Ragnar Westerling
Biographic Data
| ID | 6163656 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ragnar Westerling |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ragnar |
| FAMILY NAME | Westerling |
| SIGNATURE | WESTERLING R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Uppsala University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 22 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1992 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Non-employment and low educational level as risk factors for inequitable treatment and mortality in heart failure
Non-employment and low educational level were associated with elevated mortality in heart failure. Non-employment was a risk factor for lower access to evidence-based treatment, and among the non-employed access to treatment was associated with a slightly smaller risk reduction than among the employed. The results underscore that clinicians need to be aware of the importance of socioeconomic factors in heart failure care
Promoting rational antibiotic use in Turkey and among Turkish migrants in Europe – implications of a qualitative study in four countries
BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is considered one of the major threats to global health. The emergence of resistant microorganisms is a consequence of irrational use of antibiotics. In Turkey, the consumption of antibiotics is relatively high and antibiotics are among the most commonly used drugs. However, Turkey has adopted new, more restrictive policies and regulations on antibiotics. In addition, Turkish migrants to EU countries, such as …
Experiences and needs concerning health related information for newly arrived refugees in Sweden
Concrete instructions and explanations are experienced as valuable and applicable. Additional information about health issues and the health care system is needed. Information concerning health should be spread by a variety of sources. Health literate health organizations are needed to meet the health challenges of refugees, including professionals that emphasize health literacy
Living environment, social support, and informal caregiving are associated with healthcare seeking behaviour and adherence to medication treatment
Despite the well-known associations between local environment and health, few studies have focused on environment and healthcare utilisation, for instance healthcare seeking behaviour or adherence. This study was aimed at analysing housing type, behaviour based on perceived local outdoor safety, social support, informal caregiving, demographics, socioeconomics, and long-term illness, and associations with health-seeking and adherence behaviours a…
Housing Type and Neighbourhood Safety Behaviour Predicts Self-rated Health, Psychological Well-being and Frequency of Recent Unhealthy Days
This study aimed at analysing associations among housing type, neighbourhood safety behaviour, self-rated health (SRH), psychological well-being and unhealthy days in the general population. From 2004 to 2013, 90,845 Swedes completed a questionnaire about their health, number of days with poor health, psychological well-being, housing type, and whether they refrained from going out based on perception of neighbourhood safety. People not living in…
Psychosocial vulnerability underlying four common unhealthy behaviours in 15–16-year-old Swedish adolescents
Vulnerability for four common unhealthy behaviours was found in Swedish adolescents. This study presents the interrelationships of psychosocial and socio-demographic factors and how they were related with unhealthy behaviours. The results bring new insight into how psychosocial factors are related to unhealthy behaviours in adolescents living in northern Europe
Findings from a prospective cohort study evaluating the effects of International Health Advisors’ work on recently settled migrants’ health
Health information provided by the IHA increased self-reported level of knowledge on healthy diet and physical exercise. The interpretation of the observed negative association between low social participation and deteriorated or unchanged health needs is that participation was limited to one's own social group, and therefore had limited positive influence on health seeking behaviour. The lack of measurable improvements in health status could be …
Healthcare-seeking behaviour in relation to sexual and reproductive health among Thai-born women in Sweden
Thailand is one of the most common countries of origin among immigrants in Sweden and Thai immigrants comprise the immigrant group most frequently diagnosed with HIV. Little is known about their healthcare-seeking behaviour and views on HIV prevention. This study explored Thai women's healthcare-seeking behaviour in relation to sexual and reproductive health and their views on HIV prevention. Nineteen in-depth interviews were conducted with Thai-…
Does social capital protect mental health among migrants in Sweden?
