Make a U-turn if possible : the GPS voice and its three advisory comrades in climate policymaking

Climate Advisory Bodies have been established in more than 40 countries as an instrument to help policymakers reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This thesis investigates the influence of climate advisory bodies on policymaking by looking at key stakeholder perceptions. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders with insight into the climate policymaking process. By doing a structured focused comparison, this study compares empirical findings of climate advisory bodies in two Nordic countries; Norway and Denmark. Applying the Climate Policy Integration Framework, this study adds novel insight into the policy process by applying four lenses to study the influence of advisory bodies, namely the legitimiser, knowledge broker, policy entrepreneur, and GPS voice. The results indicate that the Danish Council on Climate Change (DCCC) is perceived to be a pronounced GPS voice both through publicly guiding the government and in providing independent advice to a broad range of actors who use this to push climate politics. The DCCC also functions as a broker of knowledge, as well as an entrepreneur on the policy ambitiousness level. The Norwegian advisory structure seems suited to providing specific innovative advice to the policy process, but it lacks the structure to function as a GPS voice or a knowledge broker, limiting its potential to contribute to decarbonisation.M-IE

Caregivers’ perception of factors associated with a healthy diet among people with intellectual disability living in community residences: A Concept mapping method

BACKGROUND: Many people with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in community-based residences have been found to have unhealthy diet and weight disturbances. In Norway, a majority of people with ID live in such residences. AIMS: The aim of the study was to examine factors affecting the caregivers' opportunity to promote a healthy diet among the residents. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A concept mapping methodology was adopted, including group-based brainstorming, idea synthesising, sorting, rating and analysis of the results. Informants were caregivers in four different community residences for people with mild to moderate ID in the southeast of Norway. A total of 13 informants were recruited (12 females and 1 male), and 10 informants completed two sessions. RESULTS: Eight clusters were identified as affecting the caregivers' ability to promote a healthy diet: "Availability and accessibility", "Guidance and autonomy", "Competence among staff", "Planning and involvement", "Customization", "External conditions affecting staff", "Legislation, rules and structure" and "Everyday challenges", each including both barriers and facilitators. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Multiple factors affect the caregivers' ability to promote a healthy diet. Caregivers' opportunity to promote a healthy diet is complex. Availability and accessibility of healthy food is crucial, but a healthy diet also requires time and competence among the caregivers.måsjekke

Re-creating self-identity and meaning through occupations during expected and unexpected transitions in life

The present study explores occupational engagement during expected and unexpected transitions in life, and how self-identity and meaning, situated in the context, is created and re-created through the daily occupations. We use case examples of children with disabilities, adults with acquired brain injury, older adults with stroke, and people with serious somatic illness who are undergoing rehabilitation. The cases are drawn from previous studies by each of the authors. In the present study, a secondary analysis of data was conducted based on an abductive approach and theories of self-identity and transaction, to illustrate how changes in everyday life occupations made sense. Three themes emerged that structure the discussion; Disruption of a former self, Pursuing normality, and Re-constructing daily occupations and routines. Our discussion illustrates how different life transitions can be demanding and how people, situated in the context, revise and create new meaning and self-identity through their occupations.acceptedVersio

Establishing an Agri-food living lab for sustainability transitions: Methodological insight from a case of strengthening the niche of organic vegetables in the Vestfold region in Norway

CONTEXT Agri-food systems face complex sustainability challenges, containing conflicting interests, goals, worldviews and fragmented knowledge and decision-making. There is a need for a better understanding of how to turn knowledge about sustainability into actions for change. The complexity of these challenges necessitates systemic, cross-sectorial, and multi-actor processes. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to strengthen agri-food systems associated with organic vegetables in the Vestfold region in Norway by involving actors through a living lab and to generate knowledge regarding the establishment phase of cross-cutting change initiatives. This included exploring how actors from within and beyond the agri-food domain could be selected and recruited and investigating what characterize their perceived understanding of the current situation regarding organic vegetables and their shared vision. METHODS We first drew the boundary of the living lab “system” in relation to improving the situation of organic vegetable agri-food systems. We explored potential participants by developing and applying a procedure for discovering sectors and actors that could contribute to overcome development obstacles. We then used the snowball sampling method and interviewed 48 actors, identifying 80 potential participants. Among these, 30 actors participated in a workshop in which we facilitated co-creative processes for creating a common problem understanding and a shared vision. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The procedure helped identify change-oriented actors within the agri-food domain. Actors represented small-scale entities who had power to influence their own business, as well as individuals within large-scale entities with limited power to influence change in own organizations. We also discovered actors beyond the agri-food domain who did not originally identify themselves closely with the topic of organic food, such as actors from waste management, education, regional, business, and tourism development, and health and welfare. The diversity of actors contributed to a rich and holistic perspective on the current situation for agriculture and food. They co-created a manifold, but coherent, shared vision, portraying a more collaborative orientation in localized agri-food systems. The gaps between current and future desired situations clearly served as a starting point for action planning and testing. SIGNIFICANCE The study shows crucial steps in establishing an agri-food living lab, including introductory work of bounding the system, selecting actors, and conducting co-creative processes. The study developed and applied a procedure for discovering actors within and beyond the agri-food domain who could contribute to overcoming development obstacles. This procedure can be adjusted and utilized in other settings.publishedVersio

