Objectives: The objectives of the study was to describe how people who face partner violence against women, either as volunteers or as professionals in their everyday work, explain violence against women in intimate relationships and their suggestions for preventive activities. Methods: Twenty men and twenty women were strategically selected for five focus-group discussions. The interviews were analysed following the procedure for qualitative thematic content analysis. Findings: The study shows that the participants acknowledged violence against women as a multifaceted phenomenon grounded in the interplay betweenindividual, family-related factors and local community and socio-cultural factors. Men’s level of education, ‘social evils’, women challenging gender role expectations and women’s extensive work load were discussed as factors at individual and family level. Poverty in the local community and ‘feudal ideologies’ were referred to as explanatory factors at structural level. The informants suggested two main ways of preventing violence against women; improved gender equality through information, education and communication, and enforcing policies and law. Examples pertaining to different levels of society were given. Conclusions: This study shows that behind all of the explanations to intimate partner violence laid the culturally constructed messages about the proper roles of men and women mirroring gender inequality and women’s power disadvantage. A hesitation to intervene was found among some of the informants, the medical doctors, while all the others were eager to discuss activities but mainly those they were already undertaking and it seems the local level require further support to better handle this problem. / <p>ISBN 91-7997-161-x</p>

Sömnstörningar hos ungdomar anses vara ett växande problem. Det finns misstankar om att ungdomarnas ökade användning av Informations- och Kommunikationsteknik (IKT) är boven i dramat. Ungdomar upplevs spendera en allt större del av sin tid framför datorn, samtidigt som mobilen går varm av samtal och SMS. Det saknas dock utförlig forskning kring sambanden mellan IKT-användande och sömn. Syfte: Att undersöka huruvida ungdomar lider av sömnstörningar och om det i så fall kan kopplas till deras IKT-användande. De frågeställningar som behandlas är hur ungdomars sömnmönster ser ut och om det finns några kopplingar mellan eventuella negativa sömnmönster och deras IKT-användande. Dessutom undersöker vi om det finns några könsmässiga skillnader i sömn och IKT-användandet. Metod: Den metod som används är kvantitativ och datainsamlingen har skett genom en enkät. Urvalet består av 392 elever i årskurs ett från en gymnasieskola i västra Sverige. Enkäten besvarades och samlades in vid ett och samma tillfälle. Datan har bearbetats och analyserats i statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat: Analysen av resultaten visar att deltagarna har sömnproblem och att de upplever negativa effekter av dessa sömnproblem. Resultatet visar även att det finns ett samband mellan deltagarnas IKT-användande och dålig sömnkvalité, ju högre användande desto sämre sömn. Det finns inga direkta könsmässiga skillnader gällande sömnmönstret, däremot finns det skillnader gällande IKT-användandet. Slutsats: Undersökningen visar att deltagarna faktiskt lider av sömnproblem, och att användandet av IKT påverkar sömnen. Samtidigt indikerar resultatet att IKT-användning endast är en av flera påverkansfaktorer. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att till fullo förstå de bakomliggande orsakerna till ungdomarnas sömnproblem. / Sömnstörningar hos ungdomar anses vara ett växande problem. Det finns misstankar om att ungdomarnas ökade användning av Informations- och Kommunikationsteknik (IKT) är boven i dramat. Ungdomar upplevs spendera en allt större del av sin tid framför datorn, samtidigt som mobilen går varm av samtal och SMS. Det saknas dock utförlig forskning kring sambanden mellan IKT-användande och sömn. Syfte: Att undersöka huruvida ungdomar lider av sömnstörningar och om det i så fall kan kopplas till deras IKT-användande. De frågeställningar som behandlas är hur ungdomars sömnmönster ser ut och om det finns några kopplingar mellan eventuella negativa sömnmönster och deras IKT-användande. Dessutom undersöker vi om det finns några könsmässiga skillnader i sömn och IKT-användandet. Metod: Den metod som används är kvantitativ och datainsamlingen har skett genom en enkät. Urvalet består av 392 elever i årskurs ett från en gymnasieskola i västra Sverige. Enkäten besvarades och samlades in vid ett och samma tillfälle. Datan har bearbetats och analyserats i statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat: Analysen av resultaten visar att deltagarna har sömnproblem och att de upplever negativa effekter av dessa sömnproblem. Resultatet visar även att det finns ett samband mellan deltagarnas IKT-användande och dålig sömnkvalité, ju högre användande desto sämre sömn. Det finns inga direkta könsmässiga skillnader gällande sömnmönstret, däremot finns det skillnader gällande IKT-användandet. Slutsats: Undersökningen visar att deltagarna faktiskt lider av sömnproblem, och att användandet av IKT påverkar sömnen. Samtidigt indikerar resultatet att IKT-användning endast är en av flera påverkansfaktorer. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att till fullo förstå de bakomliggande orsakerna till ungdomarnas sömnproblem.

