| 1. |
- Ringsberg, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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The health-line : a method for collecting data on self-rated health over time: a pilot study
- 2001
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948. ; 29:3, s. 233-239
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: There is a need for an instrument to record a life-course perspective of self-rated health. Aim: To test the ''health-line'', a simple, comprehensive method of collecting data on self-rated health over time. Method: In 1996, a questionnaire was mailed to people who in 1985 were aged between 25 and 34 years old and had a sick-leave spell >28 days with ''back diagnoses''. They were asked to rate their global health graphically with a ''health-line'' for the years 1985-95. Official data on sick leave and disability pension were obtained for the same period. In all, 37 out of 52 men and 60 out of 83 women answered; that is, they drew a health-line. Result: A statistically significant negative correlation between the mean number of absence days due to ill health and the health-line data was found for every year (r = -0.35 to -0.53; p < 0.001 ) and for the whole period 1985-95 (r = -0.546; p < 0.001) respectively. Conclusion: The method worked well and is well worth further development and testing.
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| 2. |
- Berntsson, Leeni, 1938, et al.
(författare)
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Health, economy and social capital in Nordic children aged 13-17 years and their families: changes between 1984, 1996 and 2011
- 2015
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Ingår i: International journal of healthcare. - : Sciedu Press. - 2377-7338 .- 2377-7346. ; 2:1, s. 51-61
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Three repeated cross-sectional surveys, using representative samples of children, aged 2-17 years, stratified for age and sex, were conducted in each of the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) in 1984, 1996 and 2011. The aim of the present study was to analyze how the health of Nordic 13-17 years old children developed over time, using results from the three surveys in relation to changes in economy and social capital. Methods: Data from 2,905 children in 1984, 2,922 in 1996 and 2,257 in 2011 were collected using mailed questionnaires. Indicators in three areas were used. The Health indicator was taken as absence of psychosomatic complaints. Economy was represented by social class, housing and disposable income. Social capital contained absence of bullying, the child’s organized group activities, parents playing with their children, and parents’ position of trust. Three composite indices one for each area were formed and called Health, Economy and Social Capital Index. Results: There were statistically significant increases of psychosomatic health complaints for children 13-17 years in all the Nordic countries, strongest among girls, at the same time as the economy and social capital of the families increased, particularly in the first period (1984-1996). Conclusions: In spite of the families’ growing economy and improved standard of living there is an increasingly harsh climate in society, with stress, dissatisfaction, bullying and mental health problems. It supports conclusions from other studies that only economic growth is not enough for the full wellbeing of the population. It also supports the importance of the social cohesion, affiliation and solidarity, advanced and reinforced by equitable distribution of the wealth. Social cohesion is important for schooling, on the values of self help, equity, to seek solutions for health among youths.
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| 3. |
- Berntsson, L. T., et al.
(författare)
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Swedish parents' activities together with their children and children's health: A study of children aged 2-17 years
- 2014
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 42:15 suppl, s. 41-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Nordic children's health has declined. Studies show that parents' engagement in children's leisure-time activities might provide beneficial health outcomes for children. Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the association between Swedish parents' activities together with their children, the parents' experiences of time pressure and their children's health. Methods: Data of 1461 Swedish children aged 2-17 years old that were collected in the NordChild study of 2011 were used. We analyzed physical health, diseases and disabilities, psychosomatic health and well-being, and the parents' experiences of time pressure; and we calculated the associations between parental activity together with the child and health indicators. Results: Activities that were significantly and positively associated with children's health at ages 2-17 years of age were: playing and playing games; going to the cinema, theatre, and sporting events; reading books; playing musical instruments/singing; sports activities; watching TV/video/DVD. Playing video games or computer games, driving child to activities and going for walks were significantly and positively associated at age groups 7-12 years and 13-17 years. Activities that were negatively associated with health were: surfing/blogging on the Internet, going shopping and doing homework. Parents who were not experiencing time pressures had a higher level of activity together with their children. The parental experience of time pressure was associated with work time, with less homework activity and more symptoms in children. Conclusions: The family and home are important settings for the development of children's health. We found eight parental activities together with their children that promoted the children's health. Parents' working time and their time pressure experiences affected their activities with their children. There is a need for an increased focus on parental activities that are positively associated with children's health.
