ObjectiveParticipation is one of the key goals of re/habilitative processes. Since participation ... more ObjectiveParticipation is one of the key goals of re/habilitative processes. Since participation impacts adolescents' social–emotional development and overall health, this goal is particularly important for them. However, to date, no German‐speaking self‐assessment tool for participation among adolescents is available. This study sought therefore to develop such a tool and to test its psychometric properties.MethodsBased on a preliminary qualitative study, we developed 133 items for a pilot version of the Social Participation Inventory (SPI). The SPI assesses the objective dimension (i.e., attendance) and the subjective dimension (i.e., involvement and satisfaction) of participation. To test the psychometric properties of the SPI, we conducted a quantitative cross‐sectional survey and applied the SPI to n = 151 adolescents with and without disabilities and/or chronic diseases.ResultsBy using principal component analyses, we examined the SPI's consistency and verified the the...
Objective Few studies on diabetes self-management considered the patterns and relationships of di... more Objective Few studies on diabetes self-management considered the patterns and relationships of different self-management behaviours (SMB). The aims of the present study are 1) to identify patterns of SMB among persons with diabetes, 2) to identify sociodemographic and disease-related predictors of SMB among persons with diabetes. Research design and methods The present analysis includes data of 1,466 persons (age 18 to 99 years; 44.0% female; 56.0% male) with diabetes (type I and II) from the population-based study German Health Update 2014/2015 (GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS). We used latent class analysis in order to distinguish different patterns of self-management behaviours among persons with diabetes. The assessment of SMB was based on seven self-reported activities by respondents (dietary plan, diabetes-diary, diabetes health pass, self-assessment of blood glucose, self-examination of feet, retinopathy-screenings and assessment of HbA1c). Subsequent multinomial latent variable regressi...
Purpose The construct of social participation is still not clearly defined. To reach a better und... more Purpose The construct of social participation is still not clearly defined. To reach a better understanding of social participation, the perspectives of adolescents must be taken into account. This study explores the adolescent concept of social participation and expands knowledge of the meaning of subjective components of the term. Methods Thirty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents with and without physical disabilities or chronic diseases between the ages of 12 and 17 and analyzed according to grounded theory. Results Adolescents describe social participation as involving reflexive interaction with their social environment. Furthermore, forming a social environment plays an important role. All components of the concept are embedded in a context that influences the ways adolescents participate. Adolescents differentiate between active and passive forms of social participation. The concept of reflexive interaction is situated within an interdependent stru...
AimThis systematic review aims to estimate the relationship between prenatal exposure to opioids ... more AimThis systematic review aims to estimate the relationship between prenatal exposure to opioids and neurodevelopmental outcomes and examines potential sources of heterogeneity between the studies.MethodsWe searched four databases through May 21st, 2022: PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo and the Web of Science according to a specified search strings. Study inclusion criteria include: (1) cohort and case-control peer-reviewed studies published in English; (2) studies comparing neurodevelopmental outcomes among children with prenatal opioid-exposure (prescribed or used non-medically) vs. an unexposed group. Studies investigating fetal alcohol syndrome or a different primary prenatal exposure other than opioids were excluded. Two main performed data extraction using “Covidence” systematic review platform. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale was used for quality assessment of the studies. Studies were synthesized based on the type...
Background: Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a central challenge for health policy and healthcare in a... more Background: Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a central challenge for health policy and healthcare in all advanced countries. For the affected persons, living with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is difficult because the disease and its treatment have a considerable effect on daily life. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges associated with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for those affected and the range, depth and complexities of the subjective perspectives of the patients under the conditions of the German healthcare system. Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted using a sample of 19 adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients were recruited successively from two specialized diabetological practices, three general practitioner's offices, and two hospitals. The patients were interviewed once in person using semi-structured interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed based on grounded theory. Results: Persons affected by diabetes mellitus type 2 seem to feel responsible for managing their disease. Two strategies of action could be identified: 1) patients strictly followed the recommendations of the physicians, or 2) they showed that they are knowledgably managing their diabetes mellitus type 2. The action strategy to address the disease seemed to be influenced by patients' confidence in themselves, the effectiveness of the interventions, or the patients' locus of control. Minor differences in educational status could be discovered, and patients who were less educated tended to follow the recommendations of the physicians very strictly and seemed to place more emphasis on being compliant, which goes hand in hand with a life with prohibitions and restrictions. In contrast, being perceived as competent patients who make their own rules to manage the disease in daily life appeared to be more important for people with higher education levels. Patient education and self-management programmes for diabetes mellitus type 2 should take different types of learners into account. Giving less-educated patients specific recommendations for successful diabetes selfmanagement is particularly important. Trial registration: German clinical trial register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00007847).
