| 1. |
- Ek, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Physical Activity and Mobile Phone Apps in the Preschool Age: Perceptions of Teachers and Parents
- 2019
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Ingår i: JMIR mhealth and uhealth. - : JMIR Publications. - 2291-5222. ; 7:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:Physical activity (PA) is already beneficial at the preschool age. In many countries, young children spend most of their days in the preschool setting, making it a common arena for PA interventions. Mobile health tools are becoming increasingly popular to promote PA in different populations; however, little is known about the interest for and how the preschool setting could incorporate such a tool.OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to examine how teachers and parents perceive PA in preschool-aged children in general and their perceptions of how a mobile phone app could be used to promote PA in the preschool setting.METHODS:Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 teachers (93%, [14/15] women, mean age 43.5 years, 47%, [7/15] with a university degree and 10 parents [91%, 9/10] women, mean age 38.9 years, all with a university degree) recruited from 2 urban preschools in central Sweden. The interviews were recorded, fully transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis by means of an inductive approach.RESULTS:The analysis revealed 4 themes: (1) children are physically active by nature, (2) the environment as a facilitator or a barrier, (3) prerequisites of the adult world, and (4) an app in the preschool setting-challenges and possibilities. Parents and teachers perceived preschoolers as being spontaneously physically active; however, high-intensity PA was perceived as low. The PA was specifically performed during the day in the preschool. Identified facilitators of PA were access to safe and engaging outdoor environments such as forests, spacious indoor areas, and adult involvement. Adult involvement was considered especially important for children preferring sedentary activities. Identified barriers for PA were restricted indoor and outdoor space, rules for indoor activities, and lack of adult involvement because of time constraints. The teachers perceived that they had limited skills and experiences using apps in general, although they also acknowledged the increasing role of technological tools in the curriculum. Thus, the teachers expressed an interest for an app designed as a support tool for them, especially for situations when PA was limited because of perceived barriers. They suggested the app to include accessible information regarding the health benefits of PA in children linked to a library of activities for different settings and seasons. Parents suggested interactive app features including problem-solving tasks and music and dance, but not video clips as they made children passive.CONCLUSIONS:Vigorous PA was perceived as low in preschool-aged children. Future tailoring of interventions in the preschool setting should work around barriers and support facilitators to PA, especially PA of high intensity. In such work, an app could serve as a source of inspiration for PA in different ages, settings, and seasons and thus reduce environmental and structural inequalities in the preschool setting.
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| 2. |
- Ek, Stina, et al.
(författare)
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Predicting First-Time Injurious Falls in Older Men and Women Living in the Community : Development of the First Injurious Fall Screening Tool
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. - : Elsevier BV. - 1525-8610 .- 1538-9375. ; 20:9, s. 1163-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The aim of this study was to create a screening tool to predict first-time injurious falls in community-living older men and women. Design: Longitudinal cohort study between 2001 and 2009. Setting: The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), Sweden. Participants: Community-living older adults (n = 2808; 1750 women and 1058 men) aged >= 60 years (mean age 73, standard deviation 10.3). Measurements: The outcome was injurious falls within 5 years from baseline survey. Data on the risk factors for falls were collected through interviews, clinical examinations, and tests at baseline. Several previously established fall risk factors were identified for the development of the screening tool. The tool was formulated based on the beta coefficients from sex-specific multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. The discriminative power was assessed using Harrell C statistic. Results: Old age, living alone, being dependent in instrumental activities of daily living, and impaired balance were the factors included in the final score of the First Injurious Fall (FIF) screening tool. The predictive values (Harrell C statistic) for the scores were 0.75 for women and 0.77 for men. The sensitivity and specificity at the Youden cut-off points were 0.69 and 0.70 for women, and 0.72 and 0.71 for men. Conclusions and Implications: The FIF screening tool for first injurious fall in older persons consists of 3 questions and a physical test (5-second 1-leg standing balance with eyes open). Quick and easy to administer, it could be ideal for use in primary care or public health to identify older men and women at high fall risk, who may benefit from primary preventive interventions.
