Helle Mølsted Alvesson
Biographic Data
| ID | 4603204 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Helle Mølsted Alvesson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Helle Mølsted |
| FAMILY NAME | Alvesson |
| SIGNATURE | ALVESSON H M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Karolinska Institutet |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6109-7203 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 4 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
“Implementing a policy is something else”. Governance of a complex health management information system and its digitalization in Tanzania
Health management information systems are crucial for a country’s health service planning and monitoring. Research findings indicate however that data produced within this system is often of low quality or not used for decision-making in low-resource settings like Tanzania. Policymaking and -implementation towards efficient data processes and use take place in an environment challenged by limited availability of human and other resources, low lev…
Sense of coherence and the cultural organisation of barriers to healthy eating and active living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Uppsala
OBJECTIVE: In salutogenic theory, sense of coherence (SOC) reflects an individual's capacity to mobilise appropriate resources to prevent barriers from becoming stressors. However, few studies have examined how culture defines the barriers and resources evaluated through SOC. Integrating salutogenesis with cognitive anthropology, we examine how SOC relates to cultural models of barriers to healthy eating and active living (HEAL) in socioeconomica…
Reframing labour companionship
Labour companionship positively shapes childbirth experiences, offering continuous emotional and practical support to birthing people. In Argentina, companionship is protected by law, though implementation challenges remain. Gender norms and expectations can act as barriers to quality care. Addressing a gap in companionship literature, this paper explores gender representations perceived by male and female companions and health care providers at …
Building confidence in crises – the roles of Sierra Leonean religious leaders’ during the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak
BACKGROUND: Religious leaders have been involved in health promotion campaigns for many years across West Africa, such as their engagement in the HIV/AIDS pandemic response. This involvement in public health campaigns has indicated varied results in the past and therefore a critical approach is required when engaging them in the outbreak response. Little is known about religious leaders' perceptions of their role in communicating Ebola risks duri…
Growing up in the shadow of HIV
Despite growing understanding and acceptance of the concept of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) among gay men, HIV stigma remains a burden for people living with HIV. This study explored perceptions of HIV among HIV seronegative gay men in Sweden in this new context. Using snowball sampling, 15 gay men born between 1980 and 2000 were recruited to the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were subjected to reflexive thema…
Implementing the Quali-DEC project in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand and Viet Nam
The project ‘Quality Decision-making by women and providers’ (QUALI-DEC) combines four non-clinical interventions to promote informed decision-making surrounding mode of birth, improve women’s birth experiences, and reduce caesarean sections among low-risk women. QUALI-DEC is currently being implemented in 32 healthcare facilities across Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In this paper, we detail implementation processes and the pla…
‘It touches my heart more when I see this…’
Risk communication is increasingly recognised as an integral component of preventative medicine. However, only a limited number of studies have focused on the experience and understanding that an individual has on receiving personalised risk information in relation to Type 2 Diabetes. In this article we aim to fill one critical gap in our knowledge – how is this risk information being perceived by the receiver, and what differences exist when the…
Conceptualizing safer sex in a new era
Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. Efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV transmission have traditionally focused on condoms and abstinence from high risk sexual practices. Recently, additional methods such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and viral load sorting have been introduced. The aim of this study was to gain understanding about risk management and risk percept…
Diabetes self-management
BACKGROUND: Health education and self-management are among key strategies for managing diabetes and hypertension to reduce morbidity and mortality. Inappropriate self-management support can potentially worsen chronic diseases outcomes if relevant barriers are not identified and self-management solutions are not contextualised. Few studies deliberately solicit suggestions for enhancing self-management from patients and their providers. OBJECTIVE: …
Motivational determinants of physical activity in disadvantaged populations with (pre)diabetes
