Magister Public Health - MPH (Public Health) / The oral health programme in Lesotho aims to offer curative, preventive, promotive and rehabilitative oral health services. However, observations as well as annual reports suggest that oral health service utilization is poor, as most patients only attend dental clinics with advanced stages of decayed teeth which can only be extracted. The reasons for this very undesirable late utilization of oral health services have not been systematically explored and understood in Lesotho. This makes it difficult for health planners to find solutions for improving access, utilizations and responsiveness of oral health services.

The manner in which socioeconomic forces direct environmentally unsustainable behaviour is largely unseen and unappreciated. North American cultural beliefs, norms and values reinforce the economic system and constitute significant barriers to large-scale societal ecological behaviour change. Overlooked in the degrowth literature, even by researchers who have examined the importance of socioeconomic barriers (materialism and consumption), is the role occupation plays in dictating the ecological footprint and forming our socioeconomic identities. We have gained some understanding of the motivation of those individuals who have chosen to pursue a low-carbon lifestyle, but are lacking information about those who go one step further and adopt a low-carbon livelihood. Fifteen individuals who successfully adopted low-carbon livelihoods were interviewed to examine socioeconomic barriers they may have experienced and learn how those challenges were met. To assume a low-carbon livelihood at present is likely to require forming a new social status identity, adopting new metrics for judging oneself, and creating a new social network supportive of that identity and its values. A four-quadrant framework was used to examine the systemic nature of emergent themes regarding socioeconomic barriers and how those were overcome. Themes that emerged revealed many similarities to individuals committed to a low-carbon lifestyle with some critical differences in terms of both inhibiting and enabling factors. A core finding was that motivational and personality characteristics of the low-carbon livelihood individuals mimic the attributes of moral exemplars that drive a deep sense of ethical obligation to create a pro- social occupation that can function in a low-carbon manner. Clear values, coupled with a strong sense of personal responsibility, overpowered the socioeconomic barriers participants encountered. Implications regarding interventions for fostering the adoption of low-carbon livelihoods and fortifying the Degrowth movement are examined. / Graduate

Denna studie undersöker hur förändrade livsstilar påverkar ungdomars engagemang i meningsfulla aktiviteter samt de sociala utmaningar som uppstår när unga blir inaktiva. Genom att intervjua aktörer som arbetar med barn och för barn, utforskar vi sambandet mellan inaktivering och negativa sociala fenomen. Studien identifierar hinder som bidrar till inaktivering, såsom socioekonomiska faktorer, kostnader för deltagande i idrott och komplexa familjedynamiker. Erik Eriksons psykosociala utvecklingsteori och Travis Hirschis teori om sociala band är de teoretiska ramverk som används för att betona vikten av att skapa en miljö där barn känner sig trygga och välkomna samt för att stärka sociala band och motverka ungdomars inaktivering.Vi genomförde åtta individuellt strukturerade intervjuer samt tre fokusgruppsintervjuer med aktörer som är involverade i barns liv. Resultaten tyder på att bristen på meningsfulla aktiviteter och bristande föräldrakontroll är kopplad till ungdomars inaktivitet. Respondenterna understryker vikten av att skapa välkomnande miljöer där ungdomar ges möjlighet att utforska sina intressen som en potentiell åtgärd för att minska risken för att de hamnar i negativa sociala fenomen. / This study examines how changing lifestyles affect youths' engagement in meaningful activities and the social challenges that arise when young individuals become inactive. By interviewing stakeholders working with and for children, we explore the relationship between disengagement and negative social phenomena. The study identifies barriers contributing to disengagement, such as socioeconomic factors, costs associated with sports participation, and complex family dynamics. Erik Erikson's psychosocial development theory and Travis Hirschi's theory of social bonds serve as the theoretical frameworks used to emphasize the importance of creating an environment where children feel safe and welcomed, and to strengthen social bonds to counteract youth disengagement.We conducted eight individually structured interviews and three focus group interviews with actors involved in children's lives. The results suggest that the lack of meaningful activities and inadequate parental control are linked to youth inactivity. Respondents emphasize the importance of creating welcoming environments where young people are given the opportunity to explore their interests as a potential measure to reduce the risk of involvement in negative social phenomena.