In 1981, no representative study of the medical and social conditions among elderly persons in northern Scandinavia was performed. Nor was there such a study in a smaller Swedish town than Gothenburg. This study was initiated to fill that knowledge gap. The aim of the study was to evaluate gender and age differences in medical and social conditions among elderly people, including the reference intervals of clinical chemistry parameters and characteristic features of the 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG) in healthy elderly. By way of longitudinal design with birth cohorts stratified by gender, it was assumed that the effects could be demonstrated. Also, the death risk of various social and medical variables was to be assessed. During the study period 1981 to 1990, the subjects were between 70 and 88 years of age. The proportion of persons living in private housing decreased from almost all at the age of 70 to slightly more than half at 88 years of age. The number of socially active persons decreased considerably during the period. The need of help increased from almost none to 60 % of the persons. The proportions of persons with normal sight and hearing decreased from two thirds to around one tenth The most frequent symptoms were general tiredness, pains, dyspnoea, constipation and dryness of the mouth. Cardiovascular diseases were the most frequent. Hypertensive disease became less, and congestive heart failure more frequent with age. The frequency of dementia increased steeply among the oldest persons; at 88 years of age, 40 % were demented. Drug consumption increased; the oldest persons in both age cohorts used 5 different drugs or more per person regularly. The consumption increase was mainly due to the increasing morbidity accompanying age. The most common drugs taken were cardiovascular preparations, psychoactive agents, drugs to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms, and analgesics. Drug intake and symptom prevalence were generally higher in women, despite the fact that there was no gender difference in the number of diseases. The reference intervals of many blood components in healthy elderly were shown to be broader than those of younger persons. The intervals of P(lasma)-folate and P- potassium were on a lower and those of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, P-creati- nine and, in women, S(erum)-cholesterol, were on a higher level than among younger persons. Several features of the 24-hour ECG, e.g. the number of episodes of supraventricular tachycardia as well as supraventricular and ventricular premature beats in healthy elderly were more frequent than among younger persons. Between 80 and 88 years of age, many functions crucial to the chances of living a rich and vital life were found deteriorating in the elderly persons. High age, male sex, dementia, congestive heart failure, and low values of S-creatinine were shown to be independent factors connected with an increased death risk. / <p>S. 1-112: sammanfattning, s. 115-177: 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu.se

The current study examined the capacity of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Prototype/Willingness model (P/W model) to predict intention to have unsafe sex with new and regular partners as well as frequency of unsafe sex in a sample of men who have sex with men (MSM) sample. The study also examined aspects of the sexual situation immediately prior to or during unsafe sexual intercourse (such as substance use, venue and emotional state) to determine whether there were any significant correlations and group differences. One hundred and fifty-eight male participants between the ages of 18-26 who have had sex with another male in the last nine months completed an online survey of sexual habits, TPB and P/W model variables. With the exception of prototypes, the results showed significant group difference in terms of TPB and P/W model variables between risk groups. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between models in predictive capacity in terms of either intention or frequency of unsafe sex. The results of the study suggested participants were generally only having unsafe sex with regular partners, that in older samples it may be more parsimonious to use the TPB than P/W model and that it is important to measure TPB variables in terms of both new and regular partners for increased accuracy and greater applicability in terms of HIV/STI interventions.

