Syftet med studien var att undersöka arbetstillfredsställelse hos tjänstemän på en myndighet i Mellansverige. Självskattad arbetsbelastning och arbetskontroll utgjorde prediktorer och självskattad hälsa utfallsvariabeln med dimensionerna kognitiv utmattning, störd sömn, fysiska symptom, lättretlighet och negativa känslor. Studien genomfördes med en enkät i pappersformat, där 45 medarbetare deltog. Mätinstrumenten som användes var Job overload, Work control och Karolinska Exhaustion Scale (KES). Studiens huvudresultat visade att arbetsbelastning hade ett signifikant positivt samband med negativa känslor, i meningen att ju högre arbetsbelastning desto fler negativa känslor. Arbetskontroll visade endast på starka tendenser till signifikanta positiva samband med två av hälsodimensionerna; kognitiv utmattning och fysiska symptom. Vilket indikerade på att ju högre arbetskontroll deltagarna hade, desto högre kognitiv utmattning och flera fysiska symptom upplevde de sig ha. / The aim of the study was to investigate job satisfaction among officials in an Swedish authority. Our predictors consisted of work-related load and control and the outcome variable was perceived health. Health variable involved five dimensions: cognitive exhaustion, disturbed sleep, physical symptoms, irritability and negative affect. 45 employees participated by answering a survey. The results showed that workload had a significant positive relationship with negative affect, meaning the higher workload, the more negative emotions. Work control on the other hand, did only show strong tendencies to significant positive associations with cognitive exhaustion and physical symptoms. This indicated the higher work control, the higher cognitive exhaustion and number of physical symptoms.

The Government of Malawi, through delegates from the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, has on several occasions advised smallholder farmers who live in flood prone areas to relocate to upland areas that are safe from floods. Smallholder farmers have refused to do so and continue to live in the flood prone areas despite experiencing on-going flooding. Smallholder farmers living in flood prone areas in Malawi insist that flash floods bring fertile soils from upland areas that enhance crop production in the flood prone areas. These fertile soils allow smallholder farmers to grow a variety of crops, fruits and vegetables throughout the year, some of which they sell. Within this context, my research critically explores how smallholder farmers perceive their vulnerability to floods and seeks to understand the factors and processes that motivate them to live in the flood prone areas. It also examines the realities and dynamics of local adaptation in the flood prone areas in Malawi through opportunities, challenges, barriers and limitations. The research uses 57 in-depth interviews, a household survey involving 227 households, participant observations and 12 focus group discussions with smallholder farmers. Findings show that firstly, smallholder farmers are not ready to abandon their land and relocate upland because floods are part of their lives and livelihood strategies. Secondly, that power dynamics at household and community levels based on gender roles and culture need to be understood and accounted for in local adaptation strategies in order to effectively enhance local adaptive capacity. Thirdly, that social networks and interdependence between the smallholder farmers living in flood prone areas and those living in upland areas play a significant role in the adoption of local adaptation strategies and adaptation to floods and droughts through temporary migration. This thesis reveals that the perception and extent of vulnerability to floods is dynamic and differentiated based on several factors. The thesis also reveals that local adaption is a complex process such that in some cases, the realities of power dynamics at both the household and community level affects local adaptive capacity to floods. Transformational adaptation that incorporates specific and contextual adaptation strategies is therefore recommended as one of the best approaches towards achieving successful adaptation to climate variability and resilience.

