Norway and Finland were among the first countries to adopt a total ban on tobacco sales promotion... more Norway and Finland were among the first countries to adopt a total ban on tobacco sales promotion. Such legislation came into force in Norway and Finland in 1975 and 1978 respectively. These two countries are sometimes referred to as illustrations that such legislation has been successfully used as a means to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco industry spokesmen seem to interpret available evidence in the opposite way and maintain that the prohibition has not contributed to reducing the use of tobacco. Among the publications referred to and misused by tobacco industry spokesmen are publications from the authors of the present report. The effects of a ban on advertising can only be properly examined after describing a reasonable conceptual model. Such a model has to take into account (i) other social and cultural predictors of smoking, (ii) tobacco sales promotion in the contexts of all other mass communication, (iii) control measures other than a ban, and (iv) the degree of success in implementing the ban on advertising. Like any other kind of mass communication tobacco advertising influences the individual in a rather complex way. Behaviour change may be regarded as the outcome of an interpersonal and intrapersonal process. Social science research on tobacco advertising and the effects of banning such advertising has a short history, most studies having been carried out in the late 1980s. After examining available evidence related to the effects of tobacco advertising on the smoking habits of adolescents we conclude as follows: the few scientifically valid reports available today give both theoretical and empirical evidence for a causal relationship. Tobacco sales promotion seems both to promote and to reinforce smoking among young people. The dynamic tobacco market represented by children and adolescents is probably the main target of tobacco sales promotion. In Finland, there have been few studies explicitly addressing the causal links between tobacco sales promotion and the smoking habits of adolescents. In Norway, no such studies have been carried out. If we examine the changes in the use of tobacco over time, the data available do not lend support to the conclusions drawn by the tobacco industry spokesmen. In Norway the prevalence of daily smokers was higher in 1975, when the ban on tobacco advertising came into force than either before or after. The strongest decrease in the prevalence of daily smokers took place during the first five-year period after the ban was introduced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
In 1975 all primary schools in Norway were asked to carry out local studies of the smoking habits... more In 1975 all primary schools in Norway were asked to carry out local studies of the smoking habits of all pupils in grades 6–9 (age 12–15). A sample of 6968 questionnaires from the pupils (those born on the sixth irrespective of month) forms the empirical basis of the present study. Among ninth graders (age 15) coming from homes where both parents smoked and the children were permitted to smoke, 67% of the boys and 78% of the girls smoked daily. Among children from homes where both parents were non‐smokers and did not permit their children to smoke, only 9% of the boys and 11 % of the girls smoked daily. The probability of being a daily smoker can to a great extent be regarded as the additive effect of milieu predictors. When both parents smoke, older sisters and brothers smoke, best friend smokes, and the pupils are permitted to smoke, practically all 15 year olds were daily smokers. On the contrary, an environment of non‐smokers and with no permission to smoke reduces the probability of being a daily smoker to almost zero.
Background The continuum of resistance model's premise is that delayed respondents to a survey ar... more Background The continuum of resistance model's premise is that delayed respondents to a survey are more similar to non-respondents than early respondents are. For decades, survey researchers have applied this model in attempts to evaluate and adjust for non-response bias. Despite a recent resurgence in the model's popularity, its value has not been assessed in a large online population health survey. Methods Respondents to the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey in Hordaland, Norway, were divided into three groups: those who responded within 7 days of the initial email/SMS invitation (wave 1, n = 6950); those who responded after 8 to 14 days and 1 reminder (wave 2, n =4950); and those who responded after 15 or more days and 2 reminders (wave 3, n = 4045). Logistic regression analyses were used to compare respondents' age, sex and educational level between waves, as well as the prevalence of poor general health, life dissatisfaction, mental distress, chronic health problems, weekly alcohol consumption, monthly binge drinking, daily smoking, physical activity, low social support and receipt of a disability pension. Results The overall response to the survey was 41.5%. Respondents in wave 1 were more likely to be older, female and more highly educated than those in waves 2 and 3. However, there were no substantial differences between waves for any health outcomes, with a maximal prevalence difference of 2.6% for weekly alcohol consumption (wave 1: 21.3%, wave 3: 18.7%). Conclusions There appeared to be a mild continuum of resistance for demographic variables. However, this was not re ected in health and related outcomes, which were uniformly similar across waves. The continuum of resistance model is unlikely to be useful to adjust for nonresponse bias in large online surveys of population health.