Bakgrund: Sjuksköterskor har historisk sett haft till uppgift att vårda personer som skadats i strid. Ett arbetsområde för sjuksköterskor idag är att deltaga i insatser utomlands där de kan komma att vårda individer som skadats i strid. Att skadas i strid kan uppfattas som en traumatisk händelse som utmanar individens upplevelse av trygghet, tillit och hopp. Omvårdnadslitteratur belyser att det är viktigt att sjuksköterskor stärker upplevelsen av trygghet, tillit och hopp hos patienter. Syfte: Beskriva hur sjuksköterskor uppfattar att de stödjer en patients upplevelse av trygghet, tillit och hopp i det akuta omhändertagandet vid skada i strid. Metod: En empirisk studie med kvalitativ ansats. Datainsamlingen har genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer och data har bearbetats med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Upplevelsen av trygghet uppfattas av informanterna främjas av smärtlindring, information, säkerhet, kunskap, erfarenhet, strukturerat arbetssätt, lugn samt närhet och beröring. Tillit uppfattas av informanterna främjas av förståelse, empati, äkthet, förtroendefull relation och kontroll. Informanterna uppfattar att upplevelsen hopp hos patienten främjas genom delaktighet, ärlighet, information och behandling av livshotande tillstånd. Slutsats: De faktorer som upplevs främja trygghet, tillit och hopp kan identifieras som både sjuksköterskans förhållningssätt och dennes aktiva åtgärder. Resultatet indikerar att enskilda strategier uppfattas främja flera vitala behov samtidigt och kan därmed förstås som bundna till varandra. Klinisk betydelse: Denna studie kan ha betydelse för sjuksköterskor som ämnar främja patienters upplevelser av trygghet, tillit och hopp. Studiens erfarenhetsredovisning kan inspirera och stödja andra sjuksköterskor i deras arbete inom vården. / Background: Nurses have historically cared for individuals injured in combat. One field of operations for nurses today is to participate in missions abroad where they may care for individuals injured in combat. To be injured in combat might be perceived as a traumatic event which challenges an individual's experience of comfort, trust and hope. Nursing literature emphasizes the importance of nurses’ ability to support a patient’s experience of comfort, trust and hope. Purpose: To describe how nurses perceive that they support a patient's experience of comfort, trust and hope during emergency care of injury in combat. Method: An empirical study with a qualitative approach. Data collection was carried out using semi-structured interviews and was processed using a qualitative content analysis. Results: The perception of comfort is perceived by the informants as supported by pain management, information, security, knowledge, experience, a structured course of action, calm, presence and physical contact. The perception of the informants is that trust is supported by understanding, empathy, authenticity, trusting relationship and control. Hope is perceived as supported by participation, honesty, information, and treatment of life-threatening conditions. Conclusion: Factors perceived to support comfort, trust and hope can be identified as the nurse´s approach and active measures. The result indicates that single actions are perceived supporting several vital needs simultaneously and can be understood as interlinked. Clinical significance: This study may be relevant to nurses who aim to support patients' experiences of comfort, trust and hope. This description of the lived experiences can inspire and support other nurses in health care.

Bakgrund: Behandling av svår fetma med Bariatrisk kirurgi har ökat kraftigt. Målet med kirurgin är att minska sjuklighet och dödlighet genom viktminskning. Kirurgin påverkar även människors fysiska, psykiska och sociala liv. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att beskriva hur patienter upplever sin livssituation efter Bariatrisk kirurgi. Metod: Studien genomfördes som en allmän litteraturstudie och baserades på 11 vetenskapliga artiklar. Resultat: Resultaten presenterades i fem huvudkategorier som speglar människors upplevelse av sin livssituation efter genomgång av Bariatrisk kirurgi; Förändrad kroppsuppfattning, känsla av ändrade relationer, positiva och negativa känslor relaterade till operationen, känslor relaterade till förändrat ätbeteende, och hälsorelaterade upplevelser. Slutsats: Förutom viktminskningen, kan Bariatrisk kirurgi även ha både positiv och negativ påverkan på människors fysiska och psykosociala liv. Det är därför viktigt att vårdpersonalen har kunskap kring hur de som opererats upplever sin livssituation, så att de kan vägleda och stödja dem. / Background: The treatment of severe obesity with Bariatric surgery has shown a dramatic increase. The goal of Bariatric surgery is through weight loss, reduce morbidity and mortality. However, the physical, mental and social life of the patients is affected following the surgery. Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe what patients experience in their life situation after undergoing Bariatric Surgery. Method: The study was conducted as a literature study and was based on 11 scientific articles. Results: The results are presented in five main catego-ries reflecting what people experience in their life situation after undergoing Bariatric Sur-gery: altered body image, sense of changing relationships, positive and negative feelings re-lated to the surgery, feelings related to their altered feeding behavior, and health-related expe-riences. Conclusion: Apart from weight loss, Bariatric surgery can also have both positive and negative impacts on the physical and psychosocial lives of patients. It is therefore im-portant that health professionals have knowledge about what Bariatric patients may experi-ence in their lives, so that they can provide them with appropriate guidance and support.

Investigations into past accidents at nuclear power generating facilities such as that of Three Mile Island have identified human factors as one of the foremost critical aspects in plant safety. Errors resulting from limitations in human information processing are of particular concern for human-machine interfaces (HMI) in plant control rooms. This project examines the application of Ecological Interface Design (EID) in HMI information displays and the effects on operator situation awareness (SA) for turbine secondary systems based on the Swedish Forsmark 3 boiling-water reactor nuclear power plant. A work domain analysis was performed on the turbine secondary systems yielding part-whole decomposition and abstraction hierarchy models. Information display requirements were subsequently extracted from the models. The resulting EID information displays were implemented in a full-scope simulator and evaluated with six licensed operating crews from the Forsmark 3 plant. Three measures were used to examine SA: self-rated bias, Halden Open Probe Elicitation (HOPE), and Situation Awareness Control Room Inventory (SACRI). The data analysis revealed that operators achieved moderate to good SA; operators unfamiliar with EID information displays were able to develop and maintain comparable levels of SA to operators using traditional forms of single sensor-single indicator (SS-SI) information displays. With sufficient training and experience, operator SA is expected to benefit from the knowledge-based visual elements in the EID information displays. This project was researched in conjunction with the Cognitive Engineering Laboratory at the University of Toronto and the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Halden, Norway.

