The contribution of psychological theory to the understanding of health behaviour change and maintenance : applications to exercise

Human behaviour is still mysterious. Why do we do what we do? Why do we sometimes not do what we want to do? Why is it so difficult to change habits? The purpose of this paper is to examine how general psychological theory of health behaviour change and maintenance contribute to the understanding of initiating and maintaining exercise behaviour. Some popular models to identify what psychological factors influence our health behaviour and some models that try to describe the processes of health behaviour change and maintainance are examined and discussed in relation to exercise behaviour.La conducta humana sigue siendo misteriosa. ¿Porqué hacemos lo que hacemos?. ¿Porqué a veces no hacemos lo que tendríamos que hacer?. ¿Porqué es tan difícil cambiar de hábitos?. El propósito de este artículo es examinar cómo la teoría general psicológica del cambio y mantenimientio de conductas saludables puede contribuir al entendimiento de la iniciación y el mantenimiento de la conducta de ejercicio físico. Se discuten y examinan algunos modelos que identifican cuáles son los factores psicológicos qu

Motivational physical activity intervention for psychiatric inpatients: A two phased single-cases experimental study

Physical inactivity has been identified among leading risk factors for global mortality as well as an independent risk factor for several somatic diseases. There is consistent evidence that individuals with mental illness engage in little physical activity. Therefore, this study investigated associations between a motivational physical activity intervention in treatment for psychiatric inpatients and change in; 1) physical activity level measured by accelerometer, 2) motivation for physical activity, and 3) affect and perceived functional health status. The design was a longitudinal, two-phased multiple single-cases experiment. Seven individuals completed a baseline period and an eight-week physical activity program. The participants had high autonomous motivation and mostly positive, but mixed profiles of development. Four participants showed favourable development profiles for physical activity, one no change, and two reduced physical activity. For positive and negative affect, five had a favourable development, one no change, and one unfavourable. For health status, six had a favourable development, one no change. The intervention was feasible as part of treatment. The physical activity results reflected different physical activity histories. This highlights the importance of individualising physical activity programs in psychiatric treatment, and the use of person centered research methods that can reveal such differences.publishedVersio

Motivational climate in the home: Implications for physical activity, psychosocial outcomes and family relations

The impact of motivational climate created by coaches/teachers on children is well documented. There is little knowledge about the motivational climate in the home. This study investigated the perceived motivational climate in the home and achievement goals, physical activity involvement, and psychosocial outcomes such as empathy, family relationships, school grades, general mastery and psychological problems for 15-16 year old adolescents. Methods: Data were collected by questionnaires in a cross-sectional design. Participants were 1940 boys and 1871 girls. Gender differences necessitated separate analyses, but for both genders, mastery climate was indirectly, positively related to physical activity, mastery, empathy, family relations, and school grades via task orientation. The home climate had a direct relationship with the achievement orientation of the children and the orientation of the child had gender specific relationships to physical activity, family relationships and general mastery. Conclusion: A home mastery climate is associated with more adaptive outcomes.publishedVersio

Se meg.... : En oppgave om pleie til pasienter med invalidiserende CFS

Denne oppgaven er en fordypningsoppgave i sykepleierutdanningen, og vi har valgt å skrive om pleie til pasienter med invalidiserende CFS. CFS kjennetegnes ved ekstrem energisvikt, økt trettbarhet av muskulatur og svikt i kognitive funksjoner selv etter minimale anstrengelser og aktivitet. Det første møte med helsevesenet kan være vanskelig for pasienter med CFS fordi de opplever ofte mistro, de blir misforstått, eller det kan være at de blir bagatellisert. For å få diagnosen CFS må en til utredning hos spesialist på dette området. Det kan ta opptil et år å få time hos en slik spesialist. Dette viser at det er for lite spesialister i forhold til pasienter på dette området. Vi har kommet frem til problemstillingen; Hvordan gi sykepleie til voksne pasienter med invalidiserende CFS i sykehjem? Dette er en sykdom som blir stadig mer utbredt, og en sykdom som vi mest sannsynlig kommer til å treffe på i vårt arbeid innen helsevesenet. Vi har valgt å bruke sykepleieteoretikeren Kari Martinsen i denne oppgaven siden vi i stor grad kan identifisere oss med hennes teorier om utøvelse av sykepleie. Vi skriver en del om ulike sykepleietiltak til pasienter med invalidiserende CFS og hvordan pårørende kan reagere på at en av deres får denne sykdommen. I starten på sykdommen er det ofte de pårørende som tar seg av den syke. Men etter hvert som pasienten blir dårligere blir de pårørende slitne og trenger hjelp. Det er ofte sykehjem som er den beste løsningen for pasientene for der får de det stellet de trenger og de har personell tilgjengelig hele døgnet. Etter pasientrettighetsloven har pasientene lov å være med å medvirke i hvilke hjelp han skal motta eller ikke. Spesielt gjelder dette sykdommer hvor helsearbeiderne har mangelfulle kunnskaper (CFS). I drøftingen tar vi opp problematikken rundt behandlingen av pasientene og hvordan samfunnet ser på dem og hvordan fastlegen bør være og hvilke rolle vedkommende bør ha i forhold til pasientens sykdom

