Search Results (21)

Background/Objectives: Dental caries remains a global challenge, with high prevalence among five-year-old children and regional inequalities. The aim of this study is to identify factors associated with protection from dental caries in five-year-old children, using Salutogenic Theory as a reference. Methods: Secondary data were analyzed from the Minas Gerais Oral Health Survey. Five-year-old children (n = 1193) were examined. Parents or guardians answered a questionnaire addressing individual variables and the use of dental services. Dependent variables were the absence of caries activity (ACA) and absence of caries experience (ACE), which were extracted from the decayed–missing–filled primary teeth (dmft) index. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for each block of variables on the hierarchical levels. The Complex Samples module of the SPSS 19.0 program was used. Results: Five hundred ninety-five children (50.5%) in the overall sample were caries-free. In the final model, white skin color, monthly family income greater than R$1500, having more than six material goods, and not visiting a dentist in the previous year were associated with ACA and ACE. Conclusions: Factors related to socioeconomic conditions were associated with protection from dental caries in early childhood, supporting equity-based public policies to increase the number of children not affected by caries. Full article

Background/Objectives: University faculty in health sciences are an underexplored population despite facing significant emotional, occupational, and organizational demands due to their dual role as educators and health professionals. These demands may increase vulnerability to perceived stress, burnout, and reduced professional quality of life. Although previous research has primarily focused on stress and burnout, evidence integrating occupational balance and personal resources, such as sense of coherence, from an occupational health perspective remains limited. This study aimed to examine perceived stress, professional quality of life, occupational balance, and satisfaction with meaningful occupations among health sciences faculty in Spain, and to analyze their associations with individual, occupational, and organizational factors within an occupation-centered and salutogenic framework. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study following STROBE guidelines was conducted with 253 health sciences faculty members from Spanish universities. Data were collected through an anonymous online questionnaire including validated instruments (PSS-10, OBQ-E, ProQoL, SOC-13) and items on occupational satisfaction and perceived institutional support. Descriptive statistics, t tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed. Results: Participants reported moderate levels of perceived stress and occupational balance, high overall professional quality of life satisfaction, and moderate levels of compassion fatigue. Higher perceived stress scores were observed among women and younger faculty members. Occupational balance, burnout, and satisfaction measures showed significant differences according to age and years of teaching experience. Perceived institutional support differed across organizational domains, academic positions, and types of institution. Conclusions: Health sciences faculty in Spain experience notable psychosocial demands affecting stress, occupational balance, and professional quality of life. Occupational balance and sense of coherence emerged as relevant constructs associated with lower perceived stress and burnout and higher professional satisfaction. By integrating these occupation-centered and salutogenic resources, the study extends existing research beyond traditional stress–burnout models and contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of professional well-being among health sciences faculty. Full article

Promoting active lifestyles among adolescents is essential due to their short-, medium-, and long-term contributions to young people’s holistic development and overall health. Beyond physical well-being, Physical Education foster physical activity, autonomy, social connectedness, motivation and emotional well-being, thus constituting a key dimension of quality education. Background/Objectives: The “Estilos de Vida Activos (EVA)” project is a school-based intervention designed to foster adolescent agency and motivation in adopting active habits. Grounded in the salutogenic model, self-determination theory, and the health-based Physical Education pedagogical model, this protocol describes the design and implementation strategies of a participatory intervention in secondary schools. Methods: A variety of research methods will be used to collect quantitative and qualitative data before, during, and after the intervention. Validated questionnaires will assess active commuting, socioeconomic status, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, motivation, levels and intention to engage in physical activity. Qualitative data include interviews with teachers, Photovoice sessions with students, observation notes, and programme materials. Intervention: The EVA intervention is collaboratively developed by students, teachers, and researchers using participatory action research. It includes needs analysis, participatory activities, and co-design of tailored physical activity programmes. The intervention is described using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication checklist (TIDieR) to enhance transparency and replicability. Conclusions: This protocol presents a theoretically grounded and participatory approach to school-based health promotion. By integrating educational and collaborative strategies, it offers a replicable model that promotes adolescent active lifestyles, from contextual relevance, and pedagogical coherence, serving as a guide for inclusive and sustainable interventions in school settings. Full article