Studier visar att åtgärder krävs för att minska svenska barns intag av sötsaker och fett samt öka intaget av frukt och grönsaker. Skolors roll i att främja en hälsosammare kosthållning hos barn måste därför få en ökad uppmärksamhet. Lärare bör ta tillvara på tillfällen som ges att i undervisningen förmedla en positiv syn på mat. Sapere-metoden är en pedagogisk metod som syftar till att öva upp elevers sensoriska förmåga, utveckla deras språk samt på sikt förbättra deras matvanor. Denna metod tillämpas idag på skolor i Västmanland. Syftet med studien var att studera lärares upplevelser av Sapere-metoden i Västmanland, hur tillämpningen påbörjades, vilka förväntningar som fanns samt vilka möjligheter och hinder som påträffats under processen. Insamlingen av data skedde genom intervjuer med lärare och intervjuerna analyserades med hjälp av en innehållsanalys. Resultatet visar att skolorna började tillämpa Sapere-metoden eftersom en person på skolan blev inspirerad. Förväntningarna handlade om en utveckling hos barnen, att bryta trender i samhället samt förväntningar att fortsätta arbetet med metoden i framtiden. Möjligheter är att metoden går att använda i alla skolämnen, att den utövas praktiskt samt går i linje med läroplanen. Hinder i arbetet är tidsbrist, kostnaden samt utbyte av personal i skolan. / Studies show that measures are required to reduce Swedish children’s intake of sugar and fat and to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. Schools role in promoting a healthier diet in children must be given a greater attention. Teachers must take care of the opportunities they have that in the teaching mediate a positive view on food and meals. Sapere-method is an educational method and the aim is to practice pupils in their ability to use all their senses, to develop their language use and in the long term improve their food habits. This method is applied in schools in Västmanland. The aim with this study was to study teacher’s experiences of the Sapere-method in Västmanland, how the method was applied, what expectations there was, and what opportunities and obstacles encountered during the process. Data collection was done by interviewing teachers and the interviews were analyzed using a content analysis. The results of the study show that the Sapere method was applied because a person at the school became inspired. Expectations were a development of the children, to break the trends in society and expectations to continue the work in the future. The opportunities are that the method can be used in all school subjects, that is practiced practical and is in line with the curriculum. Obstacles in the method are lack of time, the cost and exchange of personnel in the school.

