| 1. |
- Seiterö, Anna, 1982-
(author)
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mHealth Targeting Physical Activity, Diet, Alcohol, and Smoking among Swedish High School Students : Processes and Outcomes of a Multiple Health Behavior Change Intervention (LIFE4YOUth)
- 2024
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Effective health promotion and disease prevention strategies are required to achieve societies where preventable diseases are effectively prevented. Physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and tobacco use are all determinants for high-prevalent diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. The cumulative risk of multiple health risk behaviors exceeds the combined risk of each individual behavior. Because health behaviors are formed during childhood and adolescence and occur in clusters that overall affect health, interventions targeting multiple health behaviors in these populations may have a lasting impact on public health. Schools are important for health promotion and disease prevention in children and adolescents. Nevertheless, the literature indicates that school-based interventions that involve school staff to address health-risk behaviors tend to be short-term projects due to barriers that impede long-term implementation. Mobile phones can provide resources for adolescents to promote their health, such as health applications and short text messages that do not rely on school personnel. However, more research is required to better understand whether stand-alone mobile phone-delivered interventions that target multiple health behaviors are a viable way to encourage health-promoting behaviors in adolescents.Aim: This thesis aims to gain knowledge about health behavior change among Swedish high school students, including the use and effects of an mHealth intervention (LIFE4YOUth) targeting four health behaviors (physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking). The overall aim was addressed through four sub-studies, which specifically aimed to: identify and describe how high school students perceive health behavior change and how mobile phones are used in the process of change (Paper I), explore how high school students understand, interpret, and apply the content of LIFE4YOUth and describe consequences on psychological resources relevant to behavior change (Paper II), investigate explanations for engagement among high school students with access to LIFE4YOUth (Paper III), and estimate the two- and four-month effectiveness of LIFE4YOUth on individual health behaviors (physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking) compared to a waiting list control condition (Paper IV).Intervention: The LIFE4YOUth intervention gave participants four-month access to weekly prompts for recording health behaviors and receiving feedback based on national guidelines, a four-module interactive dashboard with content structured around two main questions: why change and how to change health behaviors, and text message services for each targeted behavior.Methods: All studies were conducted between 2019 and 2023 and included approximately 800 students from high schools all over Sweden. Two studies had a qualitative approach, with data collected through focus groups (Paper I) and individual interviews with "think aloud" techniques (Paper II). Data were analyzed using thematic analysis (Paper I) and qualitative content analysis (Paper II). One study (paper III) had a mixed-methods design with data collected from participants in the intervention arm of the LIFE4YOUth trial. The analysis included statistical analyses, qualitative content analysis, and qualitative comparative analysis. Finally, a two-armed randomized controlled trial (1:1) with an intervention group and a waiting list control group was enrolled (Paper IV). Data was collected through web-based questionnaires at baseline and after two and four months. All primary outcomes were analyzed using regression models with inferences drawn from Bayesian analysis and null hypothesis testing.Results: The process of health behavior change was understood as a learning process facilitated by independence, an open approach, and self-acceptance while striving for social ideals such as togetherness with friends. Participants engaged with LIFE4YOUth to varied extent, which can be explained by varied interest in behavior change, experiences with the intervention, and circumstances in their social environment. Most participants responded to the weekly prompts in ≤ 2 out of 16 weeks, with 58% engaging with the intervention at least once. The dashboard content had the potential to provide participants with insights that facilitate health behavior change, but participants understood, interpreted, and applied the content in varied ways depending on whether they deliberately acknowledged their interpretation of concepts, took their prior knowledge into consideration to comprehend what was not explicitly outlined, and placed themselves in the center by accounting for their personal needs when interacting with the content.After two months, the intervention group participants had on average 50 minutes more of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week compared with the control group participants (95% CI = -0.19; 99.73, probability of effect = 97.4%, P=.05), and on average 0.32 more daily portions of fruits and vegetables (95% CI = 0.13; 0.53, probability of effect = 99.9%, P=.001). Furthermore, the probability of effect on weekly consumption of sugary drinks was 86% (IRR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.73; 1.1, P=.29) and 94% on monthly frequency of heavy episodic drinking (IRR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.55; 1.07, P=.14). The evidence for effect was weaker after four months. There was no marked evidence for an effect on weekly alcohol consumption or smoking cessation.Conclusion: The findings of this thesis indicate that the LIFE4YOUth intervention can raise Swedish high school students’ awareness of their health behaviors, encourage them to change their health-risk behaviors, and facilitate their process of adopting new behaviors. Nonetheless, the intervention’s potential may vary depending on high school students' interest in and cognitive processing of the intervention content. The strongest evidence for effect was on the weekly time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity and the daily number of portions consumed of fruit and vegetables. These findings should encourage further research to gain more robust evidence on whether and how stand-alone mHealth multiple behavior change interventions are effective in promoting healthy behaviors among adolescents.