Drawing on Antonovsky’s salutogenic model, this study investigated how stressful life events relate to university students’ sense of coherence (SOC), focusing on the potential mediating roles of coping style and general self-efficacy, and the moderating role of stress mindset. An analysis of data collected from 2454 Chinese college students (63.6% males, 36.4% females) revealed that stressful life events negatively predicted SOC, with coping style and general self-efficacy significantly sequentially mediating this relationship. Furthermore, stress mindset moderated the relationship between stressful life events and coping style, such that a more positive mindset was associated with more adaptive coping under stress. These findings support the dual-pathway structure of the salutogenic model by illustrating both behavioral and perceptual mechanisms. Importantly, they also underscore the idea that stress, when cognitively reappraised and effectively managed, may contribute to the development of SOC—rather than simply undermining it. This highlights the potential value of stress itself within salutogenic processes. The study offers theoretical insights and preliminary directions for strength-based mental health promotion in higher education settings. Full article

Despite the proliferation of biomedical and psychological treatments, the global burden of chronic intractable (long-term) pain remains high—a treatment-prevalence paradox. The biopsychosocial model, introduced in the 1970s, is central to strategies for managing pain, but has been criticised for being decontextualised and fragmented, compromising the effectiveness of healthcare pain support services and patient care. The aim of this study was to apply a simplified version of Ken Wilber’s All Quadrant All Levels (AQAL) framework to pain in a healthcare context to advance a biopsychosocial understanding. Utilising domain knowledge, the author mapped features of pain and coping to intrasubjective, intraobjective, intersubjective, and interobjective quadrants (perspectives), as well as levels of psychological development. Narratives were crafted to synthesize the findings of mapping with literature from diverse disciplines within the contexts of salutogenesis and a social model of health. The findings showed that AQAL-mapping enhanced contextual biopsychosocial coherence and exposed the conceptual error of reifying pain. Its utility lay in highlighting upstream influences of the painogenic environment, supporting the reconfiguration of pain within a social model of health, as exemplified by the UK’s Rethinking Pain Service. In conclusion, a simple version of the AQAL framework served as a heuristic device to develop an integral vision of pain, opening opportunities for health promotion solutions within a salutogenic context. Full article

Objective: As outlined in our previous study, this study aims to investigate the role of body mass index (BMI) as an effect modifier in the relationship between conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and clinical outcomes, including depression, quality of life, and pain in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: This cross-sectional analysis is part of the DEFINE Study in Rehabilitation. A total of 113 participants with KOA, admitted to the Instituto de Medicina Física e Reabilitação (IMREA) rehabilitation program, were included. Clinical and neurophysiological assessments were conducted, focusing on CPM, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and the SF-36 health survey. BMI was stratified into two categories based on the mean BMI of 31.99 kg/m², and linear regression models were used to evaluate BMI as an effect modifier in the relationship between CPM and clinical outcomes. p-values below 0.10 for interaction terms (CPM × BMI) indicated effect modification. Results: In participants with BMI < 31.99 kg/m², increased CPM was significantly associated with improved depression scores (lower HDRS) and enhanced physical functioning, emotional well-being, and reduced limitations due to emotional problems (SF-36). In contrast, no significant associations between CPM and these outcomes were found in participants with BMI ≥ 31.99 kg/m². The results suggest that a higher BMI disrupts the salutogenic effects of endogenous pain control, diminishing the beneficial associations between CPM and both physical and psychological outcomes, as previously observed in fibromyalgia patients. Conclusions: BMI acts as an effect modifier in the relationship between CPM and clinical outcomes in individuals with KOA. Obesity appears to hinder the beneficial relationships between clinical symptoms and CPM, leading to a less favorable link between physical and emotional functioning and CPM. These findings highlight the importance of considering BMI in treatment strategies for KOA, particularly when addressing the impact of lifestyle and other modifiable factors that influence pain modulation. Full article

Team resilience at work (TR@W) is an important resource for bouncing beyond adverse situations. Adopting a health-promoting salutogenic approach, this cross-sectional study explores whether oncology team resilience, which is significantly associated with work-related sense of coherence (Work-SoC), and examines the roles of team member characteristics, quality of work life, and perceived impact of COVID-19. Team members (n = 189) from four oncology settings in Québec (Canada) completed self-administered e-questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used to identify the best-fitting model and significant relationships among study variables. The results showed a significant positive reciprocal relationship between TR@W and Work-SoC (R = 0.20) and between Work-SoC and TR@W (R = 0.39). These two variables were influenced by gender, gender roles, age, or COVID-19. The resulting model confirms our initial assumption that a higher level of TR@W is significantly associated with a more positive Work-SoC. Our findings provide new insights into subscale items perceived positively by oncology team members, such as perseverance, connectedness, and capability; and identify areas, such as self-care, within the team that may require greater attention to bounce beyond adversity. They also suggest there may be different levels (individual, team, and organizational) of resources under the health salutogenic umbrella. Full article