Poor mental health is common among migrants. This has been explained by migration-related and socio-economic factors. Weak social capital has also been related to poor mental health. Few studies have explored factors that protect mental health of migrants in the post-migration phase. Such knowledge could be useful for health promotion purposes. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse associations between financial difficulties, housing problems an…
Knowledge and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare services among Thai immigrant women in Sweden
BACKGROUND: Migration from Thailand to Sweden has increased threefold over the last 10 years. Today Thailand is one of the most common countries of origin among immigrants in Sweden. Since the year 2000, new HIV cases are also more prevalent among Thai immigrants compared to other immigrant nationalities in Sweden. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between knowledge and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare …
Active Traveling and Its Associations with Self-Rated Health, BMI and Physical Activity
Active traveling to a daily occupation means that an individual uses an active way of traveling between two destinations. Active travel to work or other daily occupations offers a convenient way to increase physical activity levels which is known to have positive effects on several health outcomes. Frequently used concepts in city planning and regional planning today are to create environments for active commuting and active living. Even then, li…
Inequity of access to ACE inhibitors in Swedish heart failure patients
BACKGROUND: Several international studies suggest inequity in access to evidence-based heart failure (HF) care. Specifically, studies of ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) point to reduced ACEI access related to female sex, old age and socioeconomic position. Thus far, most studies have either been rather small, lacking diagnostic data, or lacking the possibility to account for several individual-based sociodemographic factors. Our aim was to investigate dif…
Immigrant women's experiences and views on the prevention of cervical cancer
BACKGROUND: Many Western countries have cervical cancer screening programmes and have implemented nation-wide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes for preventing cervical cancer. OBJECTIVE: To explore immigrant women's experiences and views on the prevention of cervical cancer, screening, HPV vaccination and condom use. DESIGN: An exploratory qualitative study. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as a theoretical framework. SETTIN…
Health literacy and refugees’ experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers – a Swedish cross-sectional study
Refugees' experiences indicate that a low level of comprehensive health literacy can act as a barrier to fulfilling the purposes of the health examination for asylum seekers. Comprehensive health literacy seems to be of greater importance in that context than functional health literacy
Health literacy among refugees in Sweden – a cross-sectional study
The majority of refugees in the language schools had limited or poor health literacy. Health literacy should be taken into consideration in contexts and in activities addressing migrants. More research is needed to better understand health literacy among refugees and to develop strategies and methods to increase health literacy and make life easier for those with low health literacy
The influence of locus of control on self-rated health in context of chronic disease
This study suggests that self-rated health is positively correlated with internal locus of control and negatively associated with high locus of control in chance and powerful others in patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, disease burden seems to be negatively associated with self-rated health
Using ‘amenable mortality’ as indicator of healthcare effectiveness in international comparisons
BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: There is widespread consensus on the need for better indicators of the effectiveness of healthcare. We carried out an analysis of the validity of amenable mortality as an indicator of the effectiveness of healthcare, focusing on the potential use in routine surveillance systems of between-country variations in rates of mortality. We assessed whether the introduction of specific healthcare innovations coincided with decl…
Health-related and social factors predicting non-reemployment amongst newly unemployed
There are theoretical reasons to assume that psychological distress leads to a decreased reemployment rate amongst the unemployed. The results of this study partly endorse this hypothesis empirically, showing that general subjective mental distress decreases the rate of reemployment amongst newly unemployed individuals, although this effect was mediated by social and economic factors. Indicators of psychiatric disease had no significant effect on…
A decrease in both mild and severe bicycle-related head injuries in helmet wearing ages trend analyses in Sweden
