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<p>  </p> <p>Polypharmacy in older adults presents several challenges, such as suboptimal therapeutic outcomes and increased adverse effects. Deprescribing, a clinically supervised process of decreasing dosage or stopping the medication when risks outweigh benefits, has emerged as one possible solution to these problems. However, the literature describing deprescribing intervention frameworks is heterogenous regarding targeted medications to deprescribe, population characteristics, clinical settings, and measured outcomes. This dissertation utilizes Linsky et al.'s deprescribing conceptual model, which details factors influencing decisions regarding initiating deprescribing interventions and their direct impact on the process. </p> <p>This dissertation utilizes a multimethod approach to investigate factors that facilitate and improve the deprescribing of anticholinergic medications for older adults, addressing gaps in this population's anticholinergic medication use. The three studies included in this dissertation provide a comprehensive understanding of deprescribing anticholinergic medications for this population, each contributing unique insights and results. </p> <p>The first study explores the feasibility of in-person and remote Home Medication Inventory Method (HMIM) approaches to evaluate over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medication possession and use, including anticholinergics. Results demonstrate that both methods can accurately assess anticholinergic medication usage patterns, providing healthcare providers with reproducible methods and detailed medication profiles to make informed deprescribing decisions based on complete medication lists.</p> <p>The second study examined the intertwined roles of social determinants of health and health beliefs in predicting older adults' self-reported deprescribing behaviors, proposing the Deprescribing Health Belief Model (DeRx-HBM) framework that can be utilized for these efforts. These results emphasize the importance of considering these elements when creating a patient-centric and culturally sensitive intervention since they significantly shape deprescribing behaviors.</p> <p>In the third study, we explored the use of a symptom-specific scale for measuring the symptom burden in older adults during the deprescribing of anticholinergic medications prescribed for urinary incontinence, depression, and pain management. This research introduces a validated scale for assessing anticholinergic symptom burden prior to, throughout, and following the deprescribing attempt. The implementation of this scale has the potential to enhance the reproducibility and standardization of deprescribing decisions. Furthermore, it can improve communication between healthcare professionals and patients, as well as monitor the effectiveness of interventions during and after the deprescribing process.</p> <p>Collectively, these studies provide invaluable insights into factors influencing deprescribing decisions, obstacles to implementing deprescribing practices, and potential strategies to optimize medication management in older adults. The major takeaway from these studies is that addressing these factors leads to more informed decisions among healthcare professionals and patients - potentially leading to improved patient outcomes, ensure the ongoing effectiveness of deprescribing initiatives among older adults, and the promotion of health equity throughout the deprescribing process.</p>

Although the global population is older than ever before, older persons' health is not necessarily included in policy planning. This study aimed to study how older people were included, excluded, and framed in Agenda 2030. Through qualitative content analysis, the sub-targets and indicators of Agenda 2030 were categorised and analysed. Seven categories were located; Poverty relates to age, Violence relates to age, Political inclusion relates to age, Elderly as a vulnerable group, Health of children and fertile women prioritised, Sexual health, and Youth seen as an investment. By analysing the manifest and latent material, this study showed that older persons are not prioritised in the SDGs and that when they are included, they are framed as vulnerable. While older persons are explicitly included in some ways (such as in political inclusion), they are also excluded from many sub-targets and indicators of Agenda 2030. This study argues that in order to not “leave the elderly behind”, more needs to be done to include older persons and to age disaggregate the data. / <p>Betyg i Ladok 220617.</p>

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Pregnant and parenting young women rarely access community-based smoking cessation interventions. Targeted cessation interventions have been laden with challenges and have produced suboptimal outcomes. There is a paucity of qualitative research specific to young women that explores the context of their tobacco use, as well as their attitudes towards and experiences with smoking cessation supports in pregnancy and postpartum. To bridge this gap, an interpretive descriptive design was used to explore the personal and contextual factors influencing young women’s smoking behaviour during and after pregnancy. Factors were identified by analyzing influences at the multiple levels of McLeroy’s social ecological model of health promotion. Data were collected via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with young women aged 16-24 years (n=13) who smoked regularly preconception and were pregnant or parenting. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings highlighted the complexity and chronicity of issues young women faced and emphasized the interplay of social determinants that influenced their smoking. Smoking was a crutch that helped them to relieve psychological distress stemming from exposure to adverse or traumatic experiences; and persistent stress in the context of socioeconomic hardship, neighborhood disadvantage and limited social support. Smoking also was influenced by young women’s understanding of the harms related to smoking during pregnancy and their reconceptualization of risk for smoking-related consequences postpartum. Young women described having limited discussions regarding smoking with maternity care providers and found their passive approach to cessation counselling unhelpful. They desired more comprehensive cessation support from providers. They expressed interest in a tailored group cessation program and offered suggestions for improving cessation supports for young women in pregnancy and postpartum. Study findings bridge gaps in the literature and identify appropriate next steps in addressing the issue of smoking in pregnancy and postpartum amongst young women by suggesting a multi-level approach to cessation. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

