Background: Good health at community and individual levels are key policy priorities. These priorities can be shown through supporting parents about various different healthy lifestyle choices. In order to know where interventions are needed, it is of interest to study how parents generally feel and how they perceive their parenting. Aim: To study how parents rate their own health and parenting skills, and examine whether there is any correlation between perceived general health and perceived parental competence.  Further, this study will show whether there is a correlation between rate of perceived general health and rate of perceived parental competence when it comes to gender. Method: 64 questionnaires were collected at strategic open kindergartens in the municipality of Uppsala. The questionnaires were distributed to the parents present and who chose to participate in this study. Main result: The result of this study shows that parents have a high rate of general health. A weak correlation between rate of perceived general health and rate of perceived parental competence were found. However a clear correlation between rate of perceived general health and rate of perceived parental competence could be seen of fathers, while the mothers are unrelated. Conclusion:  Parents in Uppsala seems to feel generally well and believe they are capable parents. It also appears that these two factors are interrelated so that parents who are doing well also generally feel better in their parenting. More and major studies are needed to obtain a general and trustworthy result.

Homelessness among unaccompanied youth is a unique, yet pervasive, social problem. Youth often become homeless through three central pathways: conflict with family, involvement in the foster system, and involvement in juvenile justice systems. As youth experience homelessness during important developmental period(s), vulnerability to mental illness may occur if not already present. The present study examined the type and prevalence of mental illness. Characteristics of homelessness, health and mental health service utilization, and pathways to homelessness were examined in relation to the occurrence of mental illness. Findings indicated that a variety of characteristics are associated with mental illness. Mental health service utilization was also evaluated.

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Self-reported health (SRH) tends to decline slower as people age compared to the decline of their objective health. If individuals believe they are in good health but actually are in poor health, their perceived susceptibility to disease may be low. Consequently, those individuals may feel less compelled to improve their health, which would make them a higher risk population. This project aims to examine the association of SRH and Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) in senior women, and whether personal and interpersonal dimensions help explain the degree to which SRH corresponds with MetS. Data are from the Kingston Senior Women Study (KSWS, n=100, 65 years of age and older). KSWS participants completed a questionnaire on their social background, psychosocial conditions, health behaviours, and SRH. Participants also provided physiological measures and medical information, so that MetS could be assessed, following the harmonized definition. MetS is a cluster of at least three of the following criteria: obesity, elevated blood pressure, low level of HDL cholesterol, raised triglycerides, and fasting plasma glucose. Two categories represented the correspondence between SRH and MetS: those who have a congruent perception of their health and those who overestimated it. Greater physical activity was associated with higher SRH (OR: 1.10; 95%CI: 1.01 – 1.20) and lower odds of MetS (OR: 0.64, 95%CI: 0.47 – 0.88) among the participants. However, only social network size was associated with lower odds of health overestimation (OR: 0.46, 95%CI: 0.26 – 0.80). Larger social networks may give access older women to a greater source of information about their own health, leading possibly to more accurate assessments of health. Such information can be conveyed as feedback from close ties. This information can also be conveyed as a more accurate perception of the health of their reference group when self-assessing their own health. Findings of this study may help identify women who are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease but who may be less likely to participate in health promotion programs. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2014-05-21 00:14:26.427

Class of 2015 Abstract / Objectives: Pharmacists’ level of training and experience in psychiatric pharmacy were compared for: 1) self-perceived preparedness to provide pharmacotherapy services; and 2) perceived barriers to providing services to individuals with psychiatric disorders. Methods: This study used data from an internet-based questionnaire. Respondents were divided into 2 groups: 1) completed the Arizona Pharmacy Association’s Psychiatric Certificate Program, and/or Board Certified in Psychiatric Pharmacy, and/or College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists member, and/or completed a PGY2 psychiatric pharmacy residency; and 2) no specialized training/experience in psychiatric pharmacy. A Mann-Whitney U analysis was used to compare the scaled responses for each group. A Bonferroni alpha correction was use in the case of multiple tests. Results: Compared to pharmacists without training/experience in psychiatry (N = 235), respondents with specialized training/experience in psychiatry pharmacy (N = 38) reported more frequent interactions with psychiatric patients and provided more counseling/drug information, monitoring for adverse drug reactions, recommending non-pharmacological treatments, screening for treatment issues, and making therapeutic recommendations (p < 0.05). Trained pharmacists in psychiatry reported being more prepared to provide all pharmacotherapy services (p = 0.003), except in addressing non-adherence, utilizing online resources, and providing pharmacotherapy services to patients with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. They reported fewer barriers (α = 0.005) except for time to provide services, having a private consultation area, and reimbursement for patient care activities. Conclusions: This study found that responding pharmacists without psychiatric training/experience may need additional education/training post-graduation and that they perceive more barriers in providing services to this population.