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| 2. |
- Thunborg, Charlotta, 1965-
(author)
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Exploring dementia care dyads' person transfer situations from a behavioral medicine perspective in physiotherapy : development of an assessment scale
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Individuals who suffer from severe dementia require assistance when performing activities of daily living. The highly important person transfer situation is influenced by complex, intertwined biopsychosocial factors that are related to the expression of personal, environmental and behavioral variables, which can interfere with the performance of dementia-care dyads' transfer situations.The overall aim of this study was to leverage a behavioral medicine perspective in physiotherapy to explore, intervene in, and develop an assessment scale for problematic person transfer situations including persons with dementia and the interaction with the caregiver in these transfer situations.Interviews were performed with ten caregivers who were recruited to two focus groups and worked in a special care unit for persons with dementia; interviewees described their experiences pursuant to assisting persons with dementia in transfer situations (I).Literature review and video recordings elicited 93 possible items for the new scale. Expert opinions and item-content validity index reduced the number of items to 17 that spanned two areas. Eight items related to the actions of persons with dementias, whereas nine related to caregiver actions. The feasibility testing of the scale in eight person transfer situations showed that the scale was ready for inter- and intra-rated reliability testing (II). Inter- and intra- rater reliability was good (III). In two single-case experimental design studies, the new scale was shown to contribute to a substantial gathering of data on behaviors in care dyads' person transfer situations (IV). In summary, the results of the thesis show that person transfer situations in dementia special care units are influenced by different biopsychosocial factors and that the new assessment scale can support decision-making about treatment strategies. These findings are important in promoting evidence-based behavior change strategies that can facilitate both sets of individuals—i.e., both persons with dementia and caregivers—in transfer situations. The results highlight important research issues that merit attention in future studies.
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| 3. |
- Elvén, Maria, 1973-
(author)
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Clinical reasoning focused on clients’ behaviour change in physiotherapy : Development and evaluation of the Reasoning 4 Change instrument
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- With the recognition of the impact of lifestyle behaviours on health and the evidence of incorporating behavioural considerations in physiotherapy, there is a need to advance the clinical reasoning of physiotherapists. Clinical reasoning encompasses the thinking and decision-making processes guiding client management and is a core competency of physiotherapists. Enabling clinical reasoning advancements requires investigations in practice and education, which in turn require robust assessments. The overall aim of this thesis was to develop and evaluate an instrument to study physiotherapy students’ clinical reasoning focused on clients’ activity-related behaviour and behaviour change.In study I, a conceptual model was developed based on exploration of existing research, theory and views of physiotherapists and students. The data resulted in the clinical reasoning model focused on clients’ behaviour change with reference to physiotherapists (CRBC-PT). Studies II and III included instrument development and evaluation in four phases. Phase 1 included determination of the instrument structure and item generation based on the CRBC-PT model, evidence in clinical reasoning assessment and existing measures. Phase 2 included cognitive interviews with students to assess item understanding and resulted in revisions of item problems and approval of feasibility. Phase 3 included a Delphi study with physiotherapists with expertise in behavioural medicine to evaluate item relevance. The findings demonstrated a high level of consensus regarding content relevance. The final version of the Reasoning 4 Change (R4C) instrument included four domains, namely, Physiotherapist, Input from client, Functional behavioural analysis, and Strategies for behaviour change. In phase 4, the reliability and validity of the instrument were evaluated. Physiotherapists with expertise in behavioural medicine and students responded to the web-based R4C instrument and the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists. The analyses showed excellent inter-rater reliability, satisfactory construct validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. In study IV, final-semester students (n=151) from all physiotherapy programmes in Sweden completed the R4C instrument. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted with three dependent variables, namely, input from client, functional behavioural analysis, and strategies for behaviour change. All included independent variables explained 37% of the variance in input from client. Cognitive and metacognitive skills explained 22%, attitudes 15% and curriculum with behavioural medicine competencies 3%. Only the variable curriculum with behavioural medicine competencies explained the variance in functional behavioural analysis (4%) and strategies for behaviour change (5%).In conclusion, the in-depth description of clinical reasoning focused on clients’ behaviour change may contribute to expanded understanding of the complexity and multidimensionality in reasoning processes that incorporate factors related to human behaviours, analyses of what factors motivate or hinder behaviours, and interventions to support behaviour change. Such knowledge is valuable for the teaching of and learning clinical reasoning. The R4C instrument helps fill the need for well-tested instruments and can support investigations and evaluations in physiotherapy education and research. To develop students’ clinical reasoning competence, cognitive and metacognitive skills, positive attitudes and the incorporation of behavioural medicine competencies into physiotherapy curricula should be targeted. Further attention to complex reasoning, including analysis and intervention, is warranted.
