“A source of empowerment and well-being”: Experiences of a dance and yoga intervention for young girls with functional abdominal pain disorders

Background: Functional abdominal pain disorders are common among children and adolescents worldwide and effective treatments are needed to alleviate suffering for these children and their families. This study aimed to explore the experience of participating in a combined dance and yoga intervention from the perspectives of girls aged 9–13 years with functional abdominal pain disorders. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial called Just in TIME (Try, Identify, Move and Enjoy) recruited 121 girls aged 9–13 years with functional abdominal pain disorders. The eight-month intervention combined dance and yoga twice a week, focusing on enjoyment, socialization and playful creativity in an undemanding and non-judgemental environment. The intervention group comprised 64 girls, of whom 25 were purposefully selected for this qualitative interview study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach. Results: The girls\u27 experiences of the Just in TIME intervention can be described as “A source of empowerment and well-being which facilitated personal growth and new ways of engaging in life”. The main category was derived from six generic categories: “A sense of belonging”, “Joy and emotional expression through movement”, “Relief from pain”, “More self-confident”, “More active in daily life” and “A sense of calm.” Conclusions: Regular participation in an eight-month intervention with combined dance and yoga in a supportive and non-judgemental atmosphere can ease pain and strengthen inner resources, resulting in empowerment, well-being and a more active life for girls with functional abdominal pain disorders. Trial registration: The Just in TIME study is available online at clinicaltrials.gov, ID: NCT02920268

Riskhantering med hjälp av styrkort i bygg- och anläggningsprojekt inom den offentliga sektorn

The purpose of this study is to investigate companies in the public sector and how they control and estimate the risks by using scorecards in various construction projects and also to get an idea of how risk management differs depending on the project size and complexity. The essay is of the qualitative methodology and data has been collected through semistructured interviews with seven different respondents in the public sector.    To identify the risks that emerge in the business, companies can use balanced scorecard. The study explains how the use of Balanced Scorecard can be applied in the two companies we investigate and how the scorecard can be used to draw attention to risks. A focus on the processperspective was made in due to its use in the public sector. The purpose of the processperspective is to identify the processes that is necessary to achieve the financial goals and customer goals found in the scorecard.    In order to achieve the project goals it is important to work with risk management. Risk management consists of different steps, the first step is the identification of risks, the second step is to analyzing the risks and the final step is to establish a plan for the risks. The study examines how size and complexity of a project affects the risk management work of the two investigated companies in the public sector.   The results shows that the balanced scorecard mainly is applied as an additional tool and that the application of the scorecard in some cases does not go all the way down within the companies. The results also shows that the application of the scorecard, although is a complementary monitoring tool, works efficiently.    The conclusion shows that in the larger and complex projects the risk management-work is more extensive and the follow-up work is carried out more continuously. The complexity increases by the number of stakeholders involved in the projects because it often leads to ÄTA-work and time-offsets. Keywords: Public sector, balanced scorecard, risk management, complexit

The cost-effectiveness of a dance and yoga intervention for girls with functional abdominal pain disorders

Background: Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) affect children worldwide, being more prevalent among girls. The individual and societal burdens of the disease are substantial, and evidence-based interventions are needed. Non-pharmacological treatments have generally produced promising results, with dance and yoga specifically having potential as an effective treatment option. Beside efficacy, the cost-effectiveness of interventions is important when prioritizing and allocating public resources. Objective: This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of an 8-month dance and yoga intervention for girls with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome, based on a randomized control trial called ‘Just in TIME’. Methods: The intervention, performed in Sweden, was studied using a decision analysis tool, i.e., a decision tree within the trial followed by a Markov model with a time horizon of 10 years. The base case considered healthcare costs as well as productivity losses, measuring the effects in gained quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and presenting an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Results: The base case results show that the intervention, compared with current practice, was the dominant strategy from both the 12-month and long-term perspectives. The sensitivity analyses indicated that the long-term, but not the short-term, findings were robust for different assumptions and changes in parameter estimates, resulting in ICERs similar to those of the base case scenario. Conclusions: Offering dance and yoga to young girls with FAPDs generates small QALY gains and monetary savings compared with standard healthcare and is likely cost-effective. These findings make a valuable contribution to an area where evidence-based and cost-effective treatment interventions are needed. Clinical Trials Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02920268; Name: Just in TIME—Intervention With Dance and Yoga for Girls With Recurrent Abdominal Pai

Dance and yoga reduced functional abdominal pain in young girls : A randomized controlled trial

Background Functional abdominal pain disorders (FAPDs) affect children, especially girls, all over the world. The evidence for existing treatments is mixed, and effective accessible treatments are needed. Dance, a rhythmic cardio-respiratory activity, combined with yoga, which enhances relaxation and focus, may provide physiological and psychological benefits that could help to ease pain. Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a dance and yoga intervention on maximum abdominal pain in 9- to 13-year- old girls with FAPDs. Methods This study was a prospective randomized controlled trial with 121 participants recruited from outpatient clinics as well as the general public. The intervention group participated in dance and yoga twice weekly for 8 months; controls received standard care. Abdominal pain, as scored on the Faces Pain Scale–Revised, was recorded in a pain diary. A linear mixed model was used to estimate the outcomes and effect sizes. Results Dance and yoga were superior to standard health care alone, with a medium to high between-group effect size and significantly greater pain reduction (b = −1.29, p = 0.002) at the end of the intervention. Conclusions An intervention using dance and yoga is likely a feasible and beneficial complementary treatment to standard health care for 9- to 13-year-old girls with FAPDs. Significance FAPDs affect children, especially girls, all over the world. The negative consequences such as absence from school, high consumption of medical care and depression pose a considerable burden on children and their families and effective treatments are needed. This is the first study examining a combined dance/yoga intervention for young girls with FAPDs and the result showed a reduction of abdominal pain. These findings contribute with new evidence in the field of managing FAPDs in a vulnerable target group