| 1. |
- Enmarker, Ingela, et al.
(author)
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Personalities and health in older cat and dog owners : A HUNT-study
- 2013
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In: Health. - : Sage Publications. - 1363-4593 .- 1461-7196 .- 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 5:9, s. 1449-1454
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this population study was to identify personality traits among older (>65 years) male and female owners of cats and dogs and to compare their general health status in relation to their personality. Further, the aim was to examine whether current cat and dog ownership could be predicted by the owners’ personality and health. Data were collected from the NorthTrøndelag Health Study (HUNT) in Norway. Included were a total of 1897 cat or dog owners between the ages of 65 years and 101 years. The results showed that there were a higher proportion of introverted male cat owners than extraverted ones. Moreover, a majority of women with cats reported that their health was not good. Furthermore, female cat owners who displayed higher scores on neurotic traits experienced significantly poorer health compared to those female cat owners that experienced good health. The same was true for female cat owners who considered themselves to be introverted. Neither personality nor health could predict pet-ownership, but it was more likely for older individuals (80 - 101 years) to own a cat than a dog. This study has shown that human personality is associated with cat and dog ownership, but there are other factors connected with pet ownership as well.
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| 2. |
- Leijon, Matti, et al.
(author)
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A weight-loss and healthy living program for men delivered in Swedish football and ice-hockey club (ViSiT): results from the ViSiT feasibility study
- 2019
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In: Health. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1363-4593 .- 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 11:10, s. 1473-1486
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Men appear less interested than women in engaging in health- promoting programs. We investigated the feasibility and proof of concept of a novel intervention program targeting male supporters of professional sports clubs. Methods: Our intervention is called ViSiT and the target population in this study was overweight male supporters aged 35 - 65 years with a body mass index ≥ 28 kg/m2, recruited through one football and one ice-hockey club. The participants (n = 22) participated in a 12-week lifestyle intervention with a 52-week follow-up. Body fat was assessed using bioelectrical imped- ance analysis. Results: The retention rate was high with 21 participants com- pleting the 12-week program and 17 attending at least 10 of 12 sessions. Mean (standard deviation) body weight and fat reduction after 12 weeks was 8.2 (4.6) kg and 6.6 (3.6) kg, respectively. At 52 weeks, body weight and fat reduction were maintained at 6.4 (6.7) kg and 4.5 (6.5) kg. Even after 52 weeks follow-up, the participants appreciated most components of the ViSiT program and per- ceived the ViSiT program to have high impact on most health-related aspects investigated. Conclusions: The ViSiT program demonstrated a successful re- tention rate and clinically relevant weight reduction in Swedish overweight men. The maintenance of bodyweight reduction and positive experience after 1 year indicate a long-term effect of the ViSiT concept.
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| 3. |
- Hellzen, Ove, 1954-, et al.
(author)
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“I screamed for help” : A single case study of one sister’s experiences with formal psychiatric care when her brother became mentally ill
- 2013
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In: Health. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1949-5005 .- 1949-4998. ; 5:3, s. 417-425
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Studies have shown that the quality of the relationship between siblings has great significance for the mentally ill sibling’s overall quality of life. Sibling relationships may be particularly impor- tant because few adults with severe mental illness have children. As parents grow older, adult children are expected to support their sibling with mental illness when their parents are no longer able to do so. The sibling relationship has the potential to be one of the most significant relationships for adults with schizophrenia. The aim of this paper is to present a case study of a sister’s experiences and needs in her contact with psychiatric care. This single case study was designed and the informant was recruited be- cause of her value in maximizing what we can learn about being a sibling to a person with mental illness. Data were collected through four in-depth, semi-structured, repeated interviews during a two-year period, and were interpreted and analyzed through content analysis. Three major topics were discussed: 1) Anna’s brother’s time with formal psychiatric care; 2) Anna’s feel- ings and emotions; and 3) Anna’s view of her contact with psychiatric care. The findings indicated a sibling’s need for attention, support, and understanding from the formal caregivers. Participation in our study was one of the first opportunities she had to talk about her relationship with formal psychiatric care. An open dialogue may help siblings to manage their situations.
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| 4. |
- Alsén, Pia, 1956-, et al.
