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Objective: to describe and use the experience gained by antenatal-care midwives who routinely questioned pregnant women about personally experienced violence.Design: qualitative, using focus-group discussions.Setting: antenatal care in a city in south-central Sweden.Study population: 21 midwives.Data collection and analysis: the midwives participated in any one of five focus-group discussions held by the same moderator and observer. The discussions were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis.Findings: the importance of routine questioning about violence was emphasised in all groups. Midwives felt they had failed in their duty when women were not questioned. The two main obstacles to such questioning were the delicacy of the subject and the routine of inviting the partner to all visits. The perceived delicacy underlined the need to devise a natural setting for the questioning. The midwives wanted to connect questions about abuse with related subjects routinely established in early pregnancy. As the partner was invited to every visit, it was not practicable to establish a procedure whereby the assessment was connected with a particular visit. Other obstacles included the following: time constraints, oversight, a preconceived notion of who might be a victim of abuse and language difficulties. The midwives emphasised the importance of training, easy access to support for abused women, and personal counselling for midwives. They described their role as raising awareness of the problem of male violence, reducing the shame of being abused, informing, giving emotional support and mediating help.Key conclusions and implications for practice: in order to ensure that the establishment of experience of violence is a routine enquiry in antenatal care, midwives must have a reasonable opportunity of carrying out such questioning. A routine that offers each woman a private consultation will ease the questioning and save time and distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to describe self-perceived capability to perform daily occupations, functional cognitive ability and differences between self-perceived capability to perform daily occupations and cognitive levels among individuals with severe mental disorders. Fifty-one persons participated in the study. The participants completed a structured interview concerning their own perceived experiences of daily occupations, they were also observed during performance of a standardized task and assigned a cognitive level score. The results showed that most participants perceived small problems in Activities of Daily Living. On the other hand, Play and Leisure Activities seemed problematic to them. The participants' cognitive levels seem to correlate with their performance of Work and Productive Activities. The results also showed that a structural tool focusing on capability to perform daily occupations enabled mentally disabled persons to have a perspective of their own. Together with observed assessment it gave complementary information about these people's occupational performance. These shared identified occupational problems could serve as a foundation for planning individually adapted interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of the present study was to explore food-related health perceptions and food habits among older women. Background. Food-related health promotion has its main focus on disease prevention. With a holistic perspective on health, social and psychological aspects also need to be considered for total wellbeing. Methods. Qualitative interviews, representing an ethnographic approach, were carried out with 18 women, aged 65-88, living alone or cohabiting, who independently managed shopping and cooking. Interviews were conducted at the women's homes, and analysed for coherent themes. The women also gave data on three days' eating and drinking in a food diary. Findings. Two themes were found: 'A healthy slimming meal or the usual' and 'Meals - a pleasure or an obligation'. The first theme summarized the women's health perceptions related to food, where the dominating view was fear of fat. Some also had a bad conscience about not eating according to recommendations. Use of low-fat products was not a predominant habit among these women. In the second theme, meals in fellowship were perceived as a pleasure, while women living alone tended to simplify cooking and eating. This was also reflected in their food habits, with fewer cooked meals, as well as events with coffee with cakes, compared with cohabiting women. Conclusions. Food-related health promotion must pay more attention to women living alone. Women who have lost their partners, may be at risk for poor nutritional intake as they often simplified the entire meal situation, while cohabiting women perceived food and cooking as a central task in their lives. One responsibility for nurses working in the community is to recognize and assess older women's deficient eating habits, assess them and plan eating together with the woman to prevent poor nutritional intake. Relatives and community staff could also be involved in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which examined the reasons Swedish women do not participate in a food survey. Review of related literature; Characteristics of the subjects; Data and methods used; Results and conclusions.

AIMS: The principal aim of this study was to investigate how married and single-living older women diagnosed with Parkinson's disease managed to shop for food, cook and carry out their meals; and to observe whether their nutritional needs were satisfied. A secondary aim was to identify women with severe motor problems and describe their food-related situation. BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease is associated with motor and eating problems, which, combined with age-related declines in physical functioning, may affect activities of daily living and dietary intake. METHODS: Qualitative interviews and food survey were carried out in the homes of 10 women aged 67-80 years. The sample was recruited from outpatient registers. RESULTS: Decreased sense of smell, appetite and taste in combination with problems transporting food to the mouth and swallowing were risks for nutritional well-being. Food shopping was most difficult to manage, but six cooked even if their cooking style was changed. Married women with healthy husbands received support from their spouses. Single-living women suffering from motor problems had to call for help, which represented a threat to their well-being. Independence was given high priority. CONCLUSIONS: The whole situation - including psychosocial and stress factors - must be taken into account when discussing shopping, cooking and eating among old women with Parkinson's disease. A home-helper should not take over but facilitate procedures so that the woman can manage as long as possible. This gave them self-esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a study of mealtimes in institutions for elderly people the organization of meals was found to be task-oriented rather than patient-oriented in ways which failed to meet the needs of patients. The aim of the current paper is to examine and explain the institutional organization of meals, drawing on Goffmans' theory of institutionalized culture, Elias' theory of civilization, Douglas' theory of purity and order, and Bourdieus' key-concept 'habitus'. The method entails a secondary analysis of previous research carried out in a rehabilitation and long-term hospital. This second analysis indicates that elderly patients coming to the ward with their individual meal customs were met by caregivers with an institutionalized culture. Meals in the ward were organized in line with the organization of family meals in society, and both the elderly people and the nurses strove towards civilized manners, purity and order. The demands implicit in these cultural practices kept the elderly patients silent. By failing into line, they suffered from their loss of habitus. In contrast nurses' habitus was accomplished by carrying out procedures automatically. Consequently, the combination of patients' lost habitus and nurses' working habitus resulted in defective nursing, where the purpose of nursing is the fulfilment of patients' social, personal and material needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]