| 1. |
- Kardakis, Therese, 1975-
(author)
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Strengthening lifestyle interventions in primary health care : the challenge of change and implementation of guidelines in clinical practice
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Lifestyle habits like tobacco use, hazardous use of alcohol, unhealthy eating habits and insufficient physical activity are risk factors for developing non-communicable diseases, which are the leading, global causes of death. Furthermore, ill health and chronic diseases are costly and put an increased burden on societies and health systems. In order to address this situation, governmental bodies and organizations’ have encouraged healthcare providers to reorient the focus of healthcare and undertake effective interventions that support patients to engage in healthy lifestyle habits. In Sweden, national clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) on lifestyle interventions were released in 2011. However, the challenges of changing clinical practice and introducing guidelines are well documented, and health interventions face particular difficulties. The overall purpose of this thesis is to contribute towards a better understanding of the complexities of shifting primary health care to become more health oriented, and to explore the implementation environment and its effect on lifestyle intervention CPGs. The specific aims are to investigate how implementation challenges were addressed during the guideline development process (Study I), to investigate several dimensions of readiness for implementing lifestyle intervention guidelines, including aspects of the intervention and the intervention context (Study II), to explore the extent to which health care professionals are working with lifestyle interventions in primary health care, and to describe and develop a baseline measure of professional knowledge, attitudes and perceived organizational support for lifestyle interventions (Study III), and to assess the progress of implementing lifestyle interventions in primary care settings, as well as investigate the uptake and usage of the CPGs in clinical practice (Study IV). Methods and results: Interviews were conducted with national guideline-developers (n=7). They were aware of numerous implementation challenges, and applied strategies and ways to address them during the guideline development process. The strategies adhered to four themes: (a) broad agreements and consensus about scope and purpose, (b) systematic and active involvement of stakeholders, (c) formalized and structured development procedures, and (d) openness and transparent development procedures. At the same time, the CPGs for lifestyle interventions challenged the development-model at the National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW) because of their preventive and non-disease specific focus (I).A multiple case study was also conducted, using a mixed methods approach to gather data from key organizational individuals that were accountable for planning the implementation of CPGs (n=10), as well as health professionals and managers (n=340). Analysis of this data revealed that conditions for change were favorable in the two organizations that served as case studies, especially concerning change focus (health orientation) and the specific intervention (national guidelines on lifestyle interventions). Somewhat limited support was found for change and learning, and change format (national guidelines in general). Furthermore, factors in the outer context were found to influence the priority and timing of the intervention, as well as considerable inconsistencies across the professional groups (II). A cross-sectional study among physicians and nurses (n=315) in Swedish primary healthcare showed that healthcare professionals have a largely positive attitude and thorough overall knowledge of lifestyle intervention methods. However, both the level of knowledge and the involvement in patients’ lifestyle change, differed between professional groups. Organizational support like CPGs and the development of primary health care (PHC) collaborations with other stakeholders were identified as potential strategies for enhancing the implementation of lifestyle interventions in PHC (III).In addition to interviews and case studies, a longitudinal survey among health professionals (n=150; n=73) demonstrated that their use of methods to encourage patients to reduce or eliminate tobacco or alcohol use, had increased. The survey also indicated that nurses had increased the extent to which they addressed all four lifestyle habits. The progress of the implementation of CPGs on lifestyle interventions in PHC was somewhat limited, and important differences in physicians and nurses’ attitudes, as well as their use of the guidelines, were found (IV).Conclusions: Health orientation differs in many ways from more traditional fields in medicine. To strengthen the implementation of this very important (but not “urgent”) field in health care, it needs, first of all, to be prioritized at all levels! The results of the studies demonstrate relatively slow adoption of lifestyle intervention CPGs in clinical practice, and indicate room for improvement. The findings of this thesis can inform healthcare policy and research on further development of the health orientation perspective, as well as on the challenges of implementing CPGs on lifestyle interventions in primary care. In summary, this thesis presents important lessons learned regarding health orientation - from the development of CPGs in the field, via assessing healthcare organizations’ readiness to change and health professionals’ attitudes to methods to support patients with lifestyle changes.
