| 1. |
- Gong, Tong, et al.
(författare)
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Perinatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and autism spectrum disorders
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Health Perspectives. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0091-6765. ; 125:1, s. 119-126
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Studies from the United States indicate that exposure to air pollution in early life is associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children, but the evidence is not consistent with European data. Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between exposure to air pollution from road traffic and the risk of ASD in children, with careful adjustment for socioeconomic and other confounders. Method: Children born and residing in Stockholm, Sweden, during 1993–2007 with an ASD diagnosis were identified through multiple health registers and classified as cases (n = 5,136). A randomly selected sample of 18,237 children from the same study base constituted controls. Levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter with diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10) from road traffic were estimated at residential addresses during mother’s pregnancy and the child’s first year of life by dispersion models. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for ASD with or without intellectual disability (ID) were estimated using logistic regression models after conditioning on municipality and calendar year of birth as well as adjustment for potential confounders. Result: Air pollution exposure during the prenatal period was not associated with ASD overall (OR = 1.00; 95% CI: 0.86, 1.15 per 10-μg/m3 increase in PM10 and OR = 1.02; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.10 per 20-μg/m3 increase in NOx during mother’s pregnancy). Similar results were seen for exposure during the first year of life, and for ASD in combination with ID. An inverse association between air pollution exposure and ASD risk was observed among children of mothers who moved to a new residence during pregnancy. Conclusion: Early-life exposure to low levels of NOx and PM10 from road traffic does not appear to increase the risk of ASD.
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| 2. |
- Ahlén, Katia M, et al.
(författare)
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Antibiotic treatment and length of hospital stay in relation to delivery mode and prematurity
- 2016
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Ingår i: PLOS One. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 1932-6203.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIM: To investigate how 1) maternal delivery mode and 2) prematurity in infants are associated to antibiotic treatment and length of hospital stay. METHODS: Women having given birth and infants 0-12 months discharged from hospital between July 2005 and November 2011 were identified from the Swedish National Patient Register. Medical records were reviewed for 203 women and 527 infants. The risk ratio (RR) between antibiotic treatment and 1) delivery mode in women; 2) prematurity in infants was calculated. Length of stay and days of antibiotic therapy were compared by Wilcoxon rank-sum test. RESULTS: Women: There was an association between emergency caesarean section (CS) and antibiotic treatment (RR 5.0 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.2-11.5), but not for elective CS. Length of stay was longer for CS (emergency and elective) compared to vaginal delivery (p<0.01). Infants: RR for antibiotic treatment in preterm compared to term infants was 1.4 (95% CI 1.0-1.9). Length of stay (p<0.01), but not days of therapy (p = 0.17), was higher in preterm compared to term infants. CONCLUSION: We found that emergency CS increased the probability of maternal antibiotic treatment during hospitalisation, but no difference was found between term and preterm infants. The results are well aligned with current guidelines and may be considered in future studies on the effects of antibiotics.
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| 3. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(författare)
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Association between parental age and asthma in a population-based register study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0091-6749 .- 1097-6825.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a nationwide population-based study with family design, we found an association between decreasing parental age and asthma in early childhood. The effect was independent of familial and potentially confounding factors.
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| 4. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(författare)
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Cohort profile : Swedish Twin Study on Prediction and Prevention of Asthma (STOPPA)
- 2015
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Ingår i: Twin Research and Human Genetics. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 1832-4274 .- 1839-2628.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Asthma is a common childhood disease and several risk factors have been identified, however the impact of genes and environment is not fully understood. The aim of the Swedish Twin study On Prediction and Prevention of Asthma (STOPPA) is to identify environmental (birth characteristics and early life) and genetic (including epigenetic) factors as determinants for asthmatic disease. Based on the Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (parental interview at 9 or 12 years, N~23,900) and an asthma and/or wheezing algorithm, we identified a sample of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) same-sexed twin pairs. The twin pairs were identified as asthma concordant (ACC), asthma discordant (ADC) and healthy concordant (HCC). A sample of 9- to 14-year-old twins and their parents were invited to participate in a clinical examination. Background characteristics were collected in questionnaires and obtained from the National Health Registers. A clinical examination was performed to test lung function and capacity (spirometry with reversibility test and exhaled nitric oxide) and collect blood (serology and DNA), urine (metabolites), feces (microbiota) and saliva (cortisol). In total, 376 twin pairs (752 individual twins) completed the study, response rate 52%. All participating twins answered the questionnaire and >90% participated in lung function testing, blood and saliva sampling. This article describes the design, recruitment, data collection, measures, background characteristics as well as ongoing and planned analyses in STOPPA. Potential gains of the study include the identification of biomarkers, the emergence of candidates for drug development and new leads for prevention of asthma and allergic disease.
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| 5. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(författare)
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Individual maternal and child exposure to antibiotics in hospital : a national population-based validation study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Acta Paediatrica: Nurturing the Child. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Exposure to antibiotics in early life may affect future health. Most antibiotics are prescribed in outpatient care, but inpatient exposure is also important. We estimated how specific diagnoses in hospitals corresponded to individual antibiotic exposure. Methods: All pregnant women and children from birth to five-years-of-age with infectious diseases and common inpatient diagnoses between July 2005 and November 2011were identified from the Swedish National Patient Register. Random samples of individuals from pre-defined groups were drawn and medical records received from the clinics were manually reviewed for antibiotics. Results: Medical records for 4,319 hospital visits were requested and 3,797 (88%) were received. A quarter (25%) of children diagnosed as premature had received antibiotics and in children from one to five-years-of-age, diagnoses associated with bacterial infections were more commonly treated with antibiotics (62.4-90.6%) than those associated with viruses (6.3-22.2%). Pregnant women who had undergone a Caesarean section were more likely to be treated with antibiotics than those who had had a vaginal delivery (40.1% versus 11.1%). Conclusions: This study defines the proportion of new mothers and young children who received individual antibiotic treatment for specific inpatient diagnoses in Sweden and provides a useful basis for future studies focusing on antibiotic use.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(författare)
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Season of birth, childhood asthma and allergy in a nationwide cohort : Mediation through lower respiratory infections
- 2020
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - Stockholm : Wiley. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 50:2, s. 222-230
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundPrevious studies have suggested an association between season of birth and risk of childhood asthma and allergic disease. The association may be modified by birth year and region, or mediated by respiratory tract infections.ObjectiveWe aimed to estimate the association between season of birth and risk of childhood asthma/wheeze or allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in a population‐based setting, and the mediating effect of lower respiratory infections.MethodsTwo population‐based cohorts were identified from the nationwide Swedish Medical Birth, Patient and Prescribed Drug Registers. The association between birth month/season and asthma/wheeze incidence was analysed using Cox proportional regression in the younger cohort born 2005‐2010 (n = 582 494) and asthma/allergic rhinoconjunctivitis prevalence during the 7th year of life using log‐binomial models in the older cohort born 2001‐2004 (n = 367 583). Interactions were formally tested. Mediation analyses to address the effect of lower respiratory infections were performed in the older cohort using the R package “medflex.”ResultsChildren born during fall and winter had an increased risk of asthma/wheeze after 2 years of age in the younger cohort: hazard ratio 1.24 (95% confidence interval, CI 1.17, 1.33) for winter and risk of prevalent asthma during their 7th year of life in the older cohort; prevalence ratio (PR) 1.12 (95% CI 1.08, 1.16) for winter. These estimates were partly mediated by lower respiratory infections; the indirect effect for winter compared with summer was PR 1.03 (95% CI 1.03, 1.04). The association was similar for allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in the 7th year of life, but not mediated by respiratory infections.ConclusionWe found that the association between season of birth and risk of childhood asthma/wheeze, but not allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, is partly mediated through lower respiratory infections.Clinical relevanceThis has important implications for patient care, such as asthma management programmes to notify timing of seasonality for viral respiratory tract infections.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Almqvist, Catarina, et al.
