Jostein Holmen
Biographic Data
| ID | 237071 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Jostein Holmen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Jostein |
| FAMILY NAME | Holmen |
| SIGNATURE | HOLMEN J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Norwegian University of Science and Technology |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2449-4888 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 26 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 61 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 26 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1991 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Diagrams in Civic Education
Flipping the Political Scale
This article investigates spatial representations of the political system in Swedish civics textbooks, 1900–2020. It challenges common assumptions about the spatiality of politics, such as the analogy between parties representing the upper classes and the right. Instead, the investigation reveals a complicated history, which includes a sudden shift in polarity of the political spectrum in the 1980s. Then, the political right finally moved to the …
No change in 24-h sodium intake estimated from spot urine in Norwegian adults from 2006 to 2019
Objective: Monitoring time trends in salt consumption is important for evaluating the impact of salt reduction initiatives on public health outcomes. There has so far not been available data to indicate if salt consumption in Norway has changed during the previous decade. We aimed to assess whether average 24-h salt intake estimated from spot urine samples in the adult population of mid-Norway changed from 2006–2008 to 2017–2019 and to describe v…
The autonomy of higher education in Finland and Sweden
Due to their common history, Finland and Sweden share many similarities. However, important differences have also developed in constitutional law, political culture and governance models. These differences have affected the implementation of international trends in the governance of higher education in the two countries. Both the Finnish and Swedish governments have strived to give institutions of higher education more formal autonomy through leg…
Perception of the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions among secondary school students
Surveys were conducted in ten schools: five in locations around the Baltic Sea and five around the Mediterranean. Students were asked to delimit the two regions on a map of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, to assess how much they would like to live in each region, and to write down the advantages and disadvantages associated with living in each region. Students tended to describe the two regions in terms of a North–South dichotomy, desc…
Time and Space in Time and Space
Mental maps and historical consciousness, which describe the spatial and temporal dimensions of worldviews, are not, as commonly stated, twentieth century concepts. Historical consciousness was coined simultaneously by several German scholars in the mid-1800s. Mental maps, used in English since the 1820s, had a prominent role in US geography education from the 1880s. Since then, the concepts have traveled between practical-technical, educational,…
Introduction to the theme issue
Maps are symbolic representations of spatial features. As such, they are by definition projections that involve choices of inclusion and modes of depiction. They are therefore subject to framing, c
Changing mental maps of the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions
Little empirical research has considered the way in which macro-regions are perceived outside academic and political circles. Such studies alone can determine what regional narratives mean for the wider public, and the extent to which they coincide with region-building images produced by elites. This article examines the mental maps of high school seniors in 10 cities in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions, focusing upon their perception and…
A 15-Year Follow-Up Study of Sense of Humor and Causes of Mortality
BACKGROUND: Associations between the sense of humor and survival in relation to specific diseases has so far never been studied. METHODS: We conducted a 15-year follow-up study of 53,556 participants in the population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, Norway. Cognitive, social, and affective components of the sense of humor were obtained, and associations with all-cause mortality, mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), infections, cance…
Mental health and wellbeing in spouses of persons with dementia
Having a partner with dementia is associated with loss of mental health and reduced life satisfaction. The risk of adverse mental health outcomes is greatest after the partner's nursing home admission
A small separate fatherland of our own
Gotland, Åland, Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Bornholm are five islands in the Baltic Sea which constitute, or have until recently constituted, provinces or counties. Combining perspectives from the fields of island studies and history, this article investigates how regional history writing has contributed to the formation of regional identity on each island since the year 1800. The special geographic situation of the islands – somewhat secluded from the…
Cohort Profile
The HUNT Study includes large total population-based cohorts from the 1980ies, covering 125 000 Norwegian participants; HUNT1 (1984-86), HUNT2 (1995-97) and HUNT3 (2006-08). The study was primarily set up to address arterial hypertension, diabetes, screening of tuberculosis, and quality of life. However, the scope has expanded over time. In the latest survey a state of the art biobank was established, with availability of biomaterial for decades …
Gender differences in subjective memory impairment in a general population
