Merike Kull
Biographic Data
| ID | 1834090 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Merike Kull |
| GIVEN NAMES | Merike |
| FAMILY NAME | Kull |
| SIGNATURE | KULL M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Tartu |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9047-0801 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 102 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Understanding the Links Between Youth Homelessness and Educational Disconnection
Educational inequities are well‐documented and highly correlated with youth homelessness and educational disconnection. The aim of this paper was to document empirical associations among threats to the well‐being of young people, discuss key educational policies and programs designed to address student homelessness, and describe the US adaptation of an international school‐based prevention program, the Upstream Project, a multi‐tiered prevention …
Economic abuse dynamics and housing insecurity among mothers of young children
Economic abuse is a distinct form of intimate partner violence. This study explored the links between economic abuse, housing insecurity, and homelessness for mothers of young children. We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods design that included quantitative analysis of survey data collected from 195 mothers enrolled in home visiting programs in one Midwestern state, followed by qualitative analysis of in‐depth interviews with 33 mothers …
Pupils' participation roles in school-based physical activity in the context of physically active learning and recess
Using Hart's Ladder of Children's Participation as a theoretical lens, the study revealed age and context-specific disparities in pupils' participation roles in school-based physical activity. Pupils engaged in both informal and formal participation structures in teacher-led physically active learning and free choice recess activities, creating democratic spaces for rights of participation and the expression of choice, which need to be prioritize…
My Resources Ran Out and He Didn’t Need Me Anymore”
Purpose Home visitation programs screen for and respond to mothers’ experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and economic stressors. However, practices and research focused on IPV for mothers enrolled in home visitation programs rarely include experiences of economic abuse, which is a type of IPV. This study explored dynamics of economic abuse for mothers in home visitation programs to further conceptual developments regarding types of econ…
Parent, Staff, and Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementation of a Housing Support Initiative in a Head Start Program
This study used a qualitative research design to investigate the key components, infrastructure, processes, and facilitators involved in the implementation of Pathways Home Early Childhood , a housing support pilot program implemented within a Head Start grantee for families facing homelessness, as well as how participating parents experienced the program. We held parent interviews, a staff focus group, and stakeholder interviews with a total of …
I Really Want to Decide
This study explores how Norwegian and Estonian primary and secondary school pupils experienced participation in decision‐making within the context of school‐based physical activity. A sample of thirty‐eight pupils, aged ten to fifteen years, participated in nine focus groups. Drawing on Hart's ladder of participation combined with Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, the analysis presents five themes. Findings revealed a discrepancy be…
Outdoor recess is associated with more positive attitudes toward physical activity among pre-adolescent students and their parents
Introduction School day structure has the potential to increase students’ physical activity (PA) levels and form positive attitudes about PA. Including various PA opportunities and free play possibilities in the school schedule, especially outdoor recess, can improve students’ moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) levels during school time. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to investigate students’ and their parents’ attitudes about outdoor reces…
Pupils’ experiences of affordances in school-based physical activity in Norway and Estonia
This study explores the experiences of physical activity (PA) among pupils in Norwegian and Estonian schools. Thirty-eight pupils from five elementary and lower secondary schools provided 66 photos of their favorite places for PA during lessons and recess and participated in nine focus group interviews. The data were reflexively thematically analyzed using Gibson's theory of affordances. The findings indicate that pupils' PA experiences were infl…
School Children’s Physical Activity and Preferred Activities during Outdoor Recess in Estonia
Studies about recess have found that children have higher physical activity (PA) during outdoor recess compared to indoor recess, and well-constructed schoolyards play an important role in stimulating PA in children. This study aimed at investigating the affordances of schoolyards and outdoor recess PA in two urban and two rural primary schools in Estonia. Schoolyards were described with the geographical mapping method, children's activities duri…
Results from Estonia’s 2022 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth
The aim of this article is to summarize the results of the 2022 Estonian Physical Activity Report Card across 10 indicators based on available scientific data and national databases, and, additionally, to compare the current results with previous Report Card results. A national expert panel, consisting of research and policy experts, identified the available sources and synthesized as well as graded relevant data related to the physical activity …
Developing a comprehensive school-based physical activity program with flexible design – from pilot to national program