(author)
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Men’s Experience of Difficulties during First Year Following Myocardial Infarction : Not OnlyFatigue
- 2016
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In: Health. - Irvine. Calif. : Scientific Research Publishing. - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 8, s. 1654-1667
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recovery from a myocardial infarction (MI) can be a very difficult process and some patients are also stricken by fatigue. The aim of the study was to describe the difficulties experienced by men with fatigue during the first year following their MI. The study was conducted using qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews with nine men in working age (mean age: 55 years) with verified fatigue (≥12 of 20 on the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale with a mean of 17) one year after their MI. During the first year after the MI the men suffering from fatigue experienced various difficulties in terms of both themselves and the care received. The analysis generated three themes with difficulties described by the interviewed men. 1) Going through involuntary change: not recognizing their body and the inability to recognize themselves. 2) Lacking individualized care: To be denied satisfactory health care treatment and to be denied respectful treatment. 3) Not being seen in the light of the social context: The MI affects the whole family and caregivers do not pay attention to the family. In order to make both the patient and relatives feel secure and cared for, it is essential that caregivers be aware of the importance of providing individualized care over time with particular attention for the patient’s social context.
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| 5. |
- Andrews-Chavez, Johanna, et al.
(author)
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Identifying households with low immunisation completion in Bangladesh
- 2012
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In: Health. - Irvine, USA : Scientific Research Publishing. - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 4:11, s. 1088-1097
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The objective of this study was to investigate if the mothers’ demographics and household characteristics—including type of use of cooking fuel, energy and toilet facilities—have any implication for complete immunisation rates among their children. A cross-sectional data analysis of a nationally representative sample of 4925 women with at least one child was performed. Chisquared tests and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. Immunisation coverage was positively associated with the mother’s education and with household characteristics such as toilet facility, electricity and involvement in a microfinance group. These findings indicate the need for further advocacy for increased knowledge on the importance of vaccination and affordable public immunisation programs focusing on higher risk households such as those with pit facilities, lack of electricity and no participation in a microfinance group. Such households warrant further attention and can be targeted for immunisation coverage.
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| 6. |
- Archer, Trevor, 1949, et al.
(author)
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Exercise and Dietary Restriction for Promotion of Neurohealth Benefits
- 2015
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In: Health. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 7:1, s. 136-152
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Physical exercise, whether of aerobic, endurance or resistance types, plays a central role in estab-lishing and maintaining the integrity of the brain and central nervous system (CNS). When exer-cise is adhered to in conjunction with selective food/drink intake and dietary restriction it pro-motes neurohealth. In this article, we review the interactions of age and gender, as well as insulin and diabetes, with exercise, individuals’ cognitive-affective status and its interactions with exer-cise propensity. All of which modulate the eventual outcomes of the influence of exercise upon parameters of neurohealth. The combination of exercise with dietary restriction provides nu-merous factors pertaining to psychological, neurochemical and anti-pathological manifestations of neurophysiological resilience even through aging. The challenge evoked by the exercise-diet com-bination in the body mobilizes a multitude of adaptive cellular stress-response signaling pathways in neurons involving neurotrophic factors, anti-inflammatory cytokines, DNA-repair proteins, macroautophagy, and mitochondrial biogenesis.
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| 7. |
- Areskoug Josefsson, Kristina, et al.
(author)
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Detecting decreased sexual health with MDHAQ-S
- 2013
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In: Health (Irvine). - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; :5, s. 38-47
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There are instruments that measure sexual function or sexual health for persons with RA, but since sexual health is a sensitive issue, the hypothesis is that it would be easier to have a standard questionnaire that could indicate the need for communication about sexual health issues instead of an extra questionnaire with more detailed questions on sexual health. The aim of the study is to find out whether sexual health difficulties can be screened by factors included in the MDHAQ-S for persons with RA. This study explores the relation between factors included in the MDHAQ-S and the Sexual Health Questionnaire (QSH) using a mixed methods design combining quantitative and qualitative data. The MDHAQ-S covers sexual health issues, not only by using the question on sexual health, but also on other factors included in the questionnaire such as increased pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, physical capacity, level of physical activity and body weight. To explore decreased sexual arousal, decreased sexual satisfaction and decreased sexual well-being, in-depth interviews must be held with persons with RA, either using a sexual health questionnaire or in a clinical interview.
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| 8. |
- Augustsson, Gunnar, et al.
