| 1. |
- Eurenius, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Maternal and paternal self-rated health and BMI in relation to lifestyle in early pregnancy: The Salut Programme in Sweden
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - Stockholm : Taylor & Francis. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 39:7, s. 730-741
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: This study’s aim was to increase knowledge about maternal and paternal self-rated health and body mass index in relation to lifestyle during early pregnancy. Methods: Study subjects were expectant parents visiting antenatal care (2006—07) as part of the Salut Programme in northern Sweden. During early pregnancy, 468 females and 413 male partners completed questionnaires. The questions addressed sociodemography, self-rated general health, weight and height, satisfaction with weight, and lifestyle, such as dietary habits, physical activity, sleeping pattern, and alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. Results: Most rated their general health as good, very good, or excellent, although women less often than men (88% and 93%). The sex difference was more prominent when restricting the comparison to self-rated health being very good or excellent - 49% of the women compared to 61% of the men. Being overweight or obese was common (53% of the men and 30% of the women). Few participants fulfilled the national recommendations with respect to a health-enhancing lifestyle; this was somewhat more common for women than men. Expectant parents with normal body mass index and vigorous physical activity were more likely to have very good or excellent self-rated health. Conclusions: Most expectant parents perceived their general health as good, although this perception was less for women than men. Being overweight and having a non-health-enhancing lifestyle were more common for men than women. Thus, there is need for more powerful health-promoting interventions for expectant parents.
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| 2. |
- Hammarström, Anne, et al.
(författare)
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It´s no surprise! Men are not hit more than women by the health consequences of unemployment in the Northern Swedish Cohort
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 39:2, s. 187-193
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: Research often fails to ascertain whether men and women are equally hit by the health consequences of unemployment. The aim of this study was to analyze whether men’s self-reported health and health behaviour were hit more by unemployment than women’s in a follow-up of the Northern Swedish Cohort.Methods: A follow-up study of a cohort of all school leavers in a middle-sized industrial town in northern Sweden was performed from age 16 to age 42. Of those still alive of the original cohort, 94% (n = 1,006) participated during the whole period. A sample was made of participants in the labour force and living in Sweden (n = 916). Register data were used to assess the length of unemployment from age 40 to 42, while questionnaire data were used for the other variables.Results: In multivariate logistic regression analyses significant relations between unemployment and mental health/smoking were found among both women and men, even after control for unemployment at the time of the investigation and indicators of health-related selection. Significant relations between unemployment and alcohol consumption were found among women, while few visits to a dentist was significant among men.Conclusions: Men are not hit more by the health consequences of unemployment in a Swedish context, with a high participation rate of women in the labour market. The public health relevance is that the study indicates the need to take gendered contexts into account in public health research.
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| 3. |
- Landstedt, Evelina, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Deliberate self-harm and associated factors in 17-year-old Swedish students
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 39:1, s. 17-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) in young people is an important public health issue. To prevent DSH, more knowledge is needed about its prevalence and associated contextual factors in community samples of adolescents. Aims: To determine the prevalence of deliberate self-harm in 17-year-old Swedish students and to explore the association of demographic variables, psychological distress, experiences of violence, and school-related factors with DSH. Methods: Data were derived from a cross-sectional study in which 17-year-old students completed questionnaires during school hours (n=1,663; 78.3%). The variables used in this analysis are as follows: deliberate self-harm, demographic variables, psychological distress, experiences of violence, and school-related factors. Data were analysed using chi-squared statistics and logistic regression. Results: The lifetime prevalence of DSH was 17%, and it was more common among girls (23.3%) than boys (10.5%). There were considerable socioeconomic differences in reports of DSH. Psychological distress was strongly associated with DSH in both boys and girls, as were experiences of bullying, sexual harassment, physical violence and sexual assault. Social support, safety and academic factors in school were related to reports of DSH in both girls and boys. There were some gender differences with respect to which factors were associated with DSH. Conclusions: Deliberate self-harm is common and more frequently reported by girls than boys. Psychological distress, experiences of different types of violence, and school-related factors (academic, social and safety-related), should be considered risk factors for DSH in young people. Findings can be applied to health-promotion policy and interventions in various contexts, for example schools.
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| 4. |
- Malmberg, Gunnar, 1957-, et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal data for interdisciplinary ageing research. Design of the Linnaeus Database
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 38:7, s. 761-767
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rationale: To allow for interdisciplinary research on the relations between socioeconomic conditions and health in the ageing population, a new anonymized longitudinal database - the Linnaeus Database - has been developed at the Centre for Population Studies at Umea University. This paper presents the database and its research potential. Design: Using the Swedish personal numbers the researchers have, in collaboration with Statistics Sweden and the National Board for Health and Welfare, linked individual records from Swedish register data on death causes, hospitalization and various socioeconomic conditions with two databases - Betula and VIP (Vasterbottens Intervention Programme) - previously developed by the researchers at Umea University. Whereas Betula includes rich information about e. g. cognitive functions, VIP contains information about e. g. lifestyle and health indicators. Population and sample size: The Linnaeus Database includes annually updated socioeconomic information from Statistics Sweden registers for all registered residents of Sweden for the period 1990 to 2006, in total 12,066,478. The information from the Betula includes 4,500 participants from the city of Umea and VIP includes data for almost 90,000 participants. Both datasets include cross-sectional as well as longitudinal information. Potential: Due to the coverage and rich information, the Linnaeus Database allows for a variety of longitudinal studies on the relations between, for instance, socioeconomic conditions, health, lifestyle, cognition, family networks, migration and working conditions in ageing cohorts. Conclusions: By joining various datasets developed in different disciplinary traditions new possibilities for interdisciplinary research on ageing emerge.