Visits to forests can improve human health and well-being through various mechanisms. They can support the immune system, promote physical activity, and restore stress and attention fatigue. Questions remain about how perceived qualities in forests important to support such salutogenic, i.e., health-promoting, benefits can be represented in forest simulation tools to allow quantitative analyses, e.g., long-term projections or trade-off analyses with other forest functions, such as biodiversity conservation, wood production, etc. Questions also remain about how different forest management regimes might impact such perceived qualities in forests. Here, we defined three types of salutogenic forest characteristics (SFCs), referred to as Deep, Spacious, and Mixed forest characteristics, respectively. We did so by using the perceived sensory dimension (PSD) model, which describes and interrelates more fundamental perceived qualities of recreational outdoor environments that are important to support people’s health and well-being. We identified proxy variables for the selected PSD models in boreal forest stands and compared the effect of five different management regimes on both individual PSD models and the derived SFCs when projecting a forest landscape 100 years into the future. Our results suggest combinations of protection (set-aside) and variations of continuous cover forestry as the most promising strategies to achieve these salutogenic properties in the long-term future. Depending on the SFC in focus and the specific management regime used, between 20% and 50% of the landscape could support associated properties in the long term (100 years). This might impact how forests should be managed when salutogenic outcomes are considered alongside, e.g., wood production and other forest contributions. Full article

The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) focuses on a health promotion perspective with a salutogenic approach, reinforcing the pillars of self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the CDSMP on Self-perceived Health (SPH) in disadvantaged areas of Asturias, España. The study included vulnerable adults with experience of chronic diseases for over six months, along with their caregivers. The intervention consisted of a six-session workshop led by two trained peers. SPH was evaluated by administering the initial item of the SF-12 questionnaire at both baseline and six months post-intervention. To evaluate the variable “Change in SPH” [improvement; remained well; worsening/no improvement (reference category)], global and disaggregated by sex multivariate multinomial logistic regression models were applied. There were 332 participants (mean = 60.5 years; 33.6% were at risk of social vulnerability; 66.8% had low incomes). Among the participants, 22.9% reported an improvement in their SPH, without statistically significant sex-based differences, while 38.9% remained in good health. The global model showed age was linked to decreased “improvement” probability (RRRa = 0.96), and the “remaining well” likelihood drops with social risk (RRRa = 0.42). In men, the probability of “remaining well” decreased by having secondary/higher education (RRRa = 0.25) and increased by cohabitation (RRRa = 5.11). Women at social risk were less likely to report “remaining well” (RRRa = 0.36). In conclusion, six months after the intervention, 22.9% of the participants had improved SPH. Age consistently decreased the improvement in the different models. Full article

Extensive research shows nurses’ work environment to be particularly stressful. This study develops, explores, and psychometrically tests a new profession-specific questionnaire identifying generalised and specific resistance resources, that make it possible to measure resources to manage work-related stress. An exploratory study design was employed. The questionnaire development was inspired by the MEASURE approach and the salutogenic theory of health. Building on the results from a literature review of nursing research and salutogenesis, supplemented by twelve interviews with hospital nurses, an item pool was generated. The first version was pilot-tested in a group of nurses who were studying to become specialist nurses. The second version of the questionnaire was psychometrically tested on a sample of registered nurses in close patient care (n = 475), analysed using confirmatory factor analysis to test seven predefined domains of the questionnaire. The analysis revealed a first order seven-domain model of 21 items: job satisfaction, professional role, work motivation, commitment, belonging in the workplace, factors and conditions for remaining in the profession, and workload. The structure of the questionnaire indicates its usefulness in clinical practice for measuring resistance resources. Full article

Sense of coherence (SOC) occupies the central place within the salutogenic model. It is an important contributor to the development and maintenance of people’s health. This study aimed to assess the strength of sense of coherence (SOC) among nurses and the relationship between the strength of SOC and socio-demographic and work-related factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018. Linear regression was used to describe strength of association between SOC and socio-demographic and work-related factors. A total of 713/1300 nurses completed an SOC-29-item questionnaire for the assessment of SOC. The mean value for total SOC score (SOCS) was 145.0 points (SD 22.1, range 81–200). The results of the multivariate linear regression revealed statistically significant positive associations between SOCS and age (>40 years), level of education (master of nursing and bachelor of nursing), and transportation mode by car. Our study suggested SOC as an important and influential health-promoting personal resource of nurses which might offer protection regarding work-related stress. Full article