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| 2. |
- Brower Scribani, Melissa, 1979-
(author)
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Insights on weight maintenance and impacts of obesity for two rural populations in the United States and Sweden
- 2023
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Obesity is a serious public health concern worldwide, and nearly 40% of all adults in the United States and 21% in Sweden are now living with obesity. Efforts focusing mainly on weight loss have fallen short in reducing obesity prevalence. There is a great need for improved insight into what factors may promote a healthy weight, thereby avoiding the adverse health outcomes linked to obesity. Primary weight maintenance is a prevention strategy that emphasizes keeping a long-term stable weight in the non-obese range.Aim: The overall aims of this thesis were to improve understanding of the patterns of obesity and obesity-related mortality among rural adults in Central New York State (U.S.) and Västerbotten County (Sweden), and to explore factors that are related to primary weight maintenance.Material and methods: Data from U.S. health surveys and health examinations in Sweden were used to compare twenty-year (1989-2009) trends in body mass index (BMI) and obesity using multi-factor analysis of variance. The association between obesity and risk of 1) premature all-cause death, and 2) premature circulatory death, was compared between the U.S. and Sweden using proportional hazards regression. In 2009, a longitudinal questionnaire of attitudes, behaviors and perceptions regarding weight maintenance was administered to U.S. subjects. Associations between ten-year weight change and survey variables were tested using multiple linear regression, separately for sex and age strata. To gain a deeper understanding of influences, facilitators and barriers to healthy eating and physical activity, a qualitative interview study was conducted with U.S. women aged 26-35, with data analyzed by qualitative content analysis.Results: Over twenty years, BMI increased for both men and women in all age strata in both countries, and those with no university education consistently had higher BMI than their university-educated counterparts. BMI increased more for younger groups (ages 36-45) compared to those aged 46-55 and 56-62. U.S. females aged 36-45 showed the greatest increases in average BMI, particularly when comparing 1999 to 2009. Increases in the prevalence of obesity (BMI≥30) in Sweden were more modest than in the U.S. Severe obesity (BMI≥35) was associated with significantly increased risk of premature death from all causes and from circulatory causes for all subjects. Severe obesity was less common in Sweden (2% of men, 3% of women) than in the U.S. (8% of men, 9% of women). Nonetheless, severely obese Swedish men had 2.9 times the risk of premature death from all causes compared to those of normal weight, and 4.9 times the risk for circulatory causes. The gradient of risk among U.S. men was significantly lower than in Sweden; those with severe obesity had a 1.6 times increased risk for all-cause premature death and 3.2 times increased risk for premature circulatory death. The pattern of risk among women did not differ between countries. Longitudinal analysis of U.S. health survey participants showed that women aged 26-35 gained the most weight of any group (mean=10.3kg gained over ten years). The variables found to be associated with ten-year weight change were different across sex and age groups. Among women, all variables associated with weight change were exercise-related. Among men, three of the four predictors were focused on eating habits. Interviews with women aged 26-35 revealed the challenges of healthy eating and engaging in physical activity. Women often identified as caregivers for others, and those with more social support, who were financially stable and showed self-efficacy around healthy choices were able to more consistently engage in healthy habits.Conclusions: Obesity is an increasing problem for the rural adult population in both the U.S. and Sweden. When primary weight maintenance strategies are designed to support individuals towards healthy eating and increased physical activity, the complexity of the living environment must be considered. Individual conditions and personal relationships as well as the physical environment, home environment and work environment must be included in the assessment. Development of targeted programs for primary weight maintenance should be a focus of public health work for adults in rural areas in both Sweden and the U.S.