My research brings together two areas of sociological inquiry. The first area involves the study of the welfare state and the second the determinants of health status. Drawing on Esping-Andersen's work concerning a particular aspect of the welfare state, decommodification, two questions are of interest. First, are individuals in countries with more decommodifying welfare states less likely to report poor self-perceived health than individuals in countries with less decommodifying welfare states? Second, does decommodification affect the health of various population groups in different ways? Gender and income groups are of interest here. Theoretically, I argue that the welfare state impacts the stratification order, that social inequality is tied to social cohesion, and that social cohesion is linked to health. I draw on sources of both country- and individual- level data, including the comparative welfare Entitlements dataset, the World Values Survey, and the European Values Study, to test hypotheses concerning the link between decommodification and self-perceived health. In general, I hypothesize that higher levels of decommodification will contribute to a decreased likelihood that individuals report poor self-perceived health. Given the miltilevel structure of my research questions and hypotheses, I use multilevel binary logistic regression to assess relationships of interest. My findings indicate that, for all groups, decommodification does not have a statistically significant relationship with self-perceived health. In other words, higher levels of welfare support do not decrease the likelihood that individuals report poor health. To elaborate, for all groups, those who are trusting, as compared to those who are not, are less likely to report poor health. Overall, the data do not support my hypotheses, revealing potential flaws in my theory linking the welfare state and health status. My research, then, has both theoretical and empirical implications.

Weak and osteoporotic bones are an increasing cause of mortality and painful physical impairment among the elderly, especially in the Western world. Bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm2) accrual during childhood and adolescence is thought to influence an individual’s risk of osteoporosis and the related fractures. A main aim of this thesis is to investigate the effects that various types of weight-bearing physical activity have on bone accretion in young males during their active sports careers and to study the effects that detraining has on BMD. The results suggest that bone is sensitive to loading after puberty in males, and important gains in BMD stemming from physical activity were observed during the 12-year follow-up period (papers I-III). These gains seem to be site-specific and related to the type and amount of physical activity in which individuals participate (papers I-III). For example, badminton, a sport that is characterized by jumps and rapid versatile moments in multiple directions was associated with greater gains in BMD than ice hockey was. In addition, our results indicate that with reduced training, exercise-induced bone benefits decline, predominantly at trabecular sites (paper II). In contrast, high bone density attained from previous physical loading was partially preserved at cortical bone sites after about eight years of reduced activity (papers I-II). In study IV, the associations between self-perceived health, BMD, and other lifestyle factors were studied in a well-defined group of women and men of varying ages. We found that self-perceived health was related to several lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, which were also related to BMD at the femoral neck. In summary, BMD in young males seem to be especially sensitive to activities associated with supposed high strains in unusual directions at specific bone sites. A high bone density stemming from previous weight-bearing physical activity is largely lost at trabecular bone sites with reduced physical activity levels. Finally, self-perceived health seems to be associated with several lifestyle factors that are also associated with BMD at the femoral neck.

Official-language minorities in Canada may face specific issues in accessing health care services that can lead to negative consequences on their health, utilization of health care services and satisfaction with the health care system. A secondary data analysis of the 2006 Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities revealed significant differences between the Anglophone minority (n=5,161) and the Francophone minority (n=12,029) with regards to general health, and access to and use of health care services. Important predictors of these outcomes included age, education level, household income, marital status and place of residence (urban/rural). Access to health care services in the minority language was associated with self-perceived health in the Anglophone minority only. Health policy recommendations elaborated in light of the findings include working on both the supply and the demand of health care services offered in the two official languages, while taking into consideration important contextual differences between regions.