Longitudinal relations between needs satisfaction and physical activity among psychiatric patients with dual diagnoses

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.Objectives: Studies including people with severe mental illness (SMI) have reported beneficial effects from physical activity (PA) on psychiatric symptoms, quality of life, and global functioning. However, it is important to be regularly physically active to obtain these effects. Using the motivational lens of self-determination theory, the aim of the current study was to explore the dynamic interplay between satisfaction of psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness) in PA and the patients’ weekly PA level. Methods: The study had a longitudinal design, following 10 in-patients with dual diagnoses (SMI and addiction) over 12 weeks at a psychiatric ward offering physical activity as part of treatment. Data were collected 14 times with a questionnaire measuring psychological need satisfaction, while an accelerometer was used to objectively count steps to reflect participants average PA-level each week. To analyse the week-to-week relationships between the basic psychological needs and PA-level, the Bayesian dynamic p-technique analysis was used to explore both cross-sectional-, autoregressive- as well as cross-lagged effects between the constructs. Results: The results indicated credible and strong positive autoregressive effects for all three psychological needs as well as for PA-level, and positive credible cross-sectional associations between all three psychological needs and PA-level. However, the cross-lagged effects were small and not credible for all three psychological needs in relation to PA-level. Conclusions: In total, these results support the established positive relation between basic psychological need satisfaction and PA-level yet failed in finding any predictive effects between need satisfaction and PA-level.publishedVersio

Evidence for influx of Atlantic water masses to the Labrador Sea during the Last Glacial Maximum

The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 23–19,000 year BP) designates a period of extensive glacial extent and very cold conditions on the Northern Hemisphere. The strength of ocean circulation during this period has been highly debated. Based on investigations of two marine sediment cores from the Davis Strait (1033 m water depth) and the northern Labrador Sea (2381 m), we demonstrate a significant influx of Atlantic-sourced water at both subsurface and intermediate depths during the LGM. Although surface-water conditions were cold and sea-ice loaded, the lower strata of the (proto) West Greenland Current carried a significant Atlantic (Irminger Sea-derived) Water signal, while at the deeper site the sea floor was swept by a water mass comparable with present Northeast Atlantic Deep Water. The persistent influx of these Atlantic-sourced waters entrained by boundary currents off SW Greenland demonstrates an active Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation during the LGM. Immediately after the LGM, deglaciation was characterized by a prominent deep-water ventilation event and potentially Labrador Sea Water formation, presumably related to brine formation and/or hyperpycnal meltwater flows. This was followed by a major re-arrangement of deep-water masses most likely linked to increased overflow at the Greenland-Scotland Ridge after ca 15 kyr BP

Public health nurse education in the Nordic countries

Background Higher education should promote critical reflection and guide students towards international activities. In the Nordic countries public health nurse educational programmes are mostly based on guidelines issued by national educational authorities, which describe students’ learning outcomes. Aim The aim of this paper is twofold: to give an overview of public health nurse education and service in the Nordic countries and thereby discuss opportunities for collaboration within the programmes. Data sources and compilation of data National legislations for public health nurse education and services are used as data. Since all sources are written in the language of each country, all the authors wrote the parts that describe each countries conditions in English and contributed to the compilation of data. Results We found both similarities and differences in public health nurse education and services. Opportunities for collaboration between the programmes are discussed. Conclusion Critical reflection by the public health nurse students can be enhanced by arranging collaboration projects, an exchange of clinical placement, and joint master projects. Collaboration among academic staff within the educational programmes, in education and research, have the potential to enhance quality both within public health nurse education and in developing the profession of public health nursing.publishedVersio