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| 4. |
- Fritz, Johanna, 1974-
(author)
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Implementation of a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy : Determinants, clinical behaviours, patient outcomes and the implementation process
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Current research shows that a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy increases the ability to participate in daily activities and decreases sick leave in patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain. A behavioural medicine approach means that the physiotherapist systematically considers biopsychosocial factors of importance for the patient's activity and participation. Active patient involvement is central, and behaviour change techniques are used. One in seven of the patients in primary health care suffers from persistent musculoskeletal pain. Therefore, primary health care needs to implement a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy. However, the implementation of new methods is challenging. It is important to increase the knowledge about how to implement a behavioural medicine approach into physiotherapy clinical practice to make recommended treatment available to more patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain. The overall aim of this thesis was therefore to develop and evaluate methods for supporting the implementation of a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy for patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain.In study I, determinants of using a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy were identified using a qualitative multiple-case study design. An implementation intervention was developed based on these determinants and on theoretical assumptions regarding behaviour change and learning. The implementation intervention was tested in a quasi-experimental trial for six months and evaluated by focusing on physiotherapists' clinical behaviour changes in study II and the effects on patients' health in study III. In study IV, a process evaluation was conducted with a mixed methods design to explain the impact mechanisms of the implementation intervention. Altogether, 28 physiotherapists, 159 patients and three managers participated in the project.The determinants identified in study I were associated with the physiotherapist, the patient and the workplace. An implementation intervention was developed based on these determinants and on assumptions in the social cognitive theory, the constructivist learning theory, and the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework. The implementation intervention consisted of outreach visits, peer coaching, educational materials, individual goalsetting, video feedback, self-monitoring in a diary, the stimulation of manager support and an information leaflet for patients. Immediately after the implementation period, the physiotherapists significantly changed their clinical behaviour, but these changes were not sustained. The patients treated by these physiotherapists achieved no further health improvement compared to a control group. Outreach visits, peer coaching, educational material and individual goalsetting were perceived by the physiotherapists as the most useful methods and supported the implementation through multiple learning methods, action planning, processing experiences, synergy effects with self-efficacy beliefs, and extrinsic motivation.In conclusion, this thesis contributes to an increased understanding of the complexity regarding what affects the implementation of a behavioural medicine approach in physiotherapy and the promising methods and their impact mechanisms that support this implementation. A distinction between achieving clinical behaviour changes and sustaining these changes is highlighted. This implies that an implementation intervention needs to support both factors in order for the implementation of a behavioural medicine approach to benefit the patients. The thesis also illustrates how combined theoretical perspectives can inform an implementation intervention in physiotherapy in a useful way.
