Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of incurable visual impairment and impacts daily life. There are benefits of physical activity for people who are affected with AMD; however, living with AMD is associated with lower levels of physical activity and social isolation. The aim of this study was to explore how older people with AMD in Sweden experienced participation in a 6-month empowerment-based physical activity intervention and how it influenced their physical abilities. Methods: The participants were nine individuals with AMD aged 70–87 years. The intervention comprised physical and social activities in a group twice a week and individual health coaching on three occasions. The study was based on an exploratory qualitative case study design. Results: The findings showed two themes: created meaningfulness in life and creative and playful ways to develop body movements. The findings also showed improved muscle strength after the intervention. Conclusions: The findings showed that participants had increased social connectedness, improved physical self-efficacy and physical ability, as well as improved muscle strength. The empowerment process of the intervention was appreciated by the participants and challenged them to participate in physical activity offered by the municipality for older individuals. © 2024 by the authors.

In this article Rebecca C. Reynolds was missing from the author list. The complete correct author group is given below. Lorenzo M. Donini, Juan Ramón Barrada, Friederike Barthels, Thomas M. Dunn, Camille Babeau, Anna Brytek-Matera, Hellas Cena, Silvia Cerolini, Hye-hyun Cho, Maria Coimbra, Massimo Cuzzolaro, Claudia Ferreira, Valeria Galfano, Maria G. Grammatikopoulou, Souheil Hallit, Linn Håman, Phillipa Hay, Masahito Jimbo, Clotilde Lasson, Eva-Carin Lindgren, Renee McGregor, Marianna Minnetti, Edoardo Mocini, Sahar Obeid, Crystal D. Oberle, Maria-Dolores Onieva-Zafra, Marie-Christine Opitz, María-Laura Parra-Fernández, Reinhard Pietrowsky, Natalija Plasonja, Eleonora Poggiogalle, Adrien Rigó, Rachel F. Rodgers, Maria Roncero, Carmina Saldaña, Cristina Segura-Garcia, Jessica Setnick, Ji-Yeon Shin, Grazia Spitoni, Jana Strahler, Nanette Stroebele-Benschop, Patrizia Todisco, Mariacarolina Vacca, Martina Valente, Màrta Varga, Andrea Zagaria, Hana Flynn Zickgraf, Rebecca C. Reynolds & Caterina Lombardo. The original article [1] has been corrected. © 2023, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of incurable visual impairment. These impacts include loss of social activities, decreased functional independence, and reduced physical activity.

The purpose of the study was to explore the participants' experiences and meanings expressed by people with AMD participating in an empowerment-based intervention.

Methods: The study has an explorative design based on ethnographic observations and informal interviews during the Empowerment-Based Physical Activity Intervention (EPI). The intervention embraced empowerment as a process and adopted the reflective equilibrium community empowerment approach. The EPI was carried out over six months and comprised adapted physical activity and social activities twice a week—furthermore, individual health coaching on three occasions. Nine women and two men aged 70-87 years old with AMD in Sweden participated in EPI. Field notes of the observations were analysed using a thematic method with an abductive approach.

Findings: The analysis resulted in five themes: a) Feeling seen and included, b) Having a sense of security, c) Developing physical skills, d) Feeling meaningful and social connectedness, and e) Feeling increased motivation.

Conclusion: Based on the findings, EPI has been a resource for the participants' well-being and development. The findings also filled a gap in the research literature and may provide insights into the potential of creative supervised, adapted physical activity in groups, health coaching, and socialising.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of incurable visual impairment and impacts daily life. These impacts include loss of social activities, decreased functional independence, and reduced physical activity. This protocol aims to describe a prospective, mixed-methodology for studying a population with AMD before, during, and after an empowerment-based physical activity intervention (EPI). A study framework was also developed for EPI. The intervention will include 20 older individuals (age 65+ years) with AMD recruited in Sweden. The intervention period is six months and comprises adapted physical activity and social activities in a group twice a week and individual health coaching on three occasions. The quantitative pre-test and three follow-ups include physical functional tests, an accelerometer that monitors physical activity continuously for one week, and questionnaires. Individual and focus-group interviews and ethnographic observations will explore the experience of living with AMD and what it means to participate in the EPI for individuals with AMD. The chosen methodology offers a structured way for researchers to explore the experiences and factors that may provide insights into the potential of creative supervised, adapted physical activity in groups, health coaching, and socialising that are significant to enable well-being among older individuals with AMD. © 2022 by the authors.

Background: Society in general and higher education in particular need to find constructive strategies for the partly changed situation that the multicultural society entails. A successful integration promotes health and a new identity in the new society. Immigrant women´s experiences show aspects that influence their well-being and inclusion in society. Immigrant women encounter many barriers and are a group at high risk of marginalization in higher education. Hence, increased insight into immigration research is significant for the organization of higher education, especially focusing on women´s health and well-being within this area.

Purpose of the study: The purpose is to provide an overview of experienced health and well-being among immigrant women in the context of higher education and the possible facilitators and barriers they encounter.

Methods: This study was designed as an integrative literature review. Databases were searched for international scientific articles. The final material comprised 14 empirical articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Also, a manual search was conducted, involving checking reference lists of the collected articles.

Findings: The findings showed that immigrant women in higher education are perseverant. According to women’s experiences, higher education studies challenged traditional gender roles and created tensions. The women described stress and anxiety during their studies.