Hensikt: Hensikten med studien er å få innsikt i kreftpasienters behov for og opplevelse av informasjon i forbindelse med strålebehandling og hvordan de bruker informasjon i sin nye livssituasjon. Metode: Det ble gjort en kvalitativ intervjuundersøkelse med ti kreftpasienter som skulle gjennomgå strålebehandling. Intervjuene ble gjennomført i forkant av strålebehandlingen, med unntak av to tilfeller der samtalen ble gjennomført henholdsvis etter at strålebehandlingen begynte og etter at CT undersøkelsen var tatt. Dataanalysen ble utført med Grounded theory metode. Resultater: Kjernekategorien som sprang ut av data var det er det lille som teller. Kategoriene som kom frem var informasjonssynergi, følelse av usikkerhet og mestring. Seks underkategorier inngikk i de tre kategoriene. Følelser og uvitenhet inngikk i følelse av usikkerhet. Informasjonsønsker og informasjonsmåter inngikk i kategorien informasjonssynergi. Forståelse og trygghet inngikk i kategorien mestring. Konklusjon: Kjernekategorien det er det lille som teller sammenfatter viktigheten av å gi hver enkelt pasient svar på akkurat det han eller hun lurer på. Informasjonssynergi, følelse av usikkerhet og mestring er grunnsøyler for at pasientene er optimalt rustet til å gjennomgå strålebehandling. Dette vil stille større krav til helsevesenet med hensyn til å kommunisere med pasienter på forskjellige måter, både med dialog og visuelt i form av film og skriftlig informasjon. / Aim: This study aimed to increase understanding the information needs of cancer patients before and during radiation therapy. We also explored how cancer patients adapt such information to their new life situations. Method: Among 10 participants in our qualitative interview survey, eight individuals were interviewed before radiation therapy commenced, one was interviewed during treatment and one was interviewed following CT examination. We used grounded theory to analyse our data.Results: Our study identified one core category: small things matter. Other categories included information synergy (desire for information and manner of delivery), vulnerability (emotions and lack of knowledge), and coping skills (comprehension and security). Conclusions: This study identified the importance of answering patients´ questions. Providing accurate information, minimizing vulnerability, and enhancing coping skills all play an important role in optimizing patient preparation for radiation therapy. However, the process of developing a variety of communication methods (e.g., improved patient dialogue, printed information, and video presentations) will increase demands on the healthcare system. / <p>ISBN 978-91-86739-13-3</p>

HENSIKTEN: Studien beskriver mødre/barn som strevde med amming/diing. Hensikten var å se om tett oppfølging og veiledning økte varighet av amming, og å få kunnskap om mødres opplevelse av ammeproblemer, og ammeveiledning i praksisfeltet. METODE: Studien var en deskriptiv, retrospektiv undersøkelse. Instrumentet var et strukturert spørreskjema med 37 spørsmål. Informantene var alle norsktalende mødre som hadde fått ekstra ammeveiledning og oppfølging ved en helsestasjon i Oslo. Data ble samlet inn via post. RESULTATER: De fleste barna var under en uke gamle ved hjemreise. Der var ingen forskjeller mellom kjønnene. Hyppigst rapporterte dievansker hos barna var sugevansker og dårlig vektøking. I løpet av de første to ukene hadde 75 prosent av ammeproblemene hos mødrene oppstått. Over halvparten av mødrene rapporterte at de hadde behov for ammeveiledning på grunn av sår, sprekker eller infeksjoner på brystknoppene. Langt de fleste mødre mestret ammingen og ammet lenge på tross av store ammeproblemer. Den viktigste motivasjonen mødre oppga for å mestre ammeproblemer var kunnskap om at morsmelk var det beste for barnet. Mødre opplevde at å lykkes med amming hadde en sammenheng med å være en god mor. Støtte fra barnets far var betydningsfull i forhold til beslutningen om å fortsette eller å avslutte ammingen. Mødre beskrev at å få kunnskap, veiledning og oppfølging av helsepersonell med kompetanse, økte selvfølelsen og motiverte dem til å fortsette å amme. KONKLUSJON: Tidspunktet for barnets første måltid viste seg å være en indikator for behov for ammeveiledning både på barselavdelingen og etter hjemkomst. Bruk av morsmelkerstatning tidlig i ammeforløpet var en markør for kortere varighet av amming. Det er av sentral betydning å sikre at mødre får ammeveiledning før hjemreise, og at veiledningen blir gitt etter individuelle behov basert på kunnskap. Mødres behov for ammeveiledning ved hjemkomst med barnet, er en sentral del av det forebyggende arbeidet ved helsestasjonen både i forhold til barnets ernæring og mors mestring / AIM: The study describes mothers and children who strived with the breastfeeding dyad. The aim was to see if information, help and close support increase duration of breastfeeding and to gather information of mothers’ experience of breastfeeding problems and breastfeeding support in practise. METHOD: The study had a descriptive, retrospective design. Data were gathered through a postal questionnaire with 37 questions. The informants were Norwegian speaking mothers who had received extra breastfeeding help and support at a well-baby clinic in Oslo. RESULTS: The majority of children were under a week old when discharged from hospital. There were no differences in gender. The children’s most reported problems were suckling problems, and failure to thrive. 