Family policy and inequalities in health in different welfare states.

This article focuses on differences in health and welfare outcomes for families with children in three European countries, discussed in relation to national policies for child and family welfare. Data consist of policy documents and cross-national surveys. The document analysis was based on policy documents that described government policies.

Culture in salutogenesis: the scholarship of Aaron Antonovsky.

Aaron Antonovsky wrote extensively, although disjointedly, about the roles of culture in salutogenesis. This paper provides a synopsis of his work in this arena. A literature review identified those of his English language writings in which culture was a subject, and relevant text segments were analysed using an inductive followed by a deductive method.

Promoting health in Georgia.

This paper discusses the public health situation in Georgia. In 1991 Georgia became an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The armed conflict with Russia in 2008 and political unrest in recent years has presented the Georgian population and politicians with a demanding situation.

Child diet and healthy growth in the context of rural poverty in the peruvian andes: what influences primary caregivers' opportunities and choices?

This study explored opportunities and choices related to child feeding among women living in a remote and low-income district in the Andean highlands. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with mothers (N = 7) with reputations for providing good child care, and who participated in an NGO-run social and health programme. The aim of this study was to learn about women's positive experience with child feeding, in the context of living in low-income communities.

The salutogenic model of health in health promotion research.

Despite health promotion's enthusiasm for the salutogenic model of health, researchers have paid little attention to Antonovsky's central ideas about the ease/dis-ease continuum, defined in terms of 'breakdown' (the severity of pain and functional limitations, and the degree medical care is called for, irrespective of specific diseases). Rather, salutogenesis research has a strong focus on how sense of coherence relates to a wide range of specific diseases and illness endpoints. We address two questions: Why has Antonovsky's health concept failed to stimulate research on breakdown, and how can the present emphasis on disease be complemented by an emphasis on positive well-being in the salutogenic model? We show that (i) the breakdown concept of health as specified by Antonovsky is circular in definition, (ii) it is not measured on the 'required' ease/dis-ease continuum, (iii) it is not measureable by any validated or reliability-tested assessment tool, and (iv) it has not so much been rejected by health promotion, as it has not been considered at all.

The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Student and Early Career Network (ISECN): a case illustrating three strategies for maximizing synergy in professional collaboration.

The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Student and Early Career Network (ISECN) was constructed upon a foundation of research, using the Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning (BMCF) as a blueprint to inform its leadership, communication, structure, and culture. The BMCF consists of inputs (partners, mission, and financial resources), throughputs (operational processes), and outputs (synergy and antagony). In this commentary, we use the BMCF to describe the ISECN work, highlighting opportunities, successes, and challenges.

Does health promotion need a Code of Ethics? Results from an IUHPE mixed method survey.

Background: Health promotion is an ethically challenging field involving constant reflection of values across multiple cultures of what is regarded as good and bad health promotion practice. While many disciplines are guided by a Code of Ethics (CoE) no such guide is available to health promoters. The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) has been nominated as a suitable candidate for developing such a code.

Socioeconomic status and chronic child malnutrition: Wealth and maternal education matter more in the Peruvian Andes than nationally.

This study investigated the association of parents' socioeconomic status (SES) with child stunting in the Peruvian Andes and in Peru nationally. It was hypothesized that the relationship of SES to child stunting would be weaker in the Andean compared with the national sample. This is consistent with earlier research indicating that the relationship of SES to health may be weak in poor regions.

Social determinants of rest deprivation amongst Ghanaian women: national and urban-rural comparisons with data from a cross-sectional nationally representative survey.

Background: Rest deprivation (rest/napping/sleep 6 or less hours daily) is a clinically recognised risk factor for poor health, but its epidemiology is little studied. This study reports prevalence's and social correlates of rest deprivation in Ghana.

Methods: Data are from the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

Work life and mental well-being: single and coupled employed mothers in Southern Europe and Scandinavia.

Many European mothers, single and coupled, combine work outside the home and family life. The effects of this on their mental well-being may vary depending on the level of support available from the State's welfare system, since welfare may buffer working mothers from some of the stress that can arise from trying to manage significant responsibilities on the job and at home. Welfare may be especially important for single working mothers, for whom the burden of multiple roles may be even heavier.

Work life and mental wellbeing of single and non-single working mothers in Scandinavia.

Background: This study examined levels and predictors of mental wellbeing in Scandinavian working single and non-single mothers, with a special focus on financial stress, job characteristics and work-family conflict.

Methods: The European Social Survey Round 2 (2005) provided questionnaire data from 73 single and 432 non-single working mothers in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Respondents answered questions about the outcome variables life satisfaction, happiness, and positive affect, and predictor variables financial stress, job characteristics, work-family conflict, and social support.

Social determinants of health in very poor ruralities.

Globally, research on social determinants of health has built a considerable knowledge base over the last decade. Still, not much of this research has been carried out in the extremely poor areas of the world, like for instance Africa south of the Sahara. In very poor ruralities, classic indicators of socioeconomic status are not well suited.

Hunting happiness or promoting health? Why positive psychology deserves a place in health promotion.

This commentary asks the question of whether positive psychology represents an egoistic pursuit of happiness, which is in conflict with basic values within health promotion. A look at key concepts and research findings within positive psychology reveals common ground with health promotion. Similarities are evident in conceptualization of health, resource focus, value focus and consequences for policy.

The IUHPE Student and Early Career Network (ISECN): an update.

The year 2007 saw the birth of a new IUHPE baby: ISECN - the IUHPE Student and Early Career Network. This commentary presents some of the work that has been undertaken by ISECN this past year. We have appointed regional contacts, presented a poster about our network in a conference in Osaka, Japan, initiated a working group for communication with a specific focus on increasing equity in the way ISECN communicates with its members, launched a website (www.