Weight Status and Mental Well-Being Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-Perceived Body Weight. A Cross-National Survey

Purpose Overweight and obesity are associated with poor mental health in adolescents. However, little is known about whether the influence of overweight and obesity on mental well-being is mediated by self-perceived body weight. Exploring the mechanisms underlying the relationships between obesity and mental well-being is of interest to policy makers and others working in the field of adolescent health. Methods 76,998). Mixed regression models that included gender and socioeconomic status as covariates were used to identify associations between weight status and mental well-being (life satisfaction and subjective health complaints) and to explore whether self-perceived body weight (feeling too thin or too fat) has a mediating effect. Associations between weight status, self-perceived weight, and mental well-being were further assessed country by country. Results Self-perceived body weight mediated the observed associations between overweight or obesity and mental well-being. Perceiving one's body weight as “too thin” or “too fat” was associated with poorer mental well-being, regardless of weight status. Self-perceived body weight varied by gender, socioeconomic status, and country. Discussion Self-perceived body weight may explain, to a greater extent than body mass index, variation in mental well-being among adolescents. These results are important to policy makers, clinicians, and others targeting adolescent health

Med utgangspunkt i Gilberts depresjonsteori: Mindfulness og selvmedfølelse som intervensjon i behandling av depresjon

Depresjon er et utbredt og økende helseproblem. Tilbakefallsprosenten er høy, og relativt mange har liten eller ingen effekt av tradisjonell behandling. Dette arbeidet drøfter utfordringen man har, både i forskning og i behandling, når det gjelder å utvikle mer effektfull og forebyggende behandling av depresjon. Oppgaven tar utgangspunkt iGilberts depresjonsmodell. Denne teorimodellen beskriver utvikling og opprettholdelse av depresjon og mulige innfallsvinkler til forståelse av depresjon. Sentralt i modellen står hypotesen om at depresjon har som funksjon å beskytte individet mot opplevd fare ved at nedarvede strategier og mekanismer toner ned positive affektsystem og øker personens sensitivisering overfor trusler og nederlag. Med bakgrunn i østlige religiøse og filosofiske tradisjoner er det utviklet flere ulike typer terapier med begrepene mindfulness og selvmedfølelse som fellesnevner, der målet er å fremme psykologisk helse gjennomselvomsorg, aksept og ikke-dømmende oppmerksomhet. I denne oppgaven blir mindfulness og selvmedfølelse beskrevet og oppgaven drøfter ut fra forskning om teknikker knyttet til disse begrepene kan medvirke til terapeutiske intervensjoner med formål å nedtone negative affekter og kognisjon i depresjon og stimulerer de positive affektsystemen

Trust and IT security in IT outsourcing

Trust between the vendor and client has been identified as a critical success factor in IT outsourcing, and thus, building a trusting relationship is often strived for. However, academics request more research on the effect of different trust building mechanisms. Moreover, IT security has received increasing attention in IT outsourcing, and practitioners question how IT security can affect the level of trust between the parties. Still, empirical research on the connection between IT security and trust has not been conducted before. Hence, this study aims to contribute to the research by addressing two questions. First, how do practitioners from the Norwegian IT outsourcing market experience and explain the effect of trust building mechanisms implemented between client and vendor. Second, how do practitioners argue that IT security can affect trust between vendor and client. This paper is a continuation of the author s pre-diploma thesis which, based on a literature review, put forward the model of trust building in IT outsourcing (Austad and Lossius, 2014). The first research question of this paper aims to support and/or revise this model. Moreover, the pre-diploma thesis further proposed that IT security could be argued to affect trust. The second research question aims to empirically evaluate this proposition. A multiple case study investigation of ten Norwegian IT outsourcing relationships through 18 semi-structured interviews forms the basis for analysis and discussion. The findings from each case was analyzed separately to look for arguments supporting or contradicting the model of trust building in IT outsourcing, and the proposed link between IT security and trust. Then, the arguments and explanations were combined in a cross case analysis, which represents the primary focus of the paper. The cross case analysis entailed looking for patterns in supporting or contradictory arguments, which were further linked and compared with the theory in the conceptual background. Overall, this study reveals multiple contributions to theory and practitioners. Firstly, it provides academics and practitioners with a revised model of trust building in IT outsourcing. A majority of the mechanisms and dynamics in the original model were supported by the findings, thus strengthening the trust building effects suggested by extant literature upon which the model was built. Furthermore, this study resulted in certain revisions to the model. These comprise of adding investments as a trust building mechanism, and adding delivery and removing control as trust building dynamics. All the types of trust in the model were found to be supported. Also, the findings suggest that how the mechanisms are implemented is of great importance for its resulting effect on trust. As such, the dynamics provides explanations of how the mechanisms should be implemented to build trust. Overall, the revised model represents an empirically supported and improved explanation of trust building in IT outsourcing. Secondly, an emergent finding of the study was the model of the dynamics role in trust building in IT outsourcing. The model illustrates how delivery builds a foundation of trust, based on receiving expected gains and meeting expectations of abilities. However, to build higher levels of trust, other dynamics must be facilitated. Lastly, this study is the first, to the authors knowledge, to establish a connection between IT security and trust based on an empirical investigation. Specifically, it suggest that the extent to which IT security can affect trust, depends upon the perceived importance of this component, relative to other parts of the delivery