During the last three decades there has been an increased influx of refugees and immigrants into Scandinavia. The overall aim of this thesis was primarily to improve our knowledge of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need, both normative and self-perceived, in adolescents of varying geographic origin. A further aim was to determine whether any differences with respect to perception of general appearance and psychosocial well-being were related to geographic origin. Papers I and II concerned self perceived and normative orthodontic treatment need. About 500 12-13 year-old subjects, stratified into different groups: A-Sweden, B-Eastern/Southeastern Europe, C-Asia and D-other countries, answered a questionnaire and underwent clinical examination by the author. In paper III the association between the two variables in papers I and II was investigated. Paper IV was a follow up study, at 18-19 years of age, of the relationship between geographic origin and prevalence of malocclusion, self-perceived treatment need, temporomandibular symptoms and psychosocial wellbeing. In Paper V a qualitative study of 19-20 year old subjects was conducted, to identify the strategies they had adopted to handle the issue of persisting poor dental aesthetics. The main findings were that at 12-13 years of age, immigrant subjects had a lower perceived orthodontic treatment need than subjects of Swedish background. Girls of Swedish background had the highest self perceived treatment need, whilst girls of non-Swedish background were most concerned that fixed appliance therapy would be painful. In a few of the clinical variables measured at 12-13 years of age, the Swedish group exhibited the greatest space deficiency and irregularity in both the maxillary and mandibular anterior segments and greater overjet, compared to the Eastern/Southeastern European and Asian groups. The clinical implications were negligible. The orthodontic treatment need according to “Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need - Dental HealthComponent” (IOTN-DHC) grades 4 and 5, ranged from 30 to 40 percent, without any inter-group differences. There were strong associations between subjects perceiving a need for orthodontic treatment and 6IOTN-DHC grades 4 and 5, anterior crossbite and avoiding smiling because they were self-conscious about their teeth. At the age of 18-19 years, the frequency of malocclusion was similar in all groups. Subjects of Asian origin had a higher self-perceived orthodontic treatment need than their Swedish counterparts and a higher frequency of headache than those of Eastern/Southeastern European origin. Psychological wellbeing was reduced in nearly one quarter of the sample, more frequently in girls than boys. No association was found between self-perceived orthodontic treatment need and psychological wellbeing. The theory “Being under the pressure of social norms” was generated in Paper V, and it can be applied to improve our understanding of young adults who have adjusted to living with poor dental aesthetics and also aid to identify those who are not as well-adjusted and would probably benefit from treatment. Undisclosed dental fear is an important barrier to acceptance of orthodontic treatment in early adolescence. Despite demographic changes due to immigration, no major change in the prevalence of malocclusion and normative orthodontic treatment need has been disclosed. This does not apply to adolescents and adults who immigrated at an older age.

Official-language minorities in Canada may face specific issues in accessing health care services that can lead to negative consequences on their health, utilization of health care services and satisfaction with the health care system. A secondary data analysis of the 2006 Survey on the Vitality of Official-Language Minorities revealed significant differences between the Anglophone minority (n=5,161) and the Francophone minority (n=12,029) with regards to general health, and access to and use of health care services. Important predictors of these outcomes included age, education level, household income, marital status and place of residence (urban/rural). Access to health care services in the minority language was associated with self-perceived health in the Anglophone minority only. Health policy recommendations elaborated in light of the findings include working on both the supply and the demand of health care services offered in the two official languages, while taking into consideration important contextual differences between regions.

Policymakers, politicians, and media outlets have declared an obesity epidemic. In doing so, they have named a variety of villains, including fast food. Despite the framing of fast food as being a leading contributor to weight gain and obesity, we have yet to understand the impact that fast food has on those who work with it every day. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the food choices, BMIs, and self perceived weights of the food service worker population. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field, I investigate the role of the workplace and external cultural influences, such as the family, in navigating an obseogenic workplace environment that is centered on selling highly caloric food to the Canadian public in a quick and cost effective manner. The first stage of this research addresses the question: Are food service workers more likely to be overweight or obese and perceive themselves as being overweight compared to the general population? In order to do this, I analyzed secondary survey data from the Canadian Community Health Survey cycle 5.1 (2009-2010). I used logistic regression techniques to construct models that analyze the likelihood of having high BMIs and high self perceived weights in both the food service worker and general Canadian populations. In addition to this, I sought to understand the food choices that contribute to weight gain in fast food workers. To do this, I conducted forty semi-structured qualitative interviews with workers from a variety of fast food chains. The results of my research disprove my original hypothesis that food service workers are more likely to be overweight or obese because of their frequent exposure to fast food. Instead, I found that they are less likely to be overweight or obese than the general Canadian population. Additionally, they are also less likely to perceive themselves as being overweight or obese. Through the qualitative interviews, I found that these individuals participate in a process of regulation where they monitor their food intake at work. Additionally, I found that their consumption patterns stemmed from habitus generated through cultural exposures in other areas of their lives. Pierre Bourdieu (1984) argues that we develop habitus through meaningful cultural exposure. We use our habitus, or engrained dispositions, to navigate hierarchical spaces or fields. Through this research, I found that workers viewed their jobs as being temporary and their cultural consumption patterns did not seem to change from their exposures to their workplaces. The majority were part time students, working in this industry to pay for living expenses and tuition. For the most part, they were raised in middle class homes where their mothers prepared food for their families from scratch on a daily basis. Fast food was viewed as a special treat and not an item to consume on a regular basis. I conclude that the meaningful exposures we have to food and cultural norms throughout life are more important in determining our food choices than our exposure to fast food restaurants.