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| 3. |
- Dewi, Fatwa Sari Tetra, 1969-
(author)
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Working with community : exploring community empowerment to support non-communicable disease prevention in a middle-incom country
- 2013
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Non communicable diseases (NCD) are recognized as a major burden of human health globally, especially in low and middle-income countries including Indonesia. This thesis addresses a community intervention program utilizing a community empowerment approach to study whether this is a reasonable strategy to control NCD.Objective: To explore possible opportunities, common pitfalls, and barriers in the process of developing a pilot community intervention program to prevent NCD in an urban area of a middle-income country.Methods: The study was conducted in Yogyakarta Municipality. The baseline risk factor survey in 2004 (n=3205) describes the pattern of NCD risk factors (smoking, physical inactivity and low fruit and vegetable intake) and demographic characteristics using STEPwise instrument. A qualitative study was conducted in order to illustrate peoples’ perceptions about NCD risk factors and how NCD might be prevented. A pilot intervention was developed based on the baseline survey and the qualitative data. The pilot intervention was conducted in four intervention communities while one community served as the referent area. The intervention was evaluated using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Finally, a second cross-sectional survey conducted in 2009 (n= 2467) to measure NCD risk factor changes during the five year period.Results: Baseline qualitative data showed that people in the high SES (Socio Economic Status) group preferred individual activities, whereas people in the low SES group preferred collective activities. Baseline survey data showed that the prevalence of all NCD risk factors were high. The community intervention was designed to promote passive smoking protection, promote healthy diet and physical activity, improve people’s knowledge of NCD, and provide a supporting environment. A mutual understanding between the Proriva team and community leadership was bargained. Several interactive group discussions were performed to increase NCD awareness. A working team was assigned to set goals and develop programs, and the programs were delivered to the community. There were more frequent activities and higher participation rates in the low SES group than in high SES group. The repeated cross-sectional surveys showed that the percentage of men predicted to be at high risk of getting an NCD event had significantly increased in 2009 compared to 2004.Conclusion: The community empowerment model was a feasible choice as a “moderate”strategy to accommodate with people’s need when implementing a community intervention that also interacts with the service provided by the existing health system. A community empowerment approach may improve program acceptance among the people.
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| 4. |
- Richter Sundberg, Linda, 1975-
(author)
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Mind the Gap : exploring evidence-based policymaking for improved preventive and mental health services in the Swedish health system
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: The challenges in the utilization of scientific findings in the fields of prevention and mental health are well documented. Scholars have found significant gaps between the knowledge available and the knowledge applied in healthcare. Studies have suggested that about half of the patients receive the recommended care for their medical condition. In order to address this gap, health systems at global, national, regional and local levels have made diverse efforts to facilitate the uptake of research for example through evidence-based health policy processes. In Sweden, government agencies and health policy actors such as the National Board of Health and Welfare support and control the health care system through evidence-based policies amongst other steering tools. The overall aim of this thesis is to explore evidence-based policy processes, and to further understand barriers to implementation of policies in the fields of preventive and mental health services.Methods: A multiple case study approach was used, and data were collected from several sources. Qualitative content analysis methodology was used. Case 1 comprises the development and early implementation of national guidelines for methods of preventing disease managed by the National Board of Health and Welfare during 2007–2014. Case 2 covers the effort to improve health care for the older population that was undertaken through an agreement between the Swedish government and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions during 2009–2014. Case 3 involves an effort to implement an adapted version of a systematic review from the Swedish agency for health technology assessment and assessment of social services on treatment of depression in primary health care. Data was collected between 2007 and 2010.In Paper 1, the