(författare)
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The impact of birth mode of delivery on childhood asthma and allergic diseases : a sibling study
- 2012
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Ingår i: Clinical and experimental allergy. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 1365-2222 .- 0954-7894.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Caesarean section (CS) has been reported to increase the risk of asthma in offspring. This may be due to that infants delivered by CS are unexposed to vaginal flora, according to the ‘hygiene hypothesis’. Objective: Our aim was to investigate if CS increases risk of childhood asthma, and if the risk increase remains after adjustment for familial confounding using sibling design. Methods: A register-based cohort study with 87 500 Swedish sibling pairs was undertaken. Asthma outcome variables were collected from national health registers as diagnosis or asthma medication (ICD-10 J45-J46; ATC code R03) during the 10th or 13th year of life (year of follow-up). Mode of delivery and confounders were retrieved from the Medical Birth Register. The data were analysed both as a cohort and with sibling control analysis which adjusts for unmeasured familial confounding. Results: In the cohort analyses, there was an increased risk of asthma medication and asthma diagnosis during year of follow-up in children born with CS (adjusted ORs, 95% CI 1.13, 1.04–1.24 and 1.10, 1.03–1.18 respectively). When separating between emergency and elective CS the effect on asthma medication remained for emergency CS, but not for elective CS, while both groups had significant effects on asthma diagnosis compared with vaginal delivery. In sibling control analyses, the effect of elective CS on asthma disappeared, while similar but non-significant ORs of medication were obtained for emergency CS. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: An increased risk of asthma medication in the group born by emergency CS, but not elective, suggests that there is no causal effect due to vaginal microflora. A more probable explanation should be sought in the indications for emergency CS.
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| 10. |
- Altman, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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The genetic and environmental contribution to the occurrence of bladder pain syndrome: an empirical approach in a nationwide population sample.
- 2011
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Ingår i: European urology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-7560 .- 0302-2838. ; 59:2, s. 280-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The aetiology of bladder pain syndrome (BPS) remains poorly understood, and a number of pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed. The importance of genetic factors for BPS is receiving growing attention, but data so far are of a preliminary nature. OBJECTIVE: To empirically assess the genetic and environmental contribution to BPS in a population-based sample of twins. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The study included >25 000 twins born between 1959 and 1985. Individuals with BPS were identified using latent class cluster analysis (LCCA) based on self-reported symptoms from a nationwide screening for complex diseases in the Swedish Twin Registry. By comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twins, we estimated twin similarity and the relative proportions of phenotypic variance resulting from genetic and environmental factors. MEASUREMENTS: Twin similarity was measured. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: The LCCA yielded an overall BPS prevalence of 1.1% and 2.4% for males and females, respectively. In males, the contribution of genetic effects to BPS could not be assessed because of the small number of concordant twin pairs. In women, twin similarity estimates indicated a genetic component for the aetiology of BPS, but genetic factors contributed less than one-third of the total variation in susceptibility to BPS. Nonshared environmental factors accounted for more than two-thirds of the variance, whereas early nongenetic factors shared within the family were of little or no consequence to the risk of developing BPS later in life. Use of self-reported symptoms to define the disease phenotype is a limitation of the study. CONCLUSIONS: The influence of environmental factors in the development of BPS in women is substantial, whereas genetic influences are of only modest importance for the possibility of developing the disease.
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| 11. |
- Andersson, Lennart, et al.
(författare)
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Cancerframkallande ämnen i tätortsluft Lindesberg 2005/2006
- 2006
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Den allmänna befolkningens exponering för bensen, butadien, formaldehyd,kvävedioxid samt partiklar PM 2,5 i Lindesberg har studerats från oktober 2005till och med januari 2006. Totalt ingick 40 personer och 60 personburna mätningar(exponeringsmätningar) av olika cancerframkallande ämnen genomfördes isjudygnsperioder. Ökat intresse för de partikulära luftföroreningarnas betydelsevid bland annat hjärt-kärlsjuklighet innebar att mätningar av partiklar PM 2,5genomfördes stationärt i hemmen under 2 dygn. Parallellt med exponeringsmätningarnagenomfördes även bakgrundsmätningar av samtliga ämnen vidbyggnaden där Bergslagens Miljö- och Byggförvaltning är inhysta (Kungsgatan)och vid trafikerad gata på Räddningstjänstens tak (Kristinavägen) av samtligaämnen med mätperiod totalt uppgående till fem veckor. Liknande studier i störretätorter har tidigare genomförts i Göteborg, Umeå, Stockholm och Malmö.Resultaten från undersökningarna i Lindesberg kan sammanfattas i följande tabell:Lufthalter för olika ämnen i Lindesbergs kommun hösten 2005Ämne Personburna mätningar Bakgrundsmätningarμg/m³Kristinavägenμg/m³Kungsgatanμg/m³Bensen1,6 0,4 0,4Butadien0,5 0,04 0,05Formaldehyd27 3 2Kvävedioxid6 10 7Partiklar PM 2,59,3 9 9,7Vi har inte kunnat konstatera någon säkerställd påverkan på lufthalter av enskildamiljöfaktorer eller levnadsmönster. För enskilda individer sågs god korrelationmellan lufthalter vid olika mätomgångar. Skillnader i exponering kunde intekonstateras då rökvanor eller boendeform jämfördes, för pendlare sågs dockskillnader i bensen-, butadien- och kvävedioxidexponering.Korrelationen mellan exponeringsmätningar och bakgrundsmätningar var låg församtliga ämnen utom för bensen, motsvarande samvariation mellan olika ämnen ienskilt prov erhölls endast för bensen och butadien.De uppmätta lufthalterna av olika ämnen i Lindesbergs kommun är väl i nivå medde olika nationella och internationella rikt- och gränsvärden som finns antagna.
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| 12. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes. Investigating Swedish 12-13-year old students’ geographical understanding
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. - : Routledge. - 1038-2046 .- 1747-7611.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate students’ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes and to examine their geographical understanding of such hazards in terms of spatial and societal-nature relations. Data consists of 134 responses from 12 to 13-year-old students who had completed an assignment in the Swedish national test in geography (2013). The responses were analysed using content and thematic analyses. Data was complemented with interviews. Results show that many students hold alternative conceptions of processes causing earthquakes at different plate boundaries, and why poor societies are more severely affected by earthquakes than rich societies. Furthermore, results show that students have a limited understanding of the extent and location of earthquakes in the world. We conclude that instruction aiming to develop students’ understanding of earthquakes as a geographical phenomenon and hazard may integrate map-reasoning skills with examples that support contextual thinking. We also suggest that in order to develop students’ relational thinking on society and nature, instruction can utilise the concept of “capital”. Furthermore, teaching needs to take in to account and design instruction to meet students’ alternative conceptions that societal consequences of earthquakes are solely predetermined by natural factors such as climate or heat.
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| 13. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, 1971-, et al.