Genetic parameters of resistance to amoebic gill disease in two Norwegian Atlantic salmon populations

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Notat om kvalitetsutvikling nr. 5. Utvikling av en ny brukerrolle i helse og omsorgstjenesten – en beskrivelse av suksessfaktorer

I februar 2016 gjennomførte Funksjonshemmedes Fellesorganisasjon (FFO) og seksjon for kvalitetsutvikling i Folkehelseinstituttet (FHI) en turné i Norge sammen med et fagmiljø innenfor psykisk helse fra Trento i Nord-Italia. Hensikten var å inspirere ansatte og brukere innenfor helse- og omsorgstjenesten til å lære av det systematiske arbeid med brukermedvirkning som foregår i Trento, og å presentere norske eksempler på en ny brukerrolle. Presentasjonen av eksemplene ble filmet og er i tillegg dokumentert skriftlig. I ettertid har materialet blitt gjennomgått og suksessfaktorer for å fremme en ny pasient- og brukerrolle har blitt identifisert

The autism birth cohort (ABC): A study of autism spectrum disorders in MoBa

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities. In most cases, the cause of ASD is likely to be a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental exposures occurring in fetal life or early infancy. Consequently, a prospective pregnancy cohort like MoBa represents an ideal platform for studies of ASDs in children. Methods: The Autism Birth Cohort (ABC) Study has identified potential ASD cases in MoBa through questionnaire- based screening, parental and professional referrals, and linkages to the Norwegian Patient Register. ASD diagnoses have been ascertained through in-person clinical assessments and medical record reviews. Current results: By the end of 2012, the ABC Study had identified 518 ASD cases in MoBa. The ASD prevalence in school-age children is 0.7-0.8%, which is in line with nationwide estimates for Norway. The most important source of ASD case identification was registry linkages, while only a minority was detected through early screening. Published findings show that screening at 18 months misses the majority of ASD cases. Analyses of risk factors for ASDs have shown that maternal use of folic acid supplements in early pregnancy may lower the child’s risk of developing ASDs and that paternal obesity appears to increase the child’s risk of ASDs. Future plans: ASD case identification will continue through annual registry linkages and subsequent reviews of medical records. Analyses of plasma samples and RNA samples will be conducted to investigate prenatal and perinatal microbial exposures, innate immune and inflammatory responses, biomarkers of autism risk, and exposures to xenobiotics. Analyses of deciduous teeth will also investigate the effect of medications and environmental toxins. Exome sequencing of DNA from ASD cases and their parents is ongoing, and will elucidate the role of de novo DNA mutations in the pathogenesis of ASDs. Future epidemiological analyses will explore the results of the 36-month screening for ASDs, the diagnostic stability and developmental trajectories in ASD children, and psychiatric and medical comorbidities in ASDs

Effect of high-intensity interval training in physiotherapy primary care for patients with inflammatory arthritis: the ExeHeart randomised controlled trial

Objectives To assess the effect of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) delivered in physiotherapy primary care on the primary outcome of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA). Additionally, to explore the effects of HIIT on secondary outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and disease activity.Methods Single-blinded randomised controlled trial with 60 patients randomly assigned to either a control group receiving usual care or an exercise group receiving usual care and 12 weeks of individualised HIIT at 90%–95% peak heart rate. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3 months and 6 months post baseline and included CRF measured as peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak), classic CVD risk factors, disease activity, anthropometry and patient-reported physical activity, pain, fatigue, disease impact and exercise beliefs and self-efficacy.Results Intention-to-treat analysis demonstrated a significant between-group difference in VO2peak at 3 months (2.5 mL/kg/min, 95% CI 0.9 to 4.0) and 6 months (2.6 mL/kg/min, 95% CI 0.8 to 4.3) in favour of the exercise group. A beneficial change in self-reported physical activity in favour of the exercise group was observed at 3 and 6 months. The HIIT intervention was well-tolerated with minimal adverse events and no apparent impact on disease activity. Differences in secondary outcomes related to CVD risk factors, disease impact, pain, fatigue and exercise beliefs and self-efficacy were generally small and non-significant.Conclusion After 12 weeks of supervised HIIT delivered in physiotherapy primary care, patients with IA demonstrated a favourable improvement in CRF, with sustained effects at 6-month follow-up.Trial registration number NCT04922840