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| 5. |
- Arkkukangas, Marina
(author)
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Evaluation of the Otago Exercise Programme with or without motivational interviewing : Feasibility, experiences, effects and adherence among older community-dwelling people
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Falls and injuries related to falls are one of the most common health problems among older people and are becoming increasingly more frequent. Regular exercise has been identified as one of the most effective fall-prevention activities for older people; however, awareness of the impact of exercise programmes and adherence to recommended exercise among the elderly population is generally low. Research examining how an exercise programme is administered to and experienced by elderly community-dwelling people is needed.The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the feasibility, experiences and effects of and adherence to the fall-preventive Otago Exercise Programme (OEP) with or without motivational interviewing (MI) among community-dwelling people aged 75 years or older.Four studies were performed from October 2012 to May 2016 in a sample of 175 people. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The methods included the feasibility for conducting a randomized controlled trial (RCT) (I), individual face-to-face interviews (II), an RCT (III) and a prospective cohort study (IV). The intervention was given to two groups. The participants who received OEP with or without MI were compared with a control group that received standard care.The feasibility of performing an exercise intervention with or without MI was acceptable from the perspective of the participating physiotherapists. From the perspective of the older participants performing the exercise with behavioural change support, the inclusion of monitored exercises in everyday life and daily routines was important. The participants also expressed experiencing more strength, improved physical functioning and greater hope for an extended active life during old age.From the short-term perspective, there were significant improvements within the OEP combined with MI group in terms of physical performance, fall self-efficacy, activity level, and handgrip strength. Improved physical performance and fall self-efficacy were also found within the control group; however, corresponding differences did not occur in the OEP group without MI. There were no significant differences between the study groups after 12 weeks of regular exercise. Adherence to the exercises in the pooled exercise group was 81% at the 12-week follow-up.At the 52-week follow-up, the behavioural factors being physically active and obtaining behavioural support in terms of MI had a significant association with adherence to the exercise programme.These studies provide some support for the combination of OEP with MI as the addition of MI was valuable for achieving adherence to the exercise programme over time in older community-dwelling people.
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| 6. |
- Bendelin, Nina, 1980-
(author)
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Internet-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain : Feasibility, patients’ experiences and implementation process
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Chronic pain represents a major burden for individuals and society. Internet-delivered psychological interventions are evidence-based treatments that enable patients to access qualified care at a time and place convenient for them. Internet-delivered Acceptance and commitment therapy (IACT) has shown promising treatment effects for chronic pain patients on pain-related outcomes such as disability, pain intensity, and interference, and on psychological outcomes such as catastrophizing, fear-avoidance and acceptance. Interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs (IPRP) are multimodal interventions given by synchronized teams of health care professionals from different disciplines. With moderate treatment effects on many outcomes, IPRP is the best evidence treatment for chronic pain to date. IACT may add to IPRP’s effectiveness by providing individual psychological treatment via the internet. However, IACT has not yet been implemented in routine care in a larger scale. In this thesis, the aim was to study if IACT may be acceptable for chronic pain patients and if it is feasible and effective as an addition to IPRP. Three methodological approaches were used: qualitative analysis, implementation science and a controlled trial of effectiveness in a clinical context. Study I showed that an internet-delivered aftercare intervention enabled chronic pain patients to change their perception of their body and pain and their attitude about their future and self. Furthermore, self-motivating goals and acceptance strategies appeared to influence autonomy. The results gave promise to the feasibility of IACT as aftercare following IPRP. Study II showed that chronic pain patients’ experiences of IACT vary, with respect to being in treatment and the consequences of treatment. Specifically, e-therapist feedback and deadlines for homework may have an impact on autonomy and change. Patients’ expectations, motivations, and restraints could explain treatment engagement and experiences. In Study III, IACT added during IPRP enhanced the treatment effects on pain acceptance and affective distress. Furthermore, IACT added as aftercare strengthened the long-term effect of IPRP on psychological flexibility and self-efficacy. However, unsatisfactory completion rates complicated the interpretation of the findings. Study IV showed that implementing IACT in an IPRP setting may be facilitated by contextual alinement and modifications based on patients’ needs. Thorough testing of the application and matching the intervention’s aim with the host’s needs are important not to challenge the process. An implementation framework may ease planning and evaluation of implementation processes. In conclusion, IACT could be feasible as an addition to IPRP. IACT can help chronic pain patients self-manage their pain and improve pain acceptance and self-efficacy. However, chronic pain patients’ varying experiences may need to be considered to improve treatment engagement and help patients benefit from treatment. In addition, implementation of IACT in IPRP settings is likely to depend on both flexibility to changing host needs and continuity of known pivotal components in IACT.
