| 1. |
- Andersson, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Improved Physical Capacity in a Project with Guided Physical Activity for Persons with Depression or Anxiety.
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Higher physical capacity is correlated with increased health. Knowledge in this area regarding psychiatric diseases is sparse. Purpose: The aim was to study aerobic and several strength capacities in a physical activity project for persons with depression or anxiety. Methods: Eighty-four persons (56 women and 28 men) with depression or anxiety were recruited from psychiatric out-patient clinics in Stockholm. Their mean age and BMI was 46 (21-80) years and 26 (17-41) kg/m2, respectively. 50% were sick-listed. 50% had BMI>25. Aerobic and strength tests were chosen by each subgroup´s project leaders. Directed physical activity was given, in groups 10-15, 1 hour twice/week during 8-12 weeks. Results: Significant changes (p<0.05, of all n=84) between pre- and post tests were seen in submaximal cycle test (11% enhanced values, n=56) and distance of 6 minutes walk test (16%, n=15) as well as in strength tests for the back for the back (i.e. time in static horizontal belly-back, 40%, n=44), abdominal and hip flexors (i.e. number of hip flexion sit-ups, 45%, n=38), leg (i.e. standing with 90O in hips and knees, 48%, n=56) and arm with shoulder muscles (i.e. number of raising weights alternately with the arms, 46%, n=32). Hand grip tests, BMI or blood pressure values did not change significantly. Conclusions: Directed 8-12 weeks physical activity programs can improve physical fitness in individuals with depression or anxiety.
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| 2. |
- Brundell-Freij, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Accepting charging : a matter of trusting the effects?
- 2009
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The public typically considers urban congestion to be a serious problem. In the scientific community it is considered basic knowledge that pricing is often the only effective way to mitigate such congestion. However, implementation of congestion charging continues to meet hard resistance from the public, and politicians continue to rule out that policy option referring to lack of public acceptance. Many authors have explained the paradox by the public?s (layman) suspicion that charging would not be effective and not reduce congestion. From a number of implemented schemes, we also know that once they have experience from (the effects of) charging, the public tend to change to more positive, which seems to support the hypothesis that lack of experience and erroneous subjective predictions of effects causes ?the problem?.To analyse the hypothesized causal link this study explores how the (i)attitudes towards congestion charging in Stockholm and (ii)the expectancy/understanding of the effects of charging (co-)varied over time and between individuals in the Stockholm public during different phases of the implementation process: before (autumn 2005) and during the Trial (spring 2006), and after permanent introduction of charging (autumn 2007).For the analyses, we have employed ordinal logit models. This allows us to draw conclusions on the simultaneous relation(s) between acceptance on one hand and individual background characteristics, personal experience and understanding of effects on the other. One of the many advantages with the analytical approach employed is that it allows us to control for, for example, car ownership in the analyses of gender differences in attitudes and predicted effects ? which has given new insights compared to the one-dimensional analyses presented earlier.A brief summary of results: The differences between men and women in attitudes and understanding of congestion charging are negligible when difference in car availability is taken into account. The frequently discussed difference between inner city inhabitants and people living in the regional periphery, too, turns out to be largely explained by differences in car ownership.When experience is gained, people do indeed trust that charging mitigates congestion to a higher extent than they did before: Those that agree that ?congestion charges will decrease [have decreased] the queues to and from the inner-city? is a significantly larger proportion of the population during the Trial, than they were before. Also in accordance with previous results, the attitudes towards the charges became more positive after introduction. This was a continuous process over time, so that attitudes were more positive during the Trial than before, and even more positive after permanent introduction than they were during the Trial. However, the results clearly show that the change in attitudes was much stronger, and continued over a longer period of time, than what could be explained by the learning effect leading to a better understanding of the effects on congestion.Thus, based on our results, our understanding of which the influential factors are behind the observed effect from experience on attitudes to charging, has to be modified. The mechanisms clearly go beyond ?demonstrating? that charging may effectively mitigate congestion, which is the reason most commonly given in the literature so far.Our results have important policy implications for which arguments that can be expected to be most effective in building public acceptance for charging, and which subpopulations that are most likely to be influenced by such argumentation.
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| 3. |
- Eklund, Lina, et al.
