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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Habitual physical activity and fitness are well-established as independent predictors of health in both children and adults. Chronic inflammatory conditions in children have been shown to negatively impact participation and maintenance of physical activity in childhood which can lead to a reduction in fitness. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are two of the most common childhood chronic conditions, both of which are characterized by inflammation. Alarmingly, even during remission, physical activity and fitness levels are reduced and sickness behaviours persist in these children. As such, it is thought that psychosocial measures, such as self-perceived health and well-being, may have a stronger association with decreased physical activity and fitness levels in this population as compared to healthy controls. The purpose of this project was to examine the relationship between self-perceived health and well-being and physical activity and fitness in children with JIA or IBD. In total, 58 children (32 girls, 26 boys) between the ages of 7 and 17 years with a single diagnosis of either JIA or IBD, and healthy controls were recruited. They completed measures of anthropometry, body composition, physical activity, as well as fitness (aerobic and muscle strength). Questionnaires regarding perceived health and well-being were also completed, and blood samples were obtained to measure specific markers of inflammation. Children with JIA or IBD were found to engage in significantly less moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) relative to healthy controls (t = -1.977, p = 0.040). A linear regression established that MVPA, when expressed as an average of minutes per day, could statistically significantly predict self-perceived health, F(1,50) = 6.516, p = 0.014, where MVPA accounted for 11.5% of the explained variability in self-perceived health. This was no longer significant with the controls age, sex, and body fat percentage added into the model. Linear regression models showed that fitness was more predictive of self-perceived well-being, as seen with relative VO2 peak, F(1,38) = 6.683, p = 0.014, where relative VO2 peak accounted for 15% of the variability with self-perceived well-being. Furthermore, composite isometric strength expressed relative to body mass was able to significantly predict a composite blood inflammatory marker score, F(1,49) = 4.447, p = 0.040, where a relative composite isometric strength score accounted for 8.3% of the variability in a composite inflammatory blood marker score. Our findings indicate weak but significant predictive power for physical activity and fitness variables with regards to self-perceived health and well-being. Therefore, it may be important to explore ways to increase self-perceived health and well-being in children with JIA or IBD in order to improve physical activity participation and fitness. / Thesis / Master of Health Sciences (MSc)

Mobbning på arbetsplatser skapar ett stort lidande för den utsatte samt har stora konsekvenser för den enskilde och för organisationen. Tidigare forskning kring ämnet mobbning har mestadels fokuserat på självupplevd stress och psykisk ohälsa. Därför var syftet med föreliggande studie att undersöka arbetsplatsmobbning och egenupplevd allmän hälsa samt tre typer av ohälsotillstånd; Ohälsa 1 (hantering av vardagen); Ohälsa 2 (smärtor/besvär); Ohälsa 3 (oro/nedstämdhet). Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) och Negative Acts Questionnaire-Perpetrators (NAQ-P), användes för att mäta upplevelsen av att bli utsatt för olika mobbningsrelaterade beteenden och situationer (objektivt mått på mobbning) respektive upplevelsen av att utsätta andra för olika mobbningsrelaterade beteenden. NAQ-R har en mobbningsdefinition och en direkt fråga om att ha blivit utsatt för mobbning (subjektiv mått).För att undersöka allmän hälsa och tre typer av hälsotillstånd användes ett självskattat formulär. Undersökningen omfattade 172 personer inom Uddevalla Kommuns område, och deltagarna som medverkade var socialarbetare, ingenjörer, restauranganställda och ordningsvakter. Det var 73 män och 98 kvinnor. Det fanns ett signifikant positivt samband mellan Ohälsa 1-3 och NAQ-R, och ett signifikant negativt samband mellan allmän hälsa och NAQ-R. Resultaten indikerar att den mobbade utmärks av ohälsa. Inga signifikanta könsskillnader kunde urskiljas i upplevelsen av mobbningsbeteenden på arbetsplatsen (objektiv bedömning). Genom att undersöka egenupplevd hälsa utifrån olika typer av hälsotillstånd hos arbetstagare som blivit mobbade och arbetstagare som mobbar, kan denna studie leda till ett förbättrat förändringsarbete. Ett sådant förändringsarbete måste ske fortlöpande för att utveckla goda organisationsförändringar inom Sverige och påbörja ett bättre preventionsarbete gällande arbetsplatsmobbning. / Bullying in the workplace creates a great suffering for the victim and has major consequences for the individual and for the organization. Previous research on the subject of bullying has mostly focused on self-perceived stress and mental illness. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine workplace bullying and self-perceived general health as well as three types of illness conditions; Unhealth 1 (everyday life management); Unhealth 2 (pain/discomfort); Unhealth 3 (anxiety/ depression). Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) and Negative Acts Questionnaire-perpetrators (NAQ-P), used to measure the experience of being exposed to various bullying-related behaviors and situations (objective measure of bullying) and the experience of exposing others to various bullying-related behaviors. NAQ-R has a bullying definition and a direct question about having been a victim of bullying (subjective measurement). To investigate the general health and three types of unhealthy conditions. The survey covered 172 people in Uddevalla Municipality's area, and the participants who took part were social workers, engineers, restaurant staff and security guards. There were 73 men and 98 women. There was a significant positive correlation between Unhealth 1-3 and NAQ-R, and a significant negative correlation between general health and NAQ-R. The results indicate that bullying is related to illness. No significant gender differences could be seen in the experience of bullying behavior in the workplace (objective evaluation). By examining the self-perceived health based on different types of health of workers who have been bullied and workers who bully, this study may lead to an improved change management. Such a change must be continuous to develop good organizational changes in Sweden and start a better prevention efforts regarding workplace bullying.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser. Även tryckt utgåva.