AktiMotBot: A social media chatbot with activity tracker integration for motivating increased physical activity

The World Health Organization has reported that more than 80% of the world’s adolescent population is insufficiently physically active [1]. Up to five million deaths per year could be averted if the global population were more active[1]. The low adherence to physical activity shows the need to implement services that promote physical activity. In addition, it is crucial to educate people on the benefits of being physically active and the negative consequences sedentary behavior imposes. This thesis proposes a social media chatbot with the integration of an activity tracker that aims to motivate people to increase their daily step count. The chatbot, AktiMotBot, encourages people by implementing behavior change techniques in its messages and functionality. We use popular technology, such as social media applications, to ease access. Further, the use of chatbots has grown. A chatbot gives a service that is always available to the user and is cost-effective. In addition, chatbots have familiar interfaces that ease their use. Finally, activity data is integrated into the chatbot as a motivation and personalization tool, enabling monitoring behavior change. A thorough investigation of social media applications was conducted to ensure users’ privacy and security. A usability study investigated how potential users perceived the system, and the usability of the chatbot was scored as average. The results showed that the chatbot was able to increase the motivation of half of the participants. Finally, the findings from this research are that chatbots could motivate people to increase their physical activity levels and make people more aware of their step count

Carbon emissions impact on stock performance for IT companies : An empirical study of the link between carbon emissions for information technology companies and stock performance

This paper investigates whether carbon emissions have an effect on financial performance on companies in the information technology sector, by separating emissions in scope 1, 2 and 3. We want to examine if carbon footprint heavy portfolios have an inferior financial performance to the low carbon footprint portfolios. Using a dataset of stock prices and carbon intensities of 358 information technology companies between 2012 and 2021. We find that carbon footprint heavy stocks generate a lower risk-adjusted return, than the stocks with lower carbon footprint, that can be explained by a lower volatility in the Low carbon footprint stocks. However, we also find that historically it is the carbon footprint heavy stocks that generate the highest stock return. The relationship we identify can provide an incentive for investors to invest in low carbon technology stocks.nhhma

Development of a short form of the questionnaire quality from the patient’s perspective for palliative care (QPP-PC)

Purpose: Patients’ views on quality are important to improve person-centered palliative care. There is a lack of short, validated instruments incorporating patients’ perspectives of the multidisciplinary palliative care services. The aim of this study was to develop a short form of the instrument Quality from the Patient’s Perspective for Palliative Care (QPP-PC) and to describe and compare patients’ perceptions of the subjective importance (SI) of care aspects and their perceptions of care received (PR). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Norway including 128 patients (67% response rate) in four palliative care contexts. The QPP-PC, based on a person-centered theoretical framework, incorporating the multidisciplinary palliative care, comprises 4 dimensions; medical–technical competence, physical–technical conditions, identity-oriented approach and sociocultural atmosphere, 12 factors (49 items) and 3 single items. The instrument measures SI and PR. Development of the short form of the QPP-PC was inspired by previously published methodological guidelines. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s α were used. Results: The short form of QPP-PC consists of 4 dimensions, 20 items and 4 single items. Psychometric evaluation showed a root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) value of 0.109 (SI). Cronbach’s α values ranged between 0.64 and 0.85 for most dimensions on SI scales. Scores on SI and PR scales were mostly high. Significantly higher scores for SI than PR were present for the identity-oriented approach dimension, especially on items about information. Conclusion: RMSEA value was slightly above the recommended level. Cronbach’s α was acceptable for most dimensions. The short form of QPP-PC shows promising results and may be used with caution as an indicator of person-centered patient-reported experience measures evaluating the multidisciplinary palliative care for patients in a late palliative phase. However, the short version of QPP-PC needs to be further validated using new samples of patients.publishedVersio

Internett som en kilde til legemiddelinformasjon - en spørreundersøkelse blant apotekkunder