Strong socioeconomic inequalities exist in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. The current re... more Strong socioeconomic inequalities exist in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. The current review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and access to treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD). We examined quantitative studies analyzing the relationship between SES and access to CHD treatment that were published between 1996 and 2015. Our data sources included Medline and Web of Science. Our search yielded a total of 2066 records, 57 of which met our inclusion criteria. Low SES was found to be associated with low access to coronary procedures and secondary prevention. Access to coronary procedures, especially coronary angiography, was mainly related to SES to the disadvantage of patients with low SES. However, access to drug treatment and cardiac rehabilitation was only associated with SES in about half of the studies. The association between SES and access to treatment for CHD was stronger when SES was measured based on individual-level compared to area level, and stronger for individuals living in countries without universal health coverage. Socioeconomic inequalities exist in access to CHD treatment, and universal health coverage shows only a minor effect on this relationship. Inequalities diminish along the treatment pathway for CHD from diagnostic procedures to secondary prevention. We therefore conclude that CHD might be underdiagnosed in patients with low SES. Our results indicate that there is an urgent need to improve access to CHD treatment, especially by increasing the supply of diagnostic angiographies, to reduce inequalities across different healthcare systems.
Several studies have identified that socioeconomic inequalities in coronary artery disease (CAD) ... more Several studies have identified that socioeconomic inequalities in coronary artery disease (CAD) morbidity and mortality lead to a disadvantage in patients with low socioeconomic status (SES). International studies have shown that socioeconomic inequalities also exist in terms of access, utilisation and quality of cardiac care. The aim of this qualitative study is to provide information on the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on the pathway of care for CAD, and to establish which factors lead to socioeconomic inequality of care to form and expand existing scientific theories. A longitudinal qualitative study with 48 patients with CAD, aged 60-80 years, is being conducted. Patients have been recruited consecutively at the University Hospital in Halle/Saale, Germany, and will be followed for a period of 6 months. Patients are interviewed two times face-to-face using semistructured interviews. Data are transcribed and analysed based on grounded theory. Only participants who have be...
Chronic diseases and handicaps are widespread among the population. Considering the psycho-social... more Chronic diseases and handicaps are widespread among the population. Considering the psycho-social components of many diseases, medical therapy alone is often not sufficient. Self-help groups meet emotional or other non-medical needs and support the coping process of their members. A widespread assumption is that cooperation between physicians and self-help groups promotes the quality of medical care and quality of life of the afflicted. Evidently, physicians and self-help groups can complement each other. This article presents scientific findings about mutual contacts and cooperation of office-based physicians, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, on the one hand, and self-help groups, on the other. A variety of modes of cooperation are described as well as mutual perceptions, expectations, the perceived quality of cooperation and cooperation-limiting factors.
ObjectiveParticipation is one of the key goals of re/habilitative processes. Since participation ... more ObjectiveParticipation is one of the key goals of re/habilitative processes. Since participation impacts adolescents' social–emotional development and overall health, this goal is particularly important for them. However, to date, no German‐speaking self‐assessment tool for participation among adolescents is available. This study sought therefore to develop such a tool and to test its psychometric properties.MethodsBased on a preliminary qualitative study, we developed 133 items for a pilot version of the Social Participation Inventory (SPI). The SPI assesses the objective dimension (i.e., attendance) and the subjective dimension (i.e., involvement and satisfaction) of participation. To test the psychometric properties of the SPI, we conducted a quantitative cross‐sectional survey and applied the SPI to n = 151 adolescents with and without disabilities and/or chronic diseases.ResultsBy using principal component analyses, we examined the SPI's consistency and verified the the...
Objective Few studies on diabetes self-management considered the patterns and relationships of di... more Objective Few studies on diabetes self-management considered the patterns and relationships of different self-management behaviours (SMB). The aims of the present study are 1) to identify patterns of SMB among persons with diabetes, 2) to identify sociodemographic and disease-related predictors of SMB among persons with diabetes. Research design and methods The present analysis includes data of 1,466 persons (age 18 to 99 years; 44.0% female; 56.0% male) with diabetes (type I and II) from the population-based study German Health Update 2014/2015 (GEDA 2014/2015-EHIS). We used latent class analysis in order to distinguish different patterns of self-management behaviours among persons with diabetes. The assessment of SMB was based on seven self-reported activities by respondents (dietary plan, diabetes-diary, diabetes health pass, self-assessment of blood glucose, self-examination of feet, retinopathy-screenings and assessment of HbA1c). Subsequent multinomial latent variable regressi...
Purpose The construct of social participation is still not clearly defined. To reach a better und... more Purpose The construct of social participation is still not clearly defined. To reach a better understanding of social participation, the perspectives of adolescents must be taken into account. This study explores the adolescent concept of social participation and expands knowledge of the meaning of subjective components of the term. Methods Thirty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents with and without physical disabilities or chronic diseases between the ages of 12 and 17 and analyzed according to grounded theory. Results Adolescents describe social participation as involving reflexive interaction with their social environment. Furthermore, forming a social environment plays an important role. All components of the concept are embedded in a context that influences the ways adolescents participate. Adolescents differentiate between active and passive forms of social participation. The concept of reflexive interaction is situated within an interdependent stru...
