Understanding the needs and use of sexual and reproductive health services among Thai women: a descriptive cross-sectional study in Sweden.

Unlabelled: Background Immigrants are at increased risk of HIV infection in Europe and at risk of delayed diagnosis. In Sweden, Thailand belongs to one of the three most common countries of origin among immigrants diagnosed with HIV. This study investigated the need and use of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services among Thai women residing in Sweden.

Non-employment and low educational level as risk factors for inequitable treatment and mortality in heart failure: a population-based cohort study of register data.

Background: The risk of heart failure is disproportionately high among the socioeconomically disadvantaged. Furthermore, socioeconomically deprived patients are at risk of inequitable access to heart failure treatment and poor outcomes. Non-employment as a risk factor in this respect has not previously been studied at the level of the individual.

Promoting rational antibiotic use in Turkey and among Turkish migrants in Europe - implications of a qualitative study in four countries.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is considered one of the major threats to global health. The emergence of resistant microorganisms is a consequence of irrational use of antibiotics. In Turkey, the consumption of antibiotics is relatively high and antibiotics are among the most commonly used drugs.

Lower socioeconomic status predicts higher mortality and morbidity in patients with heart failure.

Objective: It is not fully understood whether and how socioeconomic status (SES) has a prognostic impact in patients with heart failure (HF). We assessed SES and its association with patient characteristics and outcomes in a contemporary and well-characterised HF cohort.

Methods: Socioeconomic risk factors (SERF) were defined in the Swedish HF Registry based on income (low vs high according to the annual median value), education level (no degree/compulsory school vs university/secondary school) and living arrangement (living alone vs cohabitating).

Experiences and needs concerning health related information for newly arrived refugees in Sweden.

Background: Owing to communication challenges and a lack of knowledge about the health care system, refugees may be at risk of having limited health literacy, meaning that they will have problems in achieving, understanding, appraising and using health information or navigating in the health care system. The aim of this study was to explore experiences and needs concerning health related information for newly arrived refugees in Sweden.

Methods: A qualitative design with a focus group methodology was used.

Effectiveness by gender and age of renin-angiotensin system blockade in heart failure-A national register-based cohort study.

Purpose: Investigate effectiveness by gender and age and equity implications of treatment with renin-angiotensin system blockade (RASb) in heart failure (HF) patients.

Methods: In this population-based register study, we used inpatient data from 2006 to 2010 for patients age 20 years or older with no HF hospitalisation for minimum of 1 year before an index hospitalisation. A wash-out period for RASb of 6 months preceding admission was used.

Perspectives on health examination for asylum seekers in relation to health literacy - focus group discussions with Arabic and Somali speaking participants.

Background: Asylum seekers coming to most countries are offered a specific health examination. A previous study concluded that a considerable proportion of those taking part of it in Sweden had poor experiences of the communication in and the usefulness of this examination and had poor health literacy. The aim of this study was to explore in greater depth the experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers among Arabic- and Somali-speaking participants in Sweden.

How 15- to 16-year-old Swedish adolescents experience social relationships and health-related behaviours: A qualitative study.

Health-related behaviours are associated with social relationships. Adolescence is a time when healthy and unhealthy behaviours are established. There is a need to investigate adolescents' views on how social relationships are related to health-related behaviours of adolescents in the Scandinavian welfare system.

Living environment, social support, and informal caregiving are associated with healthcare seeking behaviour and adherence to medication treatment: A cross-sectional population study.

Despite the well-known associations between local environment and health, few studies have focused on environment and healthcare utilisation, for instance healthcare seeking behaviour or adherence. This study was aimed at analysing housing type, behaviour based on perceived local outdoor safety, social support, informal caregiving, demographics, socioeconomics, and long-term illness, and associations with health-seeking and adherence behaviours at a population level. This study used data from the Swedish National Public Health Survey 2004-2014, an annually repeated, large sample, cross-sectional, population-based survey study.

A missed opportunity? Lack of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health services among immigrant women in Sweden.

Objective: Poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among immigrant women is often related to limited access, or suboptimal use of healthcare services. This study investigates the knowledge about and use of sexual and reproductive healthcare services among immigrant women in Sweden.

Method: A cross-sectional study of 288 immigrant women.

[Rational Use of Antibiotics Among Turkish Migrants In Germany: Knowledge, Attitudes and Interaction With Physicians and Pharmacists].

Objectives: Due to strong transnational ties, the use of and demand for antibiotics among Turkish migrants in Germany may be influenced by cultural aspects of antibiotic use in Turkey. Research on the use of antibiotics among Turkish migrants in Germany, however, is scarce. The aim of this study was to find out how Turkish migrants in Germany use antibiotics, whether and how knowledge, underlying motives and attitudes influence demand and how Turkish migrants interact with medical professionals.

Length of time periods in treatment effect descriptions and willingness to initiate preventive therapy: a randomised survey experiment.

Background: Common measures used to describe preventive treatment effects today are proportional, i.e. they compare the proportions of events in relative or absolute terms, however they are not easily interpreted from the patient's perspective and different magnitudes do not seem to clearly discriminate between levels of effect presented to people.