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| 3. |
- Ek, Stina
(författare)
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Predictors and consequences of injurious falls among older adults : a holistic approach
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The field of research on falls among older adults is well studied. Despite this, there are some knowledge gaps that need to be addressed: 1) research studying injurious falls, as opposed to any falls; 2) knowledge on sex differences, and specific risk profiles for injurious falls; 3) development of an effective screening tool for community-dwelling older adults, that can detect people at risk of first-time falls, who may be targeted by preventive interventions; and 4) what factors influence the risk of losing independence, in a long-term perspective, after an injurious fall. The purpose of this thesis is to fill these gaps through the following aims: to detect risk profiles of injurious falls among older adults, to enable early detection of those at risk, and to examine the long-term consequences of fall injuries on everyday function. To reach these aims we used data from the ongoing population-based, Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K). These are our main findings: The results from Study I indicate that risk factors for injurious falls tend to cluster within individuals, forming specific risk profiles, rather than appearing one by one. It is possible to predict elevated fall risk up to 10 years in advance and it also seems possible to distinguish groups of people at different levels of risk. In Study II we concluded that women and men share risk factors in many cases, but the levels of significance vary between the sexes. A few risk factors indeed seem to be sex specific. We also concluded that short-term (0–3 years) and longterm (4–10 years) risk factors differ, distinguishing specific acute and long-term risk profiles. We developed a screening tool for first time injurious falls in Study III, consisting of: age, cohabitation status, IADL dependency, and a balance test. Scores on the screening tool were weighted according to sex-stratified coefficients. The predictive value (measured with Harrell’s C statistics) of the scores were 0.75 and 0.77, for women and men, respectively. To be able to predict first time fallers up to 5 years in advance opens up for the possibility of primary prevention alongside with secondary prevention for recurrent fallers. With Study IV, we showed that sociodemographic and health related factors (living alone, physical inactivity, and self-rated poor health) measured before an injurious fall modified disability trajectories up to 12 years after baseline. These results enable identification of extra vulnerable fallers, who might need extra rehabilitation and attention after an injurious fall, with the goal to maintain independence. In conclusion, the results of this thesis suggest that 1) it might be more appropriate to study fall risk profiles, rather than risk factors in isolation; 2) risk factors for injurious falls may differ by sex and length of follow-up; 3) we created a screening tool for first time injurious falls, that is easy and quick to administer and has the possibility to predict falls up to 5 years in advance; and 4) sociodemographic and health related factors may help to identify extra vulnerable fallers, who might need extra rehabilitation and attention after an injurious fall, to maintain independence.
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| 4. |
- Ek, Stina, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors for functional decline after an injurious fall : a population-based cohort study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1594-0667 .- 1720-8319. ; 33, s. 2183-2190
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The functional consequences of injurious falls are well known. However, studies of the factors that can modify trajectories of disability after an injury from a fall are scarce.Aims We aimed to investigate whether sociodemographic and health-related factors may impact this association.Methods The study population consisted of 1426 community-dwelling older adults (>= 60 years) from the SNAC-K cohort study in Stockholm, Sweden. Functional status over 12 years of follow-up was assessed using the number of limitations in basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Sex, cohabitation status, physical activity, and self-rated health were assessed at baseline. Injurious falls were defined as falls requiring healthcare and were assessed over 3 years starting at baseline. Data were analyzed using linear-mixed effects models.Results The fastest increase in the number of disabilities was observed in those who had endured an injurious fall and were living alone (beta coefficient = 0.408; p < 0.001), been physically inactive (beta coefficient = 0.587; p < 0.001), and had poor self-rated health (beta coefficient = 0.514; p < 0.001). The negative impact of these factors was more pronounced among fallers compared to non-fallers.Discussion Living alone, being physically inactive, and having poor self-rated health magnifies the negative effect of an injurious fall on functional status. Among individuals who endure an injurious fall, the heterogeneity in long-term functional status is substantial, depending on the individuals' characteristics and behaviors.Conclusions These findings emphasize the need for a person-centered approach in care provision and can guide secondary prevention within health care.
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| 5. |
- Ek, Stina, et al.