policies from Case 1 and 2 were studied using a longitudinal, comparative case study approach. Data were collected through interviews, documents and observations. A conceptual model was developed based on prior frameworks. The model was used to organize and analyse the data. In Paper 2, the guideline development process (Case 1) was studied through interviews and the collection of documents. A prior framework on guideline quality was used in order to organize the data. Paper 3 investigated decision-making processes during guideline development using a longitudinal approach. Qualitative data were collected from questionnaires, documents and observations and analysed using conventional and summative content analysis. In Paper 4, the barriers to implementation were investigated through interviews and the collection ofdocuments. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis with a conceptual model to structure the analysis.Results: The sources and procedures for policy formulation differed in Case 1 and 2, as did the approaches to promote the implementation of the policies. The policy processes were cyclical, and phases overlapped to a large degree. The policy actors intended to promote implementation, both during and after the policy formulation process.The thesis shows variation in how the key policy actors defined and used research evidence in the policy processes. In addition, other types of knowledge (e.g. politics, context, experience) served as alternative or multiple sources to inform the health policies. The composition of sources that informed the policies changed over time in Cases 1 and B. During the policy formulation and implementation process, efforts to integrate research evidence with clinical experiences and values were associated with tension and recurrent dilemmas. On the local level (i.e. primary health care centres), barriers to implementation were found related to the innovation and among health professionals, patients, in social networks as well as in the organizational, economic and political contexts.Conclusion: The concept of evidence holds a key position in terms of goals and means for knowledge based policymaking in the Swedish health system. Broad definitions of evidence – including research and non-research evidence - were requested and to various extents utilized by the policy actors in the studied cases. An explicit terminology and systematic, transparent methodology to define, identify, and assess also non-research evidence in policy processes would potentially strengthen the clarity and validity of these processes and also enhance policy implementation.Particular determinants to implementation, such as the interventions characteristic, are to a considerable degree established early in the policy process, during agenda setting and policy formulation. This early phase offers unique opportunities to assess and build capacity, initiate and facilitate implementation.Early analysis and considerations of target populations and contexts and other implementation determinants related to the specific policy scope (e.g. disease preventive guidelines) could enhance the forth-coming implementation of the policy.
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| 5. |
- Tinc, Pamela J., 1989-
(author)
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Raising the (roll)bar : exploring barriers and facilitators to research translation in US public health
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background In public health, implementation science work is crucial to protecting the safety and health of populations. Despite this, such efforts have been extremely limited within the specific public health field of occupational safety and health. The overall aim of this thesis is to examine the concept of research translation, the barriers and facilitators that researchers have faced in translating research to the worker environment, and the process of scaling up an evidence-based agricultural safety program. Additionally, this study will provide an opportunity to adapt the clinically based Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), as well as the Proctor Taxonomy (of implementation outcomes), to occupational safety settings.The implementation research conducted within this dissertation is focused on a case study in agricultural safety. With an annual fatality rate seven times higher than the all-worker fatality rate, agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations to work in. Though nearly all aspects of farming can be considered dangerous, tractor overturns claim the greatest number of lives. Rollover protective systems (ROPS) are 99% effective in preventing death and disability in the event of an overturn when used with seatbelts. The ROPS Rebate Program was developed in 2006 to encourage the installation of retrofit ROPS in New York State and has been shown to be effective in this goal and in the long-term goal of reducing overturn fatalities. After expanding to six additional states, the National Tractor Safety Coalition was formed in order to facilitate the scaling up of the ROPS Rebate Programs. The National ROPS Rebate Program (NRRP) was formally announced in June 