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| 4. |
- Bonde, Ellen, 1968, et al.
(författare)
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Dissociation of dysfunctional breathing and odour intolerance among adults in a general-population study.
- 2013
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Ingår i: The clinical respiratory journal. - 1752-699X. ; 7:2, s. 176-182
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Many patients present with a mixture of respiratory problems such as shortness of breath, heavy breathing, coughing and odour intolerance. If these patients are diagnosed as asthma, it might sometimes be a false diagnosis. Concepts such as sensory hyperreactivity, hyperventilation, asthma-like symptoms, odour intolerance and dysfunctional breathing are used to refer to these patients. Non-respiratory symptoms such as headache, fatigue and bloating are sometimes also part of the clinical picture. Our aim was to use factor analysis to increase our understanding of breathing-related symptoms in a general-population frame. Methods: A respiratory questionnaire was answered by 10108 subjects in a general-population sample. Items aiming to identify individuals with breathing-related symptoms and asthma were included. We used factor analysis with Varimax rotation to extract discriminatory components (i.e. groups of symptoms), based on the questionnaire items. The aim was to find groups of items (factors) as distinct as possible, still allowing overlap and showing the importance of each item in the separated factor. Results: Five distinct factors were identified in the factor analysis, representing dysfunctional breathing, odour intolerance, asthma, bronchitis and a group with mixed symptoms, respectively. These five factors explained 55% of the variance. Conclusions: Based on our findings, we conclude that non-asthmatic breathing-related symptoms may be separated into at least two categories in a general population, odour intolerance and dysfunctional breathing. These two categories seem to be two distinct groups of subjects with breathing-related symptoms and may represent different clinical entities separated from asthma and bronchitis. Please cite this paper as: Bonde E, Andersson E, Brisman J, Eklöf M, Ringsberg KC and Torén K. Dissociation of dysfunctional breathing and odour intolerance among adults in a general-population study. Clin Respir J 2012; DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-699X.2012.00299.x.
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| 5. |
- Callréus, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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Self-reported recreational exercise combining regularity and impact is necessary to maximize bone mineral density in young adult women : A population-based study of 1,061 women 25 years of age.
- 2012
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Ingår i: Osteoporosis International. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1433-2965 .- 0937-941X. ; 23:10, s. 2517-2526
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recreational physical activity in 25-year-old women in Sweden increases bone mineral density (BMD) in the trochanter by 5.5% when combining regularity and impact. Jogging and spinning were especially beneficial for hip BMD (6.4-8.5%). Women who enjoyed physical education in school maintained their higher activity level at age 25. INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of recreational exercise on BMD and describe how exercise patterns change with time in a normal population of young adult women. METHODS: In a population-based study of 1,061 women, age 25 (±0.2), BMD was measured at total body (TB-BMD), femoral neck (FN-BMD), trochanter (TR-BMD), and spine (LS-BMD). Self-reported physical activity status was assessed by questionnaire. Regularity of exercise was expressed as recreational activity level (RAL) and impact load as peak strain score (PSS). A permutation (COMB-RP) was used to evaluate combined endurance and impacts on bone mass. RESULTS: More than half of the women reported exercising on a regular basis and the most common activities were running, strength training, aerobics, and spinning. Seventy percent participated in at least one activity during the year. Women with high RAL or PSS had higher BMD in the hip (2.6-3.5%) and spine (1.5-2.1%), with the greatest differences resulting from PSS (p < 0.001-0.02). Combined regularity and impact (high-COMB-RP) conferred the greatest gains in BMD (FN 4.7%, TR 5.5%, LS 3.1%; p < 0.001) despite concomitant lower body weight. Jogging and spinning were particularly beneficial for hip BMD (+6.4-8.5%). Women with high-COMB-RP scores enjoyed physical education in school more and maintained higher activity levels throughout compared to those with low scores. CONCLUSION: Self-reported recreational levels of physical activity positively influence BMD in young adult women but to maximize BMD gains, regular, high-impact exercise is required. Enjoyment of exercise contributes to regularity of exercising which has short- and long-term implications for bone health.
