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Steinar Westin

Publications and source records attributed to Steinar Westin.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

[Disease-mongers].

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Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

[Medical and non-medical risk factor criteria for disability pension].

BACKGROUND: Non-medical factors may contribute substantially to the risk of becoming disabled, despite the common medically based criteria for disability pension. This study seeks to identify medical and non-medical determinants for the national medically-based disability pension in a Norwegian total population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The baseline data were obtained through a comprehensive health screening programme, the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study in 1984-86 (HUNT I). Participants were people without disability pension, 20-66 years old in 1984-86. Information on disability pensioning was obtained from the National Insurance Administration database in 1995. Data analysis was performed by life table and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: The incidence of disability pension showed great variations by age and gender; there was an increase over the follow-up period, especially among people below 50. We found a consistent pattern of increasing risk of disability pension with decreasing socio-economic status and education. Low educational level, low perceived health, occupational related factors, and any long-standing health problem were found to be the strongest independent risk factors for disability pension. INTERPRETATION: Non-medical factors are strong risk factors for disability pension. These factors are usually not addressed by individually based health or rehabilitation programmes. Thus, when it comes to addressing the causes of incidence of disability pension in the population, the results suggest a population approach.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Health inequalities by socioeconomic status among men in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study, Norway.

AIMS: This study describes inequalities and trends in health according to socioeconomic status in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT I and II) and contribute to the ongoing discussion on the magnitude of inequalities in health in the Nordic welfare states. To produce data comparable to recent European studies, occupational data in the HUNT Study were reclassified according to the international Erikson Goldthorpe Portocarero (EGP) social class scheme. METHODS: Two cross-sectional health surveys were undertaken with a 10-year interval, HUNT I (1984-86) and HUNT II (1995-97). This was a primary healthcare, total-county population study, participants for this analysis being men aged 25-69 years. RESULTS: A consistent pattern was found of increasing health problems with decreasing socioeconomic status for four health variables: self-perceived health, temporary disability, any long-standing health problem, and chronic conditions. The prevalence ratio between the highest and lowest status groups for "perceived health less than good" was 2.0 in the first survey and 2.1 in the second 10 years later. The magnitude of differences for the other health outcomes was at this level or smaller, with no significant overall time trend from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of socioeconomic gradients in health in this study seemed somewhat smaller than results from national studies, and on the average compared to studies from other European countries; there was no detectable time trend in health differentials. International comparative studies have suggested considerably larger inequalities in health according to social class in Norway using national data.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Social determinants of disability pension: a 10-year follow-up of 62 000 people in a Norwegian county population.

BACKGROUND: Non-medical factors may be important determinants for granting disability pension (DP) even though disability is medically defined, as in Norway. The aim of this analysis was to identify determinants of DP in a total county population in a 10-year follow-up study. METHODS: Participants were people without DP, 20- to 66-years-old in 1984-1986. The baseline data were obtained in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT): 90 000 people were invited to answer questionnaires on health, disease, social, psychological, occupational, and lifestyle factors. Information on those who later received DP was obtained from the National Insurance Administration database in 1995. Data analyses were performed using Cox regression analyses. RESULTS: The incidence of DP showed great variation with regards to age and gender, accounting for an overall increase in the follow-up period. Low level of education, low self-perceived health, occupation-related factors and any long-standing health problem were found to be the strongest independent determinants of DP. Low level of education and socioeconomic factors contributed more to younger people's risk compared to those over 50 years. For people under 50 years of age with a low level of education compared to those with a high level of education, the age-adjusted relative risk for DP was 6.35 for men and 6.95 for women. The multivariate-adjusted relative risk was 2.91 and 4.77, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Even for a medically based DP, low socioeconomic status, low level of education and occupational factors might be strong determinants when compared to medical factors alone. These non-medical determinants are usually not addressed by individual based health or rehabilitation programmes.

Adolescent↗