The 21st century experienced several health crises, especially in the form of infectious disease outbreaks such as the SARS outbreak in 2003, the H1N1 in 2009, and Ebola outbreaks in 2013. However, none has produced a worldwide socio-economic and health impact compared to the recent pandemic, known as COVID-19. As of October 4, 2022, more than 614 million cases with 6 million deaths have been reported worldwide. The United States is currently in the leading position with more than 98 million cases and 1 million deaths. The pandemic, however, did not impact the entire region similarly, and the infections and intensity varied with geographical and socio-economic characteristics. In this project, I used a multi-method approach to analyze the relationship between health disparities and COVID-19-related health outcomes in the USA and examine the influence of health disparities reporting on newspaper coverage of COVID-19. This assessment was performed in three ways. First, I have explored the relationship between Mississippi’s county-level COVID-19-related cases and deaths with the Center for Disease Control and Preventions’s Social Vulnerability Index (CDC SVI). Second, I have investigated the spatial pattern of COVID-19 in the USA and its associations with Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) by utilizing the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHRR) dataset.Finally, I analyzed how news media reporting of key health determinants (i.e., age, race, income and gender) is framed, including the role of different stakeholders in the context of COVID-19. Findings revealed a statistical relationship between CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and Mississippi’s county-level COVID-19 cases and deaths. I also found that COVID-19 infections showed considerable spatial heterogeneity as the distribution of COVID-19 cases and deaths varies across the US counties and among the three largest waves. The multiple regression results also exhibited a temporal association between social determinants of health (SDH) indicators and COVID-19-related health outcomes across the USA. Finally, I found that the NYT coverage of COVID-19 dealt more with human interest, responsibility, and conflict than economic and morality frames. The findings revealed the vital role social determinants of health play during a health crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

En mars 2020, l’Organisation mondiale de la santé déclare une pandémie mondiale de SARS-CoV-2. Rapidement, le gouvernement du Québec décrète l’état d’urgence sanitaire alors que la métropole de la province, Montréal, se voit affligée de la plus forte prévalence du virus lors de la première vague. La vulnérabilité et les iniquités antérieurement documentées sont potentialisées parmi les populations migrantes et plus spécifiquement pour celles vivant sans assurance médicale. Selon les données les plus récentes, 50 000 à 70 000 personnes vivent sans couverture médicale au Québec. Déjà, avant la pandémie, les personnes migrantes sans assurance médicale (MSAM) étaient confrontées à des barrières culturelles, linguistiques, économiques lorsqu’elles se présentaient dans le réseau public de santé. Ce mémoire de maîtrise vise à documenter les enjeux sociaux, de santé et d’accès aux soins au Québec, plus spécifiquement à Montréal pour la population MSAM dans le contexte de la COVID-19. Une analyse thématique des entretiens semi-dirigés menés auprès de personnes MSAM (n=19) est supportée par le cadre des déterminants sociaux de santé (Gautier et al.,2020). Quatre thèmes émergents de l’analyse seront présentés: Perceptions et attentes par rapport aux politiques (1), Précarité des conditions de vie et de travail : la position sociale déterminante avant et durant la pandémie (2), Stratégies d’adaptation (et leurs limites) pour prévenir les menaces à la santé (3) intraitables institutions de santé en pandémie de COVID-19 (Ou comment les institutions accentuent-elles les barrières d’accès aux soins?) (4). Les résultats de ce projet de recherche mettent en lumière des difficultés et des défis, potentiellement productrices d’ISS, auxquelles ont dit faire face les personnes MSAM durant les premières vagues de la pandémie. Des recommandations sont adressées aux décideurs et aux institutions de santé afin de favoriser l’inclusion des personnes MSAM dans la société québécoise. Celles-ci touchent notamment des politiques et des programmes pour améliorer leur accessibilité aux soins de santé et aux programmes sociaux en temps de pandémie et même au-delà. / In March 2020, WHO declares a global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Quickly, the Quebec government declared a state of health emergency while the metropolis of the province, Montreal, was afflicted with the highest prevalence of the virus during the first wave. Vulnerability and previously documented inequities are growing among migrant populations and more specifically for those living without medical insurance. According to the most recent data, 50,000 to 70,000 people live without medical coverage in Quebec. Already before the pandemic, uninsured migrants faced cultural, linguistic and economic barriers when they entered the public health network. This master's thesis aims to document the health and social challenges that they are facing in the context of COVID-19, in Quebec Province, specifically in Montreal. A thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews conducted with uninsured migrants (n = 19) is supported by the social determinants of health framework (Gautier et al., 2020). Three emerging themes of the analysis will be presented: Precarious living and working conditions: Four emerging themes of the analysis will be presented: Perceptions and expectations in relation to policies (1), precarious living and working conditions: the decisive social position before and during the pandemic (2), adaptation strategies (and its limits) to prevent threats to health (3) Intractable health structures in the COVID-19 pandemic (or how to accentuate the barriers to access to care?) (4). The results of this research project shed light on the difficulties and challenges, potentially producing ISS, that uninsured migrants said they faced during the first waves of the pandemic. Recommendations are addressed to decision-makers and health institutions in order to promote the inclusion of uninsured migrants in Quebec. These relate to policies and programs to improve their accessibility to health care and social programs in times of pandemic and even beyond.