Since Croatia joined the European Union, majority of the studies on Croatian emigrants have predominantly addressed the reasons for migration and their future predictions. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the sense of coherence, health behavior, acculturation, adaptation, perceived health, and quality of life (QoL) in first-generation Croatian migrants living in Austria and Ireland. Our study is the first study that addresses the perceived health and QoL of Croatian migrants since the last emigration wave in 2013. An online survey was conducted in Austria (n = 112) and Ireland (n = 116) using standardized questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted for emigrated Croats to identify the predictors of perceived health and QoL. The analyses revealed that the sense of coherence and psychological adaptation were the strongest predictors of perceived health and QoL in Austria and Ireland. Furthermore, in the environmental domain of QoL, a higher education, higher net income, life in Austria rather than Ireland, better health behavior, higher sense of coherence, and better psychological and sociocultural adaptation explained 55.9% of the variance. Health policies and programs should use the salutogenic model to improve the health-related quality of life and psychological adaptation of Croatian migrants. Full article

Numerous studies have established the link between ADHD and antisocial behavior, one of the most serious functional impairments caused by the disorder. However, research on protective factors that mitigate this link is still lacking. The Salutogenic Model of Health offers the “Sense of Coherence” (SOC), establishing that individuals who see their lives as logical, meaningful, and manageable are more resistant to various risk factors and diseases. The present study examines for the first time whether SOC is also a protective factor against different ADHD-related types of antisocial behaviors (severe/mild violent behavior, verbal violence, property crimes, public disorder, and drug abuse). A total of 3180 participants aged 15–50 completed online questionnaires assessing the level of ADHD symptoms, antisocial behaviors, and SOC. Structural equation modeling was applied to examine the research hypothesis. An interaction between ADHD symptoms and SOC was found in predicting each type of antisocial behavior (beta = −0.06–−0.17, p < 0.01). The link between ADHD symptoms and antisocial behavior was significantly weaker for high than low SOC participants, regardless of age group. The current study found that people with high SOC are protected against the effect of ADHD symptoms on one of the most serious functional impairments, antisocial behavior. These findings suggest that SOC is a protective factor from the adverse effects of ADHD symptoms, justifying further prospective and intervention studies. Full article

Background: Effective advocacy on self-care and the enhancement of a sense of coherence among nurses don’t only benefit control over one’s health and personal performance, but it may have a direct impact on clinical care and on the entire healing system. In this regard, nursing curricula grounded on a salutogenic model of health (SMH) operate with strategies to engage students in self-care and contribute to improving their mental health and wellbeing. The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between self-care agency and a sense of coherence as dependent variables and the age and self-reported academic performance as independent variables in nursing assistant students. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, data were collected from a full sample of 921 Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Spanish students. A self-administered questionnaire, including sociodemographic variables, the ‘appraisal of self-care agency’ (ASA), and the ‘sense of coherence’ (SOC) constructs, was administered. Results: Older participants presented significantly stronger values of both constructs. Apart from a significant and positive correlation between ASAS and SOC, ANOVA analyses indicate significant differences in terms of academic performance according to different ASAS and SOC degrees. Conclusions: The findings of this study endorse the assumption that there is a consistent relationship between ASA and SOC constructs that might, indeed, have a potential effect on students’ academic performance. In practical terms, it seems relevant to try to recognise the students’ self-care agency and the sense of coherence as forceful predictive variables of mental health and wellbeing, in addition to academic success as a strength implied in the future career achievement. Full article

In Sweden, participation in club sport is a vital part of many children’s lives. Despite this, many stop in their teenage years, raising questions concerning if and in what ways club sport can provide health-promoting activities via longer, sustained participation. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to explore and discuss young people’s views of club sport from a health-promoting perspective. The analysis draws on three sets of qualitative data: results from focus groups interviews conducted in 2007 (n = 14) and in 2016 (n = 8) as well as 18 in-depth interviews conducted 2008. Antonovsy’s salutogenic theory and his sense of coherence (SOC) model inspired the analysis. Teenagers want to be a part of club sport because of a sense of enjoyment, learning, belonging and feeling healthy. Teenagers stop when sport becomes too serious, non-flexible, time-consuming and too competitive. The urge for flexibility and possibilities to make individual decisions were emphasised in 2016. The organisation of club sport, it seems, has not adapted to changes in society and a generation of teenagers’ health interests. Club sport has the potential to be a health-promoting arena, but the focus should be on changing the club sport environment, instead of a focus on changing young people. Full article