As the learning outcomes movement gains strength, the need to effectively measure learning outcomes becomes more important. This study looked at the effectiveness of self-reported mastery in measuring learning outcomes by examining the correlations between (a) self-reported mastery, (b) self-reported gains, and (c) objective measures of learning outcomes. The objective measures of learning outcomes were final exams for two classes, Calculus (consisting of two forms) and Statistics. The self-reported mastery and self-reported gains items were taken from the pilot student ratings form and the old student ratings form. A total of 848 undergraduate students completed the final exam and the two student ratings forms. The summed total of the self-reported mastery items correlated at a medium strength with objective measures of learning outcomes (Calculus Form A: r = .436; Calculus Form B: r = .361; Statistics: r = .416). The relationship between self-reported gains and objective measures of learning outcomes was weaker than that of self-reported mastery and objective measures of learning outcomes (a difference of .276 for Calculus Form A, .138 for Calculus Form B, .110 for Statistics). The relationship between self-reported gains and self-reported mastery was stronger than the other two relationships (Calculus Form A: r = .473, Calculus Form B: r = .500, Statistics: r = .628). A confirmatory factor analysis produced even stronger relationships between the three latent variables, including differences between the two forms of the Calculus exam. Self-reported mastery may be more effective at measuring objective measures of learning outcomes than self-reported gains, but self-reported mastery cannot completely serve as a proxy for objective measures of learning outcomes. Administrators or researchers measuring learning outcomes on a large scale may benefit by administering self-reported mastery items instead of self-reported gains items.

Background: The degree of health variation among social groups is an important indicator of population health and the efficiency of economic and social systems. Previous studies revealed existence of health inequalities across Europe, however recent studies on the contribution of income to such inequalities are scarce. Aim: To investigate differences in self-reported health between the lowest and the highest income groups across Europe. Method: Data from the European Social Survey for 29 countries were examined. The absolute inequalities were calculated as differences in age-adjusted prevalence of poor self-reported health between the lowest and the highest income quintiles. The relative inequalities were measured by odds ratios for reporting poor health in the lowest income group compared to the highest one. Results: Income-related health inequalities were found in all countries. Larger relative inequalities among men were observed in Greece, Kosovo, Ireland, Israel, Iceland, and Slovenia; among women – in Lithuania, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Cyprus, and Czech Republic. Conslusions: In Europe, income-related health inequalities persist, however, their degree varies across countries. Gender differences in income-related inequalities were observed within certain countries. For a comprehensive description of health situation in a country assessing both the prevalence of poor health and the inequality level is crucial.