Bakgrunn: Det er et økt fokus på at pasienter skal kunne være med på å delta i avgjørelser rundt egen behandling. For at de skal kunne gjøre dette er det viktig at de er i stand til å innhente god å forståelig informasjon om helserelaterte tema. Tidligere har det vist seg at helsepersonell slik som lege og farmasøyt har vært kilder som brukes mest. Men i dagens samfunn er bruk av internett utbredt, også til å innhente helse-og legemiddelinformasjon. Men bruk av internett til å finne LMI gir liten verdi, dersom brukerne mangler ferdighetene til å benytte seg av informasjonen. Brukerne av internett må ha en viss form for digital helsekompetanse, som gjør at de vet og velge ut kvalitetssikret informasjon, samt hvordan de bruke digitale enheter. Det er generelt få studier i Norge som har undersøkt internett som en kilde til legemiddelinformasjon. Metode: Det ble utført en tverrsnittstudie på apotekkunder i Tromsø. For å innhente data ble det benyttet et selvutviklet spørreskjema med spørsmål inspirert fra en finsk studie. Første del av spørreskjema var utformet for å kartlegge studiepopulasjonens demografi, legemiddelbruk, hvor de hentet legemiddelinformasjon og tillit til helsepersonell. Andre del av spørreskjema var konstruert for de som brukte internett, der vi ønsket å kartlegge bruk og tillit til ulike internettsider, hvorfor de brukte internett samt hvor mye de stolte på generell informasjon om legemidler på nettet. Datainnsamlingen fant sted i perioden september 2020 – november 2020. Kji-kvadrat, Mann-whitney U/T-test og logistisk regresjonsanalyse ble benyttet for å undersøke sammenhenger i datasettet. Resultater: Av totalt 303 respondenter i alderen 16-92 år, brukte 41 % (n=125) internett som en kilde til legemiddelinformasjon. Internettbrukerne hadde lavere alder, høyere utdanning og var i større grad helsepersonell. Bruk av faste legemidler ga ikke høyere odds for å bruke internett som en kilde til legemiddelinformasjon sammenlignet med det å ikke bruke faste legemidler. Hovedgrunnene til å innhente legemiddelinformasjon på internett var bivirkninger samt virkningen legemidlet hadde. Blant internettsidene var Helsenorge den mest brukte siden. Sosiale medier, Kvinneguiden og Trygg Mammamedisin (TMM) ble minst brukt av respondentene. Respondentene så på alle sidene underlagt Helsenorge, Norsk elektronisk legehåndbok (NEL), Legemiddelhåndboken, Felleskatalogen (FK) og Folkehelseinstituttets sider som tillitsvekkende. Overordnet var det 93 % av respondentene som stolte på informasjonen de fant om legemidler på internett, men i ulike grader. Mange av de foreslåtte internettsidene var ukjent eller ikke brukt, dette gjaldt i hovedsak RELIS og TMM. Helsepersonell brukte sidene TMM, RELIS, NEL, Legemiddelhåndboken, FK og apoteksidene i større grad enn de som ikke var helsepersonell. Lege, farmasøyt og pakningsvedlegg var kilder som i tillegg til internett ble mye brukt. Yngre aldersgrupper brukte pakningsvedlegg, farmasøyt og internett i større grad enn eldre (65 +). Respondentene brukte 1-3 kilder sammenlagt for å styrke legemiddelinformasjonen de innhentet. Tilliten til helsepersonell var også stor blant respondentene. Konklusjon: Vår studie indikerer at internett er blant de mest brukte kildene til å innhente legemiddelinformasjon for norske apotekkunder. Det er samtidig forskjeller i bruk og tillit til ulike internettsider hvor man kan oppdrive legemiddelinformasjo

Public health nurses’ experiences working with children who are next of kin: a qualitative study

Background There are a substantial number of children who are the next of kin of parents suffering from illness or substance abuse. These children can experience emotional and behavioral problems and may need support from professionals. In Norway, the specialist health service in hospitals is required to have a designated practitioner in each department to ensure support for and follow up of children who are next of kin; however, this is not regulated by law in the health care in the municipalities. The aim of this study was to explore public health nurse’s experiences working with children who are next of kin. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 public health nurses working in the child health clinic and the school health service in four municipalities. Data were analysed using content analysis. Reporting of this study is conducted in accordance to COREQ’s checklist. Results The analysis resulted in one main theme: ‘Lack of guidelines and routines among public health nurses working with children who are next of kin’. The main theme consisted of four categories: (1) identifying children who are next of kin are incidental; (2) public health nurses must be observant and willing to act; (3) communication is an important tool; and (4) follow up over time is not always provided. Conclusion The public health nurses experienced uncertainty concerning how to identify and follow up children who are next of kin but were vigilant and willing to act in the children’s best interest. Doing so necessitated collaboration with other professionals. The need for guidelines around the role and responsibilities for the public health nurse were emphasized. The knowledge provided by the current study offers valuable insight into strengths and limitations in the support of children who are next of kin and can inform stakeholders in organizing sustainable support for this group.publishedVersio

