Mork 

Other members involved: Atle Kongsvold 

Project duration: 2020-2024 

Funder: NTNU Health and Life Science 

More information on the project can be found here: https://www.ntnu.edu/health-lifescience/physical-activity-behaviour-and-sleep-study 

Back-UP

In short: Back-UP Project aims to develop a new health care platform with a prognostic model to support more effective and efficient management of neck and lower back pain. 

Contact person: Paul Jarle Mork 

Project duration: 2018-2021 

Funder: EU Horizon 2020 

More information on the project can be found here: https://backup-project.eu/?page_id=126  

HUNT4 

In short: In the HUNT4 study (2017-2019) the research group was responsible for detailed recordings of physical activity among 33 000 participants over one week. The unique data hold objective information about physical activity within daily life and will be used to study associations between physical activity, disease, and common disorders in the public. 

Contact person(s): Paul Jarle Mork, Tom Ivar Lund 

Other members involved: Atle Kongsvold 

Project duration: 2017-2019 

Funder: Norwegian Research Council/NTNU 

More information on the project can be found here: https://www.ntnu.edu/hunt 

selfBACK 

In short: The selfBACK project is coordinated by our group and aims to develop a decision support system for self-management of lower back pain. 

Contact person: Paul Jarle Mork 

Project duration: 2016-2021 

Funder: EU Horizon 2020 

More information on the project can be found here: https://www.selfback.eu/