(författare)
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Processes and earthquakes - investigating Swedish students conceptions and relational thinking
- 2019
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Ingår i: Book of Abstracts. ; , s. 92-92
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to investigate students´ conceptions of causes, processes and consequences of earthquakes in relation to plate boundaries. We also focus on students´ conceptions of earthquakes in relation to society, and why some societies are more affected than others. Data consist of 134 written responses on two assignments from the Swedish national test in geography with 12-13 year old students. The responses were sampled and then analysed using content and thematic analysis. Results show that the majority of students relate earthquakes to convergent boundaries rather than to divergent or transform boundaries, holding alternative conceptions on the processes involved. Furthermore, students often describe different geological events such as tsunami and volcanoes, but rarely explain where and how earthquakes occur. The results also show that many students have developed a geographical relational understanding on why consequenses of earthquakes are more severe in poor countries by addressing socioeconomic processes including weak buildings or lack of preparedness related to poor economy, whereas some students hold alternative conceptions relating earthquakes in poor countries directly to a general increase in heat, proximity to the equator, or presence of plate boundaries in only poor countries. We believe these finding will help provide insights for teachers when designing classroom instruction aiming at changing alternative conceptions and strenghtening scientific understanding.
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| 14. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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Student´s conceptions of causes and processes forming eskers and erratics
- 2018
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Ingår i: Programme and Book of Abstracts. ; , s. 39-39
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study is to investigate students’ conceptions of causes and processes concerning the formation of eskers and erratics. Landforms, and natural processes - relating to time and space - are central to both geoscience and geography education. Given the lack of research on students´ understanding of glacial processes and landforms in geoscience education, this study contributes theoretically by investigating students’ alternative conceptions and scientific conceptions, and empirically by extending our body of knowledge of students’ understandings of a topic and generic concept at the core of geography education. Data consists of 135 written responses on an assignment with 12-13 year old students from the Swedish national test in geography (year 2013). The responses were sampled and then analysed using qualitative content analysis. In order gain a richer understanding of students´ conceptions, focus group interviews were conducted in schools with 12-13 year old students in 2017. Results show that more than a third of the students hold alternative conceptions on the causes for these landforms such as landslides, meteor impacts or human activity. The results also shows that majority of the students, who relate these landforms to a scientific cause (glaciers /ice sheets) have problems understanding the processes involved in formation of eskers and erratics, in terms of extraction, transport and deposition of material. We believe these findings will help provide insights for teachers and are useful when designing classroom instructions aiming at changing alternative conceptions and strengthening scientific conception.
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| 15. |
- Arrhenius, Mattias, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish 12-13 Year-Old Students' Geographical Understanding of the Gulf Stream
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of geography (Houston). - : Taylor & Francis. - 0022-1341 .- 1752-6868. ; 121:1, s. 5-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to investigate students' understanding of the Gulf Stream as a geographical phenomenon and in relation to geospatial conceptualizations focusing on the geographical concepts of location, distribution and interaction. Data consists of 134 responses from 12-13-year-old students who completed an assignment in the Swedish national test in geography (2013). The responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. Data was complemented with interviews in 2017. Results show that many students hold alternative conceptions of the Gulf Stream in relation to geographical concepts, which implies that instruction should focus on students' geographical contextual understanding, including map-reasoning skills.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Bengtsson, Henning, 1974-
(författare)
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Att utveckla mellanstadieelevers kritiska och temporala tänkande : En lärandeverksamhetsteoretisk studie rörande hållbar utveckling
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the study is to investigate what critical and temporal thinking can mean for younger students (aged 9-10) that requires the adoption of various perspectives in the context of sustainable urban planning, and how such knowing can be orchestrated in joint theoretical exploration work. A particular area of interest is the concept of contradictions (as used in activity theory) as a potential didactic tool for the subject, i.e. in what way it can be a driver for students and teachers to jointly identify problems, explore knowledge content with different tools (learning models) and discuss possible creative solutions to environmental and sustainability issues.This study used the learning study research approach. In collaboration with teachers, lessons were designed, analysed and evaluated to extract knowledge through the iterative process that characterises this approach. The design of the research lessons was structured in accordance with Davydov’s theory of learning activity. The students’ experiences were analysed phenomenographically and the analysis of the lessons was guided by Engeström and Sannino’s conceptual tools for how contradictions can manifest themselves (such as in dilemmas, conflicts and double-binds). The results of the study include phenomenographical descriptions of what it means to know how to use a natural site for sustainable urban planning, and what critical aspects students need to be able to discern in order to be competent to participate in such a practice. The results also show that the way contradictions are manifested in joint work (involving teachers and students) affects the form of practice that develops and the opportunities for students to jointly make the problem their own and explore the complexity of sustainable urban planning using mediating tools (learning models).The discussion highlights how the results of the study can be used as tools for designing, implementing and evaluating teaching, and, more broadly, the results are reflected in ways in which the task used in the research lessons can be developed.
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| 18. |
- Borg, Carola, 1973-
(författare)
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Utbildning för hållbar utveckling ur ett lärarperspektiv : Ämnesbundna skillnader i gymnasieskolan
- 2011
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates how teachers from different disciplines understand and implement education for sustainable development in their teaching. A nationwide questionnaire study was conducted with 3229 upper secondary school teachers representing 224 schools in Sweden. The concept of sustainable development is complex and research has shown that teachers exhibit uncertainties in their understanding of it, and that the way they conceptualize sustainable development can have consequences for how they incorporate it into their teaching. Previous research has emphasized that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) should promote interdisciplinary and holistic learning rather than traditional subject-based learning. This is in accordance with the Swedish curriculum, which emphasizes that all teachers in all subjects should integrate education for sustainable development. The teachers in the study were grouped into four disciplines; science-, social science-, language-, and vocational/esthetical-practical teachers. The results showed that there were many subject-bound barriers to successful implementation of ESD. Teachers were influenced by their subject tradition in: 1) how they understand sustainable development, 2) which teaching methods they use, 3) which barriers they experience, and 4) which teaching tradition they work within. Because of these differences it is important to adjust any further training of teachers according to their discipline. This study highlights the need for improved teacher education and further training of in-service teachers; more than 70% of the teachers stated that they need such training. It also highlights the issue how strong subject-bound traditions make it difficult to implement general goals of the curricula such as sustainable development.
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| 19. |
- Brew, Bronwyn K., et al.
(författare)
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Academic achievement of adolescents with asthma or atopic disease
- 2019
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : Wiley. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 49:6, s. 892-899
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundOver a fifth of children and adolescents suffer with asthma or atopic disease. It is unclear whether asthma impacts academic performance in children and adolescents, and little is known about the association of eczema, food allergy or hayfever and academic performance.ObjectiveTo examine whether asthma, eczema, food allergy or hayfever impacts on adolescent academic performance and to assess the role of unmeasured confounding.MethodsThis study used the Childhood and Adolescent Twin Study of Sweden cohort born 1992‐1998. At age 9‐12 years, parents reported on their child's ever or current asthma, eczema, food allergy and hayfever status (n = 10 963). At age 15, linked national patient and medication register information was used to create current and ever asthma definitions including severe and uncontrolled asthma for the same children. Academic outcomes in Grade 9 (age 15‐16 years) included: eligibility for high school (Grades 10‐12), and total mark of the best 16 subject units, retrieved from the Grade 9 academic register. Whole cohort analyses adjusted for known covariates were performed, and co‐twin control analyses to assess unmeasured confounders.ResultsThere were no associations found for asthma or food allergy at 9‐12 years and academic outcomes in adolescence. In addition, at age 15, there were no statistically significant associations with current, ever, severe or uncontrolled asthma and academic outcomes. Eczema and hayfever at age 9‐12 years were found to be positively associated with academic outcomes; however, co‐twin control analyses did not support these findings, suggesting the main analyses may be subject to unmeasured confounding.Conclusion and clinical relevanceHaving asthma or an atopic disease during childhood or adolescence does not negatively impact on academic performance. This information can be used by clinicians when talking with children and parents about the implications of living with asthma or atopic disease.
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| 20. |
- Brew, Bronwyn K., et al.