Skolevegring i et helsesøsterperspektiv

Fordypningsoppgave i helsesøsterutdanning, 2016Tittel: « Skolevegring i et helsesøsterperspektiv Hensikt og formål: Hensikten med oppgaven er at helsesøster skal få dypere forståelse for begrepet skolevegring og en økt innsikt i- og bevisstgjøring av sin rolle i møte med disse barna. Problemstilling: Hvilke faktorer er viktig i helsesøsters identifisering og oppfølging av elever med skolevegringsadferd? Metode: Oppgave er en litteraturstudie. For å tilegne meg nødvendig kunnskap og kompetanse om skolevegring og helsesøsters rolle og funksjon, har jeg fordypet meg i forskning og relevant litteratur. Det er gjort systematiske litteratur søk i databasene: Oria, Cinahl og PubMed i perioden oktober 2015-februar 2016. Resultat: Hovedfunnene viser at skolevegring er en sammensatt gruppe elever som kan være krevende å identifisere og følge opp både for familien, lærer, skolehelsetjeneste og annet hjelpeapparat. Det er viktig med en felles forståelse og et bredt tverrfaglig samarbeid. Foreldrene må tidlig inkluderes og det er vesentlig med en god dialog og samstemt tilnærming til elevens utfordringer. En tilgjengelig helsesøster virker forbyggende på elevers skolefravær. Skolevegrere kommer ofte til helsesøsters kontor med diffuse symptomer, og det er viktig med en tidlig identifisering av problemet for å oppnå best resultat. Skolen må ha et effektivt fraværssystem som fanger opp enkeltelevers fravær tidlig, og gode rutiner for å kontakte helsesøster ved bekymring. Gruppesamtaler, individuelle samtaler med eleven og foreldreveiledning kan være intervensjonsmetoder helsesøster kan anvende i møte med skolevegrere. Konklusjon: Dette studiet tydeliggjør viktigheten av en tilgjengelig helsesøster for tidlig å fange opp elever med skolevegringsadferd. Tidlig identifisering og oppfølging av barn med skolevegringsadferd vil kunne forebygge at barn faller utenfor samfunnet, og de alvorlige konsekvensene dette får for barnet selv og samfunnet som helhet. Sentrale begreper: : school refuse, school phobia, community health nursing, nurs

Internet Use for Obtaining Medicine Information: Cross-sectional Survey

Background: The internet is increasingly being used as a source of medicine-related information. People want information to facilitate decision-making and self-management, and they tend to prefer the internet for ease of access. However, it is widely acknowledged that the quality of web-based information varies. Poor interpretation of medicine information can lead to anxiety and poor adherence to drug therapy. It is therefore important to understand how people search, select, and trust medicine information. Objective: The objectives of this study were to establish the extent of internet use for seeking medicine information among Norwegian pharmacy customers, analyze factors associated with internet use, and investigate the level of trust in different sources and websites. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of pharmacy customers recruited from all but one community pharmacy in Tromsø, a medium size municipality in Norway (77,000 inhabitants). Persons (aged ≥16 years) able to complete a questionnaire in Norwegian were asked to participate in the study. The recruitment took place in September and October 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, social media was also used to recruit medicine users. Results: A total of 303 respondents reported which sources they used to obtain information about their medicines (both prescription and over the counter) and to what extent they trusted these sources. A total of 125 (41.3%) respondents used the internet for medicine information, and the only factor associated with internet use was age. The odds of using the internet declined by 5% per year of age (odds ratio 0.95, 95% CI 0.94-0.97; P=.048). We found no association between internet use and gender, level of education, or regular medicine use. The main purpose reported for using the internet was to obtain information about side effects. Other main sources of medicine information were physicians (n=191, 63%), pharmacy personnel (n=142, 47%), and medication package leaflets (n=124, 42%), while 36 (12%) respondents did not obtain medicine information from any sources. Note that 272 (91%) respondents trusted health professionals as a source of medicine information, whereas 58 (46%) respondents who used the internet trusted the information they found on the internet. The most reliable websites were the national health portals and other official health information sites. Conclusions: Norwegian pharmacy customers use the internet as a source of medicine information, but most still obtain medicine information from health professionals and packet leaflets. People are aware of the potential for misinformation on websites, and they mainly trust high-quality sites run by health authorities

Protein purification and gene isolation of chlamysin, a cold-active lysozyme-like enzyme with antibacterial activity

AbstractAn antibacterial ∼11 kDa protein designated chlamysin was isolated from viscera of the marine bivalve Chlamys islandica. Chlamysin inhibited the growth of all Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria tested. The isolated protein was highly efficient in hydrolyzing Micrococcus luteus cells only at low pH (4.5–6.2) and at low temperature (4–35°C). No significant loss of enzyme activity was observed after 30 days storage at room temperature or after heating to 70°C for 15 min, suggesting relatively high protein structure stability. Sequence-analyzed fragments of the protein revealed data which guided the isolation of the cDNA gene, encoding a 137 amino acid chlamysin precursor in scallops. The deduced protein contains a high portion of cysteine, serine and histidine residues and has a predicted isoelectric point below 7. The chlamysin protein was found to have sequence homology to an isopeptidase and to a recently published bivalve lysozyme

Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of palliative care quality in a combined acute oncology-palliative care unit: A cross-sectional study

It is a challenge to ensure high-quality palliative care. The aim was to investigate the perceptions of health care professionals (HCPs) working in a combined acute oncology-palliative care unit regarding the quality of the palliative care received by the patients and how important the care was to the patients. A Swedish total-survey cross-sectional study including 41 HCPs (54% response rate) was conducted with the 52 items Quality from the Patient’s Perspective – Palliative Care instrument, answered in two different ways: as actual care received and subjective importance. The STROBE-checklist was used. The areas for improvements were related to symptom relief, spiritual and existential needs, information, patient participation, continuity of care, care planning, cooperation and coordination of care, as subjective importance scores were higher than corresponding scores for care received (p ≤ .025). Providing high-quality palliative care alongside curative treatments for cancer patients is known to be challenging and could explain the results in this study. Implementation of a person-centred palliative care model based on the hospice philosophy could be a solution.publishedVersio