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Biomedical subjects

Eivind Meland

Publications and source records attributed to Eivind Meland.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2026

Self-reported physical activity in a randomized study from Norwegian Healthy Life Centres.

AIM: This study examines firstly if participation in a three-month intervention at Norwegian Healthy Life Centres (HLCs) improved self-reported physical activity (SR-PA), and secondly to what extent physical activity (PA) status at six months and changes from baseline were associated with demographic and motivational predictors. BACKGROUND: Regular PA is promoted as a central component of public health initiatives aimed at preventing noncommunicable diseases. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 118 participants (57 in the intervention group) recruited from HLCs in South-western Norway. The intervention effect was assessed by comparing the intervention group with the waiting-list control group after six months. We examined sociodemographic and motivational predictors of change combining both groups into a single cohort. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT02247219). FINDINGS: At six-month follow-up, participants in the intervention group reported higher levels of SR-PA compared with the control group. The estimated effect was modest (B = 0.26, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.53), equivalent to ≈0.37 SD. Although the confidence interval included zero, the estimate remained compatible with a modest positive effect. Autonomous motivation and social support were positively associated with SR-PA after 6 months, while psychological defiance showed a negative association. Autonomous motivation and psychological defiance impacted PA change during the 6-month period in opposite directions.

Humans↗
PubMed2007

[Use of out-of-hours services before and after introduction of a patient list system].

BACKGROUND: Our aim was to better understand why inhabitants in a typical Norwegian town use out-of-hours services in primary care, and whether introduction of a patient list system (Fastlegeordningen) in 2001 had any influence on this choice. We analyzed changed use of out-of-hours service in Stavanger, Norway (approx. 110,000 inhabitants) from 1989 to 2002. METHODS: Changes in the number of consultations and home visits between 4 to 11 pm seven days a week, were assessed in the light of changes in operational presumptions for both the out-of-hours service and the family physicians' day-time service. RESULTS: There was a steady increase in the number of consultations and home visits from 1989 to 1997, except for in 1994. The absolute increase in the proportion of the population who sought this kind of care was 4.6%, i.e. a relative increase of 20%. From 1997 to 2002, there was an absolute decrease in consultations and home visits of 5.3%, or a 19% relative reduction. The percentage of patient encounters in patients' homes, decreased from 25% in 1989 to 11% in 2002. The number of consultations and home visits in the evenings during the first 17 months after the list system was introduced, decreased (absolute value) with 2.2% (1.7-2.6), i.e. a 10% relative decrease, as compared to those during a similar period two years earlier. INTERPRETATION: A 20 % change in the use of out-of-hours service during few years, indicates that patients have used the service for other purposes than the intended emergency care. The demand for out-of-hours service is most influenced by the availability of primary care physicians during daytime. The list system has most likely encouraged both doctors and patients to promote the "personal doctor" to solve everyday health emergencies during the day.

Emergency Medical Services↗
PubMed2006

Body image and perceived health in adolescence.

Perceived health is an important health predictor, and self-assessed health during adolescence is of great interest. This study examined the relationship between perceived negative health and body image in early and mid-adolescence, focusing on age and gender differences. Analyses were based on Norwegian data from a World Health Organization cross-national survey (Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children) among 5026 pupils aged 11, 13 and 15 years. The response rate was 76%. Stratified analyses with presentations of frequency and relative risk were performed, as well as logistic regression analyses. Girls are more likely to report negative health than boys are, and the probability of such reports increases with age. Girls and older age groups report dieting and dissatisfaction with weight and appearance more often than boys and younger age groups. Body dissatisfaction is associated with an increased risk of perceived negative health, also when controlling for the possible confounding effects of age and gender. The present 'ideals' of weight and appearance might contribute to an unfavourable perception of health in this age group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Teenagers with piercing and tattooing].

BACKGROUND: The search for social identity seems important to young people's efforts at finding a social practice that fulfills their own needs. "Body art", i.e. tattoos and piercing, could be understood as a way of demonstrating a personal identity, though it is doubtful whether this practice over time could fill such needs in a modern society. This study addresses the question of whether young people that acquire tattoos or piercings have special characteristics in terms of social integration and behaviour. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A cross-sectional questionnaire was administered to junior high school students (6th, 8th and 10th grade, age 11-15) in a Norwegian town (population: 40,000). A total of 1237 students filled in the questionnaire. The social integration and health-impacting behaviour of those with body art was compared to those without. Adjustments were made for age and sex through linear and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Teenagers with body art are just as active in their spare time as their peers without such decorations and they are just as close to and trusting of their friends (relational quality), but they are more integrated with their friends in terms of time spent with them (relational quantity). Teenagers with body art see themselves as less well integrated in school than their peers. Moreover, they assess the support they get from their parents and their closeness to them lower than do those without body art. Having body art is strongly associated with health-compromising behaviour. INTERPRETATION: Health-promoting efforts in schools would benefit from recognition of young people's need for expressing their personal identity and that so-called risk behaviour may be an expression of personal identity. A focus on mastering experiences and inter-generational dialogue could be as fruitful as a focus on risk behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Adolescent sexuality in rural Norway 1997-2001].