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Syftet med denna studie var att via intervjuer av nyckelpersoner, varav tre inom vårdsektorn och en antropolog, identifiera en del av de faktorer som påverkar arbetet med att förbättra den orala hälsan och i synnerhet införandet av ett förebyggande tandvårdssystem i Kosovo. Kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra nyckelpersoner genomfördes och analyserades enligt Graneheim och Lundmans kvalitativa innehållsanalys. Resultat av intervjumaterialet mynnade ut i följande kategorier: Förebyggande tandvård saknas, Socioekonomiska hinder, Brist på strategi och fakta och God vilja. Kategorierna visar på följande faktorer som påverkar situationen för den orala hälsan i Kosovo. Det finns en hälsoplan där man bland annat planerar att minska kariesförekomst med 10 procent fram till år 2014, men den verkställs inte. Detta får till följd att kariesprevalensen fortfarande är hög och akuttandvården dominerande. Resultat från intervjuerna visar även att sociala bestämningsfaktorer påverkar oral hälsa och tillgången till tandvård, patienter med låg socioekonomisk status undviker tandvården och söker vård endast vid akut värk. Respondenterna uppgav att epidemiologiskt underlag och forskning skulle underlätta utveckling av olika preventiva aktivitetsprogram. Brist på ett sjukförsäkringssystem och korruption anses förhindra utvecklingen av en fungerande förebyggande tandvård. I intervjumaterialet har faktorer identifierats som på sikt gynnar införandet av den förebyggande tandvården. Man har nyligen startat en kurs i förebyggande tandvård vid odontologiska fakulteten i Pristina. Studien visar att avsaknad av ett förebyggande tandvårdssystem försvårar situationen för den orala hälsan i Kosovo. De sociala bestämningsfaktorerna påverkar idag tillgången till tandvården och även utveckling av hälso- och sjukvårdssystemet. / The aim of the study was that through interviews with key persons, including three in health sector and an anthropologist, identify some of the factors affecting the work to improve the oral health and especially the introduction of a preventive dental care system in Kosovo. Qualitative interviews with four key persons was conducted and analyzed, according to Graneheim and Lundmans qualitative content analysis. Results of the interviews fall into the following categories: Preventive dental care is lacking, Socio-economic barriers, Lack of strategy and facts and Good will. The categories show the following factors affecting the situation of the oral health in Kosovo. There is a health plan that includes plans to reduce tooth decay by 10 percent until 2014, but it is not being executed. This has the effect of caries prevalence is still high, and emergency dental care is dominant. Results from the interviews also show that the social determinants affect oral health and access to dental care, patients with low socioeconomic status avoids dental care and seek treatment only for acute pain. Respondents stated that the epidemiological data and research would facilitate the development of preventive activity program. Lack of a health insurance scheme and corruption are considered being barriers for the development of a workable preventive dental care. The interviews also identified factors which ultimately favor the introduction of preventive dental care. Recently the faculty in Pristina started a course in preventive dentistry. The present study shows that the lack of a preventive dental care system complicates the situation for the oral health of Kosovo. The social determinants are affecting the access to dental care and also development of the health care system.