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Family members provide the majority of informal care for older adults in Sweden. Nevertheless, by providing a range of assistance, peers often emerge as a central to counter social isolation among older adults. Therefore, there is a need to know more about what informal care provision by older adults to their peers means for different groups of older adults.This study investigated the types of informal care and support that older adults provide to their peers in Sweden, and how these types of care and support are associated with demographic characteristics and social isolation. We also compared older adults who provide informal care and support with those who do not.For this purpose, we used a national online survey named "Involuntary loneliness among senior citizens" answered by 10,044 older adults enrolled in the Swedish Citizen Panel. We adopted a mixed-method design to analyse the survey data, including free-text options (n = 2155) and numerical data. Social isolation was assessed using a score built from the social loneliness items of the UCLA Loneliness Scale.In our population, 21.5% of the older adults were providing informal care and support to their peers. Practical/instrumental help was frequently offered by younger participants (75 years), men and respondents who were less socially isolated. On a general level, the factors that were positively associated with giving informal care and support to peers were older age, being male, retired, married/living in a relationship, living in an urban area/big city and exhibiting greater isolation. Focusing specifically on social support shows that older participants (80) and those experiencing less social isolation (score 24) were more engaged in social activities. CONCLUSION: This paper is unique in exploring the informal peer-caregiver's perceptions of isolation. Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic; this highlights the need to recognise informal care and support between older adults and to acknowledge their contributions as an essential component of Swedish civil society, especially during a societal crisis.

The repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on children&rsquo, s lives deserve attention. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anxiety among Brazilian children and its associated factors during social distancing during COVID-19. We used a cross-sectional design with an online survey from April to May 2020 in Brazil. We included children aged 6&ndash, 12 years and their guardians. The Children&rsquo, s Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ, scores 4&ndash, 12) and the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS, scores 0&ndash, 10) were used to measure anxiety. We enrolled 157 girls and 132 boys, with a mean age of 8.84 (&plusmn, 2.05) years, 88.9% of respondents were mothers. Based on CAQ &ge, 9, the prevalence of anxiety was 19.4% (n = 56), and higher among children with parents with essential jobs and those who were social distancing without parents. In logistic regression, the following variables were associated with higher CAQ scores: social distancing without parents, more persons living together in home, and education level of guardians. Based on NRS &gt, 7, the prevalence of anxiety was 21.8% (n = 63), however, no associations with NRS scores were found with the investigated variables. These findings suggest the necessity of implementing public health actions targeting these parents and their children at the population level.

The purpose of this study was to explore the content and essential components of implemented person-centered care in the out-of-hospital context for older people (65+). Method A systematic review was conducted, searching for published research in electronic databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, PsycInfo, Web of Science and Embase between 2017 and 2019. Original studies with both qualitative and quantitative methods were included and assessed according to the quality assessment tools EPHPP and CASP. The review was limited to studies published in English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Spanish. Results In total, 63 original articles were included from 1772 hits. The results of the final synthesis revealed the following four interrelated themes, which are crucial for implementing person-centered care: (1) Knowing and confirming the patient as a whole person; (2) Co-creating a tailored personal health plan; (3) Inter-professional teamwork and collaboration with and for the older person and his/her relatives; and (4) Building a person-centered foundation. Conclusion Approaching an interpersonal and inter-professional teamwork and consultation with focus on preventive and health promoting actions is a crucial prerequisite to co-create optimal health care practice with and for older people and their relatives in their unique context.