BACKGROUND: In order to understand and prevent unwanted health consequences related to sexual behaviour, we need to know the status and changes of sexual behaviour in adolescence. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In 1997 and 2001, surveys were conducted including a total of 1665 adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24 (response rate > 90%) in secondary schools in a small town in a rural district in Norway. We analysed frequencies for boys and girls and estimated the change in median age of first intercourse. Logistic regression analyses of median age and other health-related parameters were performed. RESULTS: A greater proportion of the respondents reported sexual experience in 2001 than in 1997. Girls have their first intercourse at a younger age than boys, often with older partners. 21% of the girls had experienced unwanted sexual situations. Use of contraception has increased, though insignificantly. Still, 11% of sexually active girls had had unwanted pregnancies. First intercourse during adolescence is clearly associated with other forms of behaviour that compromise health. However, a great and stable majority report a stable partner during adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with other studies we find changes in sexual behaviour over a short period of time among adolescents in rural Norway. Stable sexual relations may still be a protective factor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Public access defibrillators--beneficial?].

BACKGROUND: In Norway, every year more than 3000 persons suffer sudden cardiac death caused by ventricular fibrillation. The present recommendations of international expert committees are that the use of public-access defibrillators should be encouraged, including training of non-medical personnel. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In order to evaluate the validity of such recommendations, we performed searches in Medline on relevant keywords and evaluated articles thus identified and their references. We selected studies on countries, cities, public access defibrillator projects, and on epidemiology of cardiac arrest and ventricular fibrillation. RESULTS: Studies of the public-access defibrillation strategy reported the highest frequencies of survival. Studies from cities gave highly variable results; those for entire countries poor results. Different populations have different results of survival, and commonly used predictor models do not comprehensibly explain these findings. Over time there is a falling frequency of ventricular fibrillation as the cause of cardiac arrest. INTERPRETATION: Application of the strategy of public-access defibrillators will not result in significantly improved survival from cardiac arrest in Norway.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗
PubMed2004

[Laymen groups trained to use defibrillators in rural areas?].

Patients suspected of having an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) constitute a group with particularly high risk of developing cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation (VF). It is conceivable that a strategy of shortening the interval until defibrillation skills are brought to the patient can be more fruitful in rural areas than the now prevailing recommendations of obtaining rapid defibrillation after cardiac arrest is manifest. A project is being organized in a Norwegian rural municipality, where laymen are being trained in the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and are organized in groups according to place of residence or work. Their main task is to bring the AED to patients with suspected AMI and be prepared to use the AED if cardiac arrest should supervene. The main objective of a planned five-year study is to gather information as to what degree of mastering and what degree of stress the participants of the project experience, and to see if it is possible to maintain an organisation like this over a longer period of time. Preliminary results from the first half-year of the project indicate that the participants are entering the project with a reasonable degree of individual self-confidence and have even greater confidence in the group to which they belong. This might suggest that it is an advantage for participants in AED projects to be organised in groups in which mutual support is experienced.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation↗
PubMed2004

Adolescent alcohol use, psychological health, and social integration.

AIM: Alcohol use and intoxication are highly prevalent among adolescents and may be an important element of the socialization process in the teenage years. Significant short- and long-term health consequences seem evident. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between alcohol consumption and several aspects of psychological health and social integration in adolescents. METHODS: The study is based on data from a 1997 cross-sectional survey of 828 Norwegian tertiary school students in Forde (91% of all students). Three hundred and eighty (46%) were female. The majority of students were aged 20 or younger, with 64% aged 15-17. Four groups were defined according to frequency of alcohol intoxication. Emotional health and social integration in the four groups are reported as means and the differences from the reference groups (with 95% confidence limits) were estimated. Control of confounding and interaction was performed. RESULTS: The study reveals that alcohol intoxication is an established element of mid-teenage behaviour for both sexes. It was found that depressive complaints and psychosomatic problems increased with increasing frequency of intoxication. Alcohol use is not only associated with improving friendship quantity but also with an improved quality of friendships. Heavy consumers report greater problems with relations with school and with their parents, especially in early adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: Though adolescents with moderate and heavy alcohol consumption are more sociable with friends, abstainers and light drinkers appear emotionally healthier. They succeed to a greater extent in a wide variety of social arenas, particularly in comparison with heavy consumers.

Adolescent↗