| 1. |
- Lazarus, Jeffrey V., et al.
(författare)
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Improving African health research capacity
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1651-1905 .- 1403-4948. ; 38:6, s. 670-671
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The issue of strengthening local research capacity in Africa is again high on the health and development agenda. The latest initiative comes from the Wellcome Trust. But when it comes to capacity development, one of the chief obstacles that health sectors in the region must confront is the migration of health professionals to countries that offer more lucrative opportunities, like those in western Europe. To combat this "brain drain", already back in 1984, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) created a training programme in which healthcare professionals from Africa conducted the bulk of their research in their own countries. However, the model was only partly successful. Several years ago, we assessed the preconditions for the renewal of Sida support for research and research training activities in the region. Based on our work to develop a critical mass of beneficial research capacity in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, this article suggests several recommendations to both donors and governments that have broad application for general health research issues in the region.
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| 2. |
- Nordyke, Katrina, et al.
(författare)
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How do children experience participating in a coeliac disease screening? A qualitative study based on childrens written narratives
- 2010
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Ingår i: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. - : Sage. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 38:4, s. 351-358
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: To explore how 12-year-old Swedish children experienced being involved in a coeliac disease (CD) screening. Methods: A qualitative approach was used to analyse short narratives written by children who had taken part in a school-based CD screening. Narratives were written after blood sampling, but prior to learning of the test results. Through an oscillation between the texts, codes, subcategories and four categories, a theme was generated describing the childrens experience. Results: The theme "A Journey towards Confidence" captures the overall experience of the screening. It illustrates that, although some children faced fear or anxiety, overall they had or were provided tools allowing them to cope well and experience a journey towards confidence. The categories describe conditions that contributed to the experience. The first, being involved, reflects the importance of involvement in receiving information and deciding to participate. Being a "good citizen" refers to feeling a duty to help and a trust to be treated fairly. Being able to cope with the screening was influenced by the childrens ability to manage sensations and support received. The last category, being able to balance risk, illustrates that the children were able to balance the risks of screening when they had a realistic understanding of the disease and their vulnerability and had tamed their anxiety. Conclusions: This study increases the understanding of how 12-year-old Swedish children experienced participating in a CD screening and describes conditions important for a positive experience. We show that, although some children faced anxiety, they had, or were provided with, tools allowing them to cope well and gain confidence.
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| 3. |
- Romé, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Willingness to pay for health improvements of physical activity on prescription.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1651-1905 .- 1403-4948. ; 38, s. 151-159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: To estimate the willingness to pay for health improvements among participants in the programme "Physical Activity on Prescription". The objective was also to examine predictors such as income, education level, health status, activity level and BMI, differences for long- and short-term health effects of physical activity and differences between a high- and low-intensity activity group. METHODS: Willingness to pay (WTP) data were collected alongside a randomized, controlled trial in Sweden 2007, and 128 sedentary individuals, 20-80 years old (intervention/high-intensity group n = 71, control/low-intensity group n = 57), with lifestyle-related health problems answered open-ended questions in this contingent valuation study. RESULTS: The highest mean WTP (euro59/SEK 552) was stated for an immediate health improvement, but no significant differences compared with long-term health improvements. The high-intensity group showed higher WTP-values for all health improvements, but without significant differences compared with a low-intensity group. Regression analyses show strong associations between a higher level of education and the WTP for improved well-being and improved health, and also between income and the WTP for improved well-being. There are significant correlations between the WTP and the variables BMI, income and education level, as expected from economic theories. CONCLUSIONS: The willingness to pay for the health improvements of exercise is influenced by a higher education level, income and BMI. The highest WTP for a health outcome of physical activity is for an immediate health improvement. The results of this randomized controlled trial in primary health care may be of interest to decision makers when evaluating different approaches to promoting physical activity among people who are sedentary.
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| 4. |
- Rosvall, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Auditing patient registration in the Swedish quality register for acute coronary syndrome.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1651-1905 .- 1403-4948. ; May 4, s. 533-540
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: The present study aims to quantify non-participation in the RIKS-HIA register during 2005 and to compare acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients registered and not registered in RIKS-HIA, in relation to sociodemographic factors, prevalent disease, and 7-day and 30-day survival. METHODS: We linked information on sociodemographic characteristics, treatments, morbidity, and mortality from the LOMAS (Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis in Scania) database with the RIKS-HIA register. The study population consisted of individuals younger than 85 years living in Scania by 31 December 2004 who had one or more AMI during 2005 (n = 2968). RESULTS: The 70% of the AMI patients included in the register were generally younger, more often men, generally more healthy, more often had AMI as the main diagnosis, and more often underwent revascularisation procedures than AMI patients not included. Among both men (ORadjusted = 0.19; 95% CI 0.14-0.27) and women (ORadjusted = 0.30; 95% CI 0.20-0.44), registered patients had a lower 30-day mortality than patients not registered in RIKS-HIA. CONCLUSIONS: Even though RIKS-HIA conveys a clear quality improvement for the care of patients with acute coronary syndrome in Sweden, it is important to be aware that the register does not include the entire AMI population, but rather a selected and healthier population of AMI patients. This circumstance decreases the external validity of the information obtained from the RIKS-HIA register. Such an effect might be reduced over time and data from 2006 shows an inclusion rate of 76% among AMI patients aged less than 80 years.
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| 5. |
- Stenberg, Berndt, 1948-, et al.
(författare)
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Dermatology in public health - a model for surveillance of common skin diseases
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1651-1905 .- 1403-4948. ; 38:4, s. 368-374
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: The aim was to establish a baseline prevalence of skin conditions of public health importance in the general population and taking the validity of the questions into account. Our model is intended for future surveillance of skin conditions. Methods: The suggested questions have for the first time been used in Swedish population surveys. A random sample was taken from the general population aged 16 to 84 years of the participating areas. Results: During the past 12 months, hand eczema was reported by 9.4%, childhood eczema by 15.7% and nickel allergy by 13.7% of the population. Hand and childhood eczema questions have previously been validated. Taking the validity into account, the actual population prevalence of hand eczema (11.7%) is underestimated, and the prevalence of atopic childhood eczema (10.0%) is overestimated based on the results of the questionnaire. In addition to presenting prevalence, population survey results can be used for risk analyses. A 10-fold risk of hand eczema in individuals with childhood eczema and self-reported nickel sensitivity is shown in our study. Conclusions: Questionnaires can be used for epidemiologic surveillance so long as the questions are validated and that the validity is taken into account when estimating the occurrence of the conditions. Public health surveys such as this one lay the basis for future epidemiological surveillance of skin conditions that can be subject to interventions. We propose that these, or similar, questions should be used regularly in population surveys and supplemented by questions on skin exposure.
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