AimThis systematic review aims to estimate the relationship between prenatal exposure to opioids ... more AimThis systematic review aims to estimate the relationship between prenatal exposure to opioids and neurodevelopmental outcomes and examines potential sources of heterogeneity between the studies.MethodsWe searched four databases through May 21st, 2022: PubMed, Embase, PsycInfo and the Web of Science according to a specified search strings. Study inclusion criteria include: (1) cohort and case-control peer-reviewed studies published in English; (2) studies comparing neurodevelopmental outcomes among children with prenatal opioid-exposure (prescribed or used non-medically) vs. an unexposed group. Studies investigating fetal alcohol syndrome or a different primary prenatal exposure other than opioids were excluded. Two main performed data extraction using “Covidence” systematic review platform. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale was used for quality assessment of the studies. Studies were synthesized based on the type...
Background: Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a central challenge for health policy and healthcare in a... more Background: Diabetes mellitus type 2 is a central challenge for health policy and healthcare in all advanced countries. For the affected persons, living with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is difficult because the disease and its treatment have a considerable effect on daily life. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges associated with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for those affected and the range, depth and complexities of the subjective perspectives of the patients under the conditions of the German healthcare system. Methods: A cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted using a sample of 19 adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients were recruited successively from two specialized diabetological practices, three general practitioner's offices, and two hospitals. The patients were interviewed once in person using semi-structured interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed based on grounded theory. Results: Persons affected by diabetes mellitus type 2 seem to feel responsible for managing their disease. Two strategies of action could be identified: 1) patients strictly followed the recommendations of the physicians, or 2) they showed that they are knowledgably managing their diabetes mellitus type 2. The action strategy to address the disease seemed to be influenced by patients' confidence in themselves, the effectiveness of the interventions, or the patients' locus of control. Minor differences in educational status could be discovered, and patients who were less educated tended to follow the recommendations of the physicians very strictly and seemed to place more emphasis on being compliant, which goes hand in hand with a life with prohibitions and restrictions. In contrast, being perceived as competent patients who make their own rules to manage the disease in daily life appeared to be more important for people with higher education levels. Patient education and self-management programmes for diabetes mellitus type 2 should take different types of learners into account. Giving less-educated patients specific recommendations for successful diabetes selfmanagement is particularly important. Trial registration: German clinical trial register (DRKS-ID: DRKS00007847).
Strong socioeconomic inequalities exist in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. The current re... more Strong socioeconomic inequalities exist in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. The current review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and access to treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD). We examined quantitative studies analyzing the relationship between SES and access to CHD treatment that were published between 1996 and 2015. Our data sources included Medline and Web of Science. Our search yielded a total of 2066 records, 57 of which met our inclusion criteria. Low SES was found to be associated with low access to coronary procedures and secondary prevention. Access to coronary procedures, especially coronary angiography, was mainly related to SES to the disadvantage of patients with low SES. However, access to drug treatment and cardiac rehabilitation was only associated with SES in about half of the studies. The association between SES and access to treatment for CHD was stronger when SES was measured based on individual-level compared to area level, and stronger for individuals living in countries without universal health coverage. Socioeconomic inequalities exist in access to CHD treatment, and universal health coverage shows only a minor effect on this relationship. Inequalities diminish along the treatment pathway for CHD from diagnostic procedures to secondary prevention. We therefore conclude that CHD might be underdiagnosed in patients with low SES. Our results indicate that there is an urgent need to improve access to CHD treatment, especially by increasing the supply of diagnostic angiographies, to reduce inequalities across different healthcare systems.
Several studies have identified that socioeconomic inequalities in coronary artery disease (CAD) ... more Several studies have identified that socioeconomic inequalities in coronary artery disease (CAD) morbidity and mortality lead to a disadvantage in patients with low socioeconomic status (SES). International studies have shown that socioeconomic inequalities also exist in terms of access, utilisation and quality of cardiac care. The aim of this qualitative study is to provide information on the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on the pathway of care for CAD, and to establish which factors lead to socioeconomic inequality of care to form and expand existing scientific theories. A longitudinal qualitative study with 48 patients with CAD, aged 60-80 years, is being conducted. Patients have been recruited consecutively at the University Hospital in Halle/Saale, Germany, and will be followed for a period of 6 months. Patients are interviewed two times face-to-face using semistructured interviews. Data are transcribed and analysed based on grounded theory. Only participants who have be...
Chronic diseases and handicaps are widespread among the population. Considering the psycho-social... more Chronic diseases and handicaps are widespread among the population. Considering the psycho-social components of many diseases, medical therapy alone is often not sufficient. Self-help groups meet emotional or other non-medical needs and support the coping process of their members. A widespread assumption is that cooperation between physicians and self-help groups promotes the quality of medical care and quality of life of the afflicted. Evidently, physicians and self-help groups can complement each other. This article presents scientific findings about mutual contacts and cooperation of office-based physicians, hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, on the one hand, and self-help groups, on the other. A variety of modes of cooperation are described as well as mutual perceptions, expectations, the perceived quality of cooperation and cooperation-limiting factors.
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Papers by Astrid Fink