Poor health and refraining from seeking healthcare are associated with comprehensive health literacy among refugees: a Swedish cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to explore the distributions of comprehensive health literacy (CHL), general health, psychological well-being, and having refrained from seeking healthcare among refugees in Sweden. Further objectives were to examine associations between CHL and the above-mentioned factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 513 refugees speaking Arabic, Dari, and Somali.

Psychosocial vulnerability underlying four common unhealthy behaviours in 15-16-year-old Swedish adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Factors that influence unhealthy behaviours in adolescents may have different impacts in different sociocultural settings. There is lack of research on the association between psychosocial vulnerability and unhealthy behaviours in adolescents, particularly outside the United States. The aim was to investigate both direct and indirect relationships between psychosocial conditions (subjective well-being, social relationships and self-esteem) and four health-related behaviours (smoking, alcohol consumption, meal frequency and physical activity) in Swedish adolescents aged 15-16 years.

Catch-up HPV vaccination status of adolescents in relation to socioeconomic factors, individual beliefs and sexual behaviour.

In 2012, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination was introduced free of charge in the Swedish national school-based vaccination programme for 10-12-year-old girls, and as catch-up vaccination for young women. In Sweden, there is an ongoing discussion about including boys in the national vaccination programme. Few studies are undertaken about adolescents' knowledge, beliefs and HPV vaccination status in relation to socioeconomic status and sexual experience.

Findings from a prospective cohort study evaluating the effects of International Health Advisors' work on recently settled migrants' health.

Background: Several interventions have been carried out to tackle health inequalities between migrant groups, especially refugees, and native-born European populations. These initiatives are often address language or cultural barriers. One of them is the International Health Advisors (IHA) in Sweden; a peer education intervention aimed at providing health information for recently settled migrants.

Condom use among Swedes while traveling internationally: A qualitative descriptive study.

This study explores factors influencing condom use among Swedish women and men who visited a sexual health clinic after unprotected sex during international travel. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 women and 25 men. The data were analyzed using conventional content analysis.

Social and health-related factors associated with refraining from seeking dental care: A cross-sectional population study.

Background: Social inequities are considered to affect healthcare utilization, whereas less is known about the factors associated with refraining from seeking dental care. This study aimed to investigate whether people with no social support, long-term illness, caregiver burden and low socioeconomic status (SES) refrained from seeking dental care in higher proportion than the general Swedish population.

Methods: This study used cross-sectional questionnaire data from repeated nationwide health surveys during 2004-2013 of a total of 90 845 people.

To Consent or Decline HPV Vaccination: A Pilot Study at the Start of the National School-Based Vaccination Program in Sweden.

Background: Parents' beliefs about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination influence whether they allow their daughters to be vaccinated. We examined the association between parents' refusal and sociodemographic background, knowledge and beliefs about HPV, and the HPV vaccination in relation to the Health Belief Model.

Methods: The sample consisted of 200 (55%) parents of children aged 11-12 years in the Swedish national vaccination program.

Knowledge and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare services among Thai immigrant women in Sweden.

Background: Migration from Thailand to Sweden has increased threefold over the last 10 years. Today Thailand is one of the most common countries of origin among immigrants in Sweden. Since the year 2000, new HIV cases are also more prevalent among Thai immigrants compared to other immigrant nationalities in Sweden.

Treatment effect expressed as the novel Delay of Event measure is associated with high willingness to initiate preventive treatment - A randomized survey experiment comparing effect measures.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate patients' willingness to initiate a preventive treatment and compared two established effect measures to the newly developed Delay of Events (DoE) measure that expresses treatment effect as a gain in event-free time.

Methods: In this cross-sectional, randomized survey experiment in the general Swedish population,1079 respondents (response rate 60.9%) were asked to consider a preventive cardiovascular treatment.

Active Traveling and Its Associations with Self-Rated Health, BMI and Physical Activity: A Comparative Study in the Adult Swedish Population.

Active traveling to a daily occupation means that an individual uses an active way of traveling between two destinations. Active travel to work or other daily occupations offers a convenient way to increase physical activity levels which is known to have positive effects on several health outcomes. Frequently used concepts in city planning and regional planning today are to create environments for active commuting and active living.

School-based intervention for the prevention of HPV among adolescents: a cluster randomised controlled study.

Objective: To improve primary prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection by promoting vaccination and increased condom use among upper secondary school students.

Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial.

Setting: 18 upper secondary schools in Sweden.

Health literacy and refugees' experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers - a Swedish cross-sectional study.

Background: The purpose of the health examination for asylum seekers in most countries is to identify poor health in order to secure the well-being of seekers of asylum and to guarantee the safety of the population in the host country. Functional health literacy is an individual's ability to read information and instructions about health and to function effectively as a patient in the health system, and comprehensive health literacy is an individual's competence in accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health information. Little is known about refugees' health literacy and their experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers.