Kinned to be Norwegian : transnational adoptees' positioning in relation to whiteness and the negotiation of nationhood

Author's accepted version (postprint).This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd in Nations and Nationalism on 13 April 2019.Available online: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nana.12525acceptedVersio

Personal factors associated with health-related quality of life in persons with morbid obesity on treatment waiting lists in Norway

Purpose To explore relationships of socio-demographic variables, health behaviours, environmental characteristics and personal factors, with physical and mental health variables in persons with morbid obesity, and to compare their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scores with scores from the general population. Methods A cross-sectional correlation study design was used. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaire from adult patients within the first 2 days of commencement of a mandatory educational course. Of 185 course attendees, 142 (76.8%) volunteered to participate in the study. Valid responses on all items were recorded for 128 participants. HRQoL was measured with the Short Form 12v2 from which physical (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) scores were computed. Other standardized instruments measured regular physical activity, social support, self-esteem, sense of coherence, self-efficacy and coping style. Results Respondents scored lower on all the HRQoL subdomains compared with norms. Linear regression analyses showed that personal factors that included self-esteem, self-efficacy, sense of coherence and coping style explained 3.6% of the variance in PCS scores and 41.6% in MCS scores. Conclusion Personal factors such as self-esteem, sense of coherence and a high approaching coping style are strongly related to mental health in obese persons

Legal Aid in Norway

The chapter analyses civil legal aid in Norway. It gives a brief review of the history of the legal aid scheme in Norway, a detailed description of the public legal aid scheme, and how the public scheme relates to third sector legal aid initiatives. In general, the chapter paints a picture of the Norwegian legal aid scheme as a traditional oriented and well-funded social support scheme, originating on the basis of a traditional welfare state ideology. However, the public scheme is struggling to meet the need for legal aid. The third sector legal aid, such as student run legal aid clinics and special outreach legal aid organisations, has developed alongside the public scheme. This development gives reason to question whether the current legal aid scheme is in keeping with welfare state ideals