(författare)
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Comorbidity of atopic diseases and gastro-oesophageal reflux evidence of a shared cause
- 2022
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : Wiley. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 52:7, s. 868-877
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common non-allergic comorbidity in adults with asthma; however, comorbidity with other atopic diseases such as eczema and hay fever is unclear. The objective was to assess the comorbidity of GERD with asthma and atopic diseases and to investigate possible mechanisms, including genetic and/or affective factors.Methods: A co-twin control study harnessing 46 583 adult twins. Questionnaires on health status were linked to national patient and prescribed drug register data. Analyses tested associations of comorbidity between multiple definitions of atopic diseases (self-report and register-based) with GERD. Comparisons were made between unpaired, monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins to assess genetic liability. Affective traits (depression, anxiety and neuroticism) were added to models as possible explanatory factors.Results: The risk of GERD in those with asthma was OR (odds ratio) 1.52 (95% CI 1.38, 1.68), hay fever OR 1.22 (95%CI 1.12, 1.34) and eczema OR 1.23 (95%CI 1.10, 1.38). Adjusting for affective traits completely attenuated the comorbidity associations for hay fever and eczema with GERD, and partly for asthma with GERD. Co-twin control associations attenuated suggesting a shared cause for both GERD and atopic diseases. For example, all twins adjOR 1.32 (95%CI 1.00, 1.74), 0.97 (95% CI 0.76–1.23) and 1.11 (95%CI 0.85–1.45) for self-report asthma, hay fever and eczema with GERD respectively.Conclusions: GERD is a common comorbidity in adults with asthma, hay fever and/or eczema. We found evidence for shared mechanisms suggesting common underlying causes that may involve affective traits requiring further investigation.
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| 21. |
- Brew, Bronwyn K., et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal depression or anxiety in mothers and offspring asthma : a Swedish population-based study
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0300-5771 .- 1464-3685. ; 47:1, s. 166-174
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Previous research has found that maternal stress during pregnancy increases the risk of offspring asthma. However, whether this association is consistent with a causal interpretation has never been tested. The objective is to determine whether there is a critical exposure period for maternal depression or anxiety on offspring asthma or whether cumulative exposure is most important, and to investigate evidence of confounding.Methods: The study population included all children born in Sweden from July 2006 to December 2009 (n = 360 526). Information about childhood asthma, maternal depression or anxiety (diagnosis or medication) and covariates was obtained from the Swedish national health registers. The associations between exposure periods (pre-conception, pregnancy, postnatal or current) and childhood asthma were estimated using structured life course approach hypothesis testing. Paternal and cousin analyses were used to test for evidence of confounding from shared genes and environment.Results: For childhood asthma, cumulative exposure best described the effect of exposure to maternal depression or anxiety up to a maximum of any two exposure periods [adjusted odds ratio 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38, 1.52]. The hypotheses of a critical period were not supported. The paternal and cousin analyses indicated minimal influence from familial confounding.Conclusions: These findings support an association between cumulative exposure to maternal depression or anxiety and asthma development in offspring. This association is unique for maternal depression or anxiety and not due to familial confounding. The clinical implication is that effective psychological management of women with chronic distress may reduce offspring asthma risk.
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| 22. |
- Brew, Bronwyn K., et al.
(författare)
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Maternal mental health disorders and offspring asthma and allergic diseases : The role of child mental health
- 2024
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Ingår i: Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. - : Munksgaard Forlag. - 0905-6157 .- 1399-3038. ; 35:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Maternal psychological stress during pregnancy and postnatally has been shown to be associated with offspring atopic diseases (asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis). The aim of this study was to assess whether this association may be attributable to the child's own mental health disorders.METHOD: The study population included 15,092 twin children born 2002-2010 in Sweden. Questionnaire data at age 9 years was linked to national patient- and prescription registers. Maternal mental health during pregnancy and 3 years postnatally were identified from diagnosis and medication data (depression, anxiety and stress disorders). Atopic diseases in children were identified from questionnaires, diagnosis and medication data. Child mental health status (depression and anxiety) was identified from questionnaires. Three-way decomposition methods tested for mediation or interaction by child mental health disorders.RESULTS: Maternal mental health disorders were associated with most child atopic diseases including asthma aRR1.36 (95% CI 1.12, 1.60), and child mental health disorders, aRR1.73 (95% CI 1.56, 1.92). Children with mental health disorders were comorbid for atopic diseases with only asthma reaching statistical significance, aRR1.29 (95% CI 1.14, 1.47). Three-way decomposition found that mediation or interaction by child mental health disorders did not account for the mother mental health and child atopy associations except in parent-report asthma, where child mental health disorders mediated 13.4% (95% CI 2.1, 24.7) of the effect, but not for objectively defined (diagnosis and medication) asthma.CONCLUSION: The associations between maternal mental health and child asthma and allergic diseases do not appear to be attributable to child mental health disorders.
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| 23. |
- Brew, Bronwyn K., et al.
(författare)
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The familial aggregation of atopic diseases and depression or anxiety in children
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 48:6, s. 703-711
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Children with asthma and atopic diseases have an increased risk of depression or anxiety. Each of these diseases have strong genetic and environmental components, therefore it seems likely that there is a shared liability rather than causative risk.OBJECTIVE: To investigate the existence and nature of familial aggregation for the comorbidity of atopic diseases and depression or anxiety.METHODS: Participants came from the Childhood and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS), n= 14197. Current and ever asthma, eczema, hayfever and food-allergy were reported by parents. Internalizing disorders were identified using validated questionnaires. Familial co-aggregation analysis compared monozygotic MZ twins and same-sex dizygotic DZ twins for atopic disease in one twin with internalizing disorder in the other to test for genetic liability. Several familial liability candidates were also tested including parental education, recent maternal psychological stress, childhood family trauma and parental country of birth.RESULTS: Familial co-aggregation analysis found that if one twin had at least one current atopic disease the partner twin was at risk of having an internalizing disorder regardless of their own atopic status (Adjusted OR 1.22 (95% CI 1.08, 1.37). Similar results were found for each atopic disease ever and current. MZ associations were not higher than DZ associations suggesting that the liability is not genetic in nature. Including other familial candidates to the models made little difference to effect estimates.CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Atopic diseases and depression or anxiety tend to occur together in families, therefore when treating for one disease the physician should consider comorbidity in both the individual and the individual's siblings. We did not find evidence to support a genetic explanation for comorbidity and further exploration is needed to disentangle the environmental and epigenetic reasons for familial aggregation.
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| 24. |
- Caffrey Osvald, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Asthma and all-cause mortality in children and young adults : a population-based study
- 2020
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Ingår i: Thorax. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 0040-6376 .- 1468-3296. ; 75:12, s. 1040-1046
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Studies suggest an increased all-cause mortality among adults with asthma. We aimed to study the relationship between asthma in children and young adults and all-cause mortality, and investigate differences in mortality rate by also having a life-limiting condition (LLC) or by parental socioeconomic status (SES).METHODS: Included in this register-based study are 2 775 430 individuals born in Sweden between January 1986 and December 2012. We identified asthma cases using the National Patient Register (NPR) and the Prescribed Drug Register. Those with LLC were identified using the NPR. Parental SES at birth (income and education) was retrieved from Statistics Sweden. We estimated the association between asthma and all-cause mortality using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Effect modification by LLC or parental SES was studied using interaction terms in the adjusted model.RESULTS: The adjusted hazard rate (adjHR) for all-cause mortality in asthma cases versus non-asthma cases was 1.46 (95% CI 1.33 to 1.62). The highest increased rate appeared to be for those aged 5-15 years. In persons with asthma and without LLC, the adjHR remained increased at 1.33 (95% CI 1.18 to 1.50), but differed (p=0.002) from those with asthma and LLC, with an adjHR of 1.87 (95% CI 1.57 to 2.22). Parental SES did not alter the association (income, p=0.55; education, p=0.83).CONCLUSION: This study shows that asthma is associated with an increased mortality in children and young adults regardless of LLC or parental SES. Further research is warranted to investigate the possible mechanisms for this association.
