BackgroundPhysical activity and healthcare utilization has negative association. However, there appears to be limited knowledge of how this association is affected by self-rated health (SRH) and socio-economic status (SES). Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and healthcare utilization, and investigate how SRH, gender, age and SES affected this association.MethodsA cross-sectional public health survey was conducted in Skåne, Sweden 2012, based on a random sample with 55,000 participants (response rate 51 %; 28,028 individuals included in the study) aged 18–80 years. The data was linked to individual healthcare utilization data and socio-economic data. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to study the association between LTPA and healthcare utilization. Path analysis was used to investigate the possible mediation effect of SRH to the association between LTPA and healthcare utilization.ResultsCompared to sedentary leisure time the odds ratio for health care utilization decreased with increasing level of LPTA; physically active 0.89 (95 % CI: 0.81–0.96), for average exercise 0.74 (0.67–0.81) and for vigorous exercise 0.65 (0.60–0.72). The socio-economic variables attenuated this association to a small degree, but SRH had a strong impact. While the mediation analysis illustrated that the indirect effects were strong (and in the expected order so that higher levels of LTPA were more negatively associated with poor health) and highly significant, the direct effects suggested that higher levels of physical activity were more positively associated with healthcare utilization than lower levels. The indirect effects were substantially stronger than the direct effects.ConclusionsThere was a significant negative association between decreased healthcare utilization and increased LPTA, and the association remained after adjustment for socio-economic variables. The mediation analysis (with SRH as the mediator between LTPA and healthcare utilization) showed that the indirect effects were strong and in the expected order, but the direct effects of LTPA on healthcare utilization was positive so that higher levels of LTPA had higher healthcare utilization. These results suggest that even though higher physical activity in total decreases the healthcare utilization, parts of the association that is not mediated through SRH actually increase healthcare utilization.

Background A significant proportion of the global population is displaced, many being women. Qualitative studies can generate in-depth findings that will contribute to an understanding of their experiences, but there is a need for further synthetization efforts. The aim was to provide a comprehensive perspective about adult women’s experiences of armed conflicts and forced migration, focusing on women in or from countries in the Middle East, Balkans, or Africa. Methods Systematic review of English reports presenting empirical qualitative studies published in scientific journals 1980 or later, utilizing searches performed in September 2021 within three databases combined with manual screening. Of the 3 800 records screened in total, 26 were included. Methodological details and quality were appraised using pre-specified extraction and appraisal tools. The findings within the included reports were analyzed with thematic analysis. Results Most reports utilized interviews, including in total 494 participants, and were appraised as having insignificant methodological limitations. The first theme concerns changed living conditions, involving reduced safety, insufficient access to resources meeting basic needs, forced migration as a last resort, and some positive effects. The second theme concerns the experienced health-related consequences, involving psychological distress, risks during pregnancy and childbirth, exposure to violence and discrimination as a woman, as well as a lack of adequate healthcare services and social support. The third theme concerns the resources and strategies that enhance resilience, involving social support and family life, as well as utilization of internal resources and strategies. Conclusion When experiencing armed conflicts and forced migration, women face significant challenges related to changed living conditions and are exposed to health-related consequences. Consistently, women are targets of severe structural and personal violence, while lacking access to even the most basic healthcare services. Despite facing considerable hardships, these women display extraordinary resilience and endurance by finding strength through social support and internal resources. Synthesized qualitative research illustrates that women value social support, including peer support, which is a promising intervention that needs to be evaluated in future experimental studies.

Thank you for this opportunity to share perspectives from our work within the Physiotherapy and Refugees Education Project, PREP, an Erasmus+ funded project within the KA2 strategic partnership program. Researchers, educators, students, and clinicians within institutions of higher education, health services and humanitarian organisations, have worked together in this project to define competencies that physiotherapists need in working with refugees. Based on this, we have made a course openly available for physiotherapists worldwide. A central aim of the work in PREP has been the creation of a network in which educators, students and clinicians can meet, discuss, and learn from each other. We welcome everyone who shares our interest to join us in this network. In this perspective paper, we want to share our thoughts and opinions on how such a collaboration can be used for building competence. We will discuss topics that are central for physiotherapists working with victims of torture, and finally, we will discuss what we believe are the important next steps within physiotherapy to be able to support this group.