Jenny Isberg (2009): Viljan till fysisk aktivitet – en intervention avsedd att stimulera ungdomar att bli fysiskt aktiva. Örebro Studies in Sport Sciences 6, 141 pp. Physical education (PE) at school may play an important role in the process of becoming physically active in the adolescence and in developing a physically active lifestyle. The opportunities for teachers to provide positive physical activity experiences to the student population extend regularly over the school terms. For some students, PE can be the only opportunity they have to be physically active. Therefore it is important that the students become motivated to practice physical activity and know the purpose with physical activity. The overall purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the possibilities to motivate youth, 12-16 years old, to practice physical activity and hopefully to stimulate them to continue to be physically active in young adulthood. The sample consisted of 122 Swedish compulsory school students (12-16 years old), 51 girls and 71 boys, who were either physically inactive, physically active but not formal members of sport clubs, or physically active and members of a sport club. They used a self-monitoring instrument to describe their physical activity and we compared their self-reported physical activity with their actual VO2 capacity and physical status. The self-monitoring instrument was further validated against an activity monitor, RT3. The intervention lasted one and a half years, and four to five years later a follow-up study was done. Using a quasi-experimental design, the three groups of participants were compared with youths who did not use the self-monitoring instrument. The main findings were that the associations between the accelerometer counts and the activities the students recorded in the self-monitoring instrument were high. The participants  in Group 1 (physically inactive) continued exercising nearly to the same extent as during the intervention while youths in a matched control group did not develop regular physical activity habits. Concerning Group 2 (exercisers), participants in the intervention group were more physically active both during the intervention and at follow-up, compared with a matched control group of exercisers who did not use the self-monitoring instrument. In Group 3 (sport team members), there was no difference between the intervention group and a matched control group after the intervention or at follow-up.  The conclusion of these main findings was that when someone motivates students to continue being physically active and to change their physical activity patterns in a positive direction, the self-monitoring instrument can be a door-opener for youths who are physically inactive or regularly active outside sports clubs.

Class of 2015 Abstract / Objectives: To compare the self-reported medication knowledge and attitudes of patients with psychiatric disorders who attended a patient medication education group (PMEG) versus those who did not. Methods: A convenience sample of 288 patients being discharged from an adult inpatient psychiatric unit was used. Just prior to discharge, patients were offered the opportunity to complete a questionnaire to assess their medication knowledge and attitudes. Patients who consented and attended the PMEG were assigned to the treatment group (n=81), while those who did not attend the PMEG were assigned to the control group (n= 207). The survey included nine statements for which the patients selected either agree or disagree. A Rasch analysis was used to analyze scaled questions. Chi-squared tests and Mann-Whitney U were used to analyze nominal and ordinal data, respectively. Demographic data was also collected. An alpha priori of 0.05 was applied. A Bonferroni correction was applied for multiple tests. Results: Patients who attended the PMEG were found to have a higher level of education compared to those who did not attend (p=0.037). There were no significant differences in knowledge and/or attitudes between those who attended PMEG during this admission versus those who did not attend (p=0.065). However, those who attended a PMEG during a previous hospital admission had a more positive attitude toward taking their medications (p=0.025). Conclusions: Results suggest that attitudes toward taking medications may gradually improve over time after patients attend a PMEG during an acute inpatient psychiatric admission.

Background: To throw light on the under-researched association between socioeconomic position (SEP) and health in Cuba, this study examined SEP gradients in health and their underlying mechanisms among urban Cuban adults aged 18-65. Methods: By applying linear regressions to data from the 2010 National Survey on Risk Factors and Chronic Diseases, the analysis explored the SEP-health gradient along three SEP dimensions-education, occupation, and skin colour-using ten health measures: Self-reported health (SRH), general and abdominal obesity, hypertension, high glucose, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, and cumulative risk factors. Regressions also included behaviours and health-related risk perceptions (tobacco and alcohol consumption, diet, physical activity, and risk-related behaviours). It thus investigated the SEP-health gradient and its underlying mechanisms via both behaviours and health-related risk perceptions. Results: Once controlling for gender, age, marital status, region and provincial dummies, the analysis detected educational gradients in SRH (estimated coefficient [95% CI]: Middle-level education = 3.535 [1.329, 5.741], p < 0.01; high-level education = 5.249 [3.050, 7.448], p < 0.01) that are partially explainable by both health-affecting behaviours (tobacco and alcohol consumption, diet, physical and sedentary activity) and risk perceptions. Using objective measures of health, however, it found no SEP-health gradients other than hypertension among people identified as having Black skin color (adjusted for demographic variables, 0.060 [0.018, 0.101], p < 0.01) and high cholesterol among those identified as having Mulatto or Mestizo skin color (adjusted for demographic variables,-0.066 [-0.098,-0.033], p < 0.01). Conclusions: In terms of objective health measures, the study provides minimal evidence for an SEP-health gradient in Cuba, results primarily attributable to the country's universal healthcare system-which offers full coverage and access and affordable medications- A nd its highly developed education system.