Interruptions in time-critical, dynamic, and collaborative environments, such as air traffic control (ATC), can provide valuable, task-relevant information. However, they also negatively impact task performance by distracting the operator from on-going tasks and consuming attention resources. This thesis develops and assesses a tool to assist radar air traffic controllers in managing interruptions. Field observations and interviews with air traffic controllers were utilized to develop an understanding of how interruptions occur in real ATC environments, and to identify where opportunities exist to use technology to support the interruption management process. It was identified that operators in these environments could better manage the effects of interruptions if there were indications to one operator of the availability of a collaborator and the urgency of an interruption from a collaborator. Present communication systems do not facilitate the awareness of these functionalities. An initial prototype for providing these functionalities in operational ATC displays was designed. Feedback on the prototypes was solicited through Participatory Design (PD) sessions with air traffic controllers. Based on the refinement of these prototypes, the Working Awareness Interruption Tool (WAIT) was developed to support more efficient and appropriate interruption timing in the context of complex, real-time, distributed, human operator interactions. Variations of the tool demonstrated several ways of showing the availability of the controller to be interrupted (either through manual settings or automatic detection) as well as incorporating a means of conveying the urgency level of the interruption. In order to examine the utility of the tool and to assess the importance and validity of its features, an experiment was conducted in a laboratory-based setting. The results of the experiment show the potential of this tool in an environment representative of air traffic control tasks and communication. Although the sample size was limited, the WAIT facilitated improved performance on both objective measures and self-reported measures, and reduced the distraction effects of interruptions from other operators. These improvements occurred without affecting perceptions of the effectiveness of communications. Questionnaire and interview results showed that participants appear to prefer an automated setting of availability to be shown to other collaborators. Identifying two examples of key features supporting interruption management (communicating availability and urgency) in air traffic control is one of the key contributions of this work. The work also makes a contribution by demonstrating that providing a tool incorporating these features can improve performance in an environment representative of ATC, albeit with naïve participants. Finally, the research makes a contribution by presenting the challenges associated with evaluating interruption management tools that require collaboration between operators in a system.

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate how being outdoors and participating in physical activities affect the concentration in a collection situation among children. The methods I chose were observation of two groups of children two times each and interviews with four educators. The results showed that the concentration in the collected situation depends on past activity, where it has taken place and that the environment has an impact. If the previous activity been more active and physical the subsequent collected situation is calmer and the children more concentrate. The facts that the children have been outside in an inspiring environment that encourage playing and movement also have a position impact on the child´s ability to concentrate. The collected situation is an important moment in the preschool day when the kids need to congregate and get a chance for social interaction and a sense of togetherness with all the children and teachers. The conclusion is that there is a relationship between movement, physical activity and an increased concentration. But if it applies equally to all children, regardless of age or certain disabilities, remains to be seen in further research. / Syftet med undersökningen var att undersöka hur utevistelse och fysisk aktivitet påverkar koncentrationen vid en samlingssituation i förskolan. Metoderna som valdes var observationer av två barngrupper vid två tillfällen vardera och intervjuer med fyra pedagoger. Resultatet visade att koncentrationen i samlingen beror på tidigare aktivitet, var den har ägt rum och att även miljön har en påverkan. Om den tidigare aktiviteten varit mer aktiv och fysisk är efterföljande samling lugnare och barnen mer koncentrerade. Att barnen också har varit ute i en inspirerande miljö som lockar till lek och rörelse har även det en positiv inverkan på barnens koncentrationsförmåga. Samlingen är en viktig stund i förskolans vardag då barnen behöver samlas och få en chans till socialt samspel och en känsla av samhörighet med alla barn och pedagoger. Slutsatsen är att det finns ett samband mellan rörelse, fysisk aktivitet och en ökad koncentration. Men om det gäller lika för alla barn, oavsett ålder eller viss funktionsnedsättning, återstår att se i vidare forskning.

Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur kvinnor som levde med obotlig cancer beskrev den palliativa fasen utifrån egna berättelser på internet. Metod: Studien utfördes med kvalitativ deskriptiv ansats. I studien inkluderades sex bloggar skrivna av kvinnor med obotlig cancer. Kvinnorna var minst 18 år och fick svensk sjukvård. Som datainsamlingsmetod tillämpades sökmotorn Google och sökorden ”obotlig cancer” och ”blogg” användes. För att besvara syftet utfördes en kvalitativ innehållsanalys enligt Graneheim och Lundman (2004). Resultat: Kvinnorna upplevde fysiska och sociala förändringar samt psykiska påfrestningar och de använde sig av olika copingstrategier för att hantera sin livssituation. Kroppsliga förändringar, som många gånger relaterades till cytostatikabehandling, påverkade kvinnorna negativt och upplevdes påfresta både det fysiska och psykiska måendet. Kvinnorna upplevde att både vardag och relationer förändrades i samband med sjukdomen och det visade sig att närstående hade en viktig stödjande roll. En strategi av stor betydelse var kommunikation och många framhävde vikten av att få samtala om sin sjukdom samt döden. Det framkom att kvinnorna upplevde skrivande betydelsefullt, både för sig själva och andra. Slutsats: Studien ger ökad förståelse för upplevelsen av att leva med obotlig cancer och möjlighet att förstå olika copingstrategier som patienten använder sig av för att hantera sin livssituation. Personliga berättelser på internet är en relativt ny källa till ökad kunskap, sett utifrån patientens perspektiv. Internet är ett växande forum som inom sjukvården bör ses som en resurs för att inhämta information. / Aim: The aim of this study was to examine how women living with incurable cancer described the palliative phase based on their own stories on the Internet. Method: The study was performed with qualitative descriptive approach and included six blogs written by women diagnosed with incurable cancer. The Google search was used to collect data and the keywords were “incurable cancer” and "blog”. To answer the aim of the study a qualitative content analysis, according to Graneheim and Lundman (2004), was performed. Results: The women experienced physical and social changes as well as psychological pressure and they used various strategies to manage their lives. The women felt that both daily life and relationships changed due to the disease and it turned out that relatives had an important supporting role to play. A strategy of great importance was communication and some of the women highlighted the importance of getting to talk about their illness and death. It was revealed that the women experienced writing meaningful for themselves and also for others. Conslusions: The study provides a greater understanding to the experience of living with incurable cancer. It also gives an opportunity to understand the coping strategies that patients use to manage their lives. A personal story on the Internet is a relatively new source of greater knowledge, as seen from the patient's perspective. The Internet is a growing forum that in healthcare should be seen as a resource for gathering information.

Pastoraat aan die Afrika-mens is a Masters' thesis, which explores the hypotheses and finds that an African life and worIdview must consciously be taken into account in pastoral care to Christians with an African life and worldview in order to improve effective care. The practical-theological model of Heitink is being used as research method. This entails the following: Hermeneutically 1. To show from Scripture as basis some perspectives on the research concepts 'pastoral care' and 'life and worldview'. Empirically 2. To describe the main aspects of an African life and worldview. 3. To determine the extent to which an African life and worldview still influence the thought and life of believers in Mamelodi. Strategically 4. To determine which aspects of an African life and worldview are relevant for pastoral care, 5. To formulate guidelines for pastoral care concerning Christians who are having an African life and worldview. Especially exegesis about Moses and Paul shows that life and worldview must be taken into consideration in pastoral care. The religion phenomenological approach to religious consciousness by the Dutch scholar Johan Herman Bavinck serves as basis to describe an African life and worldview in terms of totality, norm, higher powers, need of salvation and life between activity and passivity. The socio-cultural category of space is added. Empirical research among seven ecclesiastical congregations in Mamelodi points to the fact that an African life and worldview still has an effect on the Iives of Christians. Pastoraat aan die Afrika-mens give guidelines for pastoral care, after looking at some 'emic' en 'etic' contributions regarding African-ness in pastoral care. The departure of a psycho-sociocuItural hermeneutic approach to African life and worldview as well as a Word-based holistic approach to the pastoral conversation is promoted. / Thesis (Th.M. (Practical Theology))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003

This report is a hermeneutic analytical study of a practical pedagogical situation. For three occasions I observed my own practice as a dance teacher and how a moment, choreographic approach in the governing documents for upper secondary school GY11 was executed in a group of dance students. The part is formulated in the course objectives for the courses on the arts program under the topic Dansgestaltning with focus on choreographic approach. The study is based on a socio-cultural thinking but also takes into account the prevailing gender theories and focuses on how the process of formulation level, through the transformation level is portrayed in the realization level of the dance regarding choreographic approach. The study illustrates educational research from both a dance perspective and a school development perspective. The intention of this study was to raise the awareness of how a pedagogical situation was designed and what is realized in the dance studio. Some pedagogical models are described as useful in raising awareness of the process and the realization of the aspect of moment in a dance studio. The methodology used for the study was participant observation and focus conversations. The results are reported in a discussion on a larger awareness of my own practice, and the benefits it can bring to learning, dancing and school development.