This diploma thesis deals with the situation of disadvantaged groups in the labor market, who have, by law, received more attention in the matter of procurement of their jobs. There are five characterised disadvantaged groups in the diploma thesis. The main focus is on the group of persons over the age of 50. Within the framework of this group of older persons the diploma thesis displays the demographic progress of the population of Czech Republic. In the context of this progress there is disquisition about changing attractiveness of older persons in the labor market. The employing support of the disadvantaged groups is tackled by policy of employment and some chosen projects.

Bakgrund: Övervikt och fetma bland skolbarn har ökat dramatiskt sedan 1980-talet. Detta är oroväckande då fetma ökar risken för ohälsa. Skolsköterskans främsta uppgift är att arbeta hälsofrämjande och förebyggande, ett arbete som till stor del sker genom hälsosamtal och hälsobesök. Föräldrars utbildningsnivå samt ekonomi har påverkan på barnets hälsa. Barn, vilka växer upp i socioekonomiskt svaga områden, löper högre risk att utveckla övervikt eller fetma. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva skolsköterskors erfarenheter av det hälsofrämjande arbetet med elever som har övervikt och fetma i socioekonomiskt svaga områden. Metod: I studien användes en kvalitativ metod med induktiv ansats. 13 skolsköterskor intervjuades. Dessa intervjuer analyserades genom fenomenografisk analys. Resultat: Skolsköterskans förmåga till att skapa ett positivt möte med elever och deras familjer är betydelsefullt för att det hälsofrämjande arbetet ska bli framgångsrikt. Resultatet mynnade ut i tre beskrivningskategorier: Förståelse för familjens situation, Motivation en avgörande faktor, Mod att visa på problemet. Konklusion: Evidensbaserad kunskap samt beprövade metoder är en förutsättning för det hälsofrämjande arbetet med övervikt och fetma i socioekonomiskt svaga områden. Ytterligare diskussioner bör föras på grupp- och organisationsnivå. Samhället har ett ansvar att bidra till det hälsofrämjande arbetet med det ökande hälsoproblemet, övervikt och fetma bland barn och ungdomar. / Background: Overweight and obesity is a growing problem among school children. It has increased dramatically since the 1980´ties. One of the most important part of the school nurse's job is to work with health prevention and health promotion. Children who grow up in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas are at higher risk to develop overweight or obesity. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe school nurses´ experiences of the health promotion work with children living with overweight and obesity in socioeconomic disadvantaged areas. Method: Qualitative method with inductive approach was used. 13 school nurses were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed by a phenomenografical method. Result: The school nurse’s ability to create a positive meeting with the pupil and its family is important to make the health promotion work successful. The study resulted in three description categories: Understanding of the family's situation, Motivation a crucial factor and Courage to indicate the problem. Conclusion: It is important to have evidenced knowledge and proven techniques in the health promotion work with children living with overweight or obesity in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. Further discussions is important to develop the health promotive work, both in group and organisational level. The society has a responsibility to contribute to the health promotion work, regarding the increasing health problem.