There is increased focus on early diagnosis of dementia, and subjective awareness of memory impairment is often assumed to be an early symptom of dementia. Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is used to describe subjective awareness of memory problems in the elderly after identifiable diseases which include this symptom are excluded. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the occurrence of SMI in a general adult population and…
Social and spatial patterns of obesity diffusion over three decades in a Norwegian county population
The prevalence of obesity increased in all socioeconomic groups in this Norwegian adult county population from the 1980ies up to present time. The data did not suggest increasing relative inequalities, but increasing absolute socioeconomic differences and a geographical diffusion towards rural districts. Public health preventive strategies should be oriented to counteract the obesity epidemic in the population
Distribution and understanding of items of religiousness in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, Norway
In this study we describe religious activity, view of life and religious coping-related attitudes in Nord-Trøndelag County (Norway), give in-depth perspectives on the interpretation of these variables, and evaluate their applicability. Data were collected from the population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study's third wave, HUNT 3 (2006–2008) (N = 50,374), and supplemented by a focus group interview. Demographic variables showed findings correspond…
Leisure time activities in adolescence in the presence of susceptibility genes for obesity
This study suggests that the effects of cultural activities on body fat are different from the effects of participation in social activities. The protective influence of cultural activities in female adolescents against overweight in adulthood and their moderating effect on obesity-susceptibility genes suggest that even cultural activities may be useful in public health strategies against obesity
Is ‘Seeking God's Help’ Associated with Life Satisfaction and Disease-specific Quality of Life in Cancer Patients? The Hunt Study
This study investigates the prevalence of ‘Seeking God's Help’, its relation to time since diagnosis, and its association with Life Satisfaction for all cancer types. This study also investigates Disease-Specific Quality of Life (QoL: European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer modules) for patients with breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Data were obtained from the third wave of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study of Norway (HU…
Patterns of receptive and creative cultural activities and their association with perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life among adults
BACKGROUND: Cultural participation has been used both in governmental health policies and as medical therapy, based on the assumption that cultural activities will improve health. Previous population studies and a human intervention study have shown that religious, social and cultural activities predict increased survival rate. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between cultural activity and perceived health, anxiety, depression…
Body mass index and mortality in elderly men and women
BACKGROUND: The impact of body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) and waist circumference (WC) on mortality in elderly individuals is controversial and previous research has largely focused on obesity. METHODS: With special attention to the lower BMI categories, associations between BMI and both total and cause-specific mortality were explored in 7604 men and 9107 women aged ≥ 65 years who participated in the Tromsø Study (1994-1995) or the North-Trøndela…
Anxiety and depression lowers blood pressure
This study do not support previous hypothesis that emotional stress may be a cause of hypertension. Our findings indicate that symptoms of anxiety and depression are associated with decrease in blood pressure, particularly when a high symptom level can be detected over decades
Nation-Building in Kenyan Secondary School Textbooks
This article examines how issues of national, Pan-African and tribal identities are handled in Kenyan upper secondary school textbooks for History and Government. Kenya is a multi-ethnic country without a common pre-colonial history. As a result, the historical record does not easily provide a common narrative with which to unify the nation. To compensate for the absence of a national narrative textbooks propagate and advance particular themes an…
Association of low blood pressure with anxiety and depression
Background: Low blood pressure has mainly been regarded as ideal, but recent studies have indicated an association with depression in elderly people. Objective: To investigate whether low blood pressure is associated with anxiety and depression in the general population. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Participants in the population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT-2, 1995–7), Norway. Participants: 60 799 men and women aged 20–89 y…
The prevalence of sense of humor in a large, unselected county population in Norway
Article The prevalence of sense of humor in a large, unselected county population in Norway: Relations with age, sex, and some health indicators was published on March 3, 2004 in the journal HUMOR (volume 17, issue 1-2)
Cigarette smoking gives more respiratory symptoms among women than among men The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (Hunt)
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Studies have indicated that women are more vulnerable to the effect of tobacco smoking compared with men. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of reported respiratory symptoms and diseases according to smoking burden, age and sex. DESIGN: Questionnaire in a cross sectional population based study. SETTING: The BONT (Bronchial obstruction in Nord-Trondelag) study is part of a comprehensive health survey of all inhabi…
