Hannakaisa Niela-Vilen
Docent, PhD, RM
hmniel@utu.fi Kiinamyllynkatu 10 Turku ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/orcid.org/0000-0002-8646-6551 |
Areas of expertise
Breastfeeding, breastfeeding support, midwifery, maternity care, pregnancy experience, birth experience, stigma of obesity
Breastfeeding, breastfeeding support, midwifery, maternity care, pregnancy experience, birth experience, stigma of obesity
Biography
I'm currently working as a university lecturer at the Department of Nursing Science, University of Turku. My main research interests are in maternity care and midwifery: my current research projects focus on breastfeeding support, pregnancy and birth experiences and the stigma of obesity. I am part of department's research group called Intelligent Health. I coordinate the international issues at the Departments. I am leading The Finnish Association of Nursing Research HTTS during the years 2024-2025. Further, I lead the Baltic Sea Region Network in Personalized Health Care, which aims to enhance doctoral education in health sciences at the area.
My PhD was completed in 2016 after a 4-year-position in Finnish National Doctoral Programme in Nursing Science, supported by Academy of Finland and University of Turku. During my postdoctoral phase, I spent two months at the University of California as a visiting researcher. Before my academic career, I have worked seven years as a midwife in the delivery ward in Turku university hospital. I was graduated as a midwife in 2002 (Turku university of applied sciences).
Research
Breastfeeding, breastfeeding support, midwifery, maternity care, pregnancy experience, birth experience, stigma of obesity, health promotion of women
Teaching
Research methodology, qualitative analysis, research seminars, thesis supervision
Publications
- Circadian rhythm of heart rate and heart rate variability in pregnancy (2025)
- npj Women's Health
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Effectiveness of supporting lifestyle change in pregnant mothers with obesity through the wearable internet-of-things (SLIM) -intervention on self-efficacy in weight management in pregnant women : A quasi-experimental trial (2025)
- Midwifery
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - The association between exclusive breastfeeding and quality of care and maternal factors in a tertiary maternity hospital in Finland: A cross-sectional study (2025)
- Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - ‘Breastfeeding exclusivity, difficulties, and support in the first days after hospital discharge : A correlational study’ (2024)
- European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Impact of Physical Activity on Quality of Life During Pregnancy: A Causal ML Approach (2024)
- Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Internet-based breastfeeding peer support for breastfeeding parents : An integrative review (2024)
- Journal of Advanced Nursing
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - Journey toward Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative designation: Healthcare professional's view on successful implementation process and maintenance of accreditation (2024)
- Midwifery
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Preterm birth risk stratification through longitudinal heart rate and HRV monitoring in daily life (2024)
- Scientific Reports
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Comparing prenatal and postpartum stress among women with previous adverse pregnancy outcomes and normal obstetric histories: A longitudinal cohort study (2023)
- Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Connected puerperium in Portugal : a digital system for an integrative postpartum care (2023) Proceedings of the International Conferences on ICT, Society, and Human Beings 2023, ICT 2023; and e-Health 2023, EH 2023; Connected Smart Cities 2023, CSC 2023; and Big Data Analytics, Data Mining and Computational Intelligence 2023, BigDaCI 2023 Leite Carla V, Shrbaji, Tala Al, Niela-Vilen Hannakaisa, Oliveira Ana Patrícia, Oliveira Rita
(A4 Refereed article in a conference publication ) - Exclusive breastfeeding, breastfeeding problems, and maternal breastfeeding attitudes before and after the baby-friendly hospital initiative: A quasi-experimental study (2023)
- Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Kattava kokonaisuus Pohjoismaista yhteistyötä. Kätilön kirjahylly (2023)
- Kätilölehti
(D1 Article in a professional journal) - Koetaanko imetyksen tukeminen hyvinvointialueilla tärkeäksi? (2023)
- Turun Sanomat
(E1 Popularised article) - Maternal Social Loneliness Detection Using Passive Sensing Through Continuous Monitoring in Everyday Settings: Longitudinal Study (2023)
- JMIR Formative Research
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Perhelähtöinen hoito synnyttäneiden osastolla vanhempien ja henkilökunnan arvioimana ennen ja jälkeen Vanhemmat Vahvasti Mukaan -koulutuksen (2023)
- Hoitotiede
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Prospective longitudinal comparative study showed that breastfeeding outcomes were comparable in preterm twins and singleton infants (2023)
- Acta Paediatrica
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Supporting lifestyle change in obese pregnant mothers through the wearable internet-of-things (SLIM) -intervention for overweight pregnant women: Study protocol for a quasi-experimental trial (2023)
- PLoS ONE
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Syntyvyyden lisäämiseksi kannattaisi huolehtia myös synnyttäneistä (2023)
- Turun Sanomat
(E1 Popularised article) - Vapaaehtoisen lapsettomuuden monenlaiset polut (2023)
- Kätilölehti
(D1 Article in a professional journal) - Weight stigma in maternity care (2023)
- Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal)