Bakgrund: I Sverige har alla rätt till god hälsa. Faktorer som inverkar på hälsa är individens levnadsvanor och ekonomi. Faktorer som sjukdom, sociala relationer och arbetslöshet inverkar på antalet socioekonomiskt utsatta personer som ökar i antal. Distriktssköterskan har en viktig roll i hälsofrämjande arbete med personer i socioekonomisk utsatthet genom rådgivning, stöd och sätta upp individuella mål så personen hittar sin egen drivkraft till att göra livsstilsförändringar.   Syfte: Syfte med studien var att beskriva distriktssköterskors erfarenhet av att arbeta hälsofrämjande med personer i socioekonomisk utsatthet   Metod: Studien hade en beskrivande design med kvalitativ ansats. Data samlades in med semistrukturerade intervjuer utifrån en intervjuguide med öppna frågor. Nio distriktssköterskor deltog. Analysen genomfördes med kvalitativ innehållsanalys.   Huvudresultat: Distriktssköterskorna beskrev att bemötande, skapa tillit och behandla alla lika var viktigt. De beskrev olika strategier för att nå fram till dessa personer genom att möta personen där den är, göra förändringar i små steg och ha regelbundna uppföljningar för att uppnå ett hållbart resultat i det hälsofrämjande arbetet med livsstilsförändringar.   Slutsats: För att uppnå ett hållbart resultat i det hälsofrämjande arbetet med personer i socioekonomisk utsatthet och livsstilsförändringar var det viktigt att möta personen där den var, göra förändringar i små steg och ha regelbundna uppföljningar. / Background: In Sweden everyone has the right to good health. Factors affecting health are the individual's lifestyle and finances. Factors such as illness, social relationships and unemployment affect the number of socio-economically vulnerable people who increase in numbers. The district nurse has an important role in health promotion work with people in socio-economic vulnerability through counseling, support and setting individual goals so people who have their own driving force to make lifestyle changes.   Purpose: The purpose of the study was to describe the district nurses' experience of working health promotion with persons in socio-economic vulnerability.   Method: The study had a description design with a qualitative approach. Data was collected with semi-structured interviews based on an interview guide with open questions. Nine district nurses participated. The analysis was conducted with qualitative content analysis.   Main result: The district nurses described that attending, creating trust and treating everyone equally was important. They describe different strategies for reaching these people by meeting people where they are, making changes in small steps and having regular follow-ups to achieve a sustainable result in the health promotion work on lifestile changes.   Conclusion: In order to achive a sustainable result in the health promotion work with people in socio-economic vulnerability and lifestyle changes, it was important to meet people where it was, make changes in small steps and have regular follow-ups.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of determining the ability of economically disadvantaged black children to comprehend a specific grammatical operation, the non-identity requirement of pronominalization. In addition, the study is also concerned with describing selected characteristics of the language of the subjects in the study through the utilization of a task of imitation. The subjects of the study were forty-eight black children who were between the ages of four and ten years. All subjects were from families in which the natural parents were living together in the same household. The parents and children were native residents of the area and were recipients of federal welfare aid. None of the subjects in the study had histories of physiological, psychological, neurological, or auditory problems, and none were presently enrolled in rehabilitative language programs. A general estimate of intelligence was provided by the administration of the Columbia Mental Maturity Scale.

To conduct this qualitative dissertation study, a phenomenological approach was utilized. The purpose of the study was to examine the perspectives of highly motivated, economically disadvantaged, middle school students to discover the factors that they identified as integral to their overall development and their intrinsic motivation, over time, to learn. A key component of this study was to give voice to the students who participated in this study and utilize their perspectives as a primary data source. Participants in this study included six middle school students, identified as economically disadvantaged, two from fifth grade and four from the seventh grade. Self-determination theory was used as a theoretical framework to guide and inform the analysis of students' perspectives, obtained through individual, semi-structured interviews with each student and classroom observations. Six themes, related to students' intrinsic motivation to learn and succeed in school, were identified. Extrinsic factors were also prominent. Although students expressed a true love of learning, they also acknowledged that external factors such as grades and testing influenced their motivation to learn. Autonomy, competence, and relatedness were major factors at play in the school, classrooms, and homes of these students. Recommendation for practice suggest that teachers, administrators, and parents shift their emphasis away from testing and grades to a greater focus on the internal factors that motivate students to learn so students will be more likely to enjoy the learning process and develop, both in school and over their life span, a love of learning in the process.

There is a high rate of academic failure among disadvantaged preschool and post preschool students in some school districts in Virginia, yet little is understood about the relationship between education models and academic performance among economically disadvantaged students (EDS). The problem explored is the absence of classroom exercises in pre and post preschools that capitalize on cognitive development to improve executive function (EF) and self-regulation (SR) skills. The purpose of this study is to understand if a change in current classroom practices impacts academic performance among low-income students. Narrative policy serves as a theoretical guide in this qualitative case study that focused on the perceptions of principals, teachers, and administrators regarding best practices for preschool and post-preschool students and, secondly, how teachers implement classroom exercises to capitalize on the development of executive function and self-regulation skills among economically disadvantaged students. All data were inductively coded and then subjected to a thematic analysis procedure and included archived school report cards, preschool enrollment, and semi structured interviews with 3 former teachers now serving as administrators who supervise classroom activities. Findings indicate that best practices for EDS were a responsive classroom approach to correct disruptive behavior while developing mental capacity and simultaneously capitalizing on exercises to improve EF and SR skills in a classroom environment. Implications of social change begin with the empowerment of students, teachers, and administrators. Policy recommendations for social change include mandating two years of high-quality preschool for EDS as well as pursuing policies supporting SR and EF skills.