Is questionnaire information valid in the study of a chronic disease such as diabetes? The Nord-Trøndelag diabetes study
STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to validate information about diabetes mellitus collected by questionnaire in a large epidemiological survey. DESIGN--Questions on diabetes diagnosis, medical treatment for diabetes, diabetes duration, and hypertension treatment were selected from the Nord-Trøndelag health survey questionnaires. One of the municipalities was selected for the validation study. SETTING--The health survey 1984-86 addressed all inhabitant…
Patterns of receptive and creative cultural activities and their association with perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life among adults
BACKGROUND: Cultural participation has been used both in governmental health policies and as medical therapy, based on the assumption that cultural activities will improve health. Previous population studies and a human intervention study have shown that religious, social and cultural activities predict increased survival rate. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between cultural activity and perceived health, anxiety, depression…
Introduction to the theme issue
Maps are symbolic representations of spatial features. As such, they are by definition projections that involve choices of inclusion and modes of depiction. They are therefore subject to framing, c
Is questionnaire information valid in the study of a chronic disease such as diabetes? The Nord-Trøndelag diabetes study
STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to validate information about diabetes mellitus collected by questionnaire in a large epidemiological survey. DESIGN--Questions on diabetes diagnosis, medical treatment for diabetes, diabetes duration, and hypertension treatment were selected from the Nord-Trøndelag health survey questionnaires. One of the municipalities was selected for the validation study. SETTING--The health survey 1984-86 addressed all inhabitant…
Changing mental maps of the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions
Little empirical research has considered the way in which macro-regions are perceived outside academic and political circles. Such studies alone can determine what regional narratives mean for the wider public, and the extent to which they coincide with region-building images produced by elites. This article examines the mental maps of high school seniors in 10 cities in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions, focusing upon their perception and…
The autonomy of higher education in Finland and Sweden
Due to their common history, Finland and Sweden share many similarities. However, important differences have also developed in constitutional law, political culture and governance models. These differences have affected the implementation of international trends in the governance of higher education in the two countries. Both the Finnish and Swedish governments have strived to give institutions of higher education more formal autonomy through leg…
Body mass index and mortality in elderly men and women
BACKGROUND: The impact of body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) and waist circumference (WC) on mortality in elderly individuals is controversial and previous research has largely focused on obesity. METHODS: With special attention to the lower BMI categories, associations between BMI and both total and cause-specific mortality were explored in 7604 men and 9107 women aged ≥ 65 years who participated in the Tromsø Study (1994-1995) or the North-Trøndela…
The prevalence of sense of humor in a large, unselected county population in Norway
Article The prevalence of sense of humor in a large, unselected county population in Norway: Relations with age, sex, and some health indicators was published on March 3, 2004 in the journal HUMOR (volume 17, issue 1-2)
Cigarette smoking gives more respiratory symptoms among women than among men The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (Hunt)
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Studies have indicated that women are more vulnerable to the effect of tobacco smoking compared with men. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of reported respiratory symptoms and diseases according to smoking burden, age and sex. DESIGN: Questionnaire in a cross sectional population based study. SETTING: The BONT (Bronchial obstruction in Nord-Trondelag) study is part of a comprehensive health survey of all inhabi…
A small separate fatherland of our own
Gotland, Åland, Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Bornholm are five islands in the Baltic Sea which constitute, or have until recently constituted, provinces or counties. Combining perspectives from the fields of island studies and history, this article investigates how regional history writing has contributed to the formation of regional identity on each island since the year 1800. The special geographic situation of the islands – somewhat secluded from the…
Association of low blood pressure with anxiety and depression
Background: Low blood pressure has mainly been regarded as ideal, but recent studies have indicated an association with depression in elderly people. Objective: To investigate whether low blood pressure is associated with anxiety and depression in the general population. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Participants in the population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT-2, 1995–7), Norway. Participants: 60 799 men and women aged 20–89 y…
Genetic and environmental contributions to the variance of the body mass index in a Norwegian sample of first‐ and second‐degree relatives