Conclusion: Several problematic aspects related to health and well-being were evident for immigrant women in higher education, while possible facilitators appeared to be less prominent and need further exploration.

Background: Research has shown that professional development positively influences teachers’ capacity to reflect on new knowledge and practice. One way of working with collegial learning in schools is through so-called research circles, in which teachers and researchers collaborate on specific content.

Purpose: This presentation aims to illuminate how a research circle can develop and deepen physical education teachers’ (PE) critical reflection on a child-centred coaching approach.

Methods: The research circle was conducted within the health promotion intervention. The intervention focused on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), incorporating a child-centred coaching approach. The research circle consisted of three full days during a school year with PE teachers (N=22, approximately 18 per meeting) from eight primary and middle schools (from grades 4 to 9) in eight municipalities in Sweden, and three researchers. The data consist of group discussions audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim in the research circle meetings.

Findings: During a thematic analysis, three themes were identified: Creating an inclusive environment, Challenges to motivate all pupils, and Adapting MVPA activities.

Conclusion: The research circle contributed to critical reflections that improved actions in the intervention and everyday practice, as the teachers learned from each other and the researchers when critically reflecting on a childcentred perspective on practice.

Purpose: Since the term orthorexia nervosa (ON) was coined from the Greek (ὀρθός, right and ὄρεξις, appetite) in 1997 to describe an obsession with “correct” eating, it has been used worldwide without a consistent definition. Although multiple authors have proposed diagnostic criteria, and many theoretical papers have been published, no consensus definition of ON exists, empirical primary evidence is limited, and ON is not a standardized diagnosis. These gaps prevent research to identify risk and protective factors, pathophysiology, functional consequences, and evidence-based therapeutic treatments. The aims of the current study are to categorize the common observations and presentations of ON pathology among experts in the eating disorder field, propose tentative diagnostic criteria, and consider which DSM chapter and category would be most appropriate for ON should it be included.

Methods: 47 eating disorder researchers and multidisciplinary treatment specialists from 14 different countries across four continents completed a three-phase modified Delphi process, with 75% agreement determined as the threshold for a statement to be included in the final consensus document. In phase I, participants were asked via online survey to agree or disagree with 67 statements about ON in four categories: A–Definition, Clinical Aspects, Duration; B–Consequences; C–Onset; D–Exclusion Criteria, and comment on their rationale. Responses were used to modify the statements which were then provided to the same participants for phase II, a second round of feedback, again in online survey form. Responses to phase II were used to modify and improve the statements for phase III, in which statements that met the predetermined 75% of agreement threshold were provided for review and commentary by all participants.

Results: 27 statements met or exceeded the consensus threshold and were compiled into proposed diagnostic criteria for ON.

Conclusions: This is the first time a standardized definition of ON has been developed from a worldwide, multidisciplinary cohort of experts. It represents a summary of observations, clinical expertise, and research findings from a wide base of knowledge. It may be used as a base for diagnosis, treatment protocols, and further research to answer the open questions that remain, particularly the functional consequences of ON and how it might be prevented or identified and intervened upon in its early stages. Although the participants encompass many countries and disciplines, further research will be needed to determine if these diagnostic criteria are applicable to the experience of ON in geographic areas not represented in the current expert panel.

Level of evidence: Level V: opinions of expert committees.

© 2022, The Author(s).

Scholars recommend that health promotion researchers engage practitioners in the analysis and reporting phase and expand their ability to share their research beyond academia. The purpose of this study was to draw benefit from physical education (PE) teachers’ discussions and reflections of the implementation of a health promotion intervention in school during research circle meetings. The health promotion intervention ‘Pulse for Health and Learning’ (PuLH) focused on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, incorporating a child-centred coaching approach. This study has an action research approach. The research circle consisted of PE teachers (N = 22, approximately 18 per meeting) from eight primary and middle schools (from grades 4 to 9) in eight municipalities in Sweden and three researchers. The theory of ‘practice architectures’ was employed to interpret, discuss, and clarify what enables and constrain PE teachers’ implementation of the health promotion intervention. During the analysis, three discourses were identified: technical-rational discourse, participating discourse, and steering and supporting discourse. The practice architectures both enabled and constrained the implementation of PuLH. The research circle meetings stimulated critically conscious acting and decision-making through collaboration between PE teachers and together with researchers which improved the implementation of PuLH and contributed to PE teachers’ professional development.

Purpose: This study aimed to describe and problematize the advice on exercise and diet that personal trainers (PTs) provide to their clients from a gender perspective. Method: The present study had an explorative design, and the interviews were analysed using an interpretative qualitative approach. Seven focus group discussions were conducted with 19 PTs (aged 23–47 years). Results: The findings indicated that the PTs had a gender-neutral health advice approach to both women and men, guiding them towards a relaxed attitude to exercise and diet, prioritizing and rationalizing their exercise and diet and eating a natural diet. PTs also had a gendered health advice approach as regards women who showed unhealthy exercise and eating behaviours; advising them to eat more and exercise less, to focus on performance rather than appearance and to avoid heavy weightlifting. Some PTs acted evasively and did not give advice to men. Conclusions: Both approaches include advice that reflect health as control and health as release. From a gender perspective, PTs health advice both challenged and reproduced the stereotypical male norm in the fitness gym space. However, PTs gendered health advice may create different opportunities for men and women to promote their health and well-being in the fitness gym. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.