Coping strategies among adolescents with chronic headache and mental health problems: a cross-sectional population-based study

To examine prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents with chronic headache and compare internal and external coping strategies in young people with chronic headaches with and without mental health problems. This study is based on a cross-sectional survey undertaken in Akershus County in Norway. A total of 19,985 adolescents were included in the study, covering lower secondary and upper secondary students, aged 13–19 years. Chronic headache was measured with a single item question based on headache frequency. Mental health was assessed by using the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). Internal and external coping strategies were assessed through seven options for answering the question: What do you do/what happens when you are burdened by painful thoughts and feelings? Adolescents with chronic headaches showed more frequent mental health problems overall (23 %) compared to those without chronic headache (6 %). Logistic regression analyses showed that those adolescents having both chronic headaches and comorbid mental health problems more frequently used internal coping strategies, such as keeping feelings inside (OR 2.05), using abusive substances (OR 1.79) and talking oneself out of problems (OR 1.55), compared to those without mental health problems. Groups with mental health problems, especially with chronic headache, less frequently used the external strategy of talking to others about their problem than controls (OR 0.7–0.8). Factor analyses revealed significant differences in profiles of coping strategies between groups. We suggest that attention should be paid towards the high risk group that has both chronic headaches and mental health problems and their tendency to use destructive internal coping strategies

The role of occupational meaningfulness and citizenship as mediators between occupational status and recovery: a cross-sectional study among residents with co-occurring problems

Purpose Engagement in meaningful occupations and being included as full citizens of the community, is essential in everyday life, and may be of considerable relevance for recovery and quality of life. However, persons with co-occurring substance use and mental health problems experience extensive obstacles to engagement in occupations and citizenship. The relationship between objective measures of occupational status and subjective experiences of occupational meaningfulness, citizenship and recovery, is scarcely researched in the context of co-occurring problems. As such, the purpose of this study is to examine associations between occupational status, occupational meaningfulness, citizenship and recovery and quality of life and to examine the roles of occupational meaningfulness and citizenship as possible mediators between occupational status and recovery and quality of life. Design/methodology/approach The study used a cross-sectional design with a sample of 104 residents at supported housing sites across six Norwegian cities. Findings Linear regression analyzes indicated that occupational status was significantly associated with the citizenship domains caring for others and community participation and with the quality of life measure positive affect. Occupational meaningfulness and citizenship were significantly associated with different domains of recovery and quality of life. Furthermore, mediation analyzes showed that the relationship between occupational status and recovery and quality of life was mediated by caring for others and community participation. Originality/value The results suggest that emphasizing opportunities for occupational meaningfulness and citizenship in practice may have positive implications for recovery among persons with co-occurring problems.acceptedVersio

Møteplasser - fra ord til handling. Sluttrapport

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Forekomst av seksuell trakassering av tenåringer og sammenhengen med depressive symptomer. Hvilken betydning har sosiale relasjoner?

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Green exercise as a workplace intervention to reduce job stress: results from a pilot study

Stress and mental fatigue are major health threats to employees in office-based occupations. Physical activity is widely used as a stress-management intervention for employees. Moreover, experiences in contact with nature have been shown to provide stress-reduction and restoration from mental fatigue. OBJECTIVES:In a pilot study designed as a randomized controlled trial we investigated the impact of a green-exercise intervention on psychological and physiological indicators of stress in municipality employees. METHODS:Fourteen employees (7 females and 7 males, 49±8 yrs) volunteered in an exercise-based intervention in workplace either outdoors in a green/nature area or in an indoor exercise-setting. The intervention consisted of an information meeting and two exercise sessions, each including a biking bout and a circuit-strength sequence using elastic rubber bands (45-minutes, at about 55% of HR reserve, overall). Main outcomes were perceived environmental potential for restoration, affective state, blood pressure (BP) and cortisol awakening response (CAR AUCG and CAR AUCI) and cortisol levels in serum. Measurements were taken at baseline and in concomitance with the exercise sessions. Furthermore, affective state and self-reported physical activity levels were measured over a 10-weeks follow-up period. RESULTS:Compared with the indoor group, the nature group reported higher environmental potential for restoration (p <  0.001) and Positive Affect (p <  0.01), along with improved CAR AUCI (p = 0.04) and, marginally, diastolic BP (p = 0.05). The nature group also reported higher ratings of Positive Affect at follow-up (p = 0.02). Differences at post-exercise were not found for any of the other components of affective state, systolic BP, CAR AUCG and cortisol levels measured in serum. CONCLUSIONS:Green-exercise at the workplace could be a profitable way to manage stress and induce restoration among employees. Further studies on larger samples are needed in order to improve the generalizability of the results