Aims:The aim of this study is to investigate associations of screen-time and physical activity (PA) with self-efficacy for PA, intrinsic motivation to PA and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Colombian schoolchildren from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and to compare these variables among children with normal-weight (NW), overweight (OW) and obesity (OB).Methods:In 678 schoolchildren (age 10–14 years) screen-time (TV, video games, computer) and number of days being physically active ≥ 60 minutes were self-reported. Multi-item scales were used to assess self-efficacy to PA and intrinsic motivation to PA. The KIDSCREEN-27 was used to assess HRQoL.Results:Screen-time was associated with HRQoL in the school/learning environment dimension. Number of days being physically active was associated with self-efficacy for PA, intrinsic motivation for PA and with HRQoL concerning physical well-being, autonomy/parent relation and social support/peers. Group differences were found for days being physically active (OW = 2.8 and OB = 2.7 vs. NW = 3.3) but not for screen-time (NW = 5.0, OW = 4.7 and OB = 5.7 hrs·d-1). OW and OB scored lower on intrinsic motivation to PA than NW (OW = 19.2 and OB = 17.9 versus NW = 20.1). All 3 groups differed in physical well-being scores (NW = 50.3, OW = 48.1, OB = 40.6, P < .001).Conclusions:Schoolchildren with overweight and obesity from socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods need additional motivational support to perform health-enhancing PA to experience higher physical well-being.

Aims: To study the prevalence of somatic and mental health comorbidity and the use of opioid medication among patients on long-term sick-leave due to chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP); to compare an orthopaedic-based assessment of ability to work with a team assessment; to investigate the relationship between intensity of pain and psychosocial characteristics in this group. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 174 consecutive patients on sick-leave for a mean of 21 months. All were referred from the Social Insurance Office for orthopaedic evaluation and assessment of the ability to work. Of them, only 83/174 patients were referred by the Office for psychiatric evaluation. Results: Neck pain was the main cause of disability. Patients with neck pain often suffered pain in more than two sites, and greater intensity of pain. Thirty-four percent of all participants had been prescribed opioid medication before consultation. Degrees of disability, unemployment, low degree of education and to be an immigrant were related to intensity of pain. Unrecognized psychiatric disorders changed the main cause of inability to work in 69% of patients who underwent both orthopaedic and psychiatric evaluation. Conclusions: An evaluation based on biopsychosocial function is valuable in reaching an accurate assessment of the patient’s diagnosis, and ability to work in CMP. Ability to work and degree of sick-leave in patients on long-term sick-leave is determined to a large extent by undiagnosed mental health comorbidities, and not solely somatic complaints.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to investigate different psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Positive Outlook Scale (DAPOS) in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain in an orthopedic setting. Methods: A total of 449 participants took part in the study, including 288 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain and 161 participants in a reference group. Internal consistency, convergent validity, and measurement invariance of the constructs of DAPOS were investigated across sex and diagnostic groups. The Beck Depression Inventory and the Spielberger Anxiety Inventory were used for measures of convergent validity. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test measurement invariance of the theoretical constructs of DAPOS. Results: Internal consistency was good for all 3 constructs, and correlations concerned with convergent validity were found to be acceptable to good. With regard to cross-validation, the 3 constructs of DAPOS were strictly measurement invariant with respect to sex. Across diagnostic groups, the constructs of anxiety and positive outlook were almost strictly measurement invariant, although there were some restrictions of measurement invariance for the construct of depression. Discussion: To be able to rely on an instrument with as few items as DAPOS, the cross-validation of its constructs for sex and diagnostic groups is a valuable information, particularly when investigated in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Based on these results, we recommend that DAPOS could replace longer and more time-consuming screening tests in clinical settings.

Background and purpose Methods for identification of patients with illness behavior in orthopedic settings are still being debated. The purpose of this study was to test the association between illness behavior, depressed mood, pain intensity, self-rated disability, and clinical status in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP). Methods We examined 174 consecutive sick-listed patients (90 women). Musculoskeletal function was estimated by range of motion, muscle strength, and motor and sensory function. The degree of illness behavior was measured by Waddell signs (WS). Results WS were observed in 47/174 (27%) of the patients, 16% of whom manifested excessive illness behaviour. In general, more patients with WS were depressed (OR = 4.4; 95% CI: 1.8–11) and experienced greater pain (OR = 2.9; CI: 1.1–7.7). No abnormal physical function could be observed in two-thirds of the patients. Other predictive factors for manifesting WS at the clinical examinations were longer sick leave and previous full sick leave (p < 0.05). Interpretation Excessive illness behavior is related to psychological distress in patients with CMP and long-term disability. Thus, some patients may also require psychological assessment. Looking for WS during consultation is useful for targeting other factors that may be important in the diagnostic process.