In many highly developed countries the prevalence of tobacco smoking is declining. This trend see... more In many highly developed countries the prevalence of tobacco smoking is declining. This trend seems to be particularly marked among adolescents. Even in countries with a relatively short history of tobacco control programmes, such as Poland, this decline is strong. In Norway, the prevalence of daily smokers among 15-year-old adolescents, both genders combined, is under 2%. Marketing of e-cigarettes may represent a challenge for sustaining these positive trends. The strongest argument in favor of allowing the sales and marketing of e-cigarettes is their use as a cessation tool for established smokers. However, a disagreement persists within the scientific community regarding the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as an aid for quitting smoking. There is also a strong concern whether young people could be recruited into nicotine dependence using non-tobacco nicotine delivery products, and eventually, into the use of traditional combustible cigarettes. Experiences from Poland and Norway indicate that effective tobacco control can lead to significant decreases in smoking prevalence among children and adolescents. Aggressive marketing of e-cigarettes must not be allowed to interfere with this development.
Background: The innovative treatment model Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and... more Background: The innovative treatment model Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and its Norwegian adaptation, Prompt Mental Health Care (PMHC), have been evaluated by cohort studies only. Albeit yielding promising results, the extent to which these are attributable to the treatment thus remains unsettled. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of the PMHC treatment compared to treatment as usual (TAU) at 6-month follow-up. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with parallel assignment was performed in two PMHC sites (Sandnes and Kristiansand) and enrolled clients between November 9, 2015 and August 31, 2017. Participants were 681 adults (aged ≥18 years) considered for admission to PMHC due to anxiety and/or mild to moderate depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]/Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale [GAD-7] scores above cutoff). These were randomly assigned (70: 30 ratio; n = 463 This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.
... Marketing communication research indicates that a strong emotional element is most relevant w... more ... Marketing communication research indicates that a strong emotional element is most relevant when the awareness ... Although commonly applied in school-based interventions, the socialinfluence strategy has not been similarly utilized in mass media antismoking campaigns ...
Settlements in earthquake regions live a paradox of location, because, in case they are relocated... more Settlements in earthquake regions live a paradox of location, because, in case they are relocated, then the inhabitants are separated from their habitat. Hence they have to learn, and be taught to build earthquake resistant cities and buildings, while maintaining their identity.
The Central African journal of medicine, Aug 1, 2001
B ackground: A recent study conducted in some parts of Tanzania has revealed that injuries rank a... more B ackground: A recent study conducted in some parts of Tanzania has revealed that injuries rank as the third major leading cause of death among the adult population only after tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Critical to any injury prevention activities is a reliable surveillance system. Such a system may for instance be based on hospital registration of injuries. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate available hospital records for the purpose of describing the epidemiology of injuries among inpatients in four hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 2016
Another significant contributor is Arne Holte. He is also one of my co-supervisors and he had the... more Another significant contributor is Arne Holte. He is also one of my co-supervisors and he had the initial idea which I then developed together with him. I offer Nikolai and Arne my special thanks, because without their genuine commitment and expert guidance, this project would have neither existed nor succeeded. I would like to extend special thanks to my main supervisor, Leif Edvard Aarø. He is, for me, "the gold standard" in research, being a mentor with huge expertise as well as a great person. My first main supervisor, Jon Martin Sundet, retired during the second of my two maternity leaves, before the initial start of my PhD project. I thank him for letting me work independently while at the same time providing supervision when needed. I humbly thank my fourth co-supervisor, Kristian Tambs, for supporting me and always being someone to rely on. I thank Marit Rognerud for believing in me and the project as my manager when the project started, and I am grateful for the support of my present leader Anne Reneflot.