Several international studies point at the efficacy of bicycle helmets in reducing head injuries. In Sweden, observational studies show that from 1988 to 1996 helmet use increased in all categories of cyclists. The objectives of this study were to analyse the trends of bicycle-related head injuries based on their main diagnosis and external cause of injury by different age groups. Our study area was the whole population of Sweden from 1987 to 199…
Can regional variation in "avoidable" mortality be explained by deaths outside hospital? A study from Sweden, 1987-90
STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to calculate the proportion of deaths outside hospital in Sweden for some conditions for which the acute medical management may be important to the outcome and to analyse whether the proportion of deaths outside hospital can explain regional variations in mortality from these causes of death. DESIGN: The place of death was registered on all death certificates in Sweden during the period 1987-90. The proportion of…
Components of small area variation in death rates
STUDY OBJECTIVES--The study aimed to develop and evaluate a method for small area analysis of different non-random components of the variation in death rates. The method was applied to incidence and mortality data for selected malignant neoplasms in 26 administrative health areas in Sweden. DESIGN--Variation in mortality and incidence rates for malignant neoplasms of the trachea, bronchus, and lung; colon; rectum; and cervix uteri in the 26 healt…
Trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, 1974-1985
STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to analyse trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, and to contribute to the methodology of avoidable mortality as an index of the quality of care. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS--All deaths of Swedish citizens and other residents in Sweden during the period 1974-1985 were analysed as to causes of death between ages 0 and 64 years. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--Total mortality delined during the 12 year period studied. A…
Trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, 1974-1985
STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to analyse trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, and to contribute to the methodology of avoidable mortality as an index of the quality of care. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS--All deaths of Swedish citizens and other residents in Sweden during the period 1974-1985 were analysed as to causes of death between ages 0 and 64 years. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--Total mortality delined during the 12 year period studied. A…
Living environment, social support, and informal caregiving are associated with healthcare seeking behaviour and adherence to medication treatment
Despite the well-known associations between local environment and health, few studies have focused on environment and healthcare utilisation, for instance healthcare seeking behaviour or adherence. This study was aimed at analysing housing type, behaviour based on perceived local outdoor safety, social support, informal caregiving, demographics, socioeconomics, and long-term illness, and associations with health-seeking and adherence behaviours a…
Using ‘amenable mortality’ as indicator of healthcare effectiveness in international comparisons
BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: There is widespread consensus on the need for better indicators of the effectiveness of healthcare. We carried out an analysis of the validity of amenable mortality as an indicator of the effectiveness of healthcare, focusing on the potential use in routine surveillance systems of between-country variations in rates of mortality. We assessed whether the introduction of specific healthcare innovations coincided with decl…
Can regional variation in "avoidable" mortality be explained by deaths outside hospital? A study from Sweden, 1987-90
STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to calculate the proportion of deaths outside hospital in Sweden for some conditions for which the acute medical management may be important to the outcome and to analyse whether the proportion of deaths outside hospital can explain regional variations in mortality from these causes of death. DESIGN: The place of death was registered on all death certificates in Sweden during the period 1987-90. The proportion of…
Components of small area variation in death rates
STUDY OBJECTIVES--The study aimed to develop and evaluate a method for small area analysis of different non-random components of the variation in death rates. The method was applied to incidence and mortality data for selected malignant neoplasms in 26 administrative health areas in Sweden. DESIGN--Variation in mortality and incidence rates for malignant neoplasms of the trachea, bronchus, and lung; colon; rectum; and cervix uteri in the 26 healt…
Inequity of access to ACE inhibitors in Swedish heart failure patients
BACKGROUND: Several international studies suggest inequity in access to evidence-based heart failure (HF) care. Specifically, studies of ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) point to reduced ACEI access related to female sex, old age and socioeconomic position. Thus far, most studies have either been rather small, lacking diagnostic data, or lacking the possibility to account for several individual-based sociodemographic factors. Our aim was to investigate dif…
Trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, 1974-1985
STUDY OBJECTIVE--The aim was to analyse trends in "avoidable" mortality in Sweden, and to contribute to the methodology of avoidable mortality as an index of the quality of care. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS--All deaths of Swedish citizens and other residents in Sweden during the period 1974-1985 were analysed as to causes of death between ages 0 and 64 years. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--Total mortality delined during the 12 year period studied. A…
Components of small area variation in death rates
STUDY OBJECTIVES--The study aimed to develop and evaluate a method for small area analysis of different non-random components of the variation in death rates. The method was applied to incidence and mortality data for selected malignant neoplasms in 26 administrative health areas in Sweden. DESIGN--Variation in mortality and incidence rates for malignant neoplasms of the trachea, bronchus, and lung; colon; rectum; and cervix uteri in the 26 healt…
Can regional variation in "avoidable" mortality be explained by deaths outside hospital? A study from Sweden, 1987-90
STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to calculate the proportion of deaths outside hospital in Sweden for some conditions for which the acute medical management may be important to the outcome and to analyse whether the proportion of deaths outside hospital can explain regional variations in mortality from these causes of death. DESIGN: The place of death was registered on all death certificates in Sweden during the period 1987-90. The proportion of…
A decrease in both mild and severe bicycle-related head injuries in helmet wearing ages trend analyses in Sweden
Several international studies point at the efficacy of bicycle helmets in reducing head injuries. In Sweden, observational studies show that from 1988 to 1996 helmet use increased in all categories of cyclists. The objectives of this study were to analyse the trends of bicycle-related head injuries based on their main diagnosis and external cause of injury by different age groups. Our study area was the whole population of Sweden from 1987 to 199…
Health-related and social factors predicting non-reemployment amongst newly unemployed
There are theoretical reasons to assume that psychological distress leads to a decreased reemployment rate amongst the unemployed. The results of this study partly endorse this hypothesis empirically, showing that general subjective mental distress decreases the rate of reemployment amongst newly unemployed individuals, although this effect was mediated by social and economic factors. Indicators of psychiatric disease had no significant effect on…
Using ‘amenable mortality’ as indicator of healthcare effectiveness in international comparisons
BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: There is widespread consensus on the need for better indicators of the effectiveness of healthcare. We carried out an analysis of the validity of amenable mortality as an indicator of the effectiveness of healthcare, focusing on the potential use in routine surveillance systems of between-country variations in rates of mortality. We assessed whether the introduction of specific healthcare innovations coincided with decl…
Health literacy among refugees in Sweden – a cross-sectional study
The majority of refugees in the language schools had limited or poor health literacy. Health literacy should be taken into consideration in contexts and in activities addressing migrants. More research is needed to better understand health literacy among refugees and to develop strategies and methods to increase health literacy and make life easier for those with low health literacy
The influence of locus of control on self-rated health in context of chronic disease
This study suggests that self-rated health is positively correlated with internal locus of control and negatively associated with high locus of control in chance and powerful others in patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, disease burden seems to be negatively associated with self-rated health
Immigrant women's experiences and views on the prevention of cervical cancer
BACKGROUND: Many Western countries have cervical cancer screening programmes and have implemented nation-wide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes for preventing cervical cancer. OBJECTIVE: To explore immigrant women's experiences and views on the prevention of cervical cancer, screening, HPV vaccination and condom use. DESIGN: An exploratory qualitative study. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was used as a theoretical framework. SETTIN…
Health literacy and refugees’ experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers – a Swedish cross-sectional study
Refugees' experiences indicate that a low level of comprehensive health literacy can act as a barrier to fulfilling the purposes of the health examination for asylum seekers. Comprehensive health literacy seems to be of greater importance in that context than functional health literacy
Does social capital protect mental health among migrants in Sweden?