Syfte: Att utifrån litteratur beskriva hur äldre personer upplevde sin munhälsa, samt att granska kvaliteten i de inkluderade studierna gällande den metodologiska aspekten datainsamlingsmetod. Metod: Beskrivande litteraturstudie baserad på 16 artiklar sökta i databaserna PubMed,Cinahl samt via manuell sökning. Litteraturstudiens resultat redovisades i en huvudkategori och fem underkategorier. Artiklarna kvalitetsgranskades avseende datainsamlingsmetod. Flertalet artiklar var av kvantitativ karaktär. Huvudresultat: Munhälsan och utseendet på tänderna var viktig för äldres livskvalitet. Gamla människor med smärtproblem upplevde låg munhälsorelaterad livskvalitet. Äldre personermed proteser eller ett lågt antal tuggtänder hade en sämre självskattad munhälsa. Negativ självuppfattning av munhälsa var förknippad med näringsunderskott hos äldre. Likaså observerades en sämre självskattad munhälsa hos patienter med depression, äldre med ett större hjälpbehov, äldre personer som drabbats av stroke samt patienter med Alzheimers sjukdom. Sämre socioekonomiska omständigheter associerades med en sämre självskattad munhälsa. Det fanns vissa könsskillnader i självskattad munhälsa. Slutsats: Flera faktorer hade betydelse för den självupplevda munhälsan hos äldre personer.Kännedom om dessa faktorer är viktigt för att kunna förebygga en dålig munhälsa hos äldre personer. Fler kvalitativa studier inom området skulle kunna leda till en bättre förståelse av äldre personers upplevelse av sin munhälsa. / Aim: First, on the basis of literature describe how older people perceived their oral health, and second to review the quality of the studies regarding the methodological aspect data collection method. Methods: Descriptive literature study based on 16 articles searched in PubMed, Cinahl and by manual search. Literature study results were presented in a main category and five subcategories.Articles were reviewed for quality regarding data collection method. Most of thearticles were of the quantitative approach. Strengths and weaknesses of each article datacollection method were reviewed. Main Results: Oral health and appearance of their teeth was important to older people'squality of life. Old people with painful conditions experienced low oral health related quality of life. Older people with dentures or a low number of chewing teeth had poorer self-rated oral health. Negative self-perception of oral health was associated with nutritional deficits in the elderly. Similarly, there was a poorer self-rated oral health in patients with depression,older people with a greater need for help, older people who had suffered a stroke and patients with Alzheimer's disease. Worse socioeconomic factors were associated with a poorer selfrated oral health. There were some gender differences in self-rated oral health. Conclusion: Several factors had an impact on the self-perceived oral health in older people. It is of importance to possess knowledge of these factors in order to prevent poor oral health inolder people. More qualitative studies in this area could lead to a better understanding of older people's perception of their oral health.

Depression is among the most prevalent comorbid conditions in children with Asperger’s Syndrome. Little research has examined the variables that may contribute to depression among such children. Children with Asperger’s show social skill deficits and are often subjected to peer victimization, including isolation and teasing by their peers. It is hypothesized that peer victimization experienced by children with Asperger’s will, in part, explain their self-perceived social competence. It is also hypothesized that self-perceived social competence and peer victimization will help explain depression among such children. Multiple regression will be used to examine these presumed effects. / text