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| 5. |
- Nordin, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Sleep discontinuity and impaired sleep continuity affect transition to and from obesity over time : results from the Alameda county study.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : Sage. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 38:2, s. 200-207
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: To investigate the impact of development in sleep continuity on transition to and from obesity over time. METHOD: The study used self-reported sleep and body mass index (BMI) measures from the 1965, 1974, 1983, and 1994 waves of the longitudinal Alameda County Study. Sleep continuity was assessed by a question on whether the participants had any troubles falling or staying asleep. Change in sleep and BMI were estimated from the sleep and BMI questions in 1965 and 1994 respectively. Multinomial regression analyses were used to examine the risk/chance for a transition to and from obesity (BMI >or=30 kg/m(2)) due to development in sleep continuity. RESULTS: After adjustment for confounding variables, consistent sleep discontinuity both increases the risk for a transition to obesity and reduces the chance of losing weight, whereas impaired sleep continuity lowers the chance for weight loss. Effects for obesity were non-significant for those with improved sleep continuity. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent sleep discontinuity and impaired sleep continuity increases the risk of transition to obesity or of remaining obese.
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| 6. |
- 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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| 7. |
- Nygren, Karina, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Norm compliance and self-reported health among Swedish adolescents
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 39:1, s. 44-50
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: This study examines the relationship between norm compliance and self-reported health in adolescents, and how this differs between genders. Our specific aim was to investigate if extremely high norm compliance revealed any particular health patterns. Methods: This empirical study used a web-based survey from 2005, which was distributed to all students (n = 5,066) in years 7—9 of compulsory school within six municipalities in northern Sweden. The respondents answered questions about their general health as well as specific health problems such as headaches, stomach ache, sleeping difficulties and stress. Compliance was measured according to different norm-related behaviour, such as truancy, crime and use of tobacco, alcohol and narcotics. Results: The majority of respondents reported good health and norm-compliant behaviour. Girls reported more health problems than boys, a difference that increased with age. Those who were more norm compliant reported better health, fewer somatic complaints and less stress, which goes against our initial hypothesis that extremely high norm compliance and self-reported ill-health are related. There seemed to be a stronger relationship between self-reported health and norm compliance for girls than boys, in absolute terms. Conclusions: The results clearly show a relationship between norm compliance and health, and suggest inequalities between genders.
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| 8. |
- Reine, Ieva, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Is participation in labour market programmes related to mental health? : results from a 14-year follow-up of the Northern Swedish cohort
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 39:1, s. 26-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: There is a lack of empirical studies assessing the possible impact of active labour market programmes (ALMP) on health. The aim of this study was to analyze whether participation in ALMP, in contrast to being unemployed and not participating in ALMP (UNALMP), was related to mental health at different ages. Methods: The study was carried out in a medium-sized industrial town in the north of Sweden. The cohort, consisting of all 1,083 pupils who attended or should have attended the last year of compulsory school in 1981, was followed up at the ages of 16, 18, 21 and 30. Data on 381 individuals at age 21, and 281 at age 30 were used in the study. The main health measurement was psychological symptoms among participants of ALMP in contrast to UNALMP at ages 21 and 30, and was analyzed by propensity score matching method (PSM) and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Generally, ALMP had higher scores of psychological symptoms than UNALMP. Nevertheless, participation in ALMP was not related to mental health. Due to methodological shortages our results have to be interpreted with caution. Adjustment for either all background selection variables or the propensity score in multivariate logistic regression showed similar associations, suggesting that propensity score could be used to adjust for background selection variables. Conclusions: There is a need for more well-designed studies, using a theoretical framework, within the field, that are based on larger samples.
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| 9. |
- 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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| 10. |
- Waenerlund, Anna-Karin, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Is temporary employment related to health status? : Analysis of the Northern Swedish Cohort.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : Sage Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 39:5, s. 533-539
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate whether temporary employment was related to non-optimal self-rated healthand psychological distress at age 42 after adjustment for the same indicators at age 30, and to analyze the effects of jobinsecurity, low cash margin and high job strain on this relationship.Methods: A subcohort of the Northern Swedish Cohortthat was employed at the 2007 follow-up survey (n¼907, response rate of 94%) was analyzed using data from 1995 and 2007questionnaires.Results: Temporary employees had a higher risk of both non-optimal self-rated health and psychologicaldistress. After adjustment for non-optimal self-rated health at age 30 and psychological distress at age 30 as well as forsociodemographic variables, the odds ratios decreased but remained significant. However, after adjustment for job insecurity,high job strain and low cash margin the odds ratio dropped for non-optimal self-rated health but remained significant forpsychological distress.Conclusions: Temporary employment may have adverse effects on self-rated health andpsychological health after adjustment for previous health status and sociodemographic variables. Our findingsindicate that low cash margin and job insecurity may partially mediate the association between temporaryemployment and health status.
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