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| 25. |
- Caffrey Osvald, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Parental socioeconomic status and asthma in children : using a population-based cohort and family design
- 2022
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Ingår i: Clinical and Experimental Allergy. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 0954-7894 .- 1365-2222. ; 52:1, s. 94-103
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The observed association between the parental socioeconomic status (SES, measured as education/income) and asthma or wheezing in offspring may be explained by confounding of unmeasured factors (shared genes and family environment). We aimed to study the association between parental SES and asthma/wheeze using cousin-comparison.METHOD: Data was collected on individuals born in Sweden 2001-2013. Parental SES (education and income) was gathered from Statistics Sweden. Asthma/wheeze was identified using national health registers. The association between parental SES at birth and incident asthma/wheeze was estimated using Cox regression also comparing differently exposed cousins. The association between parental SES at five years and current asthma was estimated using logistic regression.RESULTS: Included were 955 371 individuals. Mothers with compulsory school only (lowest education group) compared to those with further education (highest education group) was associated with incident asthma/wheeze below one year of age HRadj=1.45(1.38-1.52) and over one year of age HRadj=1.17(1.13-1.20). The corresponding estimates for the lowest income group were HRadj=1.61(1.54-1.69) and HRadj=0.94(0.92-0.97) respectively. In maternal cousin-comparisons, the associations for asthma/wheeze over one year of age was HRadj=1.21(1.05-1.40) for compulsory school only and HRadj=0.94 (0.84-1.07) for the lowest income group. The ORadj for current asthma at five years was 1.05(1.00-1.11) for mother's compulsory school only and 0.98(0.94-1.02) for mother's lowest income group. Results for estimates were similar for father's SES.CONCLUSION: We confirm an association between low parental SES (measured as education) and asthma/wheeze. Cousin-comparison suggests that this association is not wholly due to confounding of unknown familial factors, therefore supporting a causal relationship. The relationship between parental income and asthma/wheeze is less clear. This study is important for understanding risk factors for asthma/wheeze and for future prevention strategies. Further research is warranted to investigate the possible mechanisms for association between parental education and asthma/wheeze.
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| 26. |
- Dahlén, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Sibship and dispensing patterns of asthma medication in young children : a population based study
- 2019
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Ingår i: Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. - 1053-8569 .- 1099-1557.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Our aim was to study the association between sibship and dispensing patterns of asthma medication in young children, focusing on incidence and persistence, and taking sibship status, asthma diagnoses, and siblings’ medication into account. Methods: A register-based cohort study including all children (n=50,546) born in Stockholm, Sweden 2006–2007, followed up during 2006–2014. Exposure was sibling status; outcome was incidence of dispensed asthma medication and persistence over time. A Cox-model was used to study the association between sibship and asthma medication. Persistence was defined using two different time windows (4- and 18-months) in a refill sequence model including siblings’ and unrelated control children’s medication. Results: After one year of age, the adjusted hazard ratio of dispensed asthma medication was 0.85 (95%CI 0.80–0.90) among children with siblings compared to singletons. The estimated proportion of children with persistent controller medication was 7.2% (4-month model) and 64.5% (18-month model). When including the siblings’ controller medication, the estimated proportion was 8.8% (4-months) and 7.8% for control children (relative risk, RR 0.89, 95%CI 0.81-0.98). The persistence was lower for those with siblings compared to singletons (adj. RR 0.72, 95%CI 0.62-0.85 for 4-months) with similar estimates for older, younger, and full siblings and regardless of asthma diagnoses. Conclusions: Siblings have different dispensing patterns of asthma medications compared to singletons regardless of asthma diagnoses. After including the siblings’ asthma medication and compared with control children, the proportion of children with persistent medication increased which may indicate that siblings share asthma medications.
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| 27. |
- Davies, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Conceptual change across the disciplines : Researching students’ conceptions of allocation as part of conceptual development in economics.
- 2008
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Ingår i: 6th international conference on Conceptual Change..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on Conceptual Change has paid relatively less attention to the social than to the physical science domain. In particular, research on conceptual change in economic understanding has been fairly sparse and loosely connected. Given the potential significance of citizen’s economic understanding in delimiting government responses to globalisation (Davies 2006) this topic is worthy of further study. This paper reports on a small project in economics that investigates conceptions about the provision of free goods and services, drawing on evidence from students in different age groups. The paper considers previous work ( Furnham 1994), Leister & Halamachi 2006) of studies younger students, as well as the work within phenomenography (Marton), and students’ development of understanding of price. Results from this work conclude that :price, context, inconsistency, important in rel to citizenship.
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| 28. |
- Davies, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Se ekonomi som system : Ekonomiundervisning för begreppsbildning
- 2023
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Ingår i: SO-didaktik. - 2002-4525. ; :13, s. 54-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- I artikeln beskriver vi utmaningar med att förstå begreppet pris i ett system och undervisning som stöder elevers lärande och begreppsbildning. Vi tar också upp att ett begrepp som pris rör politik och politiskt beslutsfattande. Förändring av pris, genom skatt på konsumtion, rör viktiga samhällsutmaningar som klimatförändringar och miljöproblem, ojämlikhet , hälsa och utveckling. SO-didaktik, nummer 13, s. 54-59. Länk för nedladdning: https://issuu.com/so-didaktik/docs/so-didaktik_nummer_13
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| 29. |
- Davies, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Students' understanding of socio-economic phenomena : conceptions about the free provison of goods and services
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Economic Psychology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-4870 .- 1872-7719. ; 33:1, s. 79-89
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research on conceptual change has paid relatively less attention to the social than to the physical science domain. In particular, research on conceptual change in economic understanding has been fairly sparse and loosely connected. Given the potential significance of citizen’s economic understanding in delimiting government responses to globalisation (Davies, 2006 P. Davies, Educating citizens for changing economies. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38 (2006), pp. 15–30. Davies, 2006) this topic is worthy of further study. This study paper investigates conceptions about the provision of free goods and services, drawing on evidence from students in different age groups. In contrast to previous work we focus on the question ‘Should this product or service be made available for free?’ We compare the reasoning of students at different ages across a range of products and services and we explore the ways that they attempt to resolve conflicts within their reasoning.
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| 30. |
- Davies, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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The application of variation theory in undergraduate teaching: addressing some difficulties in the context of students’ understanding of saving.
- 2008
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Ingår i: 3rd international conference of the Phenomenography and Variation Theory Special Interest Group..