Magister Commercii - MCom / Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a global health problem with a high mortality rate. Self-management is an essential part of diabetes management and it includes self-care behaviour tasks such as healthy eating, being active and taking prescribed medication. In the current digital age, the use of technology for self- management of the disease is an important consideration. As a first step towards this, individuals have to first accept and use the technology. However, the literature indicates low levels of technology use amongst diabetic patients in environments with low socio- economic indicators and amongst minority groups. Previous studies suggest that there are many factors that influence technology acceptance such as economic, social and cultural factors. Mobile health (m-health) received recognition in healthcare literature in recent years and are known for delivering effective and efficient interventions to patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes. An investigation into m-health acceptance for diabetes management is vital as it impacts the achievement of development goals, including the United Nations’ SDG 3. This research posits that the culture of patients is a possible reason for the low acceptance and use of technology. Research based on the proliferation of culture as a determinant for diabetes self-management at an individual level is limited, especially in the South African context. The main research question pursued in the study reported in this thesis is How does culture influence m-health acceptance of diabetic patients in disadvantaged communities? Research design and methodology: Using an interpretivist paradigm, a case study research design provided the basis to collect data from 20 diabetes patients in Mitchells Plain and Strandfontein. The theoretical model that was used as a lens for investigation comprised a juxtaposition of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Unified- Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2). The analysis of the qualitative data was undertaken with Atlas Ti, using a thematic content analysis process. Results: Eight themes emerged from the data and key results of the study indicate that opinions towards medical practitioners, which reflects power distance has a positive impact on users and non-users. Diabetic patients comply with the opinions of their doctors as they fear disagreeing with them. As such, this may result in having a positive influence on a participant’s ability to adopt and use mobile applications. Caregiver influence, which reflects femininity, has a negative influence on users as a result of diabetic patients being responsible for taking care of their family and others are both home carers and providers for their families. This indicates that patients are more concerned with the quality of their life and family than with the adoption mobile applications. Future work: It is recommended that research should be conducted in other areas in the Western Cape, specifically in the Cape flats to see whether the same sorts of results will be achieved in different communities. This could help policymakers and application developers tailor mobile applications for this target population.