(author)
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Utilization of Consultant Doctors’ Competence and Impact on Perceived Psychosocial Work Environment : A Pilot Study
- 2017
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In: Health. - : Scientific Research Publishing, Inc.. - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 9, s. 189-207
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Work agencies that assign temporary jobs to doctors and nurses are becoming an increasing phenomenon. Aim: The purpose of this pilot study was to explore how consultant doctors (CDs) experience their competence as utilized in practice and what impact this has on their perceived psychosocial work environment. Methods: The findings are based on 11 interviews with CDs working on consultancy assignments in Norway. The CDs were all specialists in fields such as general practice, psychiatry, anesthesia, gynecology, orthopedics, and otolaryngology. Results: The competence that the CDs contributed to their hosting work organization was interpreted differently based on whether the consultant played an active role in the psychosocial work environment and also depended on the doctor’s specialty. Not being integrated into the hosting work organization enhanced the feeling of exclusion and the idea that little or no room was available to contribute one’s competence. Most of the CDs experienced their competence as being utilized to a certain extent, which strengthened their work satisfaction and feeling of playing an active role in the psychosocial work environment.
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| 9. |
- Backe, Stefan
(author)
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Ambulance records as an information source to document and prevent fall injuries in Sweden
- 2024
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In: Health. - : Scientific Research Publishing. - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 16:7, s. 615-625
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In Sweden, there has been only limited documentation for injuries requiring ambulance responses. The main objective of this study is, through the use of historic data, to assess the suitability of ambulance records to describe circumstances with fall injuries. Methods: The injury events data around patients were sourced from the ambulance data register. Descriptive statistics were used to describe injured patients based on age group, type of injury, place of injury, injury mechanism and consequence of an injury event. Two-group comparison was performed with Pearson’s chi-squared. Predictors of transport to hospital were identified using logistic regression analyses. Result: Ambulance provides unique data on all injury events, with direct implications for translational research, public policy and clinical practice (safety promotion). In 2002 ambulance attended 3964 injured people which represents 14% of ambulance attended workload in Värmland county, Sweden. The most common trauma location was the traffic area followed by residential area and nursing home. These three injury sites account for 2320 cases (61.6%). The most common cause of injury was falls (63.9%) followed by contact with another person (26.5%). Contact with another person is the most common site of injury in the traffic area (79.5%), and men aged 25-66 years are overrepresented. Conclusion: Logistic regression found that, age-group and place code were significant predictor for being attended by ambulance. Traffic, home and nursing homes were over-represented injury environments (61.6%) that require special attention. Most injury cases occur in the home and nursing homes among people over 67 years of age. Surprisingly, most of the injury events in the traffic environment are about hitting another person. Paramedics can provide rich and valuable data on injury events. Registration of such data is entirely possible and desirable, and can be used in preventive work.
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| 10. |
- Backe, Stefan
(author)
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Type 2 Diabetes—Hard to Select a Healthy Choice
- 2024
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In: Health. - : Scientific Research Publishing. - 1949-4998 .- 1949-5005. ; 16:01, s. 1-8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: The use of foods containing high levels of sugar is increasing all the time. This is a risk factor for increased incidence of type 2 diabetes. There are few studies that have investigated the availability of low-sugar müsli products in grocery stores. Purpose: The study aims to identify which types of müsli contain high respectively low levels of sugar, and which brands are involved. Methods: The material consists of both qualitative interviews and observations from five grocery stores: City Gross, Hemköp, Ica Maxi, Stora Coop and Willy’s in Helsingborg, Sweden. The qualitative interviews had a semi-structured character and were recorded. The interviews took approx. 20 minutes and a textual analysis was conducted of the results. Data from observation was analyzed based on brand, nutritional composition and flavors, and also, where low sugar products were placed on store shelves. Results: The grocery stores provided together brands from AXA, Coop, Finax, Frebaco, Garant, ICA, Risenta, Saltå Kvarn och Urtekram, in total 24 müsli products. Of these products, 19 were high in sugar. The observation reveals that müsli products with high sugar content (17 - 29 g per 100 g müsli) are more prominently displayed than those with low sugar content. From the interviews with the store managers, it became clear that it would be valuable to highlight healthy müsli products on the shelves. However, central bureaucracy puts obstacles to such measures. Discussion: The study emphasizes the need for increased visibility of low-sugar products and proposes solutions such as negotiating with responsible person at the head office in Stockholm. Several reviews have shown that if the grocery store raises the prices of unhealthy food, the consumer is willing to purchase healthier müsli and other products. Conclusion: This study shows the need for grocery stores to upgrade healthy müsli products along with advertising to be able to influence customer’s shopping habits. Also, further research is needed how type 2 diabetes is affected by high intakes of food products with high sugar content.
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