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reports some findings from a small project that aims to address three difficulties that limit the application of variation theory in the teaching of some subjects. The first difficulty is reliance upon intensive methods to uncover different ways in which a phenomenon is understood. For example, phenomenographic research has suggested categorical differences in ways of understanding only a few phenomena in economics and, as far as we are aware, none at all in business studies. A second difficulty lies in the identification of a phenomenon. Current teaching frequently presents a way of understanding a phenomenon as the phenomenon itself. ‘Today we are going to learn about product life cycles’. In these circumstances it is not always a straightforward matter to identify the phenomenon. A third difficulty lies in variation in the ways in which different social phenomena can be experienced.The project examined students’ understanding of ‘withdrawals from the economy’. Data were collected through interviews and students’ examination answers. The interviews focused on the effects of changes in saving, first at an individual and then at a collective level. Interview transcripts were analysed by the three researchers to identify differences in ways of understanding the phenomenon of saving and these categories were then compared with those arising from the examination transcripts. These data are used to provide a basis for the discussion of the three difficulties identified above
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
- Davies, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Values and competing frameworks in conceptual change in social science
- 2012
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper discusses conceptual change in the Social sciences, addressing in particular issues of values and implications for teaching. The paper is a product of a symposium organised in September 2011 in Stockholm where researchers in the disciplines of economics, politics and sociology presented and discussed empirical studies on conceptual change in these domains. The current paper is a theoretical discussion which draws on the empirical evidence presented in the symposium. We concentrate on evidence from two studies. First, a study by César López examined conceptions of ‘Nation’ held by students in Spain. A second study by Thomas Philip examined the willingness of pre-service teachers in California to change their conception of the relationship between education and employability. In both cases, students’ sense of belonging and purpose appeared to be an important barrier to conceptual change.Our main focus is on the way in which both these examples may be understood as challenges to ‘Master Narratives’ in Social Science. These narratives combine sets of descriptions, explanations and judgements to provide a coherent ways of seeing the social world. Descriptive categories (such as ‘nation’ or ‘education’) carry within them implicit judgements about the worth of the category (for instance whether nationhood or education should be seen as intrinsically good/bad, problematic/unproblematic) as well as implicit explanations of how the social world operates. The challenge for conceptual change in these circumstances is a need for simultaneous change in description, explanation and judgement. We discuss this challenge in the light of evidence provided by these two studies and we conclude with some implications for teaching in social science.
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| 33. |
- Ekström, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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'How Much Politics Is There'? Exploring Students' Experiences of Values and Impartiality from an Epistemic Perspective
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Political Science Education. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1551-2169 .- 1551-2177. ; 17:SUP1, s. 616-633
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this article, we report findings of students’ conceptions of values and impartiality in political science teaching in relation to research on epistemic beliefs. This field of research concerns students’ beliefs about the nature of knowledge in different disciplines; beliefs that are central to learning disciplinary knowledge. Interviews were conducted with students after one semester of political science education, focusing on their experiences of values in teaching. Results show that students give contradicting answers regarding values and impartiality in political science teaching. They oscillate between different epistemic beliefs and they have an unclear understanding of the nature of knowledge in the discipline. Questions on the nature and limits of knowledge, therefore, need to be prioritized in political science education. If students are to become literate within their field, they need to become aware of the multiple epistemological underpinnings inherent in the discipline, and the ways these influence the discipline.
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| 34. |
- Ekström, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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How much politics is there? Exploring students’ views on values and impartiality in political science from an epistemic cognition perspective
- 2018
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Ingår i: Programme and Book of Abstracts. ; , s. 70-70
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research aimsIn a review of research on teaching and learning political science, Craig (2014) calls for a more genuine intersection of political science and learning, and a stronger focus on learning processes. Studies of other disciplinary fields have pointed to the fact that epistemic beliefs are an important aspect of students’ learning processes (Maggioni, Fox & Alexander, 2010), and in this paper we focus in particular on students’ epistemic beliefs in political science.Students’ epistemic beliefs are difficult to grasp and analyse “head on”. In the study, students’ epistemological beliefs were analysed through students’ experiences of values and impartiality in teaching and classroom dialogues (c.f. Hofer & Pintrich 1997).Theoretical frameworkThe research field on epistemic beliefs takes an interest in students’ beliefs about knowledge and the nature of the discipline they are taught. Focus is on “how individuals come to know, the theories and beliefs they hold about knowing, and the manner in which such epistemological premises are a part of and an influence on the cognitive processes of thinking and reasoning” (Hofer 2000: 378). Hence, students’ understandings of what knowledge is, and how knowledge is produced, are of interest. These two aspects have been operationalized into four dimensions (certainty of knowledge, simplicity of knowledge, source of knowledge and justification of knowledge (Hofer 2000: 380) that aim to capture ‘the nature of the discipline’ (Mason 2016).These dimensions might shed light on potential disciplinary differences when it comes to for example university students’ beliefs about the certainty of knowledge (c.f. Hofer 2000). They may also add to our understanding of students’ learning in the academic discipline of political science (c.f. Craig 2014; Maggioni et al. 2010). By investigating student experiences within a framework of epistemic cognition in a social science discipline, we hope to contribute to current discussions concerning epistemic beliefs being domain general or specific (Muis et al 2006). As of yet, studies have been conducted in psychology (Peter et al 2015) and history (VanSledright & Maggioni 2016), but to our knowledge not in other social science disciplines.MethodologyWe conducted 13 interviews with students after one semester of studies. The interviews were open-ended and conversational (Kvale 1996: 19) and transcribed and analysed using abductive thematic analysis (c.f. Fereday et al. 2006). This hybrid process of inductive and deductive thematic analysis is a methodological approach that aims to integrate data-driven coding with theory-driven coding. The four dimensions - certainty of knowledge, simplicity of knowledge, source of knowledge and justification of knowledge (Hofer 2000: 380) - were theory-driven codes.ResultsResults show that the students are uncertain about the epistemology of political science. For example, students oscillate between different ways of making sense of the existence of values.Values are seen both as something that constitute a threat toward objective knowledge, and at the same time, as a natural part of the discipline. In regard to certainty of knowledge, students are unsure of whether certain knowledge is possible or not in the discipline.Students suggest the use of different but equally unproductive strategies to handle the existence of values; they wish for teachers to promote values that students themselves sympathize with, and for teachers to promote values in a hidden way. This can be seen as justifying the production of knowledge in the classroom. The production of “biased knowledge” on behalf of the teachers is accepted if it students themselves sympathize with this knowledge, or, if it is introduced in the classroom in a subtle way.Interestingly, the results relate to epistemological tensions in political science. The epistemology – or theory of knowledge – of the discipline may not be totally fixed (Marsh & Stoker 2010), which can complicate students’ efforts to understand what constitutes knowledge in the discipline. While these results can be regarded as discipline specific epistemic beliefs, we believe that disciplines with multiple, or dominant but existing multiple epistemologies, can potentially bring about similar challenges.ConclusionFrom a theoretical perspective, this paper contributes to current discussions concerning epistemic beliefs being domain general or specific (Hofer 2000; Muis et al 2006). From an empirical perspective, the results contribute to our understanding of subject discipline epistemological beliefs, and to our understanding of teaching and learning processes in political science.
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
- Ekström, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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How much politics is there? Students’ understandings of the role of values in political science
- 2017
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Ingår i: Nofa6. - Odense : Institut for Kulturvidenskaber, Syddansk Universitet. - 9788779381179 ; , s. 211-213
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Political science is in its nature closely connected to values and normative questions and there has therefore been a long debate on whether these questions should, and can, be kept outside the discipline (e.g. Gormley-Heenan 2012). This characteristic poses a range of challenges for everyone involved in political science teaching. However, research in the intersection of teaching and learning, and political science, is yet underdeveloped (Craig 2014). Research on conceptual change in economics (Lundholm & Davies, 2013) show that the aspect of values has two dimensions; firstly it concerns students’ values and emotions, and therefore challenges learning, and secondly, research point to the value dimension within the social sciences that students need to handle. In January 2015, at the end of their first semester, students enrolled in political science at Stockholm University took part in a survey, which focused upon students’ knowledge, values, and attitudes to various environmental policy instruments in relation to climate change. Based on outcomes of the survey, open-ended interviews were conducted with students, in all 13, on their experiences of the existence of values in political science teaching. Students were asked to think-aloud on how they viewed the existence of values and ideologies within political science education (c.f. Bernstein 2010). The interviews were taped and transcribed and analysed thematically (Braun & Clarke 2006). The results show how students oscillate between different ways of making sense of values in teaching and use different - equally unproductive - strategies to handle the dilemma. These findings are important for advancing our understanding of learning political science, and in particular, in identifying specific learning challenges in this domain. By conducting empirical research in this area, the study also contributes to a wider discussion on the scholarship of teaching and learning political science (Craig 2014) in a fruitful way.