Fagerstrand, E & Ånmo Sandqvist, H. To support children and youth with mental illness. An qualitative interview study with school nurse professionals in disadvantaged areas. Degree project in pediatric nursing 15 credits. Malmö University: Faculty of Health and Society, Department of Care Science, 2021.  Background: Mental illness among children and youth is increasing in Sweden. At the same time, the social gaps are widening and more and more children and youths are living in disadvantaged areas. It has been established that socio-economic vulnerability is a risk factor for mental illness. The school nurse has a key role in identifying and preventing mental illness at an early stage. Aim: The aim of the study was to shed light on school nurses' experience of supporting children and youth with mental illness in advantaged areas. Method: This was a qualitative study with an inductive approach where data were collected via semi-structured interviews with eight school nurses. The analysis was conducted with content analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in two overarching themes and five categories. The results highlighted that the school nurses' work required a great deal of personal commitment, such as seeing that there was a connection between the social context and mental health. This study highlighted that a well-functioning collaboration was a success factor and that the school nurses used personal relationship building as a tool to counteract mental illness. Conclusion: In order for the school nurse to be able to identify symptoms of mental illness and possible risk factors at an early stage, as well as initiate preventive and health-promoting measures, time, capacity and conditions must be provided. A major risk factor for mental illness among children and youth in disadvantaged areas is the socio-economic vulnerability, which is reflected in the results of this study, so school nurses in these areas bear a great responsibility for health promotion work in schools.    Keywords: Children and youth, Disadvantaged areas, Mental illness, School nurses, Student health. / Fagerstrand, E & Ånmo Sandqvist, H. Att stödja barn och ungdomar med psykisk ohälsa. En kvalitativ intervjustudie med skolsköterskor i särskilt utsatta-, utsatta- och riskområden. Examensarbete i pediatrisk omvårdnad 15 högskolepoäng. Malmö universitet: Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle, institutionen för vårdvetenskap 2021.  Bakgrund: Psykisk ohälsa bland barn och ungdomar ökar i Sverige. Samtidigt ökar de sociala klyftorna och allt fler barn och ungdomar lever i särskilt utsatta-, utsatta- eller riskområden. Det är konstaterat att socioekonomisk utsatthet är en riskfaktor för psykisk ohälsa. Skolsköterskan i grundskolan har en nyckelroll i att tidigt identifiera och förebygga psykisk ohälsa. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att belysa skolsköterskors upplevelse av att stödja barn och ungdomar med psykisk ohälsa i särskilt utsatta-, utsatta- och riskområden. Metod: Kvalitativ studie med induktiv ansats där data insamlades via semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta skolsköterskor. Analysen genomfördes med innehållsanalys. Resultat: Analysen utmynnade i två övergripande teman och fem kategorier. Resultatet belyste att skolsköterskornas arbete förutsatte ett stort personligt engagemang såsom att man såg att det fanns ett samband mellan den sociala kontexten och den psykiska hälsan. Denna studie belyste att ett välfungerande samarbete var en framgångsfaktor och att skolsköterskorna använde det personliga relationsbyggandet som ett verktyg för att motverka psykisk ohälsa. Slutsats: För att skolsköterskan tidigt ska kunna identifiera symtom på psykisk ohälsa och eventuella riskfaktorer samt initiera förebyggande och hälsofrämjande insatser måste det ges tid, kapacitet och förutsättningar. En viktig riskfaktor för psykisk ohälsa bland barn och ungdomar i särskilt utsatta-, utsatta- och riskområden, är den socioekonomiska utsattheten, vilket speglas i resultatet i denna studie, således bär skolsköterskorna i dessa områden ett stort ansvar för det hälsofrämjande arbetet på skolorna.  Nyckelord: Barn och ungdomar, Elevhälsa, Psykisk ohälsa, Skolsköterskor, Utsatta områden.

This study explores the consequences for a historically black university (HBU) of the South African state’s focus on routine and strategic quality evaluation within a policy framework that views higher education as a lever for social change and economic development. It analyses the changing nature of academic work and probes the motivations and understandings of institutional managers and academics in an attempt to explain their responses to policy requirements. The theory of the Evaluative State is employed to examine the nature and consequences of overzealous responsiveness by a historically black university in transition in South Africa. It suggests that the changing relationship between state and university is characterised by contradictions and ambivalence, a result of the interplay between a strong sense of loyalty to the state on the one hand and a recognition of the failure of the state to recognise and reward achievements valued by the HBU. This study suggests that state steering, through the use of output evaluation and efficiency-directed performance indicators, has resulted in failure to achieve central policy goals of development, equity and social justice. The study is guided by one main research question: How do academics in a historically black South African university in transition engage with and implement internal and external quality assurance processes and policies? The literature review reveals significant gaps in understanding the consequences of the rise of the Evaluative State in higher education. A major limitation has been a lack of focus on higher education systems in developing countries and on the consequences of imposing neo-liberal frameworks upon local realities which require redress to remedy historically constructed economic and social disadvantage. The descriptions of academics and institutional managers that emerge in this study highlight stark differences between the two groups in perceptions of and approaches to quality improvement and university work. Significantly, institutional history, context and mission emerge as strong factors shaping academics’ and managers’ responses to change, factors that have largely been disregarded by state policy which focuses more on output achievement than on input variables. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

(in English): The thesis deals with the current state of the functioning of the health care system for children and youth in the Czech Republic with regard to the possible consequences of failure to provide basic health care resulting from difficult life situations, and therefore closely related to the social sphere. The main objective is to explore whether the current system is functional enough that there are no socially disadvantaged individuals "falling through a net". The theoretical part deals with the lives of socially disadvantaged individuals, with a focus on the family and its specifics. Furthermore the work deals with pediatric and dental preventive and curative health care. In addition to discussing basic parameters of the care, there are analyzed the risks for the eventual malpractice. Solution of the research uses a qualitative method using interviews with instructions. Not only was the research sample composed of individuals with experience with social disadvantage - particularly parents with children from shelter homes where one can assume such experience, but also practicing doctors who come into the very first contact with children the most often - pediatricians and dentists so that the view on the situation is as complex as possible.