Effects of mRNA amplification on gene expression ratios in cDNA experiments estimated by analysis of variance

BACKGROUND: A limiting factor of cDNA microarray technology is the need for a substantial amount of RNA per labeling reaction. Thus, 20–200 micro-grams total RNA or 0.5–2 micro-grams poly (A) RNA is typically required for monitoring gene expression. In addition, gene expression profiles from large, heterogeneous cell populations provide complex patterns from which biological data for the target cells may be difficult to extract. In this study, we chose to investigate a widely used mRNA amplification protocol that allows gene expression studies to be performed on samples with limited starting material. We present a quantitative study of the variation and noise present in our data set obtained from experiments with either amplified or non-amplified material. RESULTS: Using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple hypothesis testing, we estimated the impact of amplification on the preservation of gene expression ratios. Both methods showed that the gene expression ratios were not completely preserved between amplified and non-amplified material. We also compared the expression ratios between the two cell lines for the amplified material with expression ratios between the two cell lines for the non-amplified material for each gene. With the aid of multiple t-testing with a false discovery rate of 5%, we found that 10% of the genes investigated showed significantly different expression ratios. CONCLUSION: Although the ratios were not fully preserved, amplification may prove to be extremely useful with respect to characterizing low expressing genes

The Lower–Middle Jurassic of the Anholt borehole: implications for the geological evolution of the eastern margin of the Danish Basin

This study of Upper Pliensbachian – Bajocian/Bathonian deposits in a borehole drilled on the island of Anholt, Denmark incorporates sedimentology, biostratigraphy (palynomorphs and foraminifera), palaeomagnetism and coal petrology. The studied succession records a gradual change from marine inner shelf storm-influenced clays to mainly terrestrial sands, clays, and lignite containing a flora of mainly freshwater algae and pollen. The regression was initiated at the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary and marine influence ceased during Bajocian–Bathonian times; the regression thus took place earlier at Anholt than in the centre of the Danish Basin. The sediments in the Anholt borehole are referred to the Fjerritslev and Haldager Sand Formations. Although the Lower–Middle Jurassic boundary is commonly placed at the boundary between the two formations, our data indicate that at Anholt the upper Fjerritslev Formation (member F-IV) is of Aalenian age. The Lower–Middle Jurassic boundary occurs close to the boundary between members F-III and F-IV of the Fjerritslev Formation. In contrast to other Lower–Middle Jurassic successions in the North Sea region, smectites of inferred volcanic origin are preserved in the Anholt section, suggesting limited burial and hence less intense diagenetic illitisation or chloritisation of smectites. A down-hole increase in diagenetic influence is reflected by the increase down-section both in the thermal stability of kaolinite and in the vitrinite reflectance. Kaolinite of inferred authigenic origin forms a white powder in the quartz-dominated sands of the Haldager Sand Formation; this kaolinite is thermally very unstable and is interpreted to be of late diagenetic, post-uplift origin. The vitrinite reflectance data indicate that the Jurassic formations have been exposed to thermal maturation corresponding to burial to a depth of 1000–1200 m below their present depth. Post-maturation uplift of the order of 1 km probably occurred partly during Late Cretaceous – Paleocene inversion in the Kattegat area and partly during Oligocene–Recent regional uplift, the latter being the most important of the two uplift phases. Palaeomagnetic data indicate that the main carrier of magnetic remanence is fine-grained magnetite. The stable remanence shows a pronounced inclination shallowing, which is attributed to post-depositional compaction

Marine phytoplankton community data and corresponding environmental properties from eastern Norway, 1896–2020

Time series are essential for studying the long-term effects of human impact and climatic changes on the natural environment. Although data exist, no long-term phytoplankton dataset for the Norwegian coastal area has been compiled and made publicly available in a standardised format. Here we report on a compilation of phytoplankton data from inner Oslofjorden going back more than a century. The database contains 605 sampling events from 1896 to 2020, and environmental data has also been provided when available. Although the sampling frequency has varied over time, the high taxonomic quality and relatively similar methodology make it very useful. For the last 15 years (2006–2020), the sampling frequency has been almost monthly throughout the year. This dataset can be used for time series analysis to understand community structure and changes over time. It can also be used to study common taxa’ responses to environmental variables and changes, seasonal or annual species diversity and be useful for developing ecological indicators.publishedVersio