Scandinavian journal of public health
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Scand J Public Health · Jan 2007
The NORPEQ patient experiences questionnaire: data quality, internal consistency and validity following a Norwegian inpatient survey.
This article describes the development of a questionnaire designed for comparisons of patient experiences of hospital care within the Nordic countries. The results of testing for data quality, reliability, and validity are presented following a Norwegian survey. ⋯ The NORPEQ is a brief measure of patient experiences that covers important aspects of the healthcare encounter. It shows good evidence of reliability and validity and is relatively easy to apply alongside existing national surveys.
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Scand J Public Health · Jan 2007
Comparative StudyHealth-related physical fitness among schoolchildren in Lithuania: a comparison from 1992 to 2002.
Socioeconomic transformation over the previous decade may have created a less active lifestyle and a decline in fitness among Lithuanian children. The aim of this study was to analyse the differences in health-related fitness among 12-, 14-, and 16-year-old Lithuanian boys and girls from 1992 to 2002. ⋯ There was a marked decrease in aerobic fitness and flexibility and a slight increase in abdominal muscle endurance among Lithuanian schoolchildren. Leg muscular power decreased slightly in girls but remained unchanged in boys. A decrease in daily physical activity is the most likely contributing factor to the decrease in aerobic fitness and flexibility and PE reform has not been able to compensate for this effect.
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Scand J Public Health · Jan 2007
Is moist snuff use associated with excess risk of IHD or stroke? A longitudinal follow-up of snuff users in Sweden.
The potential risks of Swedish moist snuff (snus) are debated and studies have shown diverging results. ⋯ This study has not shown any excess risk among users of snuff for IHD or stroke. If there is a risk associated with snuff it is evidently much lower than those associated with smoking.
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Scand J Public Health · Jan 2007
Social capital, institutional (vertical) trust and smoking: a study of daily smoking and smoking cessation among ever smokers.
The associations between vertical (institutional) trust in the healthcare system and the mass media (newspapers and television), and daily smoking and smoking cessation were investigated. ⋯ Institutional (vertical) trust in the healthcare system but not the mass media was significantly associated with lower odds of daily smoking and higher odds of having quit smoking if ever smoker. The healthcare system seems to be a potent arena for tobacco prevention.
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Scand J Public Health · Jan 2007
Patient, clinician, and general practice factors in long-term certified sickness.
To investigate the association of patient, clinician, and general practice factors with long-term certified sickness absence. ⋯ The study results imply that, rather than basing 'return to work' interventions on identification of individual patient/claimant characteristics or on GP training initiatives, it may be more productive to focus upon a more diagnosis-based approach within primary care itself. Interventions aiming to reduce mild mental disorder-related work incapacity should be given priority.