This article focuses on the process of designing the vital, participatory school-based intervention program aiming to increase the physical activity in schools. The program analyzed is Estonian nationwide comprehensive physical activity program Schools in Motion (SiM) that recently received European Commission's #BeActive Education Award. The program has a good performance in terms of willingness of schools to participate in co-creation of progra…
Sexual health and Risk-Taking behaviors among New York city high school students
Few sexual health studies have examined subgroup differences in youth risk behaviors that sufficiently account for sexual orientation and gender identity. This study used 2017 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (N = 10,191), a stratified cluster-sampled survey, to examine descriptive differences in the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors, such as failing to use contraception and engaging in sexual activity while intoxicated, among oth…
Validating Fitbit Zip for monitoring physical activity of children in school
In general, the Fitbit Zip can be considered a relatively accurate device for measuring the number of steps, MVPA and sedentary time in students in a school-setting. However, in segments where sedentary time dominates (e.g. academic classes), a research-grade accelerometer should be preferred
Physical activity, sedentary time and sleep duration
Physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep duration have been associated with body composition among children. The purpose of the present study was to assess the associations of objectively determined daily physical activity, sedentary time, sleep duration and body composition indices in 10–12-year-old children. Two hundred and eleven schoolchildren (96 boys and 115 girls) aged 10.9 ± 0.7 years participated in this study. Objective physical act…
Objectively measured sedentary behaviour and moderate and vigorous physical activity in different school subjects
The long sedentary time, bout length and low MVPA in most subjects were unfavourable in respect of both health and academic achievement. Significantly increasing sedentary time and sedentary bout length in older school stages highlights the need for interventions in all subjects and especially in older grades in order to combat the inactivity of children
Objectively measured physical activity levels and sedentary time in 7–9-year-old Estonian schoolchildren
The results of present study showed that about 11 % of primary school children were engaged in PA of at least 60 min of MVPA daily. While MVPA is negatively associated with fat mass indices and positively associated with FFM regardless of different confounders, sedentary time is negatively related to FFM and positively with fat mass values after adjusting for several confounders. These results suggest that higher MVPA level and lower sedentary ti…
Early exposure to environmental chaos and children's physical and mental health
Early physical health conditions and school readiness skills in a prospective birth cohort of U.S. children
Housing costs and child functioning
Relations between housing characteristics and the well-being of low-income children and adolescents
Extant research has highlighted the importance of multiple characteristics of housing but has not comprehensively assessed a broad range of housing characteristics and their relative contributions to children's well-being. Using a representative, longitudinal sample of low-income children and adolescents from low-income urban neighborhoods (N = 2,437, ages 2-21 years) from the Three-City Study, this study assessed housing quality, stability, type…
Relationship Between Low Depressiveness and Domain Specific Physical Activity in Women
In this study we investigated how different domains of physical activity are associated with depressiveness among women, and how individual variables moderate this relationship. Participants were 956 women, and the data were collected by mail-out survey using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and International Personality Item Pool. Lower depressiveness was related to higher leisure time physical activity and …
Assessing Psychological Symptoms in Recent Immigrant Adolescents
Immigrant youth are often exposed to numerous psychosocial stressors, placing them at risk for psychological distress. Little research assesses psychopathology in this population during early stages of acculturation. This study compared student and teacher reports of psychological symptoms in a diverse sample of recently immigrated youth. Students (N = 174) attended public high schools in a northeastern city. Students and teachers independently c…
Health Inequality Among Estonian Women
In Eastern Europe, in post-Communist countries, transformations during the past 10 years have considerably affected the life of women. Our aims were to (a) examine health status and socioeconomic inequalities among Estonian women, and (b) study the relationships between women's social roles and health. A group of 659 women, aged 18-45, completed the Health Questionnaire for Adults (HQA) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Income had the l…
Relations between housing characteristics and the well-being of low-income children and adolescents
Extant research has highlighted the importance of multiple characteristics of housing but has not comprehensively assessed a broad range of housing characteristics and their relative contributions to children's well-being. Using a representative, longitudinal sample of low-income children and adolescents from low-income urban neighborhoods (N = 2,437, ages 2-21 years) from the Three-City Study, this study assessed housing quality, stability, type…
Early exposure to environmental chaos and children's physical and mental health
Assessing Psychological Symptoms in Recent Immigrant Adolescents
Immigrant youth are often exposed to numerous psychosocial stressors, placing them at risk for psychological distress. Little research assesses psychopathology in this population during early stages of acculturation. This study compared student and teacher reports of psychological symptoms in a diverse sample of recently immigrated youth. Students (N = 174) attended public high schools in a northeastern city. Students and teachers independently c…