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| 7. |
- Bring, Annika, 1967-
(author)
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A Behavioural Medicine Perspective on Acute Whiplash Associated Disorders : Daily Coping, Prognostic Factors and Tailored Treatment
- 2012
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The overall aim of this thesis was to study the daily process of coping, potential prognostic factors for recovery and evaluating an individually tailored behavioural medicine intervention in the acute stage of Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD). The studies comprised three samples of patients with acute Whiplash Associated Disorders (WAD). All patients were included within the first month after the whiplash occurrence and were recruited from hospital emergency wards in six Swedish communities.Study I and II included 51 participants generating 260 daily coping diaries (WAD-DCA) during seven days in the acute stage of WAD. In Study I daily stressors and primary appraisal were analysed and in Study II patterns between stressors, appraisals, coping strategy profiles, daily activity level and well-being were described. The results showed a large variety of situations that the individuals perceive as stressful, not only pain itself. High self-efficacy was associated with high degree of physical/mental well-being. Threatening stressors and catastrophic thoughts were associated with low degree of physical and mental well-being. In Study III potential prognostic factors for good as well as poor recovery were studied more closely in a mildly affected sample (MIAS) (n=98) from within the first month after the accident up to one year later. Pain-related disability at baseline emerged as the only indicator of prognosis after 12 months in MIAS. Study IV (n=55) was a randomised control study, were current clinical recommendations of standard self-care instructions (SC) for the management of acute WAD was compared to an individually tailored behavioural medicine intervention delivered via Internet or face-to-face. The results showed that SC was not as effective as the behavioural medicine intervention. By early identification of situation-specific factors and potential behavioural (physical, cognitive and affective) determinants of activity performance, it seems possible to tailor a self-management intervention that decreases pain-related disability, fear of movement and catastrophising and increases self-efficacy. The use of innovative methods such as the Internet of distributing treatment interventions showed to be a good alternative to more traditional forms.The results of this thesis uncover new insights in understanding the individual’s specific perspective as applied in a behavioural medicine approach in acute WAD.
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| 8. |
- Klobas, Luciano, 1969-
(author)
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The Manifestations and the Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders in Patients with Chronic Whiplash-associated Disorders Grades 2 and 3
- 2013
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The main aim of this project was to encircle the subtype of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) present in patients with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) and study the debut of TMD symptoms, the provoking factors and the outcome of conservative TMD treatments. The results could add to the aetiological discussion about TMD mainly as being part of chronic WAD pain or not.The subjects were referred patients with chronic WAD at a specialized rehabilitation centre where they were diagnosed using a standardized classification of WAD diagnosing that resulted in approximately 20% WAD grade 2 and 80% WAD grade 3. In Studies I and II, a total 136 individuals with chronic WAD were found to have a significantly higher prevalence of pain associated with TMD compared to a control group of 66 general dental patients. The symptoms debuted approximately six months after the whiplash injury and were most often provoked by stress. In Study III, the effect of a therapeutic jaw exercise (TJE) program on TMD was studied over six months in patients with chronic WAD and TMD, randomized to TJE (25 subjects) or not (30 subjects). TJE had no effect on TMD. In Study IV, patients with chronic WAD and TMD were found to have a mainly myogenous origin of TMD pain. Five months of stabilisation appliance therapy (SAT) equally resulted in an almost complete perceived reduction of jaw pain and frontal headache in patients with chronic WAD and TMD (n=14) and TMD patients without WAD (n=10). In the long-term, TMD was significantly lower in patients with chronic WAD who were treated compared to patients with chronic WAD and TMD who were not treated (n=9).TMD in patients with chronic WAD grades 2 or 3 may be the same kind of musculoskeletal disorder as in TMD patients without WAD, and not primarily part of the WAD pain. A functional TMD examination as well as assessment of perceived stress can be recommended as part of the standardized screening procedure for patients with chronic WAD grades 2 and 3. Patients with symptoms and signs of TMD could be recommended SAT. Patients with symptoms of frontal headache alone should also be considered as candidates for SAT.
