Managing workplace health promotion in municipal organizations: The perspective of senior managers.

Background: Previous research indicates that companies manage workplace health in various ways, but more in-depth empirical knowledge of how workplace health promotion (WHP) is managed in public sector organizations is needed.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore how WHP is managed and incorporated into the general management system in two large Swedish municipal organizations.

Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was used.

Childrearing among thai first-time teenage mothers.

The aim of this study is to explore and describe the experiences of being a teenage mother and taking care of infants less than 6 months of age. Ten teenage mothers were interviewed. Latent content analysis was used to analyze interview transcripts with the teenage mothers.

Moving toward reclaiming life: lived experiences of being physically active among persons with psychiatric disabilities.

There is abundant documentation in research about the significant relationship between physical activity and mental health, but there is still more to be learned about what can enhance motivation to become more physically active. Fourteen persons with psychiatric disabilities were interviewed about their experiences of being physically active, and data was analyzed using a phenomenological-hermeneutic method. Five themes emerged: Capability for Living, Liberation from a Heavy Mind, Companionship in Being in Motion, Longing for Living One's Life, and Struggling with Limitations.

Self-reported health and physical activity among community mental healthcare users.

The aim of the study was to survey the self-reported health and physical activity in a sample of community mental healthcare users in a city of Sweden. The study was conducted through a cross-sectional design with participants requested to fill out a self-report questionnaire. Participants (n = 103) were persons with psychiatric disabilities living in residential psychiatric settings and/or participating in daily activities provided by community mental healthcare services.

General beliefs about medicines among doctors and nurses in out-patient care: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Doctors and nurses are two natural partners in the healthcare team, but they usually differ in their perspectives on how to work for increased health. These professions may also have different beliefs about medicines, a factor important for adherence to medicines. The aim was to explore general beliefs about medicines among doctors and nurses.

Different development of general beliefs about medicines during undergraduate studies in medicine, nursing and pharmacy.

Objective: To analyze differences in general beliefs about medicines between healthcare students and to see if health education was of importance to general beliefs about medicines.

Method: The participants were students of medicine, pharmacy, pharmaceutical bioscience, dispensing pharmacy, nursing and economics (comparison group) at the University of Gothenburg. Data were collected twice in 2003 and 2005.

Beliefs about medicines and self-reported adherence among pharmacy clients.

Objectives: To analyse any association between general beliefs about medicines and self-reported adherence among pharmacy clients. Further, to examine general beliefs about medicines by background variables.

Methods: The data were collected by questionnaires including the general section of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ), the self-reporting Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and the following background variables: gender, age, education, country of birth and medicine use.

Psychosocial factors at work and in every day life are associated with irritable bowel syndrome.

The etiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) tends to be complex and multi-factorial and there is still a lack of understanding of how different psychosocial factors are associated with the syndrome. Our aim was to examine the occurrence of psychosocial and behavioural factors among patients diagnosed with IBS in primary care. The study had an epidemiological population-based case-control design comparing 347 IBS cases to 1041 age and sex matched controls from the general population.

A population-based case-control study of work and psychosocial problems in patients with irritable bowel syndrome--women are more seriously affected than men.

Objective: Everyday psychosocial functioning and quality of life are known to be reduced for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but few previous studies have analyzed associations with functioning in working life. Accordingly, we examined perceptions of working conditions, functioning in the workplace, quality of life, and psychological complaints among IBS patients compared with age- and sex-matched controls.

Methods: A case-control study design was used based on 347 IBS patients from Swedish general practice who were compared with age- and sex-matched controls (N = 1,041) randomly selected from the general population.

Advice to patients in Swedish primary care regarding alcohol and other lifestyle habits: how patients report the actions of GPs in relation to their own expectations and satisfaction with the consultation.

Background: Lifestyle advice given by general practitioners (GPs) may be a cost-effective means of health promotion; however, it is not fully put into routine practice. The aim of this study was to explore to what extent GPs' patients expect and receive advice concerning alcohol, tobacco, exercise and diet in relation to sociodemographic characteristics, type of visit and patient satisfaction.

Methods: A postal questionnaire was sent to a representative sample (n = 9750) of patients who had consulted GPs in a county in Sweden.

Factors influencing GPs' decisions regarding screening for high alcohol consumption: a focus group study in Swedish primary care.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore factors that influence general practitioners' (GPs') decisions regarding screening for high alcohol consumption.

Methods: GPs working at three primary healthcare centres in Sweden participated in focus group interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and a deductive framework approach was used for the analysis.

Feasibility of an email-based electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) to college students in Sweden.

An email-based electronic screening and brief intervention (e-SBI) with personalized normative feedback on alcohol habits was offered to all 3,875 second term students at Linköping University, Sweden. The students received an email with a link to a computerized alcohol habit test and were offered personalized feedback directly on the computer screen. The students evaluated the test and were asked to state whether they were going to consider changing or actually change their alcohol habits.