Purpose A number of studies have reported differences in sense of mastery and perceived control a... more Purpose A number of studies have reported differences in sense of mastery and perceived control across different subgroups. Yet, few have examined measurement invariance, an important prerequisite for valid comparisons. This study examines the factorial structure and measurement invariance of the perceived constraints (PC) facet of Pearlin and Schooler's (1981) Sense of Mastery Scale (SM) which is a commonly used short form of the widely used SM scale. Methods Confirmatory factor analyses using AMOS and Mplus were conducted to explore dimensionality and test for measurement invariance in factor structure, factor loadings, intercepts, and residual variances across gender, age, education, income, and employment status in a large (N = 19,858), nationally representative sample of Norwegian males and females aged 16-100. Results The data supported a modified unidimensional model specifying correlations between the error terms of items 4 and 5, or possibly two highly correlated dimensions (r = 0.90). Metric invariance of the scale was shown for age, education, and employment, whereas invariance at the strong and strict levels was shown for gender and income. Partial invariance at the strong level was shown for age. Conclusions This Norwegian study supported a modified unidimensional structure for the abbreviated SM scale. Invariance testing indicated that comparisons across genders and income levels are unproblematic, whilst comparing mean scores across education and employment status is not justified. Latent, but not sum score means are comparable across age. Future studies using all 7 items of SM scale should provide more information on dimensionality and measurement invariance.
ResumenDesde hace tiempo se sabe que el tabaquismo se asocia con la depresión y con la ansiedad. ... more ResumenDesde hace tiempo se sabe que el tabaquismo se asocia con la depresión y con la ansiedad. Este estudio (a) analiza estas asociaciones teniendo en cuenta las enfermedades coexistentes, (b) investiga las posibles variables contaminantes, (c) compara la ansiedad y la depresión en ex-fumadores con las de fumadores actuales y no fumadores y analiza si la ansiedad y la depresión disminuyen desde que se deja de fumar. Los participantes (66%) tenían 20-89 años y se sometieron a cribado a una encuesta de salud de la población (n=60,814) usando HADS. (a) La asociación con el tabaquismo fue máxima en pacientes con depresión y ansiedad, seguida de los pacientes con ansiedad, y sólo fue marginal en pacientes con depresión. Las asociaciones fueron más fuertes en mujeres y en jóvenes, (b) Las variables que en parte explicaron esta asociación fueron los síntomas somáticos, los datos socio-demográficos, los problemas con el alcohol y la actividad física baja, (c) La ansiedad y la depresión er...
Norway and Finland were among the first countries to adopt a total ban on tobacco sales promotion... more Norway and Finland were among the first countries to adopt a total ban on tobacco sales promotion. Such legislation came into force in Norway and Finland in 1975 and 1978 respectively. These two countries are sometimes referred to as illustrations that such legislation has been successfully used as a means to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco industry spokesmen seem to interpret available evidence in the opposite way and maintain that the prohibition has not contributed to reducing the use of tobacco. Among the publications referred to and misused by tobacco industry spokesmen are publications from the authors of the present report. The effects of a ban on advertising can only be properly examined after describing a reasonable conceptual model. Such a model has to take into account (i) other social and cultural predictors of smoking, (ii) tobacco sales promotion in the contexts of all other mass communication, (iii) control measures other than a ban, and (iv) the degree of success in implementing the ban on advertising. Like any other kind of mass communication tobacco advertising influences the individual in a rather complex way. Behaviour change may be regarded as the outcome of an interpersonal and intrapersonal process. Social science research on tobacco advertising and the effects of banning such advertising has a short history, most studies having been carried out in the late 1980s. After examining available evidence related to the effects of tobacco advertising on the smoking habits of adolescents we conclude as follows: the few scientifically valid reports available today give both theoretical and empirical evidence for a causal relationship. Tobacco sales promotion seems both to promote and to reinforce smoking among young people. The dynamic tobacco market represented by children and adolescents is probably the main target of tobacco sales promotion. In Finland, there have been few studies explicitly addressing the causal links between tobacco sales promotion and the smoking habits of adolescents. In Norway, no such studies have been carried out. If we examine the changes in the use of tobacco over time, the data available do not lend support to the conclusions drawn by the tobacco industry spokesmen. In Norway the prevalence of daily smokers was higher in 1975, when the ban on tobacco advertising came into force than either before or after. The strongest decrease in the prevalence of daily smokers took place during the first five-year period after the ban was introduced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
In 1975 all primary schools in Norway were asked to carry out local studies of the smoking habits... more In 1975 all primary schools in Norway were asked to carry out local studies of the smoking habits of all pupils in grades 6–9 (age 12–15). A sample of 6968 questionnaires from the pupils (those born on the sixth irrespective of month) forms the empirical basis of the present study. Among ninth graders (age 15) coming from homes where both parents smoked and the children were permitted to smoke, 67% of the boys and 78% of the girls smoked daily. Among children from homes where both parents were non‐smokers and did not permit their children to smoke, only 9% of the boys and 11 % of the girls smoked daily. The probability of being a daily smoker can to a great extent be regarded as the additive effect of milieu predictors. When both parents smoke, older sisters and brothers smoke, best friend smokes, and the pupils are permitted to smoke, practically all 15 year olds were daily smokers. On the contrary, an environment of non‐smokers and with no permission to smoke reduces the probability of being a daily smoker to almost zero.