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| 6. |
- Crondahl, Kristine, 1973-
(författare)
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Towards Roma Empowerment and Social Inclusion Through Work-Integrated Learning
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Roma people are the largest ethnic minority group in the EU and all over, they have been subject to prejudice, stigma, discrimination and oppression. Thus, Roma are the most economically and socially excluded and marginalized group in Europe. The Roma living in Sweden are no exception; many are on the margins of society and face problems of social exclusion, institutional discrimination, low education, unemployment, and poor objective health. The Roma have been treated as a helpless group in need of "expert" help and action from the authorities. They have usually not been permitted to actively participate in adjusting efforts to their needs and situation. An alternative approach to the Roma situation is to allow the Roma to take the leading role and to initiate processes and activities concerning the group.These were the foundations for the 3-year health promotion project based on participatory action research (PAR) initiated in West Sweden in 2009. Through work-integrated learning(WIL) and the principle of training the trainers, the purpose of the programme was to strengthen Roma empowerment and participation in society, enabling Roma-led integration.The overall aim of the PhD thesis was to analyse and elaborate a WIL model to be applied inempowerment and adult education for the Roma minority- and other vulnerable groups in similar situation. The thesis is based on five papers: Paper 1 aimed to examine how 14 Roma adolescents in West Sweden perceive the concepts of health, well-being and quality of life, and further, to investigate the degree to which theyconsider themselves able to cope with their own life situation within these areas. The data, comprising six interviews, was analysed through qualitative content analysis. The most common understanding of health and well-being was to feel good, secure, happy and having awide social network of family and friends. Health and well-being were considered in a collective perspective, thus controversy earlier studies, the respondents perceived their health and well-being to be good. Freedom, independency, education and employment were the most important elements of QoL. Social support was the most frequently used coping strategy.The Roma adolescents preferred the tight relationship within the Roma community and associated mostly with Roma, a phenomenon previously referred to as homophily. The processof homophily seemed to be a salutogenic factor and a general resistant resource of the Roma adolescents and hence health-enhancing. Homophily was suggested as a determinant factor of health.Paper 2 aimed to explore how Roma people in West Sweden understand health, well-being,and quality of life, and how they cope with their life-situation. The data, consisting of 27 interviews (n = 33), were analysed qualitatively using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach. The findings indicated that the respondents perceived health as a resource and an ability to self-manage. Crucial elements of the respondents' health perception were being employed, having an education, social support from family and friends, freedom and security,and involvement in society. The findings demonstrated that the respondents perceived their health and life situation as good, despite being marginalized and discriminated. A possible explanation to this is what the respondents described as survival strategies. As a result of decenniums of oppression, the Roma have developed survival strategies helping them to cope with the situation and to survive. Paper 3 aimed to analyse whether there is connection between health literacy and empowerment. The paper is based on a literature search conducted in December 2013. Of the total 303 initial hits, no articles primarily addressing the issue were found; yet five articles were identified taking up on both health literacy and empowerment, hence reviewed in more detail. The five articles acknowledged a nexus between health literacy and empowerment, though the nexus itself was never discussed in specific. The paper suggests that for health literacy to be critical to empowerment, the focus has to be on social determinants of health and the involved individuals', groups and/or communities perceptions on health and health needs defined by themselves. Such a perspective will build on the genuine needs of the people in concern. The paper proposes functional- and interactive health literacy as another way to label capacity building for health and empowerment, and critical health literacy as a way to describe empowerment. Hence, health literacy might be regarded as a tool for empowerment. Health literacy is considered not to automatically lead to empowerment. Health literacy as such might be increased by health education. Crucial for empowerment is to achieve the critical level of health literacy including an ability to question the prevailing power relations and societal conditions and reflecting on these, a strengthened sense of power, self-esteem and self efficacyand an ability to utilize these resources to engage in social and political action for change.Paper 4 aimed to explore how participatory action research (PAR) and work integrated learning (WIL) might function as empowering tools in the Roma inclusion process and to propose a working model to use in empowerment of the Roma minority- and other vulnerable groups in similar situation. The data were collected and produced continuously during the project and consisted of interviews, self-evaluation reports and written essays by the seven Roma participants, participatory observations, research groups' workshop notes, 21 monthly project reports, the project plan, syllabus of the WIL training programme and notes from ajoint