Under what circumstances are nurses willing to engage in brief alcohol interventions? A qualitative study from primary care in Sweden.

To improve alcohol prevention in primary health care, it has been suggested that primary care nurses are an under-utilised resource. The aim of this study was to identify under what circumstances primary care nurses in Sweden are willing to engage in alcohol prevention. All nurses at three primary health care centres in Ostergötland, Sweden were invited to participate in focus group interviews; 26 nurses participated.

Chest pain and ischaemic heart disease in primary care.

Background: Chest pain is the main symptom of first presentation with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Little is known about the incidence of IHD among patients consulting the general practitioner (GP) for chest pain.

Aims: To estimate the occurrence of IHD among patients consulting for chest pain, to study the results of the bicycle exercise test, and to estimate the incidence of IHD in the population.

Opinions about district nurses prescribing.

Opinions about district nurses prescribing The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of district nurses (DNs) and general practitioners (GPs) about nurse prescribing in Sweden in order to elucidate similarities and differences, and relate different opinions to background and psychosocial working factors. In a questionnaire about psychosocial working conditions, seven statements about DNs prescribing were included. The questionnaire was sent to 554 DNs and 566 GPs with a participant rate of 83%.

The more time spent on listening, the less time spent on prescribing antibiotics in general practice.

Objective: To analyse the variation between primary care centres (PCCs) with regard to prescribing antibiotics and to investigate whether the variation can be explained by factors related to patient satisfaction and to socio-demographic characteristics of the populations in the catchment areas of the PCCs.

Methods: The frequency of prescription of antibiotics by GPs at the PCCs was used as the dependent variable in a multivariate regression analysis. Questionnaire data for patient satisfaction and register data for socio-demographic characteristics were used as explanatory variables.

Unfavourable working conditions for female GPs. A comparison between Swedish general practitioners and district nurses.

Objective: The aim was to analyse gender and occupational differences in the psychosocial working conditions of general practitioners (GPs) and district nurses (DNs) in Sweden.

Design: A stratified random sample of GPs (n = 566) and DNs (n = 554) from four county councils in Sweden. The overall participation rate was 83%.

Early intervention for problem drinkers: readiness to participate among general practitioners and nurses in Swedish primary health care.

An exploration was made of attitudes and practices of general practitioners (GPs) and nurses concerning early identification of, and intervention for, alcohol-related problems. Sixty-five GPs and 141 nurses in 19 primary health centres in a county in southern Sweden answered a 28-item questionnaire before implementation of an intervention programme. The questionnaire covered experiences with patients with alcohol-related health problems, knowledge and perceived capacity concerning early identification and intervention, attitudes towards the role of primary care staff in early identification and intervention and current intervention methods in use at the health centre.

Reliability of a multidimensional questionnaire for adults with treated complete cleft lip and palate.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability of a multidimensional questionnaire for Swedish adults with treated complete unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and palate (CLP). The questionnaire was designed to be used in the evaluation of adults with treated CLP after treatment. Before any conclusions were drawn from the results of the study we assessed the test-retest reliability of the questionnaire.

[Functional evaluation of heart failure patients in primary care. The NYHA system is unreliable since intercurrent illness can give rise to similar symptoms].

A group of 158 patients with congestive heart failure was studied in detail concerning other types of morbidity. The purpose was to evaluate how often classification according to the NYHA system was disturbed by intercurrent disease with a similar set of symptoms. At the same time, a visual analogue scale for the evaluation of physical capacity was tested.

Quality of life in adults with repaired complete cleft lip and palate.

Objective: This study evaluated the quality of life in adult Swedish subjects with repaired complete cleft lip and palate (CLP).

Design/patients: Sixty-eight adults with repaired CLP were compared with a group of 66 adults without cleft matched by gender and age.

Outcome Measures: The outcome measures included a self-report questionnaire concerning quality of life in general, well-being, and health-related quality of life.

Assessment of psychosocial work environment in primary care--development of a questionnaire.

Recent studies have indicated deteriorated working conditions of health care personnel. To have an efficient health care organization requires good working conditions and the well-being of the personnel. Today there are no "gold-standard" assessment tools measuring psychosocial working conditions.

[Diagnosis and treatment of heart failure in primary health care. Low correlation between Pro-ANF and heart failure].

Three eastern Swedish primary care clinics serving a predominantly rural clientele monitored for 13 months all patients under 80 years of age with a diagnosis based on clinical signs alone of heart failure (n = 56) or suspected incipient heart failure (n = 62). Echocardiography was performed on all patients. For 64% of the former group, the putative diagnosis matched echocardiography findings.

Changes in attitudes and practices in primary health care with regard to early intervention for problem drinkers.

During an intervention period of 1 to 2 months, a project team supported general practitioners (GPs) and nurses in four primary health care centres in Sweden in introducing new routines for detection and treatment of problem drinkers. After the implementation of the new methods, the GPs reported increased involvement in early detection and intervention significantly more often than the nurses did. A majority in both groups reported perceived improvement in skills.