The relationship between peer relations, self-rated health and smoking behaviour in secondary vocational schools.

Aims: To examine the association between peer relations, self-rated health and smoking behaviour in vocational school setting.

Background: Smoking in adolescence causes health and socioeconomic inequality in adulthood. There is evidence that smokers are physically less active, have lower academic aspirations and perceive poorer health than non-smokers.

Practical nursing students' discursive practices on smoking in Finland.

Purpose: Based on focus groups, we analyse how practical nursing students deal with being as smokers and future healthcare workers. The way they justify their smoking is discussed within a group of peers.

Methods: The study has a qualitative design with an inductive approach using focus group interviews (FGIs) for data collection.

Patients referred from a multidisciplinary pain clinic to the social worker, their general health, pain condition, treatment and outcome.

Background and aims As far as we know, the range of issues particular to social work, when working with clients at a pain clinic has not been previously researched. Methods A retrospective study of referrals at the multidisciplinary Pain Clinic of Helsinki University Central Hospital was conducted based on medical records, focusing on pain conditions, treatments and patient flow. Variables used were age, gender, pain conditions, treatment interventions, pain duration and intensity, disruption in everyday life due to pain, psychiatric co-morbidities, referrals, outside care providers, post-treatment care and health habits.

Patients referred from a multidisciplinary pain clinic to the social worker, their socio-demographic profile and the contribution of the social worker to the management of the patients.

Background and aims Social factors and social environment shape the pain behavior of patients. Social workers support pain treatment in a multidisciplinary pain clinic by altering the social environment of a patient. Even though a social worker in a multi-professional care team contributes to the care of select, severely pain-afflicted patients extensively, neither the patient socio-demographic status nor interventions by social workers have been systematically documented.