(författare)
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Time to play : the rationalization of leisure time
- 2012
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 2012 iConference. - New York : Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). - 9781450307826 ; , s. 145-151
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study explores how rationalization logic and rationalization processes influence digital gaming by looking at how players value and manage the time they spend on games. The study is framed in a discussion of leisure time, critical theories of computation and rationalization theory. Qualitative interview data is used in an inductive and phenomenology inspired approach. The results show two frames of understanding of gaming. First, games are perceived as media products and playing as a waste of time. Secondly, digital gaming is a hobby, a social activity highly valued within the framework of a rational time economy. We conclude that even though we are seeing a rationalization of leisure time in gaming, that rationalization process must be understood in the context of individualization within the new network society. This means that players are involved in a 'rational individualization' process where their management of leisure time and gaming activities are part of an ongoing identity project.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Jonsson, Anna C., 1967-, et al.
(författare)
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Stratified Climate Vulnerability Analysis for HEat Waves in a Swedish City : Who is vulnerable and why?
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Climate change is causing an increasing number of extreme climate events, such as floods, landslides and heat waves. Although all will be affected, exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity vary among different population segments and the effects will be disproportionally distributed in a society. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how factors related to the exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity shape the vulnerability of different populations segments. It qualitatively explores how key stakeholders in municipalities perceive and construct social vulnerability in relation to climate change with a specific focus on thermal comfort (i.e. heat waves). Earlier literature on natural hazard vulnerability and social vulnerability has identified a number of factors that explains variance between different populations segments and differences in morbidity. We seek to understand how the planning and operational staff in municipalities, and the vulnerable themselves, understand social vulnerability and which adaptation responses at different levels they identify. Thus, the top-down approach from earlier literature is triangulated with a bottom-up approach.
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| 6. |
- Strenn, Nina, 1984, et al.
(författare)
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Associations between NFKB and NFKBIL1 polymorphisms and autistic-like traits in a Swedish population of twins
- 2014
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Ingår i: 29th World Congress of the International College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP), 22-26 June 2014; Vancouver, Canada.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Objectives Autism spectrum disorders are a complex group of neurodevelopmental disorders which are characterized by impairments in social interactions and both verbal and nonverbal communication. The immune system has been suggested to be of importance for the development of neuropsychiatric symptoms; for example, elevated levels of cytokines and the inflammation-related transcription factor nuclear factor kappa-B (NFKB) have been reported in autistic individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate possible associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NFKB and NFKB inhibitor-like protein 1 (NFKBIL1) and autistic-like traits in a Swedish population of twins. Methods The subjects in this study (n=12426, 9-12 years old) are from “The Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden” (CATSS). Their parents participated in a telephone interview where the children were assessed by the Autism-Tics, ADHD, and Other Comorbidities Inventory (A-TAC) where autistic-like traits are measured using a continuous scale. DNA was extracted from saliva samples and polymorphisms were genotyped. Statistical analyses were performed in the SAS 9.3 (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC) softwear. Results Four out of the five investigated SNPs (NFKB: rs4648022; NFKBIL1: rs2230365, 2239797 and rs2857605) showed significant associations with the A-TAC total autistic-like traits score. Conclusions To our best knowledge, polymorphisms in the genes encoding NFKB and NFKBIL1 have not been studied previously in relation to autism. These proteins may be involved in neuronal development and our findings support the hypothesis of the immune system being important in the aetiology of neuropsychiatric symptoms.
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| 7. |
- Taube, Jill, et al.
(författare)
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Improved perceived health and scored depression with a physical activity project.
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Physical activity programs have shown a positive effect on health but also on depression that increases worldwide. Purpose: The purpose was to study perceived health and rated depression score with a physical activity project for persons with diagnosed depression or anxiety. Methods: Eighty-four persons (56 women, 28 men) with depression or anxiety disorders, recruited from psychiatric out-patient clinic participated. Mean age and BMI were 46 (21-80) yrs and 26 (17-41) kg/m2, respectively. Guided physical activity was given, in groups of 10-15, 1 hour twice a week for 8-12 weeks. Results: A significant improvement (p<0.05*) was seen regarding perceived physical health, several aspects of mental health and waking up thoroughly rested. Depression score significantly improved, both self-rated (PHQ-9, n=55) and by experts (MADRS, n=13), expect PHQ-9 for those with overweight. Conclusions: The project showed that patients with depression and anxiety can improve, in addition to increased physical activity level, both their perceived physical and several aspects of mental health and also depression score by joining a physical activity program.
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