Findings suggest that: 1) it is feasible to compare a motivational process model across diverse settings; 2) there is lower perceived social support and self-efficacy in the urban, migrant samples; 3) identified regulation is a more promising determinant of PA than self-efficacy or social support in these populations; 4) associations between motivational determinants and PA depend on the perceived type and/or intensity of PA; 5) perceived related…
Food environment interactions after migration
Objective: To map and characterise the interactions between the food environment and immigrant populations from low- and middle-income countries living in high-income countries. Design: A scoping review was carried out following the framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley, as well as Levac et al. Peer-reviewed studies in English published between 2007 and 2021 were included. Two reviewers screened and selected the papers according to predefined…
Co-Creating an Occupational Health Intervention within the Construction Industry in Sweden
One way to prevent work-related stress, is to implement primary occupational health interventions aimed at improving the psychosocial work environment. However, such interventions have shown a limited effect, often due to implementation failure and poor contextual fit. Co-creation, where researchers, together with end-users and other relevant stakeholders, develop the intervention is increasingly encouraged. However, few studies have evaluated th…
A Participatory Intervention to Improve the Psychosocial Work Environment and Mental Health in Human Service Organisations. A Mixed Methods Evaluation Study
Work-related stress is a global problem causing suffering and economic costs. In Sweden, employees in human service occupations are overrepresented among persons on sick leave due to mental health problems such as stress-related disorders. The psychosocial work environment is one contributing factor for this problem, making it urgent to identify effective methods to decrease stress at the workplace. The aim of the study is to evaluate a participa…
Sex, drugs and techno – a qualitative study on finding the balance between risk, safety and pleasure among men who have sex with men engaging in recreational and sexualised drug use
The findings of this study point to the need for increased adoption of harm reduction techniques in this population focusing on mitigating harm and prevention of risk of problematic use or starting injection drugs. Existing traditional services require adaptations to become more accessible and acceptable to sub-groups of drug users, including low-threshold services providing non-judgemental, evidence-based information. This will require funding o…
Staying afloat
INTRODUCTION: Resilient health systems have the capacity to continue providing health services to meet the community's diverse health needs following floods. This capacity is related to how the community manages its own health needs and the community and health system's joined capacities for resilience. Yet little is known about how community participation influences health systems resilience. The purpose of this study was to understand how commu…
Early detection of type 2 diabetes in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in Stockholm – comparing reach of community and facility-based screening
BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes and its high-risk stage, prediabetes, are often undiagnosed. Early detection of these conditions is of importance to avoid organ complications due to the metabolic disturbances associated with diabetes. Diabetes screening can detect persons unaware of diabetes risk and the elevated glucose levels can potentially be reversed through lifestyle modification and medication. There are mainly two approaches to diabetes scree…
Community and stakeholders’ engagement in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes
Background: Community-based approaches have been identified as an effective strategy to address the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. However, little is known about community as a concept among people living in socioeconomically disadvantaged settings and stakeholders’ interactions and engagement in NCDs prevention and management.Objective: The aim of this study was to understand; (1) the meaning of community among peop…
Dietary patterns and practices in rural eastern Uganda
BACKGROUND: The burden of type 2 diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double by 2040, partly attributable to rapidly changing diets. In this paper, we analysed how community members in rural Uganda understood the concept of a healthy or unhealthy diet, food preparation and serving practices to inform the process of facilitating knowledge and skill necessary for self-management and care for type 2 diabetes. This was a qualitative study i…
The rite of passage of becoming a humanitarian health worker
BACKGROUND: Low retention of humanitarian workers poses constraints on humanitarian organisations' capacity to respond effectively to disasters. Research has focused on reasons for humanitarian workers leaving the sector, but little is known about the factors that can elucidate long-term commitment. OBJECTIVE: To understand what motivates and supports experienced humanitarian health workers to remain in the sector. METHODS: Semi-structured interv…
Patient and Provider Dilemmas of Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management