Background The continuum of resistance model's premise is that delayed respondents to a survey ar... more Background The continuum of resistance model's premise is that delayed respondents to a survey are more similar to non-respondents than early respondents are. For decades, survey researchers have applied this model in attempts to evaluate and adjust for non-response bias. Despite a recent resurgence in the model's popularity, its value has not been assessed in a large online population health survey. Methods Respondents to the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey in Hordaland, Norway, were divided into three groups: those who responded within 7 days of the initial email/SMS invitation (wave 1, n = 6950); those who responded after 8 to 14 days and 1 reminder (wave 2, n =4950); and those who responded after 15 or more days and 2 reminders (wave 3, n = 4045). Logistic regression analyses were used to compare respondents' age, sex and educational level between waves, as well as the prevalence of poor general health, life dissatisfaction, mental distress, chronic health problems, weekly alcohol consumption, monthly binge drinking, daily smoking, physical activity, low social support and receipt of a disability pension. Results The overall response to the survey was 41.5%. Respondents in wave 1 were more likely to be older, female and more highly educated than those in waves 2 and 3. However, there were no substantial differences between waves for any health outcomes, with a maximal prevalence difference of 2.6% for weekly alcohol consumption (wave 1: 21.3%, wave 3: 18.7%). Conclusions There appeared to be a mild continuum of resistance for demographic variables. However, this was not re ected in health and related outcomes, which were uniformly similar across waves. The continuum of resistance model is unlikely to be useful to adjust for nonresponse bias in large online surveys of population health.
In many highly developed countries the prevalence of tobacco smoking is declining. This trend see... more In many highly developed countries the prevalence of tobacco smoking is declining. This trend seems to be particularly marked among adolescents. Even in countries with a relatively short history of tobacco control programmes, such as Poland, this decline is strong. In Norway, the prevalence of daily smokers among 15-year-old adolescents, both genders combined, is under 2%. Marketing of e-cigarettes may represent a challenge for sustaining these positive trends. The strongest argument in favor of allowing the sales and marketing of e-cigarettes is their use as a cessation tool for established smokers. However, a disagreement persists within the scientific community regarding the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as an aid for quitting smoking. There is also a strong concern whether young people could be recruited into nicotine dependence using non-tobacco nicotine delivery products, and eventually, into the use of traditional combustible cigarettes. Experiences from Poland and Norway indicate that effective tobacco control can lead to significant decreases in smoking prevalence among children and adolescents. Aggressive marketing of e-cigarettes must not be allowed to interfere with this development.
Background: The innovative treatment model Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and... more Background: The innovative treatment model Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and its Norwegian adaptation, Prompt Mental Health Care (PMHC), have been evaluated by cohort studies only. Albeit yielding promising results, the extent to which these are attributable to the treatment thus remains unsettled. Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of the PMHC treatment compared to treatment as usual (TAU) at 6-month follow-up. Methods: A randomized controlled trial with parallel assignment was performed in two PMHC sites (Sandnes and Kristiansand) and enrolled clients between November 9, 2015 and August 31, 2017. Participants were 681 adults (aged ≥18 years) considered for admission to PMHC due to anxiety and/or mild to moderate depression (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]/Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale [GAD-7] scores above cutoff). These were randomly assigned (70: 30 ratio; n = 463 This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.
... Marketing communication research indicates that a strong emotional element is most relevant w... more ... Marketing communication research indicates that a strong emotional element is most relevant when the awareness ... Although commonly applied in school-based interventions, the socialinfluence strategy has not been similarly utilized in mass media antismoking campaigns ...