2017, though implementation of it is currently ongoing. Methods This dissertation is composed of five sub-studies which applied a mixed methods approach. Sub-study I consisted of a scoping literature review. Manuscripts were identified through six databases to explore how research translation is discussed among the research community. In addition, the review aimed at assessing the T0-T4 model of research translation (first developed by the National Institutes of Health) as it applies to agriculture, forestry, and fishing safety and health and used knowledge gained through the review to make modifications to this model.To apply the CFIR and Proctor Taxonomy to agricultural safety settings (sub-study II), a survey was developed to assess the relevance of the constructs included in each framework to the NRRP implementation. The final survey was distributed to members of the National Tractor Safety Coalition. Using the results from this survey, quantitative and qualitative evaluation tools were developed.Sub-study III utilized a repeat measure survey collected at four time points to capture changes in CFIR and Proctor constructs over time. Correlational analyses were conducted to compare each survey item to three outcome measures: state progress toward securing rebate funding for the Program, farmers intakes into the Program, and completed retrofits. Thirteen individuals participated in qualitative research interviews for sub-study IV; nine of these individuals also participated in follow-up interviews. Interview guides were developed based on the survey results in sub-study III. Grounded Theory Situational Analysis was used to analyze each set of data. Sub-study V was developed as a result of missing data from sub-studies III and IV. To conduct this analysis, media reports published about the ROPS Rebate Programs were collected. Discourse analysis for print media was used to assess the media reports in comparison to the ROPS Rebate Program trajectory in each state and nationally. ResultsSub-study I led to the development of a modified T0-T4 research translation model, which takes into account the real-life challenges in moving proven innovations into widespread practice. The remaining sub-studies in this dissertation focused in the T3 phase of this model (widespread adoption). Sub-study II led to the identification of 21 CFIR and Proctor constructs that National Tractor Safety Coalition members believed would be important to the NRRP implementation. Sub-study III demonstrated that eight CFIR and Proctor constructs were highly correlated (rho ≥ 0.5) with at least one of the outcome measures (progress, intakes, or retrofits). Two primary themes were developed from the qualitative portion of the study (sub-study IV): 1) the implementation strategy evolved inconsistently across stakeholders, and 2) stakeholder engagement is a function of perceived feasibility and "small wins." Finally, sub-study V identified components of successful media strategies for implementation including diversity in actors and messages, timing, and frequency. In total, sub-studies III-V identified 27 CFIR and Proctor constructs that were relevant to the implementation of the NRRP, 10 of which were identified in more than one study. ConclusionsThis dissertation has served to examine, specifically, the implementation of the NRRP, and more generally, the field of implementation science as it applies to occupational safety and health. The methods applied in this study as well as the findings have resulted in: application of implementation frameworks to the field of agricultural safety and health, assessment of the unique challenges associated with initiatives to scale up innovations, assessment of implementation from the perspective of the CFIR and Proctor Taxonomy, and assessment of the use of media advocacy as an implementation strategy. The knowledge gained through this research will be helpful in improving the implementation of the NRRP and in developing implementation science efforts within the specific public health field of occupational safety and health.
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| 6. |
- Edvardsson, Berit, 1953-
(author)
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"Det är inte mig det är fel på, det är huset" : en studie av prognosfaktorer och bemötande med fokus på sjuka hus-syndromet
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Bakgrund: Sick Building Syndrome, SBS, är fortfarande 2015 ett tillstånd som vållar mycket diskussion. Symtomen kan grupperas i slemhinnesymtom, hudsymtom och allmänna symtom. I definitionen ingår att personen/ personerna som fått symtom har exponerats för dålig inomhusluft i en speciell byggnad. När personen inte är i byggnaden så förbättras eller försvinner symtomen. Många olika faktorer kan orsaka eller medverka till uppkomst eller försämringar av SBS-symtom, som t.ex. luftens innehåll av olika ämnen, luftflöden, temperatur, buller, fukt och mögel. Utbredd enighet finns om att fukt och mögel i byggnaderna påverkar eller ger upphov till symtom hos vissa personer som exponeras där. Psykosociala faktorer som arbetets organisation och krav och individuella faktorer som kön och personlighet