Studies comparing provider and patient views and experiences of self-management within primary healthcare are particularly scarce in disadvantaged settings. In this qualitative study, patient and provider perceptions of self-management were investigated in five socio-economically disadvantaged communities in Stockholm. Twelve individual interviews and four group interviews were conducted. Semi-structured interview guides included questions on per…
The Effect of Seasonal Floods on Health
There is limited knowledge on the effect of seasonal flooding on health over time. We quantified the short- and long-term effects of floods on selected health indicators at public healthcare facilities in 11 districts in Cambodia, a flood-prone setting. Counts of inpatient discharge diagnoses and outpatient consultations for diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections, injuries, noncommunicable diseases and vector-borne diseases were …
Coping with uncertainty during healthcare-seeking in Lao PDR
BACKGROUND: Uncertainty is regarded as a central dimension in the experience of illness and in the processes of alleviating it. Few studies from resource-poor settings have investigated this and how it interacts with other factors. This study aims to shed light on how healthcare-seeking develops in the context of multiple medical alternatives and to understand what bearing uncertainty has on this process. METHODS: The study was conducted in six p…
Changes in pregnancy and childbirth practices in remote areas in Lao PDR within two generations of women
This paper sheds light on the inter-generational changes in pregnancy and childbirth practices in remote areas of Lao PDR over a period of 30 years. The study consisted of focus group discussions with pregnant women aged 14-30, mothers and fathers of small children, and older women aged 40+ in six rural communities in two districts. Childbirth practices were gradually evolving and changing - most dramatically illustrated by the transition from fo…
Dietary patterns and practices in rural eastern Uganda
BACKGROUND: The burden of type 2 diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double by 2040, partly attributable to rapidly changing diets. In this paper, we analysed how community members in rural Uganda understood the concept of a healthy or unhealthy diet, food preparation and serving practices to inform the process of facilitating knowledge and skill necessary for self-management and care for type 2 diabetes. This was a qualitative study i…
Growing up in the shadow of HIV
Despite growing understanding and acceptance of the concept of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) among gay men, HIV stigma remains a burden for people living with HIV. This study explored perceptions of HIV among HIV seronegative gay men in Sweden in this new context. Using snowball sampling, 15 gay men born between 1980 and 2000 were recruited to the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were subjected to reflexive thema…
Changes in pregnancy and childbirth practices in remote areas in Lao PDR within two generations of women
This paper sheds light on the inter-generational changes in pregnancy and childbirth practices in remote areas of Lao PDR over a period of 30 years. The study consisted of focus group discussions with pregnant women aged 14-30, mothers and fathers of small children, and older women aged 40+ in six rural communities in two districts. Childbirth practices were gradually evolving and changing - most dramatically illustrated by the transition from fo…
Coping with uncertainty during healthcare-seeking in Lao PDR
BACKGROUND: Uncertainty is regarded as a central dimension in the experience of illness and in the processes of alleviating it. Few studies from resource-poor settings have investigated this and how it interacts with other factors. This study aims to shed light on how healthcare-seeking develops in the context of multiple medical alternatives and to understand what bearing uncertainty has on this process. METHODS: The study was conducted in six p…
Changes in pregnancy and childbirth practices in remote areas in Lao PDR within two generations of women
This paper sheds light on the inter-generational changes in pregnancy and childbirth practices in remote areas of Lao PDR over a period of 30 years. The study consisted of focus group discussions with pregnant women aged 14-30, mothers and fathers of small children, and older women aged 40+ in six rural communities in two districts. Childbirth practices were gradually evolving and changing - most dramatically illustrated by the transition from fo…
The rite of passage of becoming a humanitarian health worker
BACKGROUND: Low retention of humanitarian workers poses constraints on humanitarian organisations' capacity to respond effectively to disasters. Research has focused on reasons for humanitarian workers leaving the sector, but little is known about the factors that can elucidate long-term commitment. OBJECTIVE: To understand what motivates and supports experienced humanitarian health workers to remain in the sector. METHODS: Semi-structured interv…
Patient and Provider Dilemmas of Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management