Settlements in earthquake regions live a paradox of location, because, in case they are relocated... more Settlements in earthquake regions live a paradox of location, because, in case they are relocated, then the inhabitants are separated from their habitat. Hence they have to learn, and be taught to build earthquake resistant cities and buildings, while maintaining their identity.
The Central African journal of medicine, Aug 1, 2001
B ackground: A recent study conducted in some parts of Tanzania has revealed that injuries rank a... more B ackground: A recent study conducted in some parts of Tanzania has revealed that injuries rank as the third major leading cause of death among the adult population only after tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Critical to any injury prevention activities is a reliable surveillance system. Such a system may for instance be based on hospital registration of injuries. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate available hospital records for the purpose of describing the epidemiology of injuries among inpatients in four hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 2016
Another significant contributor is Arne Holte. He is also one of my co-supervisors and he had the... more Another significant contributor is Arne Holte. He is also one of my co-supervisors and he had the initial idea which I then developed together with him. I offer Nikolai and Arne my special thanks, because without their genuine commitment and expert guidance, this project would have neither existed nor succeeded. I would like to extend special thanks to my main supervisor, Leif Edvard Aarø. He is, for me, "the gold standard" in research, being a mentor with huge expertise as well as a great person. My first main supervisor, Jon Martin Sundet, retired during the second of my two maternity leaves, before the initial start of my PhD project. I thank him for letting me work independently while at the same time providing supervision when needed. I humbly thank my fourth co-supervisor, Kristian Tambs, for supporting me and always being someone to rely on. I thank Marit Rognerud for believing in me and the project as my manager when the project started, and I am grateful for the support of my present leader Anne Reneflot.
Purpose A number of studies have reported differences in sense of mastery and perceived control a... more Purpose A number of studies have reported differences in sense of mastery and perceived control across different subgroups. Yet, few have examined measurement invariance, an important prerequisite for valid comparisons. This study examines the factorial structure and measurement invariance of the perceived constraints (PC) facet of Pearlin and Schooler's (1981) Sense of Mastery Scale (SM) which is a commonly used short form of the widely used SM scale. Methods Confirmatory factor analyses using AMOS and Mplus were conducted to explore dimensionality and test for measurement invariance in factor structure, factor loadings, intercepts, and residual variances across gender, age, education, income, and employment status in a large (N = 19,858), nationally representative sample of Norwegian males and females aged 16-100. Results The data supported a modified unidimensional model specifying correlations between the error terms of items 4 and 5, or possibly two highly correlated dimensions (r = 0.90). Metric invariance of the scale was shown for age, education, and employment, whereas invariance at the strong and strict levels was shown for gender and income. Partial invariance at the strong level was shown for age. Conclusions This Norwegian study supported a modified unidimensional structure for the abbreviated SM scale. Invariance testing indicated that comparisons across genders and income levels are unproblematic, whilst comparing mean scores across education and employment status is not justified. Latent, but not sum score means are comparable across age. Future studies using all 7 items of SM scale should provide more information on dimensionality and measurement invariance.
ResumenDesde hace tiempo se sabe que el tabaquismo se asocia con la depresión y con la ansiedad. ... more ResumenDesde hace tiempo se sabe que el tabaquismo se asocia con la depresión y con la ansiedad. Este estudio (a) analiza estas asociaciones teniendo en cuenta las enfermedades coexistentes, (b) investiga las posibles variables contaminantes, (c) compara la ansiedad y la depresión en ex-fumadores con las de fumadores actuales y no fumadores y analiza si la ansiedad y la depresión disminuyen desde que se deja de fumar. Los participantes (66%) tenían 20-89 años y se sometieron a cribado a una encuesta de salud de la población (n=60,814) usando HADS. (a) La asociación con el tabaquismo fue máxima en pacientes con depresión y ansiedad, seguida de los pacientes con ansiedad, y sólo fue marginal en pacientes con depresión. Las asociaciones fueron más fuertes en mujeres y en jóvenes, (b) Las variables que en parte explicaron esta asociación fueron los síntomas somáticos, los datos socio-demográficos, los problemas con el alcohol y la actividad física baja, (c) La ansiedad y la depresión er...
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