Height and weight were measured in a health screening of the population in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. Correlations for the body mass index were computed for 23,936 pairs of spouses, 43,586 pairs of parents and offspring, 19,151 pairs of siblings, 1,251 pairs of grandparents and grandchildren, 1,146 cognate avuncular pairs, 801 noncognate avuncular pairs, 168 pairs of same-sexed twins, and smaller groups of other types of relatives. Correlations were…
Is questionnaire information valid in the study of a chronic disease such as diabetes? The Nord-Trøndelag diabetes study
STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to validate information about diabetes mellitus collected by questionnaire in a large epidemiological survey. DESIGN--Questions on diabetes diagnosis, medical treatment for diabetes, diabetes duration, and hypertension treatment were selected from the Nord-Trøndelag health survey questionnaires. One of the municipalities was selected for the validation study. SETTING--The health survey 1984-86 addressed all inhabitant…
Cigarette smoking gives more respiratory symptoms among women than among men The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (Hunt)
STUDY OBJECTIVE: Studies have indicated that women are more vulnerable to the effect of tobacco smoking compared with men. The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of reported respiratory symptoms and diseases according to smoking burden, age and sex. DESIGN: Questionnaire in a cross sectional population based study. SETTING: The BONT (Bronchial obstruction in Nord-Trondelag) study is part of a comprehensive health survey of all inhabi…
The prevalence of sense of humor in a large, unselected county population in Norway
Article The prevalence of sense of humor in a large, unselected county population in Norway: Relations with age, sex, and some health indicators was published on March 3, 2004 in the journal HUMOR (volume 17, issue 1-2)
Association of low blood pressure with anxiety and depression
Background: Low blood pressure has mainly been regarded as ideal, but recent studies have indicated an association with depression in elderly people. Objective: To investigate whether low blood pressure is associated with anxiety and depression in the general population. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Participants in the population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT-2, 1995–7), Norway. Participants: 60 799 men and women aged 20–89 y…
Anxiety and depression lowers blood pressure
This study do not support previous hypothesis that emotional stress may be a cause of hypertension. Our findings indicate that symptoms of anxiety and depression are associated with decrease in blood pressure, particularly when a high symptom level can be detected over decades
Nation-Building in Kenyan Secondary School Textbooks
This article examines how issues of national, Pan-African and tribal identities are handled in Kenyan upper secondary school textbooks for History and Government. Kenya is a multi-ethnic country without a common pre-colonial history. As a result, the historical record does not easily provide a common narrative with which to unify the nation. To compensate for the absence of a national narrative textbooks propagate and advance particular themes an…
Distribution and understanding of items of religiousness in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, Norway
In this study we describe religious activity, view of life and religious coping-related attitudes in Nord-Trøndelag County (Norway), give in-depth perspectives on the interpretation of these variables, and evaluate their applicability. Data were collected from the population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study's third wave, HUNT 3 (2006–2008) (N = 50,374), and supplemented by a focus group interview. Demographic variables showed findings correspond…
Leisure time activities in adolescence in the presence of susceptibility genes for obesity
This study suggests that the effects of cultural activities on body fat are different from the effects of participation in social activities. The protective influence of cultural activities in female adolescents against overweight in adulthood and their moderating effect on obesity-susceptibility genes suggest that even cultural activities may be useful in public health strategies against obesity
Is ‘Seeking God's Help’ Associated with Life Satisfaction and Disease-specific Quality of Life in Cancer Patients? The Hunt Study
This study investigates the prevalence of ‘Seeking God's Help’, its relation to time since diagnosis, and its association with Life Satisfaction for all cancer types. This study also investigates Disease-Specific Quality of Life (QoL: European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer modules) for patients with breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers. Data were obtained from the third wave of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study of Norway (HU…
Patterns of receptive and creative cultural activities and their association with perceived health, anxiety, depression and satisfaction with life among adults
BACKGROUND: Cultural participation has been used both in governmental health policies and as medical therapy, based on the assumption that cultural activities will improve health. Previous population studies and a human intervention study have shown that religious, social and cultural activities predict increased survival rate. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between cultural activity and perceived health, anxiety, depression…
Body mass index and mortality in elderly men and women
BACKGROUND: The impact of body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)) and waist circumference (WC) on mortality in elderly individuals is controversial and previous research has largely focused on obesity. METHODS: With special attention to the lower BMI categories, associations between BMI and both total and cause-specific mortality were explored in 7604 men and 9107 women aged ≥ 65 years who participated in the Tromsø Study (1994-1995) or the North-Trøndela…