Housing costs and child functioning
Pupils’ experiences of affordances in school-based physical activity in Norway and Estonia
This study explores the experiences of physical activity (PA) among pupils in Norwegian and Estonian schools. Thirty-eight pupils from five elementary and lower secondary schools provided 66 photos of their favorite places for PA during lessons and recess and participated in nine focus group interviews. The data were reflexively thematically analyzed using Gibson's theory of affordances. The findings indicate that pupils' PA experiences were infl…
Sexual health and Risk-Taking behaviors among New York city high school students
Few sexual health studies have examined subgroup differences in youth risk behaviors that sufficiently account for sexual orientation and gender identity. This study used 2017 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (N = 10,191), a stratified cluster-sampled survey, to examine descriptive differences in the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors, such as failing to use contraception and engaging in sexual activity while intoxicated, among oth…
Early physical health conditions and school readiness skills in a prospective birth cohort of U.S. children
Health Inequality Among Estonian Women
In Eastern Europe, in post-Communist countries, transformations during the past 10 years have considerably affected the life of women. Our aims were to (a) examine health status and socioeconomic inequalities among Estonian women, and (b) study the relationships between women's social roles and health. A group of 659 women, aged 18-45, completed the Health Questionnaire for Adults (HQA) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Income had the l…
Assessing Psychological Symptoms in Recent Immigrant Adolescents
Immigrant youth are often exposed to numerous psychosocial stressors, placing them at risk for psychological distress. Little research assesses psychopathology in this population during early stages of acculturation. This study compared student and teacher reports of psychological symptoms in a diverse sample of recently immigrated youth. Students (N = 174) attended public high schools in a northeastern city. Students and teachers independently c…
Relationship Between Low Depressiveness and Domain Specific Physical Activity in Women
In this study we investigated how different domains of physical activity are associated with depressiveness among women, and how individual variables moderate this relationship. Participants were 956 women, and the data were collected by mail-out survey using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and International Personality Item Pool. Lower depressiveness was related to higher leisure time physical activity and …
Relations between housing characteristics and the well-being of low-income children and adolescents
Extant research has highlighted the importance of multiple characteristics of housing but has not comprehensively assessed a broad range of housing characteristics and their relative contributions to children's well-being. Using a representative, longitudinal sample of low-income children and adolescents from low-income urban neighborhoods (N = 2,437, ages 2-21 years) from the Three-City Study, this study assessed housing quality, stability, type…
Housing costs and child functioning
Early exposure to environmental chaos and children's physical and mental health
Early physical health conditions and school readiness skills in a prospective birth cohort of U.S. children
Objectively measured physical activity levels and sedentary time in 7–9-year-old Estonian schoolchildren
The results of present study showed that about 11 % of primary school children were engaged in PA of at least 60 min of MVPA daily. While MVPA is negatively associated with fat mass indices and positively associated with FFM regardless of different confounders, sedentary time is negatively related to FFM and positively with fat mass values after adjusting for several confounders. These results suggest that higher MVPA level and lower sedentary ti…
Objectively measured sedentary behaviour and moderate and vigorous physical activity in different school subjects
The long sedentary time, bout length and low MVPA in most subjects were unfavourable in respect of both health and academic achievement. Significantly increasing sedentary time and sedentary bout length in older school stages highlights the need for interventions in all subjects and especially in older grades in order to combat the inactivity of children
Validating Fitbit Zip for monitoring physical activity of children in school
In general, the Fitbit Zip can be considered a relatively accurate device for measuring the number of steps, MVPA and sedentary time in students in a school-setting. However, in segments where sedentary time dominates (e.g. academic classes), a research-grade accelerometer should be preferred
Physical activity, sedentary time and sleep duration
Physical activity, sedentary time, and sleep duration have been associated with body composition among children. The purpose of the present study was to assess the associations of objectively determined daily physical activity, sedentary time, sleep duration and body composition indices in 10–12-year-old children. Two hundred and eleven schoolchildren (96 boys and 115 girls) aged 10.9 ± 0.7 years participated in this study. Objective physical act…
Sexual health and Risk-Taking behaviors among New York city high school students
Few sexual health studies have examined subgroup differences in youth risk behaviors that sufficiently account for sexual orientation and gender identity. This study used 2017 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (N = 10,191), a stratified cluster-sampled survey, to examine descriptive differences in the prevalence of risky sexual behaviors, such as failing to use contraception and engaging in sexual activity while intoxicated, among oth…
Developing a comprehensive school-based physical activity program with flexible design – from pilot to national program