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| 9. |
- Pettersson, Beatrice, 1987-
(author)
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Fall prevention exercise for older adults : self-management with support of digital technology
- 2021
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Falls are a major public health issue, which can cause physical and psychological suffering for the individual as well as large costs for the society. To increase access and adherence to evidence-based fall prevention exercise, utilisation of older adults’ own capabilities and digital health offers promising solutions. The aim of this thesis was to explore a digital programme as support for self-management of fall preventive exercises in community-dwelling older adults with a focus on participant experiences, behaviour change, and intervention reach.Methods: This thesis comprises four papers, of which Papers I and II report from a feasibility study comparing two self-managed fall prevention exercise programmes, a paper booklet and the digital Safe Step programme. Papers III and IV describes a randomised controlled trial, which evaluates the effectiveness of the Safe Step programme in combination with educational videos, to reduce falls in comparison with educational videos alone. In Paper I, individual interviews were analysed with inductive qualitative content analysis to explore older adults’ experiences of self-managing their fall prevention exercise. In Paper II, a deductive and inductive approach was utilised for the analysis of comments in questionnaires, individual, and focus group interviews to explore experiences of self-determination when using the Safe Step programme. The classification system of motivational and behaviour change strategies based on Self-determination theory was utilised as a categorisation matrix. An additional analysis of behavioural regulation for exercise according to the Self-determination theory was performed in this thesis. Paper III is a protocol for a randomised controlled trial, and Paper IV describes the recruitment strategies, and reach of this trial through comparison with another representative sample of adults 70 years or older by descriptive statistics.Results: Results from Papers I and II show that the older adults appreciated the autonomy of a self-managed exercise programme. They expressed a capability to independently select exercises and manage their progression with support from the programme. However, some wanted the support of others in their training. The behaviour change support in the Safe Step programme was voiced as motivating and supportive, and the diversity of behaviour change strategies was emphasized as important to suit many older adults’ preferences. In Paper II, the behaviour change support were found supportive for the basic human psychological needs according to the Self-determination theory, although, support for autonomy and competence were more clearly stated than for relatedness. An additional category was formed and proposed as an amendment to the classification system used as an analytical matrix. In the thesis, expressions of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for doing the exercise from participants in Paper I were triangulated with results from the Behavioural Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire-2. The results confirmed the trend found in the qualitative analysis of more intrinsically motivated expressions in the group using the Safe Step programme. A study protocol was written that described the design of the Safe Step randomised controlled trial, including the aims, methodology and overall organisation of the research (Paper III). In Paper IV, the most successful recruitment strategy to the randomised controlled trial was identified as advertisement in social media. The recruited participants were predominantly women, highly educated, and frequently used applications or internet on mobile devices.Conclusion: Finding of this thesis support implementation of fall prevention strategies through increased utilisation of older adults' self-management capabilities. Older adults’ experiences of exercising with a self-managed digital exercise program can be understood as managing pieces of a personal puzzle and was shaped more by the sum of the features and behaviour change support in the programme than by parts of the programme. The Safe step programme seems to provide support for more self-determined exercise motivation, than a paper booklet, which can support maintenance of the new exercise routines. The older adults’ experiences, as well as the characteristics of the participants reached, highlight the necessity for a variety of fall prevention strategies that reflect the diversified needs and preferences of older adults.
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| 10. |
- Vikman Lostelius, Petra, 1972-
(author)
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Development of a digital Health Report System : From exploration of need to identification of health-related problems in young people
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Introduction While foremost mental health and psychosomatic symptoms are increasing in young people, little is known about the health in young people visiting Youth Health Clinics (YHC). Also, there is no unified health survey used to collect overall health data from young people nationally at YHCs.Aims To develop a health- and welfare technology tool to identify and increase knowledge about health-related problems in young people visiting YHCs.Methods The structured development of a health and welfare technology tool, the Health Report System (studies I to III) had a consultative level participatory approach. Study I was qualitative and contained interviews with young people on content and design for a digital questionnaire. Studies II and III had mixed methods design and included young people, healthcare professionals, and a researcher expert panel. Qualitative data came from interviews and quantitative data from questionnaires. The studies evaluated usability and feasibility. Study IV was quantitative and used data from the evaluation questionnaire, exploring the mediated association of variables on mental well-being, using a set of regression analyses.Results Study I: Young people (n=15) were positive to use a health and welfare technology tool if it was in accordance with their needs. It should give an overview of mental-, physical-, and sexual health and social support. The results should be discussed with healthcare professionals during a health assessment. Study II: The researchers used guidelines to develop the Health Report System and included ten validated and reliable health questionnaires. The usability of the Health Report System was evaluated by young people (n=4), YHC healthcare professionals (n=3), and an expert panel (n=7). The converged qualitative and quantitative data showed that the Health Report System was very usable for YHCs. Study III: The qualitative results from healthcare professionals’ interviews (n=11) and quantitative questionnaire results from young people (n=54) were merged. Using a matrix for assessment of feasibility, the researcher's consensus decision, was that progression and use of the Health Report System in an intervention study was feasible. Study IV: Results from young people’s (n=223) health data showed statistical significance for the mediating effect of social functioning between the sense of mastery and mental well-being. Conclusion This thesis presents that the Health Report System has the potential to identify health-related problems in young people, strengthen the health communication between young people and healthcare professionals, and influence the YHC organization.
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