Cohort Profile
The HUNT Study includes large total population-based cohorts from the 1980ies, covering 125 000 Norwegian participants; HUNT1 (1984-86), HUNT2 (1995-97) and HUNT3 (2006-08). The study was primarily set up to address arterial hypertension, diabetes, screening of tuberculosis, and quality of life. However, the scope has expanded over time. In the latest survey a state of the art biobank was established, with availability of biomaterial for decades …
Gender differences in subjective memory impairment in a general population
There is increased focus on early diagnosis of dementia, and subjective awareness of memory impairment is often assumed to be an early symptom of dementia. Subjective memory impairment (SMI) is used to describe subjective awareness of memory problems in the elderly after identifiable diseases which include this symptom are excluded. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the occurrence of SMI in a general adult population and…
Social and spatial patterns of obesity diffusion over three decades in a Norwegian county population
The prevalence of obesity increased in all socioeconomic groups in this Norwegian adult county population from the 1980ies up to present time. The data did not suggest increasing relative inequalities, but increasing absolute socioeconomic differences and a geographical diffusion towards rural districts. Public health preventive strategies should be oriented to counteract the obesity epidemic in the population
Mental health and wellbeing in spouses of persons with dementia
Having a partner with dementia is associated with loss of mental health and reduced life satisfaction. The risk of adverse mental health outcomes is greatest after the partner's nursing home admission
A small separate fatherland of our own
Gotland, Åland, Saaremaa, Hiiumaa and Bornholm are five islands in the Baltic Sea which constitute, or have until recently constituted, provinces or counties. Combining perspectives from the fields of island studies and history, this article investigates how regional history writing has contributed to the formation of regional identity on each island since the year 1800. The special geographic situation of the islands – somewhat secluded from the…
A 15-Year Follow-Up Study of Sense of Humor and Causes of Mortality
BACKGROUND: Associations between the sense of humor and survival in relation to specific diseases has so far never been studied. METHODS: We conducted a 15-year follow-up study of 53,556 participants in the population-based Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, Norway. Cognitive, social, and affective components of the sense of humor were obtained, and associations with all-cause mortality, mortality due to cardiovascular diseases (CVD), infections, cance…
Changing mental maps of the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions
Little empirical research has considered the way in which macro-regions are perceived outside academic and political circles. Such studies alone can determine what regional narratives mean for the wider public, and the extent to which they coincide with region-building images produced by elites. This article examines the mental maps of high school seniors in 10 cities in the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions, focusing upon their perception and…
Introduction to the theme issue
Maps are symbolic representations of spatial features. As such, they are by definition projections that involve choices of inclusion and modes of depiction. They are therefore subject to framing, c
Perception of the Baltic Sea and Mediterranean regions among secondary school students
Surveys were conducted in ten schools: five in locations around the Baltic Sea and five around the Mediterranean. Students were asked to delimit the two regions on a map of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, to assess how much they would like to live in each region, and to write down the advantages and disadvantages associated with living in each region. Students tended to describe the two regions in terms of a North–South dichotomy, desc…
Time and Space in Time and Space
Mental maps and historical consciousness, which describe the spatial and temporal dimensions of worldviews, are not, as commonly stated, twentieth century concepts. Historical consciousness was coined simultaneously by several German scholars in the mid-1800s. Mental maps, used in English since the 1820s, had a prominent role in US geography education from the 1880s. Since then, the concepts have traveled between practical-technical, educational,…
The autonomy of higher education in Finland and Sweden
Due to their common history, Finland and Sweden share many similarities. However, important differences have also developed in constitutional law, political culture and governance models. These differences have affected the implementation of international trends in the governance of higher education in the two countries. Both the Finnish and Swedish governments have strived to give institutions of higher education more formal autonomy through leg…
Diagrams in Civic Education
Flipping the Political Scale
This article investigates spatial representations of the political system in Swedish civics textbooks, 1900–2020. It challenges common assumptions about the spatiality of politics, such as the analogy between parties representing the upper classes and the right. Instead, the investigation reveals a complicated history, which includes a sudden shift in polarity of the political spectrum in the 1980s. Then, the political right finally moved to the …
Medicine (15 works) · Population (14 works) · Demography (11 works) · Internal Medicine (10 works) · Psychology (10 works) · Environmental health (8 works) · Gerontology (8 works) · Norwegian (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Epidemiology (7 works)