påverkar också.Syfte: Hypotesen är att faktorer som tidigare hälsa, åtgärder på arbetet, tid, behandling, personlighet och copingresurser alla kan påverka prognosen för SBS-patienterna. Syftet med avhandlingen är att undersöka hur symtomen påverkar arbetsförmågan och om patienterna återhämtar sig från SBS-symtomen. Ett annat syfte är att undersöka bemötande och de erfarenheter som SBS-symtomen gett en grupp av informanter med SBS. För att förstå om personlighet mätt med självbild och coping hade någon betydelse för progressionen av SBS-symtom och arbetsförmåga gjordes jämförelser av personlighet mellan en patientgrupp med SBS, en patientgrupp med handeksem, en patientgrupp med elkänslighet och en normalpopulation.Metod: En uppföljningsenkät skickades till 239 patienter med SBS-symtom som under åren 1986–1998 blivit undersökta och bedömda på Universitets-sjukhuset i Umeå, Sverige. Frågorna innehöll social och medicinsk status, nuvarande symtom, behandlingar, åtgärder på arbetsplatsen, coping och självbild och svarsfrekvensen var 79,1%. Prognos och riskfaktorer för prognos beräknades för SBS-patienterna. Mätningar av personlighetsfaktorer gjordes med instrumentet Structural analysis of Social Behaviour, SASB, och coping mättes med Coping Resources Inventory, CRI. Likadana uppföljningsenkäter skickades till en grupp patienter med handeksem och patienter med upplevd elkänslighet. Svarsfrekvensen var 68% respektive 73% och enkätsvaren har sedan analyserats och jämförts genom beräknngar av prognos med fokus på självbild och coping för SBS-patienterna och handeksempatienterna. Jämförelser gjordes också mellan de tre olika grupperna och en kontrollgrupp vad gäller självbild och coping. För att undersöka erfarenheterna av SBS-symtomen och bemötandet genomfördes kvalitativa intervjuer med 10 informanter som hade eller hade haft SBS-symtom. Fem av dem hade diagnostiserats en längre tid tillbaka medan de andra fem hade haft SBS-symtomen en kortare period. Semi-strukturerade intervjuformulär användes vid intervjuerna och anlyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys.Resultat: Graden och svårigheten av SBS-symtomen minskade över tid trots att nästan hälften av SBS-patienterna beskrev att symtomen var mer eller mindre oförändrade efter 7 år eller mer. Risken att ha symtom vid uppföljningen var större för de patienter som remitterats sent efter symtomdebut men även för de som hade kort uppföljningstid. Risken att inte ha någon arbetsförmåga vid uppföljningen var signifikant ökad om det var mer än ett års skillnad mellan symtomdebut och första läkarbesöket p.g.a. SBS-symtomen eller om patienten vid första undersökningen hade fler än 5 SBS-symtom. Dagliga aktiviteter som t.ex. bussåkning förvärrade också symtomen för patienterna. Informanternas upplevelser av SBS-symtomen från början visar en influensaliknande bild med rinnande näsa och ögon, heshet, hosta och huvudvärk. Informanterna agerar för att klara av situationen när symtomen förvärras. Genom hela processen upplever de en brist på bekräftelse och stöd från arbetsgivare, primärvård, företagshälsovård och fastighetsförvaltare.Alla tre patientgrupperna hade högre värden i spontan och positiv självbild i jämförelse med en kontrollgrupp. De hade också alla lägre värden i kontroll medan patienterna med handeksem och de med elkänslighet hade högre värden i sin negativa självbild. När det gäller coping skilde sig inte patientgrupperna från kontrollgruppen utom i CRI kognitiv där SBS-patienterna hade hög poäng i motsats till handeksempatienterna som hade låg poäng i samma domän. De elkänsliga patienterna hade i stället höga poäng i domänen andlig/filosofisk. Självbild eller copingförmåga var inte associerade med SBS-symtom eller symtom av handeksem vid uppföljningen och deras personlighet påverkade inte arbetsförmågan. Tidigare atopisk dermatit var en signifikant risk för kvarvarande symtom men inte för arbetsförmågan hos handeksempatienterna.Slutsats: En grupp av patienter som tidigare diagnostiserats för symtom från inomhusmiljön har kroniska symtom och påverkan på sitt sociala liv. Över tid minskar symtomen. Resultaten pekar på att ett tidigt omhändertagande är av vikt. SBS-symtomen är från början svåra att upptäcka för alla inblandade och kunskap om hur symtomen kan uppstå i dagligt liv kan bidra till bredare förståelse. Erfarenheterna från personer med SBS visar på avsaknad av bekräftelse och stöd från vården, företagshälsan, arbetsgivare och fastighetsförvaltare. Sambandet mellan symtom och inomhusmiljö får inte glömmas bort. Stöd och bekräftelse innebär också kunskap om skyldigheter för arbetsgivare och fastighetsförvaltare.Skillnad i självbild i jämförelse med en kontrollgrupp ses hos patientgrupperna med symtom som är delvis oförklarade men också hos handeksempatienter med ett väletablerat tillstånd. Det kan innebära att patienter med kroniska tillstånd överlag kan avvika från den allmänna populationen. Patienterna visar som grupp en hög positiv och hög spontan självbild som kan leda till svårigheter att sätta gränser. Detta kan leda till en mental stress och i förlängningen också ge en ökad känslighet/sårbarhet för miljöfaktorer.
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