75 % of the breastfeeding problems among mothers occurred during the first two weeks. More than half of the mothers reported the reason for breastfeeding problems to be sore, cracked and/or infected nipples. The majority of the mothers coped with breastfeeding in spite of huge breastfeeding problems, and breastfed for a long period. Knowledge of how mothers milk protects the baby was the most important motivation for coping with breastfeeding problems. To succeed with breastfeeding was related to the feeling of being a good mother. Support from the child’s father was important for the mother’s decision to continue or to stop breastfeeding. The mothers described that to be given knowledge, counselling and support from competent health workers increased their self confidence and motivation to continue breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: The time of breastfeeding initiation was an indicator for mothers who needed breastfeeding support both in maternity ward and in the well-baby clinic. The use of supplements in addition to breastfeeding at an early stage was a marker for shorter duration of breastfeeding. It is important to ensure that mothers get breastfeeding support before discharge from hospital and that the support is individual and based on knowledge. Mothers’ need of breastfeeding support after discharge from hospital is a central part of health promotion at the well-baby clinic as it concerns the baby’s nutrition and the mothers mastering. / <p>ISBN 91-7997-138-5</p>

Forskning har vist at dårlig kommunikasjon og mangelfull kontinuitet kan føre til dårlig kvalitet på tjenestene til barn. I noen tilfeller har dette ført til uriktige diagnoser og behandling, samt til mangelfull informasjon til foreldrene. Statens Helsetilsyn opprettet en arbeidsgruppe som utformet et forslag til egen journal til bruk for barn og foreldre. Gruppen foreslo å prøve ut egenjournalen til enutvalgt populasjon, og evaluere denne før den ble tatt i bruk i resten av landet. Mål/ hensikt: Endepunktsmål var foreldrenes opplevde kvalitet på kommunikasjon med helsepersonell, informasjonens relevans, følelse av likeverd og invitasjon til egen delaktighet. En ønsket å finne ut ihvilken grad foreldrene ville bruke egenjournalen i møte med helsetjenesten, om foreldrene opplevde at bruk av egenjournal ville føre til en bedre og mer delaktig kommunikasjon, om egenjournalen ville påvirke bruken av helsetjenester, og om foreldrene fikk tilført mer kunnskap om barns helse gjennom egenjournalen. Setting: Helsestasjoner i ti kommuner på nordvestlandet i Norge Metode: Et utvalgpå 309 barn født mellom 1. august 2000 og1. oktober 2001, ble rekruttert gjennom helsestasjonsbesøk og randomisert i en intervensjonsgruppe eller en kontrollgruppe. Førstefødte ble ekskludert. Vi brukte selvutfyllende spørreskjema, som var standardiserte og lukkede. Begge gruppene besvarte del 1 både før og etter intervensjonen. Intervensjonsgruppen besvarte i tillegg del 2 etter intervensjonen. Det var 289 (94%) foreldre som besvarte spørreskjemaet før intervensjonenog 260 (84%) etter. Helsesøstrene introduserte både egenjournalen ogspørreskjemaene. Helsepersonell ble også intervjuet for å validere resultatene. Resultat: Ca ¾ av foreldrene benyttetegenjournalen ved besøk på helsestasjonen, og en tilsvarende andel mente den var nyttig og haddeselv skrevet i den. Halvparten av foreldre oppgav at egenjournal førte til bedre oversikt over barnets helse og utvikling og at de ble mer involvert i bestemmelser. Den ble mindre brukt ved andre typerkontakter med helsetjenesten. Brukav egenjournalen påvirket ikke bruken av helsetjenester, kunnskaper om barns helse eller tilfredshet med informasjon og kommunikasjon med helsepersonell. Konklusjoner: Egenjournalen ble godtmottatt og hyppig benyttet i denne randomiserte og kontrollerte undersøkelsen, men undersøkelsen støttet imidlertid ikke de positive resultatene egenjournalen hadde på kommunikasjon og informasjon, som er blitt vist i tidligere deskriptive oppfølgingsstudier. Foreldre og helsesøstre som deltok i studien, trodde imidlertid at resultatene ville blitt bedre dersom egenjournalen ble introdusert ved første hjemmebesøk etter fødsel, og dersom det ble gitt mer opplæring i bruken av egenjournalen. Det vil være behov for videre forskning for åkunne bestemme hva som videre skal skje med egenjournalen i det helsefremmende arbeidet / Background:Research has shown that insufficient communication skills and lacking continuity has led to poor quality of the children's health services. In some cases this has caused incorrect diagnosis and treatment and insufficient information to the parents. The Norwegian Board of Health appointed a working group that created a parent-held child health record. The group proposed the record to betried out in a selected population and evaluated before introducing it for the whole country. Aim: Tostudy parents use of the PHCHR, and to evaluate participation in decisionmaking and communication with the professionals. We also wanted to determine the PHCHR’s influence on health care utilisation, knowledge about child health and self-care. Setting: Maternal child health centres in ten municipalities in the North-west of Norway between October 2001 and January2003. Method: A sample of 309 children born between Jan 8. 