Studies comparing provider and patient views and experiences of self-management within primary healthcare are particularly scarce in disadvantaged settings. In this qualitative study, patient and provider perceptions of self-management were investigated in five socio-economically disadvantaged communities in Stockholm. Twelve individual interviews and four group interviews were conducted. Semi-structured interview guides included questions on per…
The Effect of Seasonal Floods on Health
There is limited knowledge on the effect of seasonal flooding on health over time. We quantified the short- and long-term effects of floods on selected health indicators at public healthcare facilities in 11 districts in Cambodia, a flood-prone setting. Counts of inpatient discharge diagnoses and outpatient consultations for diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, skin infections, injuries, noncommunicable diseases and vector-borne diseases were …
Community and stakeholders’ engagement in the prevention and management of Type 2 diabetes
Background: Community-based approaches have been identified as an effective strategy to address the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide. However, little is known about community as a concept among people living in socioeconomically disadvantaged settings and stakeholders’ interactions and engagement in NCDs prevention and management.Objective: The aim of this study was to understand; (1) the meaning of community among peop…
Dietary patterns and practices in rural eastern Uganda
BACKGROUND: The burden of type 2 diabetes in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double by 2040, partly attributable to rapidly changing diets. In this paper, we analysed how community members in rural Uganda understood the concept of a healthy or unhealthy diet, food preparation and serving practices to inform the process of facilitating knowledge and skill necessary for self-management and care for type 2 diabetes. This was a qualitative study i…
Staying afloat
INTRODUCTION: Resilient health systems have the capacity to continue providing health services to meet the community's diverse health needs following floods. This capacity is related to how the community manages its own health needs and the community and health system's joined capacities for resilience. Yet little is known about how community participation influences health systems resilience. The purpose of this study was to understand how commu…
Early detection of type 2 diabetes in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in Stockholm – comparing reach of community and facility-based screening
BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes and its high-risk stage, prediabetes, are often undiagnosed. Early detection of these conditions is of importance to avoid organ complications due to the metabolic disturbances associated with diabetes. Diabetes screening can detect persons unaware of diabetes risk and the elevated glucose levels can potentially be reversed through lifestyle modification and medication. There are mainly two approaches to diabetes scree…
Co-Creating an Occupational Health Intervention within the Construction Industry in Sweden
One way to prevent work-related stress, is to implement primary occupational health interventions aimed at improving the psychosocial work environment. However, such interventions have shown a limited effect, often due to implementation failure and poor contextual fit. Co-creation, where researchers, together with end-users and other relevant stakeholders, develop the intervention is increasingly encouraged. However, few studies have evaluated th…
A Participatory Intervention to Improve the Psychosocial Work Environment and Mental Health in Human Service Organisations. A Mixed Methods Evaluation Study
Work-related stress is a global problem causing suffering and economic costs. In Sweden, employees in human service occupations are overrepresented among persons on sick leave due to mental health problems such as stress-related disorders. The psychosocial work environment is one contributing factor for this problem, making it urgent to identify effective methods to decrease stress at the workplace. The aim of the study is to evaluate a participa…
Sex, drugs and techno – a qualitative study on finding the balance between risk, safety and pleasure among men who have sex with men engaging in recreational and sexualised drug use
The findings of this study point to the need for increased adoption of harm reduction techniques in this population focusing on mitigating harm and prevention of risk of problematic use or starting injection drugs. Existing traditional services require adaptations to become more accessible and acceptable to sub-groups of drug users, including low-threshold services providing non-judgemental, evidence-based information. This will require funding o…
‘It touches my heart more when I see this…’
Risk communication is increasingly recognised as an integral component of preventative medicine. However, only a limited number of studies have focused on the experience and understanding that an individual has on receiving personalised risk information in relation to Type 2 Diabetes. In this article we aim to fill one critical gap in our knowledge – how is this risk information being perceived by the receiver, and what differences exist when the…
Conceptualizing safer sex in a new era
Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. Efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV transmission have traditionally focused on condoms and abstinence from high risk sexual practices. Recently, additional methods such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and viral load sorting have been introduced. The aim of this study was to gain understanding about risk management and risk percept…
Diabetes self-management
BACKGROUND: Health education and self-management are among key strategies for managing diabetes and hypertension to reduce morbidity and mortality. Inappropriate self-management support can potentially worsen chronic diseases outcomes if relevant barriers are not identified and self-management solutions are not contextualised. Few studies deliberately solicit suggestions for enhancing self-management from patients and their providers. OBJECTIVE: …
Motivational determinants of physical activity in disadvantaged populations with (pre)diabetes
Findings suggest that: 1) it is feasible to compare a motivational process model across diverse settings; 2) there is lower perceived social support and self-efficacy in the urban, migrant samples; 3) identified regulation is a more promising determinant of PA than self-efficacy or social support in these populations; 4) associations between motivational determinants and PA depend on the perceived type and/or intensity of PA; 5) perceived related…
Food environment interactions after migration
Objective: To map and characterise the interactions between the food environment and immigrant populations from low- and middle-income countries living in high-income countries. Design: A scoping review was carried out following the framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley, as well as Levac et al. Peer-reviewed studies in English published between 2007 and 2021 were included. Two reviewers screened and selected the papers according to predefined…
Implementing the Quali-DEC project in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand and Viet Nam
The project ‘Quality Decision-making by women and providers’ (QUALI-DEC) combines four non-clinical interventions to promote informed decision-making surrounding mode of birth, improve women’s birth experiences, and reduce caesarean sections among low-risk women. QUALI-DEC is currently being implemented in 32 healthcare facilities across Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In this paper, we detail implementation processes and the pla…
Reframing labour companionship
Labour companionship positively shapes childbirth experiences, offering continuous emotional and practical support to birthing people. In Argentina, companionship is protected by law, though implementation challenges remain. Gender norms and expectations can act as barriers to quality care. Addressing a gap in companionship literature, this paper explores gender representations perceived by male and female companions and health care providers at …
Building confidence in crises – the roles of Sierra Leonean religious leaders’ during the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak
BACKGROUND: Religious leaders have been involved in health promotion campaigns for many years across West Africa, such as their engagement in the HIV/AIDS pandemic response. This involvement in public health campaigns has indicated varied results in the past and therefore a critical approach is required when engaging them in the outbreak response. Little is known about religious leaders' perceptions of their role in communicating Ebola risks duri…
Growing up in the shadow of HIV
Despite growing understanding and acceptance of the concept of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) among gay men, HIV stigma remains a burden for people living with HIV. This study explored perceptions of HIV among HIV seronegative gay men in Sweden in this new context. Using snowball sampling, 15 gay men born between 1980 and 2000 were recruited to the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were subjected to reflexive thema…
“Implementing a policy is something else”. Governance of a complex health management information system and its digitalization in Tanzania
Health management information systems are crucial for a country’s health service planning and monitoring. Research findings indicate however that data produced within this system is often of low quality or not used for decision-making in low-resource settings like Tanzania. Policymaking and -implementation towards efficient data processes and use take place in an environment challenged by limited availability of human and other resources, low lev…
Sense of coherence and the cultural organisation of barriers to healthy eating and active living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Uppsala
OBJECTIVE: In salutogenic theory, sense of coherence (SOC) reflects an individual's capacity to mobilise appropriate resources to prevent barriers from becoming stressors. However, few studies have examined how culture defines the barriers and resources evaluated through SOC. Integrating salutogenesis with cognitive anthropology, we examine how SOC relates to cultural models of barriers to healthy eating and active living (HEAL) in socioeconomica…
Medicine (17 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Nursing (10 works) · Qualitative research (10 works) · Public health (8 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Disadvantaged (6 works) · Gerontology (6 works) · Health care (6 works)