<i>Background</i> - In Europe, the highest proportion of HIV diagnoses are in gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Globally, HIV prevalence is particularly high among males who report selling sex, but rates among men who buy sex from other men are less clear. This study analyzed the association of transactional sex (TS) and HIV diagnosis, sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses, ...

<i>Background</i> - The Nordic countries have commonalities in gender equality, economy, welfare, and health care, but differ in culture and lifestyle, which might create country-wise health differences. This study compared life expectancy, disease burden, and risk factors in the Nordic region.<p> <p><i>Methods</i> - Life expectancy in years and age-standardised rates of overall, cause-specific, ...

<p><i>Background - </i>Patient-centered culturally sensitive health care (PC-CSHC) has emerged as a primary approach to health care. This care focuses on the cultural diversity of the patients rather than the views of the health care professionals. PC-CSHC enables the patient to feel comfortable, respected, and trusted in the health care delivery process. As users of traditional and complementary ...

<p><i>Objective - </i>To describe changes in cardiovascular risk factors and in the estimated 10-year risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or cerebral stroke (CS) between SAMINOR 1 (2003–2004) and SAMINOR 2 (2012–2014), and explore if these changes differed between Sami and non-Sami. <p><i>Design - </i>Two cross-sectional surveys. <p><i>Setting - </i>Inhabitants of rural Northern Norway. < ...

<p><i>Introduction - </i>Symptoms occurring in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) such as heartburn, regurgitation, thoracic pain, epigastric pain, respiratory symptoms, and others can show a broad overlap with symptoms from other foregut disorders. The goal of this study is the accurate assessment of symptom presentation in GERD. <p><i>Methods - </i>Patients with foregut symptoms were ...

<i>Objective</i>: The aim of this study is to identify and analyse rural general practice patients’ experiences of hazards and harm that comprise adverse events, and their strategies for coping with them.<p> <p><i>Design</i>: Interview study using systematic text condensation and coping strategy theory in an abductive analysis process.<p> <p><i>Setting</i>: Nine rural general practice clinics ...

<p><i>Aims - </i>This study examined the association of leisure time physical activity, occupational physical activity, and resting heart rate with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in Sami and non-Sami populations. <p><i>Study design - </i>This was a longitudinal, observational population-based study. <p><i>Methods - </i>The Finnmark 3 study cohort was examined in 1987–1988 and ...

Several control conditions, such as penetrating sham acupuncture and non-penetrating placebo needles, have been used in clinical trials on acupuncture effects in chronic pain syndromes. All these control conditions are surprisingly effective with regard to their analgesic properties. These findings have fostered a discussion as to whether acupuncture is merely a placebo. Meta-analyses on the clinical ...

<i>Background</i> - Traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) is commonly used by cancer patients in Northern Norway, in particular spiritual forms like traditional healing. T&CM is mainly used complementary to conventional cancer treatment and is rarely discussed with the patient’s conventional health care providers, increasing the risk of negative interaction with conventional cancer care. The ...

<p><i>Background - </i>There is a need to deliver smoking cessation support at a population level, both in developed and developing countries. Studies on internet-based and mobile phone–based smoking cessation interventions have shown that these methods can be as effective as other methods of support, and they can have a wider reach at a lower cost. <p><i>Objective - </i>This randomized controlled ...