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- Kennedy, Beatrice, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
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Sociodemographic characteristics and COVID-19 testing rates : spatiotemporal patterns and impact of test accessibility in Sweden
- 2024
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Ingår i: European Journal of Public Health. - : Oxford University Press. - 1101-1262 .- 1464-360X. ; 34:1, s. 14-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundDiagnostic testing is essential for disease surveillance and test–trace–isolate efforts. We aimed to investigate if residential area sociodemographic characteristics and test accessibility were associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing rates.MethodsWe included 426 224 patient-initiated COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction tests from Uppsala County in Sweden from 24 June 2020 to 9 February 2022. Using Poisson regression analyses, we investigated if postal code area Care Need Index (CNI; median 1.0, IQR 0.8–1.4), a composite measure of sociodemographic factors used in Sweden to allocate primary healthcare resources, was associated with COVID-19 daily testing rates after adjustments for community transmission. We assessed if the distance to testing station influenced testing, and performed a difference-in-difference-analysis of a new testing station targeting a disadvantaged neighbourhood.ResultsWe observed that CNI, i.e. primary healthcare need, was negatively associated with COVID-19 testing rates in inhabitants 5–69 years. More pronounced differences were noted across younger age groups and in Uppsala City, with test rate ratios in children (5–14 years) ranging from 0.56 (95% CI 0.47–0.67) to 0.87 (95% CI 0.80–0.93) across three pandemic waves. Longer distance to the nearest testing station was linked to lower testing rates, e.g. every additional 10 km was associated with a 10–18% decrease in inhabitants 15–29 years in Uppsala County. The opening of the targeted testing station was associated with increased testing, including twice as high testing rates in individuals aged 70–105, supporting an intervention effect.ConclusionsEnsuring accessible testing across all residential areas constitutes a promising tool to decrease inequalities in testing.
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| 2. |
- Noreen, Erik, 1951-, et al.
(författare)
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Why small states join big wars : The case of Sweden in Afghanistan 2002–2014
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Relations. - : SAGE Publications. - 0047-1178 .- 1741-2862. ; 31:2, s. 145-168
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The security behavior of small states has traditionally been explained by different takes of realism, liberalism, or constructivism – focusing on the behavior that aims toward safeguarding sovereignty or engaging in peace policies. The issue of why states with limited military capacities and little or no military alignments or engagements decide to participate in an international mission has received limited attention by previous research. In contrast, this article argues that a three-layered discursive model can make the choices of small states more precisely explained and thereby contribute to an increased understanding of small states’ security behavior beyond threat balancing and interdependence. Analyzing a deviant case of a non-aligned small state, this article explains why Sweden became increasingly involved in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. By focusing on the domestic political discourses regarding the Swedish involvement in this mission, it is suggested that a narrative shapes public perception of a particular policy and establishes interpretative dominance of how a particular event should be understood. This dominant domestic discourse makes a certain international behavior possible and even impossible to alter once established. In the Swedish case, it is demonstrated that this discourse assumed a ‘catch-all’ ambition, satisfying both domestic and international demands. In general terms, it should thus be emphasized that certain discourses and narratives are required in order to make it possible for a country to participate in a mission such as ISAF and prolong the mission for several years.
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| 3. |
- Oriangi, George, et al.
(författare)
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Household resilience to climate change hazards in Uganda
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management. - : EMERALD GROUP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1756-8692 .- 1756-8706. ; 12:1, s. 59-73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose As climate change shocks and stresses increasingly affect urban areas in developing countries, resilience is imperative for the purposes of preparation, recovery and adaptation. This study aims to investigate demographic characteristics and social networks that influence the household capacity to prepare, recover and adapt when faced with prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events in Mbale municipality in Eastern Uganda. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional research design was used to elicit subjective opinions. Previous studies indicate the importance of subjective approaches for measuring social resilience but their use has not been well explored in the context of quantifying urban resilience to climate change shocks and stresses. This study uses 389 structured household interviews to capture demographic characteristics, social networks and resilience capacities. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis. Findings The ability of low-income households to meet their daily expenditure needs, household size, and networks with relatives and non government organizations (NGOs) were significant determinants of preparedness, recovery and adaptation to prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events. Originality/value Even the low-income households are substantially more likely to prepare for and recover from prolonged droughts or erratic rainfall events if they can meet their daily expenditure needs. This finding is noteworthy because the poorest in society are generally the most vulnerable to hazards.
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| 4. |
- Oriangi, George, et al.
(författare)
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Perceptions of resilience to climate-induced disasters in Mbale municipality in Uganda
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Hazards. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1747-7891 .- 1878-0059. ; 20:2, s. 116-131
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Resilience has been raised as a core task within disaster risk reduction frameworks, yet it remains difficult to implement these global ideas in local communities. This study used Community Based Resilience Analysis Approach to investigate the components that are perceived as important in resilience and the extent to which these components have been achieved. It explored the trend of resilience and beneficial interventions for building resilience as perceived by interviewed participants in Mbale Municipality in Eastern Uganda. The study results indicate that access to education, healthcare, employment, peace and security were the most important components of resilience. Respondents perceived to have progressed in accessing credit, building productive farms and sustaining peace and security by July 2017. However, they assessed a lack of diverse income-generating activities, access to insurance, food security, employment and health care. Moreover, the study showed that respondents from marginalised parts of the municipality experienced decreasing resilience while respondents in other divisions had increased resilience. These results provide context-specific components of resilience by the local people. This can inform the formulation of resilience indices and bear relevance for policy-makers and practitioners to understand areas to invest more resources to achieve resilience.
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