Poor mental health is common among migrants. This has been explained by migration-related and socio-economic factors. Weak social capital has also been related to poor mental health. Few studies have explored factors that protect mental health of migrants in the post-migration phase. Such knowledge could be useful for health promotion purposes. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse associations between financial difficulties, housing problems an…
Knowledge and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare services among Thai immigrant women in Sweden
BACKGROUND: Migration from Thailand to Sweden has increased threefold over the last 10 years. Today Thailand is one of the most common countries of origin among immigrants in Sweden. Since the year 2000, new HIV cases are also more prevalent among Thai immigrants compared to other immigrant nationalities in Sweden. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between knowledge and utilization of sexual and reproductive healthcare …
Active Traveling and Its Associations with Self-Rated Health, BMI and Physical Activity
Active traveling to a daily occupation means that an individual uses an active way of traveling between two destinations. Active travel to work or other daily occupations offers a convenient way to increase physical activity levels which is known to have positive effects on several health outcomes. Frequently used concepts in city planning and regional planning today are to create environments for active commuting and active living. Even then, li…
Inequity of access to ACE inhibitors in Swedish heart failure patients
BACKGROUND: Several international studies suggest inequity in access to evidence-based heart failure (HF) care. Specifically, studies of ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) point to reduced ACEI access related to female sex, old age and socioeconomic position. Thus far, most studies have either been rather small, lacking diagnostic data, or lacking the possibility to account for several individual-based sociodemographic factors. Our aim was to investigate dif…
Housing Type and Neighbourhood Safety Behaviour Predicts Self-rated Health, Psychological Well-being and Frequency of Recent Unhealthy Days
This study aimed at analysing associations among housing type, neighbourhood safety behaviour, self-rated health (SRH), psychological well-being and unhealthy days in the general population. From 2004 to 2013, 90,845 Swedes completed a questionnaire about their health, number of days with poor health, psychological well-being, housing type, and whether they refrained from going out based on perception of neighbourhood safety. People not living in…
Psychosocial vulnerability underlying four common unhealthy behaviours in 15–16-year-old Swedish adolescents
Vulnerability for four common unhealthy behaviours was found in Swedish adolescents. This study presents the interrelationships of psychosocial and socio-demographic factors and how they were related with unhealthy behaviours. The results bring new insight into how psychosocial factors are related to unhealthy behaviours in adolescents living in northern Europe
Findings from a prospective cohort study evaluating the effects of International Health Advisors’ work on recently settled migrants’ health
Health information provided by the IHA increased self-reported level of knowledge on healthy diet and physical exercise. The interpretation of the observed negative association between low social participation and deteriorated or unchanged health needs is that participation was limited to one's own social group, and therefore had limited positive influence on health seeking behaviour. The lack of measurable improvements in health status could be …
Healthcare-seeking behaviour in relation to sexual and reproductive health among Thai-born women in Sweden
Thailand is one of the most common countries of origin among immigrants in Sweden and Thai immigrants comprise the immigrant group most frequently diagnosed with HIV. Little is known about their healthcare-seeking behaviour and views on HIV prevention. This study explored Thai women's healthcare-seeking behaviour in relation to sexual and reproductive health and their views on HIV prevention. Nineteen in-depth interviews were conducted with Thai-…
Living environment, social support, and informal caregiving are associated with healthcare seeking behaviour and adherence to medication treatment
Despite the well-known associations between local environment and health, few studies have focused on environment and healthcare utilisation, for instance healthcare seeking behaviour or adherence. This study was aimed at analysing housing type, behaviour based on perceived local outdoor safety, social support, informal caregiving, demographics, socioeconomics, and long-term illness, and associations with health-seeking and adherence behaviours a…
Promoting rational antibiotic use in Turkey and among Turkish migrants in Europe – implications of a qualitative study in four countries
BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is considered one of the major threats to global health. The emergence of resistant microorganisms is a consequence of irrational use of antibiotics. In Turkey, the consumption of antibiotics is relatively high and antibiotics are among the most commonly used drugs. However, Turkey has adopted new, more restrictive policies and regulations on antibiotics. In addition, Turkish migrants to EU countries, such as …
Experiences and needs concerning health related information for newly arrived refugees in Sweden
Concrete instructions and explanations are experienced as valuable and applicable. Additional information about health issues and the health care system is needed. Information concerning health should be spread by a variety of sources. Health literate health organizations are needed to meet the health challenges of refugees, including professionals that emphasize health literacy
Non-employment and low educational level as risk factors for inequitable treatment and mortality in heart failure
Non-employment and low educational level were associated with elevated mortality in heart failure. Non-employment was a risk factor for lower access to evidence-based treatment, and among the non-employed access to treatment was associated with a slightly smaller risk reduction than among the employed. The results underscore that clinicians need to be aware of the importance of socioeconomic factors in heart failure care
Medicine (22 works) · Environmental health (13 works) · Nursing (11 works) · Public health (11 works) · Political science (9 works) · Population (9 works) · Health care (8 works) · Migration, Health and Trauma (8 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Demography (7 works)