Lower bone mineral density in older female endurance skiers – a cross-sectional,observational study

Background

Physical activity (PA) is generally beneficial for bone health, but the effect of high levels of PA over many years, in older women, is unknown.

Methods

T-score from Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and self-reported baseline characteristics were recorded for 24 female, cross-country-skiing-competitors, aged 68–76?years, from the Birkebeiner Ageing Study. Data from 647 women in the same age range from the Tromso-6 population study, with recorded DXA findings, were used for comparison.

Results

The athletes reported a median(range) of 9(1–34) participations in the 54?km, yearly ski-race, indicating long-term PA. They also reported more moderate and high levels of PA than women in the general population (52% vs. 12 and 30% vs. 0%, respectively). The athletes had lower body mass index (BMI) than the controls (mean BMI 21.7 vs 26.9?kg/m², p?<?0.001). As many as 22/24(92%) of the athletes and 477/647(74%) of the controls had a low bone mineral density (BMD) (T-score?<???1), p 0.048, Pearson chi square test. Odds ratio (OR) of low BMD was 3.9 in athletes vs. controls (p 0.048, logistic regression), but adjusting for BMI largely diminished the effect estimate, which was no longer statistically significant (aOR 1.81, p 0.432). The proportion of self-reported fractures was the same in the two groups.

Conclusions

This pilot study suggests that long-term, high levels of PA are associated with low bone mineral density in older women, and the finding might be due to differences in BMI. Despite the lower bone mineral density the athletes did not report more fractures.

     

Socioeconomic disparities in climate vulnerability: neonatal mortality in northern Sweden, 1880–1950

Population and Environment - The aim of this study was to analyse the association between season of birth, temperature and neonatal mortality according to socioeconomic status in northern Sweden...     

Midwifery students’ conceptions of worst imaginable pain

BackgroundThe Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is one of the most widely used pain assessment scales in clinical practice and research. However, the VAS is used less frequently in midwifery than in other clinical contexts. The issue of how people interpret the meaning of the VAS endpoints (i.e. no pain and worst imaginable pain) has been discussed. The aim of this study was to explore midwifery students’ conceptions of ‘worst imaginable pain’.MethodsA sample of 230 midwifery students at seven universities in Sweden responded to an open-ended question: ‘What is the worst imaginable pain for you?’ This open-ended question is a part of a larger study. Their responses underwent manifest content analysis.ResultsAnalysis of the midwifery students’ responses to the open-ended question revealed five categories with 24 sub-categories. The categories were Overwhelming pain, Condition-related pain, Accidents, Inflicted pain and Psychological suffering.ConclusionsThe midwifery students’ conceptions of ‘worst imaginable pain’ are complex, elusive and diverse.     

Towards Hybridization: The Roles of Swedish Non-Profit Organizations Within Mental Health

In many parts of the Western world, interventions for people with mental illness have radically changed in recent decades. In the deinstitutionalized system of today, the role for non-profit organizations is generally characterized by dual goals: political advocacy and service provision. Here, the role and function of the user movement in the Swedish mental health system is examined through a case study of all local branches of the largest non-profit organization within the Swedish mental health field. The empirical material consisted of annual reports from all local branches, and was analysed through two analytical schemes, concerning voice/service and conflict/consensus. The analysis pointed to a user movement that still retained the basic ideas of peer support and mutual aid, but were also increasingly being asked by formal service providers to represent the need of users. A hybrid organization category, a ‘Social Movement Peer Organization’, was identified that where social recreational activities are combined with local political advocacy.     

“One step at a time”: Analysing Young Patients’ Video Diaries in an Ethnographic Tracing of Fixed Appliances

The present article examines children's and young people's experiences of receiving state‐financed orthodontic treatment. Using video diaries and follow‐up interviews, the aim was to explore how fixed appliances act on patients’ bodies and social life. The combination of methods reveals complex experiences. The main narrative, primarily found in the interviews, presents a vision of an improved bite that patients and orthodontists share. In the video diaries, a parallel narrative of extended bodily hardship is revealed. Owing to the step‐by‐step process where appliances are gradually tightened, the young patients manage to bear the treatment. However, they cannot foresee its extension.     

Does consulting with others affect answerability judgments of difficult questions?

People’s judgments of the answerability of questions relating to how things are in the world can have important consequences for society and people’s lives. Thirty-one individuals and 30 pairs made answerability judgments of 20 general knowledge questions, many with less known, or unknown, answers. Four questions had high expected consensus regarding their answerability (consensus questions) and the rest had less expected consensus with respect to their answerability (non-consensus questions). The pairs showed two polarization effects: pairs gave higher answerability ratings for questions with answerability ratings over 80% and lower ratings than individuals for questions with the lower answerability ratings. Stronger consensus-seeking tendencies and a more active memory environment in the pairs may have contributed to these results.     

Diversity management in preschools using a critical incident approach

Using the critical incident approach, preschool teachers at 10 preschools in Sweden were asked to describe their work with respect to ethnic and cultural diversity. The study attempted to provide insights that go beyond commonly used models of intercultural sensitivity and intercultural competence (e.g. Gudykunst and Kim; Landis, Bennett, and Bennett). Four different understandings and approaches to ethnic and cultural diversity were discernible in the empirical material (i.e. ‘instrumental,’ ‘co-productive,’ ‘facilitative proactive,’ and ‘agitative proactive’). The data suggest that preschool teachers, in order to be interculturally competent, need to work systematically with intercultural pedagogy, intercultural communication skills, and with their discursive awareness. Moreover, it is concluded that if preschool teachers fail to scrutinize their own values, modes of behavior, and a-priori understanding of what ‘is’ cultural behavior, they may sustain cultural stereotypes.     

Steps Together: Children’s Experiences of Participation in Club Activities With the Elderly

The amount of time that children and elderly people spend alone has grown in recent years in Finland. Based on sociocultural theory, children’s development and learning occur in close interaction with the surrounding society, place, and time. The aim of this study is to research children’s experiences of participation in club activities for children and the elderly. The qualitative research data were collected by observing activities and interviewing children. The key factors in supporting children’s participation were common interests in rewarding activities. A warm atmosphere and humor during activities were also found to be important elements in creating positive interactions between children and the elderly.