(författare)
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Risk Factors for Injurious Falls in Older Adults : The Role of Sex and Length of Follow-Up
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of The American Geriatrics Society. - : Wiley. - 0002-8614 .- 1532-5415. ; 67:2, s. 246-253
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To identify sex-specific associations between risk factors and injurious falls over the short (<4 years) and long (4-10 years) term.DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study between 2001 and 2011.SETTING: Swedish National Study on Aging and Care, Kungsholmen, Sweden.PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older (N = 3,112).MEASUREMENTS: An injurious fall was defined as a fall that required inpatient or outpatient care. Information was collected on participant and exposure characteristics using structured interviews, clinical examinations, and physical function tests at baseline.RESULTS: The multivariate model showed that, in the short term, living alone (hazard ratio (HR)=1.83, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.13-2.96), dependency in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (HR=2.59, 95% CI=1.73-3.87), and previous falls (HR=1.71, 95% CI=1.08-2.72) were independently associated with injurious falls in women. Low systolic blood pressure (HR=1.96, 95% CI=1.04-3.71), impaired chair stands (HR=3.00, 95% CI=1.52-5.93), and previous falls (HR=2.81, 95% CI=1.32-5.97) were associated with injurious falls in men. Long-term risk factors were underweight (HR=2.03, 95% CI=1.40-2.95), cognitive impairment (HR=1.49, 95% CI=1.08-2.06), fall-risk increasing drugs (HR=1.67, 95% CI=1.27-2.20 for >= 2 drugs), and IADL dependency (HR=1.58, 95% CI=1.32-5.97) for women and smoking (HR=1.71, 95% CI=1.03-2.84), heart disease (HR=2.20, 95% CI=1.5-3.24), impaired balance (HR=1.68, 95% CI=1.08-2.62), and a previous fall (HR=3.61, 95% CI=1.98-6.61) for men.CONCLUSION: Men and women have different fall risk profiles, and these differences should be considered when developing preventive strategies. Some risk factors were more strongly predictive of injurious falls over shorter than longer periods and vice versa, suggesting that it may be possible to identify older men and women at short-and long-term risk of injurious falls.
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| 6. |
- Ek, Stina, et al.
(författare)
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Risk Profiles for Injurious Falls in People Over 60 : A Population-Based Cohort Study
- 2018
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Ingår i: The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1079-5006 .- 1758-535X. ; 73:2, s. 233-239
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Although falls in older adults are related to multiple risk factors, these factors have commonly been studied individually. We aimed to identify risk profiles for injurious falls in older adults by detecting clusters of established risk factors and quantifying their impact on fall risk. Methods: Participants were 2,566 people, aged 60 years and older, from the population-based Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen. Injurious falls was defined as hospitalization for or receipt of outpatient care because a fall. Cluster analysis was used to identify aggregation of possible risk factors including chronic diseases, fall-risk increasing drugs (FRIDs), physical and cognitive impairments, and lifestyle-related factors. Associations between the clusters and injurious falls over 3, 5, and 10 years were estimated using flexible parametric survival models. Results: Five clusters were identified including: a healthy, a well-functioning with multimorbidity, a well-functioning, with multimorbidity and high FRID consumption, a physically and cognitively impaired, and a disabled cluster. The risk of injurious falls for all groups was significantly higher than for the first cluster of healthy individuals in the reference category. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) ranged from 1.71 (1.02-2.66) for the second cluster to 12.67 (7.38-21.75) for the last cluster over 3 years of follow-up. The highest risk was observed in the last two clusters with high burden of physical and cognitive impairments. Conclusion: Risk factors for injurious fall tend to aggregate, representing different levels of risk for falls. Our findings can be useful to tailor and prioritize clinical and public health interventions.
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| 7. |
- Ek, Weronica, et al.
(författare)
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Mapping QTL affecting a systemic sclerosis-like disorder in a cross between UCD-200 and red jungle fowl chickens.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Developmental and comparative immunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-0089 .- 0145-305X. ; 38:2, s. 352-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Systemic sclerosis (SSc) or scleroderma is a rare, autoimmune, multi-factorial disease characterized by early microvascular alterations, inflammation, and fibrosis. Chickens from the UCD-200 line develop a hereditary SSc-like disease, showing all the hallmarks of the human disorder, which makes this line a promising model to study genetic factors underlying the disease. A backcross was generated between UCD-200 chickens and its wild ancestor - the red jungle fowl and a genome-scan was performed to identify loci affecting early (21 days of age) and late (175 days of age) ischemic lesions of the comb. A significant difference in frequency of disease was observed between sexes in the BC population, where the homogametic males were more affected than females, and there was evidence for a protective W chromosome effect. Three suggestive disease predisposing loci were mapped to chromosomes 2, 12 and 14. Three orthologues of genes implicated in human SSc are located in the QTL region on chromosome 2, TGFRB1, EXOC2-IRF4 and COL1A2, as well as CCR8, which is more generally related to immune function. IGFBP3 is also located within the QTL on chromosome 2 and earlier studies have showed increased IGFBP3 serum levels in SSc patients. To our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal a potential genetic association between IGFBP3 and SSc. Another gene with an immunological function, SOCS1, is located in the QTL region on chromosome 14. These results illustrate the usefulness of the UCD-200 chicken as a model of human SSc and motivate further in-depth functional studies of the implicated candidate genes.
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| 8. |
- Frisendahl, Nathalie, et al.
(författare)
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Can the 1-Leg Standing Test Be Replaced by Self-reported Balance in the First-Time Injurious Fall Screening Tool?