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| 37. |
- Ekström, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Teaching pedagogical content knowledge within a subject matter course in civics teacher education
- 2015
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Ingår i: EARLI 2015.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Teachers’ content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) are considerably related to students’ learning. As previous research has stressed the importance of learning opportunities in teacher education programs as foundations for the development of PCK, it is important to investigate which learning opportunities within teacher education programs can support the development of these competencies. This paper presents an explorative intervention study investigating the effects of a newly developed alternative teaching strategy for a subject matter course in the civics teacher program that is assumed to lead to increasing motivation and knowledge gains in CK and PCK. This alternative teaching strategy involves different learning opportunities (e.g., group discussion) and learning activities (e.g., identifying frequent misconceptions concerning ideologies). The research question was whether involvement in different learning activities leads to increased motivation and to knowledge gains in CK and PCK. In this intervention study with a quasi-experimental design, a total of 34 participants (19 in the experimental group; 15 in the control group) took part. To evaluate the effects of the alternative teaching strategy on motivation, CK, and PCK, different outcome measures of student teachers’ motivation, CK, and PCK were used (e.g., written take-home exams and focus group interviews). The results indicate that the experimental group showed better performance in PCK than the control group. The results also revealed that the alternative strategy had a positive effect on motivation. These results will be critically discussed with regard to their meaning for the development of appropriate learning opportunities in teacher education.
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| 38. |
- Ekström, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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“What´s positive about positive rights?" : Students’ Everyday Understandings and the Challenges of Teaching Political Science
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Political Science Education. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1551-2169 .- 1551-2177. ; 14:1, s. 1-16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A review of research into teaching and learning in political science education concludes that this literature emphasizes student outcomes and "show and tell" descriptions of pedagogical interventions (Craig 2014). The present study instead aims to open the "black box" of conceptual learning in political science, illustrating the ambiguous role that everyday understandings of core concepts may play in the learning process. Starting from the conceptual change literature, we present findings on how everyday understandings influence learning regarding the concepts of "positive rights" and "anarchy," resulting in various learning difficulties. The results suggest that teaching needs to explore and explain differences in meaning between scientific and everyday understandings.
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
- Ekström, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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What's positive about positive rights? Students' everyday understandings and the challenges of teaching political science
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper examines undergraduate students’ understandings and learning difficulties concerning political science core concepts. A review of research on teaching and learning in political science education concludes on a dominating focus on students’ outcomes and "show and tell" of pedagogical interventions (Craig 2014). We believe it is important to enhance our knowledge of students’ learning processes, and possible learning difficulties, as political knowledge is a key component in civic engagement. Departing in the conceptual change literature, we present findings on how everyday understanding influences learning of the concepts ”positive rights” and ”anarchic world order”, causing various learning difficulties. The implications of the results suggest that teaching needs to address and explicate the differences between scientific and everyday understanding and language.
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| 41. |
- Ericsson, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Childhood social class and cognitive aging in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging
- 2017
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 114:27, s. 7001-7006
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this report we analyzed genetically informative data to investigate within-person change and between-person differences in late-life cognitive abilities as a function of childhood social class. We used data from nine testing occasions spanning 28 y in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging and parental social class based on the Swedish socioeconomic index. Cognitive ability included a general factor and the four domains of verbal, fluid, memory, and perceptual speed. Latent growth curve models of the longitudinal data tested whether level and change in cognitive performance differed as a function of childhood social class. Between-within twin-pair analyses were performed on twins reared apart to assess familial confounding. Childhood social class was significantly associated with mean-level cognitive performance at age 65 y, but not with rate of cognitive change. The association decreased in magnitude but remained significant after adjustments for level of education and the degree to which the rearing family was supportive toward education. A between-pair effect of childhood social class was significant in all cognitive domains, whereas within-pair estimates were attenuated, indicating genetic confounding. Thus, childhood social class is important for cognitive performance in adulthood on a population level, but the association is largely attributable to genetic influences.
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| 42. |
- Fagman, Johan Bourghardt, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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EGFR, but not COX-2, protein in resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is associated with poor survival.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Oncology letters. - : Spandidos Publications. - 1792-1074 .- 1792-1082. ; 17:6, s. 5361-5368
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effects of EGFR and COX-2 protein overexpression on clinical outcomes in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the protein expression of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in tumor cells in surgically resected PDAC, in comparison with clinicopathological characteristics and clinical outcomes. Immunohistochemical staining of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue derived from surgically resected tumors was performed. Tissue slides were evaluated for membrane wild-type EGFR and cytoplasmic COX-2 staining using a histoscore system. Statistical associations between EGFR and COX-2 staining and clinicopathological characteristics were examined to predict survival. In a cohort of 32 resected PDAC patients, high EGFR protein expression in tumor cells was significantly associated with shorter median overall survival (7.9 vs. 39.2 months, P=0.0038). The corresponding hazard ratio (HR) for patients with high EGFR protein expression in tumor cells was 3.12 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39-7.00, P=0.006]. COX-2 protein expression was not associated with survival (22.6 vs. 24.5 months P=0.60; HR 1.22 95% CI: 0.59-2.51, P=0.60). Following multivariate Cox regression analysis, high EGFR protein expression in tumor cells (P=0.043) remained as significant independent prognostic factor for survival. In conclusion, high wild-type EGFR protein expression, but not COX-2 protein expression, in tumor cells is a prognostic factor for reduced overall survival following pancreatic tumor resection, supporting a role for EGFR in identifying resected patients that may benefit from EGFR-targeted therapy.
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| 43. |
- Fall, Tove, et al.
(författare)
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Early Exposure to Dogs and Farm Animals and the Risk of Childhood Asthma
- 2015
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Ingår i: JAMA pediatrics. - Stockholm : American Medical Association. - 2168-6203 .- 2168-6211. ; 169:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IMPORTANCE: The association between early exposure to animals and childhood asthma is not clear, and previous studies have yielded contradictory results.OBJECTIVE: To determine whether exposure to dogs and farm animals confers a risk of asthma.DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: In a nationwide cohort study, the association between early exposure to dogs and farm animals and the risk of asthma was evaluated and included all children born in Sweden from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2010 (N = 1 011 051), using registry data on dog and farm registration, asthma medication, diagnosis, and confounders for parents and their children. The association was assessed as the odds ratio (OR) for a current diagnosis of asthma at age 6 years for school-aged children and as the hazard ratio (HR) for incident asthma at ages 1 to 5 years for preschool-aged children. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2007, to September 30, 2012.EXPOSURES: Living with a dog or farm animal.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Childhood asthma diagnosis and medication used.RESULTS: Of the 1 011 051 children born during the study period, 376 638 preschool-aged (53 460 [14.2%] exposed to dogs and 1729 [0.5%] exposed to farm animals) and 276 298 school-aged children (22 629 [8.2%] exposed to dogs and 958 [0.3%] exposed to farm animals) were included in the analyses. Of these, 18 799 children (5.0%) in the preschool-aged children's cohort experienced an asthmatic event before baseline, and 28 511 cases of asthma and 906 071 years at risk were recorded during follow-up (incidence rate, 3.1 cases per 1000 years at risk). In the school-aged children's cohort, 11 585 children (4.2%) experienced an asthmatic event during the seventh year of life. Dog exposure during the first year of life was associated with a decreased risk of asthma in school-aged children (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.81-0.93) and in preschool-aged children 3 years or older (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.99) but not in children younger than 3 years (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.07). Results were comparable when analyzing only first-born children. Farm animal exposure was associated with a reduced risk of asthma in both school-aged children and preschool-aged children (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.31-0.76, and HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.56-0.84), respectively.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this study, the data support the hypothesis that exposure to dogs and farm animals during the first year of life reduces the risk of asthma in children at age 6 years. This information might be helpful in decision making for families and physicians on the appropriateness and timing of early animal exposure.