planning workshop. The data were considered as a whole and analysed in a triangulating fashion using hermeneutical understanding inspired by heuristic research. Through improved abilities to mobilise the local Roma community for social change, the participants' critical health literacy improved, allowing them to experience a greater control over their own lives and integration processes. The results indicate an increased empowerment of the local coordinators indicating that WIL may be a worthwhile approach in strengthening the individual empowerment of Roma people. Based on the findings, health literacy was suggested as a catalyst in the empowerment process, serving as a tool for analyzing and describing the process of empowerment.Paper 5 aimed to analyse the health promotion project from the Roma participants' perspective. The focus was on the participants' perceived individual empowerment and perceptions on their contribution to the common good and community empowerment. The data, consisting of interviews and self-evaluation reports of the Roma participants,participatory observations, newspaper articles with interviews of the participants and 21 monthly reports, were analysed through an approach that comes closest to hermeneutical phenomenology. The findings indicate that the WIL approach, the participating nature of the programme, and the trust and support from both the Roma and the non-Roma facilitators, were essential for the development of empowerment. Three main themes emerged portraying the participants' psychological empowerment: strengthened Roma identity, sense of power and sense of enculturated social inclusion. Sense of enculturated social inclusion demonstrated the participants "new" way of understanding social inclusion; turning social inclusion from something they feared to something they embraced. As the participants realized that social inclusion would not require them the let go of their Roma identity and culture, their Roma identity was strengthened, they became more hopeful, felt more in control and felt generally better. Despite of limited time and resources for local community directed activities, the participants perceived that improvements were achieved at the local level. In conclusions, the findings indicate that when based on the specific health needs of the people involved, basic/functional- and interactive health literacy together comprise the same idea as capacity building for health that might lead to empowerment. What found to be essential for the Roma local coordinators development of empowerment was the combination of the WIL approach, the participatory nature of the project, the trust and support from the non-Roma facilitators and Roma colleagues, and the perception of being respected as human beings and as equals. The local coordinators empowerment consisted of strengthened Roma identity, sense of power and sense of enculturated social inclusion. This indicates that the suggested WIL model/approach, comprising a participatory approach with health literacy as a tool may be a worthwhile strategy in empowering Roma people and enhancing their self-led social inclusion process. A possible road for Roma self-led integration, hence, might be through a process of enculturated social inclusion. This may also be the case for other vulnerable groups in similar situations. Further research and interventions are needed however, in order to elaborate and verify WILs' potential and sustainability in empowering other minority- and vulnerable groups
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| 7. |
- Daly, Robin M., et al.
(författare)
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Association Between Changes in Habitual Physical Activity and Changes in Bone Density, Muscle Strength, and Functional Performance in Elderly Men and Women
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. - : Wiley. - 0002-8614 .- 1532-5415. ; 56:12, s. 2252-2260
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate the long-term effects of habitual physical activity on changes in musculoskeletal health, functional performance, and fracture risk in elderly men and women. Ten-year prospective population-based study. Malmo-Sjobo Prospective Study, Sweden. Participants were 152 men and 206 women aged 50, 60, 70, and 80 who were followed for 10 years. Distal radius bone mineral density (BMD) (single photon absorptiometry), upper limb muscle (grip) strength, balance, gait velocity, occupational and leisure-time activity, and fractures (interview-administered questionnaire) were reassessed after 10 years. Annual changes for all measures were compared between participants with varying habitual physical activity histories at baseline and follow-up: inactive-inactive (n=202), active-inactive (n=47), inactive-active (n=49), and active-active (n=60). Data for men and women were pooled, because there were no sex-by-activity group interactions. To detect possible differences in fracture incidence between the varying habitual activity groups, participants were classified into two activity groups based on their activity classification at baseline and follow-up: inactive:less active versus active:more active. The annual rate of bone loss was 0.6% per year less in individuals classified as active at both time points than in those classified as inactive at both time points (P <.01). Similar results were observed for balance, but there was no effect of varying habitual activity on changes in muscle strength or gait velocity. There were also no differences in fracture incidence between individuals categorized as active:more active and those categorized as inactive:less active during the follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio=0.90, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.42-1.90). This study showed that elderly men and women who maintained a habitually active lifestyle over 10 years had lower bone loss and retained better balance than those who remained habitually inactive.