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1539-8412 .- 2152-0895. ; 46:2, s. 103-109
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Purpose: The First-time Injurious Fall (FIF) screening tool was created to identify fall risk in community-living older men and women, who may be targets for primary preventive interventions. The FIF tool consists of 3 self-reported questions and 1 physical test (1-leg standing balance). The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive ability of the FIF tool and a modified FIF tool (in which 1-leg standing is replaced by self-reported balance) for first-time injurious falls.Methods: A cohort of 1194 community-living people 60 years and older from the Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K), Sweden, was followed longitudinally for 5 years. Data on injurious falls were collected from registered data and were defined as receipt of care after a fall. The predictive ability of the FIF tool and the m-FIF tool was explored using Harrell's C statistic, stratified by sex.Results and Discussion: The injurious fall rate per 1000 person-years was 54.9 (95% CI: 47.22-63.78) for women and 36.3 (95% CI: 28.84-45.78) for men. The predictive ability for women and men according to Harrell's C statistic was 0.70 and 0.71 for the FIF tool and the m-FIF tool. The predictive ability was 0.70 and 0.69 for 1-leg standing, and 0.65 and 0.60 for self-reported balance problems.Conclusions: The m-FIF tool presented similar predictive ability as the FIF tool regarding first-time injurious falls. This finding could extend the usefulness of the tool to other settings, such as to electronic health (eHealth). A quickly and easily administered screening tool can help physical therapists to identify people with a high risk of falling who may need to undergo a more comprehensive fall risk assessment.
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| 9. |
- Frisendahl, Nathalie, et al.
(författare)
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Predictive Performance of the FIF Screening Tool in 2 Cohorts of Community-Living Older Adults
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. - : Elsevier. - 1525-8610 .- 1538-9375. ; 21:12, s. 1900-1905
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: The First-time Injurious Fall (FIF) screening tool was created to identify fall risk in communityliving older adults who may benefit from primary preventive interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive performance of the FIF tool in 2 cohorts of older adults. Design: Longitudinal cohort study. Setting and Participants: The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Skane (SNAC-S) and Blekinge (SNAC-B), Sweden. Community-living people aged >= 60 years (n = 2766). Methods: Nurses and physicians collected data in the 2 cohorts through interviews and testing. Data on injurious falls were collected from register data and were defined as receipt of care after a fall. The FIF tool, consisting of 3 questions and 1 balance test, was examined in relation to injurious falls for up to 5 years of follow-up using Cox proportional hazards models. The predictive performance of the FIF tool was further explored using Harrell C statistic and Youden cut-off for sensitivity and specificity. Results: The hazard ratios (HRs) of an injurious fall in the high-risk group for women and men were 3.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.53, 5.73) and 5.10 (95% CI 2.57, 10.12) in SNAC-S and 4.45 (95% CI 1.86, 10.61) and 32.58 (95% CI 4.30, 247.05) in SNAC-B compared with those in the low risk group. The sensitivity and specificity of the Youden cut-off point (3 or higher for high-risk) were 0.64 and 0.69 for women and 0.68 and 0.69 for men in SNAC-S, and 0.64 and 0.74 for women and 0.94 and 0.68 for men in SNAC-B. The predictive values (Harrell C statistic) for the scores for women and men were 0.73 and 0.74 in SNAC-S and 0.72 and 0.89 in SNAC-B. Conclusions and Implications: Our results suggest that the FIF tool is a valid tool to use for prediction of first-time injurious falls in community-living older adults. (C) 2020 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
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| 10. |
- Lindqvist, Anna-Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Active School Transportation in Winter Conditions: Biking Together Is Warmer
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 16:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There has been a decline in children’s use of active school transportation (AST) while there is also limited research concerning AST in winter conditions. This study aimed to explore the prerequisites and experiences of schoolchildren and parents participating in an empowerment- and gamification-inspired intervention to promote students’ AST in winter conditions. Methods: Thirty-five students, who were aged 12–13 years, and 34 parents from the north of Sweden participated in the study. Data were collected using photovoice and open questions in a questionnaire and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The results show that involvement and togetherness motivated the students to use AST. In addition, during the project, the parents changed to have more positive attitudes towards their children’s use of AST. The students reported that using AST during wintertime is strenuous but rewarding and imparts a sense of pride. Conclusion: Interventions for increasing students’ AST in winter conditions should focus on the motivational aspects for both children and parents. For overcoming parental hesitation with regards to AST during winter, addressing their concerns and empowering the students are key factors. To increase the use of AST all year around, targeting the challenges perceived during the winter is especially beneficial.
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