2000 (00.08.01) and Oct 1. 2001 (01.10.01) was recruited successively at routine health surveillance visits and randomised into an intervention ora control group. First-born children were excluded. We used self-completed questionnaires, which had standardised, specific and closed questions. Both groups answered part one before and after the intervention, and the intervention group also answered part two after the intervention. It was 289(94%) parents who answered the questionnaires before the intervention, and 260 (84%) after. Public health nurses introduced both the PHCHR and the questionnaires. The nurses were interviewed to validate the interpretation of the results. Results: 3/4 of the parents used the PHCHR when visiting the maternal child health centres, 3/4 reported that the record had been helpful to them and 3/4 had entered information in the PHCHR themselves. Half of the parents claimed that the PHCHR led to better view of the child's health and development, and that they got more involved in decisions. The PHCHR was less used visiting other health professionals. The use of PHCHR did not influence the utilisation of health care services, parents’ knowledge of child's health, or the parents' satisfaction of information and communication with professionals. Conclusions: The PHCHR was well acceptedand frequentlyused in this randomised controlled trial, but the survey does not support the positive results using PHCHR shown in earlier descriptive follow up studies. Still, the public health nurses taking part in the study believe that an earlier introduction of the parent-held child record – at the first home visit, and more training would alter the results. Further studies are needed before one is to decide what to do about PHCHR in health promotion in children / <p>ISBN 91-7997-092-3</p>

Asthma and allergies have increased considerably during the past 40-50 years. Along with this increase, a heightened awareness regarding different neuro-developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder has occurred and it has been proposed that such disorders are also on the increase. It has been suggested that environmental factors, especially in the indoor environments, may be associated with the increase in these disorder, especially among children, who spend more than 90% of their time indoors. The aim of this thesis has been to investigate certain environmental factors in homes and their impact on children’s health, in terms of asthma, rhinitis, eczema as well as autism spectrum disorders, and to identify certain methodological difficulties in epidemiological investigations. We found that the mean incidence rate per year for doctor diagnosed asthma was in the range of 0.6-2.4% and for incidence of rhinitis 1.1-3.7%. The incidence rate of eczema ever was 2.7%. These results showed that when using a cohort established after birth the estimated incidence rates are strongly dependent of how the baseline population’s health and how the studied health outcome at follow up is defined. Our results showed that the associations between parental reported moisture problems in the home and asthma in children that were revealed in cross-sectional analyses decreased or disappeared when longitudinal data were used on the same data set. Our results therefore indicate that associations between parental reported moisture problems and asthma from cross-sectional questionnaire studies should be interpreted with caution due to the risk for reporting bias. Our results show that children who were living in homes with PVC-flooring in the bedroom in early childhood were more likely to develop asthma during the following 5-year period when compared with children living in homes without such flooring material. A similar association could be seen for children with autism spectrum disorder, where PVC-flooring in early childhood was associated with more reports of autism spectrum disorder five years later. These results indicate that building materials including suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals such as phthalates might be of importance for the development of these chronic diseases. Further studies are needed to explore the early life exposure and the mechanisms and contribution of phthalates for the development of chronic diseases. / Appendix A (en undersökning) och Appendix B (en undersökning)finns i den tryckta versionen av avhandlingen