This article focuses on the process of designing the vital, participatory school-based intervention program aiming to increase the physical activity in schools. The program analyzed is Estonian nationwide comprehensive physical activity program Schools in Motion (SiM) that recently received European Commission's #BeActive Education Award. The program has a good performance in terms of willingness of schools to participate in co-creation of progra…
School Children’s Physical Activity and Preferred Activities during Outdoor Recess in Estonia
Studies about recess have found that children have higher physical activity (PA) during outdoor recess compared to indoor recess, and well-constructed schoolyards play an important role in stimulating PA in children. This study aimed at investigating the affordances of schoolyards and outdoor recess PA in two urban and two rural primary schools in Estonia. Schoolyards were described with the geographical mapping method, children's activities duri…
Results from Estonia’s 2022 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth
The aim of this article is to summarize the results of the 2022 Estonian Physical Activity Report Card across 10 indicators based on available scientific data and national databases, and, additionally, to compare the current results with previous Report Card results. A national expert panel, consisting of research and policy experts, identified the available sources and synthesized as well as graded relevant data related to the physical activity …
Outdoor recess is associated with more positive attitudes toward physical activity among pre-adolescent students and their parents
Introduction School day structure has the potential to increase students’ physical activity (PA) levels and form positive attitudes about PA. Including various PA opportunities and free play possibilities in the school schedule, especially outdoor recess, can improve students’ moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) levels during school time. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to investigate students’ and their parents’ attitudes about outdoor reces…
Pupils’ experiences of affordances in school-based physical activity in Norway and Estonia
This study explores the experiences of physical activity (PA) among pupils in Norwegian and Estonian schools. Thirty-eight pupils from five elementary and lower secondary schools provided 66 photos of their favorite places for PA during lessons and recess and participated in nine focus group interviews. The data were reflexively thematically analyzed using Gibson's theory of affordances. The findings indicate that pupils' PA experiences were infl…
Pupils' participation roles in school-based physical activity in the context of physically active learning and recess
Using Hart's Ladder of Children's Participation as a theoretical lens, the study revealed age and context-specific disparities in pupils' participation roles in school-based physical activity. Pupils engaged in both informal and formal participation structures in teacher-led physically active learning and free choice recess activities, creating democratic spaces for rights of participation and the expression of choice, which need to be prioritize…
My Resources Ran Out and He Didn’t Need Me Anymore”
Purpose Home visitation programs screen for and respond to mothers’ experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and economic stressors. However, practices and research focused on IPV for mothers enrolled in home visitation programs rarely include experiences of economic abuse, which is a type of IPV. This study explored dynamics of economic abuse for mothers in home visitation programs to further conceptual developments regarding types of econ…
Parent, Staff, and Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementation of a Housing Support Initiative in a Head Start Program
This study used a qualitative research design to investigate the key components, infrastructure, processes, and facilitators involved in the implementation of Pathways Home Early Childhood , a housing support pilot program implemented within a Head Start grantee for families facing homelessness, as well as how participating parents experienced the program. We held parent interviews, a staff focus group, and stakeholder interviews with a total of …
I Really Want to Decide
This study explores how Norwegian and Estonian primary and secondary school pupils experienced participation in decision‐making within the context of school‐based physical activity. A sample of thirty‐eight pupils, aged ten to fifteen years, participated in nine focus groups. Drawing on Hart's ladder of participation combined with Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, the analysis presents five themes. Findings revealed a discrepancy be…
Understanding the Links Between Youth Homelessness and Educational Disconnection
Educational inequities are well‐documented and highly correlated with youth homelessness and educational disconnection. The aim of this paper was to document empirical associations among threats to the well‐being of young people, discuss key educational policies and programs designed to address student homelessness, and describe the US adaptation of an international school‐based prevention program, the Upstream Project, a multi‐tiered prevention …
Economic abuse dynamics and housing insecurity among mothers of young children
Economic abuse is a distinct form of intimate partner violence. This study explored the links between economic abuse, housing insecurity, and homelessness for mothers of young children. We used a sequential explanatory mixed methods design that included quantitative analysis of survey data collected from 195 mothers enrolled in home visiting programs in one Midwestern state, followed by qualitative analysis of in‐depth interviews with 33 mothers …
Medicine (18 works) · Psychology (14 works) · Physical activity (11 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (9 works) · Physical therapy (9 works) · Physical Activity and Health (7 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Children's Physical and Motor Development (6 works) · Demography (6 works) · Demography (6 works)