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| 44. |
- Fang, Fang, et al.
(författare)
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Maternal bereavement and childhood asthma-analyses in two large samples of Swedish children
- 2011
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 6:11, s. e27202-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Prenatal factors such as prenatal psychological stress might influence the development of childhood asthma. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We assessed the association between maternal bereavement shortly before and during pregnancy, as a proxy for prenatal stress, and the risk of childhood asthma in the offspring, based on two samples of children 1-4 (n = 426 334) and 7-12 (n = 493 813) years assembled from the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Exposure was maternal bereavement of a close relative from one year before pregnancy to child birth. Asthma event was defined by a hospital contact for asthma or at least two dispenses of inhaled corticosteroids or montelukast. In the younger sample we calculated hazards ratios (HRs) of a first-ever asthma event using Cox models and in the older sample odds ratio (ORs) of an asthma attack during 12 months using logistic regression. Compared to unexposed boys, exposed boys seemed to have a weakly higher risk of first-ever asthma event at 1-4 years (HR: 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.98, 1.22) as well as an asthma attack during 12 months at 7-12 years (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.96, 1.24). No association was suggested for girls. Boys exposed during the second trimester had a significantly higher risk of asthma event at 1-4 years (HR: 1.55; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.02) and asthma attack at 7-12 years if the bereavement was an older child (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.11, 2.25). The associations tended to be stronger if the bereavement was due to a traumatic death compared to natural death, but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results showed some evidence for a positive association between prenatal stress and childhood asthma among boys but not girls.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Garavito-Bermúdez, Diana, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring interconnections between local ecological knowledge, professional identity and sense of place among Swedish fishers
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Education Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1350-4622 .- 1469-5871. ; 23:5, s. 627-655
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ecological knowledge of those who interact with ecosystems in everydaylife is situated in social and cultural contexts, as well as accumulated, transferred and adjusted through work practices. For them, ecosystems represent not only places for living but also places for working and defining themselves. This paper explores psychological aspects linking LEK/IEK/TEK to identity and sense of place in the context of fishery practices and management in Sweden. We analyse how knowledge of local ecosystems connect to fishers’ professional identity and their attachment to place by using the Person-Process-Place framework in integration with the Structure-Dynamic-Function framework on professional fishers in Sweden. On the basis of our results we conclude on the significance of physical as well as social and cultural features of fishing places for attachment and meaning as they are important for fishers’ local and professional identities, and also for ecological knowledge generation. Furthermore, fishers’ understanding of ecosystems complexity enhances their attachment and promotes positive emotions and behaviours for proximity maintenance.
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| 47. |
- Garavito-Bermúdez, Diana, 1978-
(författare)
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Learning ecosystem complexity : A study on small-scale fishers’ ecological knowledge generation
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Small-scale fisheries are learning contexts of importance for generating, transferring, and updating ecological knowledge of natural environments through everyday work practices. The rich knowledge fishers have of local ecosystems is the result of the intimate relationship fishing communities have had with their natural environments across generations (see e.g. Urquhart and Acott 2013). This relationship develops strong emotional bonds to the physical and social place. For fishing communities and fishers – who depend directly on local ecosystems to maintain their livelihoods – fishing environments are natural places for living, working and defining themselves. Previous research on fishers’ ecological knowledge has mainly been descriptive, i.e., has focused on aspects such as reproduction, nutrition and spatial-temporal distribution and population dynamics, from a traditional view of knowledge that only recognises scientific knowledge as the true knowledge. By doing this, fishers’ ecological knowledge has been investigated separately from the learning contexts in which it is generated, ignoring the influence of social, cultural and historical aspects that characterise fishing communities, and the complex relationships between fishers and the natural environments they live and work in. This thesis investigates ecological knowledge among small-scale fishers living and working in the ecosystems of Lake Vättern and the Blekinge Archipelago (Baltic Sea) in Sweden and explores how ecological knowledge is generated with particular regard to the influences of work and nature on fishers’ knowledge of ecosystems. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of informal learning processes of ecosystem complexity among small-scale fishers. This knowledge further contributes to the research field of ecological knowledge and sustainable use and management of natural resources. It addresses the particular research questions of what ecological knowledge fishers generate, and how its generation is influenced by their fishing work practices and relationships to nature.The thesis consists of three articles. Article I focuses on the need to address the significant lack of theoretical and methodological frameworks for the investigation of the cognitive aspects involved in the generation of ecological knowledge. Article II deals with the need to develop theoretical, methodological and empirical frameworks that avoid romanticising and idealising users’ ecological knowledge in local (LEK), indigenous (IEK) and traditional (TEK) ecological knowledge research, by rethinking it as being generated through work practices. Article III addresses the lack of studies that explicitly explore theories linking complex relations and knowledge that humans form within and of ecosystems. It also addressed the lack of attention from environmental education researchers to theory and empirical studies of ‘sense of place’ research, with a particular focus on environmental learning. Research into the question of what ecological knowledge fishers generate shows differences in their ways of knowing ecosystem complexity. These differences are explained in terms of the influences of the species being fished, and the sociocultural contexts distinguishing fishers’ connection to the fishing profession (i.e., familial tradition or entrepreneurship) (Article I), but also by the fishing strategies used (Article II). Results answering the research question of how work practices influence fishers’ knowledge of ecosystem complexity show a way of rethinking their ecological knowledge as generated in a continuous process of work (Article II), thus, far from romantic views of knowledge. Results answering the research question of how fishers’ relationships to nature influence their knowledge of ecosystem complexity demonstrate the complex interconnections between psychological processes such as identity construction, proximity maintenance and attachment to natural environments (Article III). Finally, more similarities than differences between fishers’ knowledge were found, despite the variation in cases chosen, with regards to landscape, target species, regulations systems and management strategies, fishing environments scales, as well as cultural and social contexts.
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| 48. |
- Garavito-Bermúdez, Diana, et al.
(författare)
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Linking a conceptual framework on systems thinking with experiential knowledge
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Education Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1350-4622 .- 1469-5871. ; 22:1, s. 89-110
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper addresses a systemic approach for the study of fishers’ ecological knowledge in order to describe fishers’ ways of knowing and dealing with com- plexity in ecosystems, and discusses how knowledge is generated through, e.g. apprenticeship, experiential knowledge, and testing of hypotheses. The descrip- tion and analysis of fishers’ ecological knowledge has been done using the Structure–Dynamics–Functions conceptual framework. Fishers identify 5–50 feeding interactions (Structure), recognize populations’ dynamics over time, and, the impact of external factors (climate change, water quality and overfishing) (Dynamics) and finally, acknowledge different values or services (Functions) of the ecosystem (drinking water and fishing). Knowing about these three main aspects seems to be core knowledge embedded in fishers’ ecological knowledge, which comprises systems thinking. Systems thinking is arguably part of fishers’ professional skills and significant for sustainable natural resource management yet understanding ecosystem complexity is also a cognitive challenge.
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| 49. |
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| 50. |
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