Magister Pharmaceuticae - MPharm / The effects of disability on the individual not only include physical, psychological and emotional adjustments but also negative attitudes of able bodied people towards persons with disabilities. The attitudes of healthcare professionals towards persons with disabilities could affect rehabilitation outcomes as well as the reintegration of these people into society. The aim of the study was to investigate the attitudes of health science students towards persons with disabilities at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), in Tanzania. An explorative quantitative research design using a cross-sectional survey was used. The study sample (182) included all Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Medical and Optometry students. Data was collected using the Attitudes Towards Disabled Persons Scale,consisting of 20 items rated on a six-point Likert Type Scale. A demographic questionnaire which included questions relating to the contact of the students with persons with disabilities was also administered. Descriptive and Inferential statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 15.0. Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Higher Degrees Committee and the Senate Research Grant and Study Leave Committee of the University of the Western Cape. Further permission was requested from Ministry of Education, Research and Ethics Department in Tanzania and the authorities of the respective Health Sciences programmes to include students in the study. Information obtained was handled with confidentiality and anonymity, and the students had the right to withdraw from the study at anytime.The results revealed that the sample consisted of more females (58%) than males (41.2%).The majority of the participants were between the ages of 20-29 years. The highest response rate was from the medical students (29.1%) followed by the physiotherapy students (27.5%).The Optometry and physiotherapy students had more positive attitudes than the rest of the health science students who participated. The mean score on the ATDP scale was 59.01 (12.3) with scores ranging from 18 to 90. The results therefore revealed that overall the students had a neutral to negative attitude towards persons with disabilities. With regards to the contact of the students with persons with disabilities 26.9% of the participants responded that they had had a long talk with a person with a disability while only 17.6% of the students responded that persons with disabilities visited their homes. The mean contact score was 22.72 indicating that the students had a slightly above average contact with persons with disabilities. No association was found between the attitude and contact mean scores.Information obtained in this study could be used to influence the curriculum of Health Science Students at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre.

Around the world, people are becoming more sedentary and less physically active. These behaviors are two examples of habits causing lifestyle diseases and premature death. The Health Dialogue (Hälsosamtal) is a method used in Sweden today, which attempts to prevent people from being diagnosed with lifestyle caused diseases. Today, the Health Dialogue does not offer an opportunity to perform follow-up of lifestyle goals created during the Health Dialogue, which is an important missing piece of the method. Follow-up regarding goals can benefit from being combined with digital twin technology, since this type of technology can potentially prevent negative habits by providing personalized predictions of bodily functions. In this thesis, a design prototype was created, combining the Health Dialogue with digital twin technology as an attempt to increase motivation towards a healthier lifestyle. Three hypotheses were proposed and evaluated through a user test containing the created design prototype. The results of the evaluation showed some support for the hypotheses for some participants, but overall, not enough to show support for motivation while using the prototype. However, the design and evaluation method can help in further development of an application that might contribute to motivation of a healthier lifestyle in the future.

In 2003 a WHO treaty presented the use of cigarettes and tobacco as an international tobacco epidemic: a public health concern that needed to be diminished. Decreasing smoking prevalence can be an effect of individual choice, the social context or of governmental interventions. This master thesis originated in an interest in governmental measures aimed at decreasing the population´s smoking prevalence. The data used in this thesis include records of parliamentary and governmental bills as well as the parliamentary debates in the Swedish Parliament 1971 and 2011. Discourse analysis was used to analyse how the hazards of cigarette smoking in a public health perspective were of any interest to the national political arena of the Swedish Parliament. Fivethemes developed from the documents. The essence of the themes evolved to vision, society structure and tools for policy making. To conclude: forty years of policy making resulted in legislation; a smoking ban was put into place and shift of societal norms.The agenda of tobacco policy making expanded, what was politically acceptable and possible to add to the agenda during forty years varied. There were changes in discourse as well as development of new discourse.