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| 8. |
- Daniels, Karen, et al.
(författare)
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Preschool children´s healthy lifestyles: South African parents´and preschool staff perceptions.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Health Education Journal. - : SAGE Publications. - 0017-8969 .- 1748-8176. ; 75:8, s. 897-910
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract Background: The worldwide growth of non-communicable diseases requires important lifestyle adaptations. The earlier a healthy lifestyle is adopted, the better. Enabling a healthy lifestyle for children during the preschool years ideally involves the cooperation of parents and teachers. Health promotion with parents and teachers is most effective if it takes into consideration their views and opinions, as well as context. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of health and healthy lifestyle from the perspective of preschool children’s parents, and the staff caring for children attending preschools in three diverse settings. Design: Qualitative in-depth study. Setting: Preschools in Western Cape Province, South Africa. Method: Data were collected through six focus group discussions and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Parents and staff shared a holistic view of health, agreeing that children and their health were primarily the responsibility of the parents. Informants described their own health and that of children as affected by a variety of interconnected factors, including environmental, economic, social and individual influences. Conclusion: When tailoring a health-promoting education programme, it is important to consider the pre-existing knowledge the participants have and the context in which intervention will take place. There is also a need to structurally address social determinants of health that may be beyond the control of the individuals. Keywords Healthy lifestyles, preschool children, preschool parents, preschool staff, South Africa.
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| 9. |
- Eklund Karlsson, Leena, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
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Work-integrated learning and health literacy as catalysts for Roma empowerment and social inclusion: A participatory action research
- 2019
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Ingår i: Action Research. - : SAGE Publications. - 1476-7503 .- 1741-2617. ; 17:4, s. 549-572
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Roma people all over the world have often been subject to prejudice, stigma, discrimination and oppression. Many Roma have little or no education, which in combination with other factors often leads to unemployment and marginalization. Based on a case study in Sweden, this paper proposes an approach that can be used in participatory projects aiming at improving the living situation of marginalized people. In such an approach, the Roma themselves would be the leaders in all activities concerning the group. The first aim of this paper is to describe how health literacy and work-integrated learning functioned as empowering tools for a Roma-led inclusion process within a participatory action research framework. The second aim is to discuss and reflect on the use of participatory action research in community work with Roma based on the experiences of the participatory action research participants. The findings indicate that work-integrated learning may be a worthwhile approach for increasing the individual empowerment and self-led social inclusion of vulnerable people. However, the obstacles of structural discriminatory nature hindered the project to reach its full potential in its intended emancipatory goals.
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| 10. |
- Ekstrand, Elisabeth, et al.
(författare)
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The physiotherapy clinical outcome variables scale predicts length of hospital stay, discharge destination and future home facility in the acute comprehensive stroke unit.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine. - : Medical Journals Sweden AB. - 1651-2081 .- 1650-1977. ; 40:7, s. 524-528
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were: to follow the course of recovery of motor function following acute stroke, as assessed by the Physiotherapy Clinical Outcome Variables Scale (COVS), and; to investigate the ability of this instrument to predict length of hospital stay, discharge destination and future home facility. METHODS: In this prospective longitudinal study, COVS was registered at admission and discharge from an acute stroke unit and at 3 months post-stroke onset. SUBJECTS: Sixty subjects were recruited consecutively from a sample of patients after first-ever acute stroke, and of these, 50 received follow-up assessment. OUTCOME VARIABLES: Length of hospital stay, discharge destination and home facility 3 months post-stroke. RESULTS: The overall COVS scores increased significantly during the 3-month follow-up. The admission COVS score correlated negatively with length of stay. A cut-off at 50 points and 41 points could predict discharge destination and future home facility, respectively. CONCLUSION: COVS measures improvements and can predict length of hospital stay, discharge destination and future home facility. Thus, it could be used in early prediction for effective planning of the acute stroke unit services and efficient discharge planning.
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