Trajectories of Rehabilitation across Complex Environments (TRaCE): design and baseline characteristics for a prospective cohort study on spinal cord injury and acquired brain injury.

PURPOSE: Trajectories of Rehabilitation across Complex Environments (TRaCE), a consented prospective cohort study, addresses a critical need to better understand access to the healthcare system after acute treatment and specialist inpatient rehabilitation for acquired disability. It is expected that this study will produce new knowledge on access to healthcare through the linkage of administrative, survey, and spatial datasets on the one cohort. This paper outlines the study design and baseline characteristics of the cohort. METHODS: The TRaCE cohort is comprised of 165 inpatients who are currently being followed up for 12 months after discharge from specialist rehabilitation for acquired brain injury (ABI) and spinal cord injury (SCI). This project combines a data linkage framework on health service use with a prospective survey on psychosocial wellbeing, geographical information systems to examine spatial accessibility to services, and qualitative interviews with a sub-cohort on experiences of service access. CONCLUSION: Ultimately, TRaCE will have strong translational impact on strategies for more targeted interventions to improve the healthcare system and support individuals with acquired disabilities in the long-term.

Self-assessed health status and neighborhood context.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the relationship between the characteristics of neighborhoods and the health and well-being of residents. The focus on neighborhood as a health determinant is based on the hypothesis that residing in a disadvantaged neighborhood can negatively influence health outcomes beyond the effect of individual characteristics. In this article, we examine three possible ways of measuring neighborhood socio-economic status, and how they each impact on self-reported health status beyond the effect contributed by individual-level factors. Using individual-level data from the Household Income and Labor Dynamics Australia survey combined with neighborhood-level (suburb) data, we tested the proposition that how one measures neighborhood socio-economic characteristics may provide an important new insight into understanding the links between individual-level outcomes and neighborhood-level characteristics. The findings from the analysis illustrate that although individual-level factors may be important to understanding health outcomes, how one accounts for neighborhood-level socio-economic status may be equally important. The findings suggest that in developing place-based health programs, policy makers need to account for the complex interactions between individual drivers and the potential complexities of accounting for neighborhood socio-economic status.

Past, Present, and Future of eHealth and mHealth Research to Improve Physical Activity and Dietary Behaviors.

Because physical inactivity and unhealthy diets are highly prevalent, there is a need for cost-effective interventions that can reach large populations. Electronic health (eHealth) and mobile health (mHealth) solutions have shown promising outcomes and have expanded rapidly in the past decade. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the state of the evidence for the use of eHealth and mHealth in improving physical activity and nutrition behaviors in general and special populations. The role of theory in eHealth and mHealth interventions is addressed, as are methodological issues. Key recommendations for future research in the field of eHealth and mHealth are provided.

The critical role of community-based micro-grants for disability aids and equipment: results from a needs analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of philanthropic micro-grants (maximum of $10,000) in the provision of aids and equipment for adults (aged 18-65 years of age) with complex disabilities and examine key trends in aids and equipment requests. METHOD: This study examined, through quantitative and qualitative analysis, aids and equipment requests (n = 371 individual applications as represented by 136 service organisations in three Australian states) received by a not-for-profit (NFP) organisation across five consecutive years of an innovative micro-grants scheme. RESULTS: Findings highlight that living situation (living with family or living independently) significantly influences the nature of requests for respite, aids, equipment and home modifications. Specifically, people with complex disabilities living with their families require greater combined service provision (higher equipment need, respite support, home modifications) than those living independently (equipment need only). Type of disability did not influence request type. Qualitative data further indicated the "last resort" nature of respite requests, particularly for younger applicants (under 45 years of age) indicating critical unmet needs in the community. CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate the vital role of NFP organisations and philanthropic funds in supporting daily lifestyle aids and equipment (including respite) that might otherwise not be funded for people with complex disabilities. Although preliminary in its scope and prior to implementation of a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia, findings suggest both opportunity and risk to the uptake of community-based micro-grant funding: opportunity for users through the provision of essential aids and lifestyle supports, and risk through over-subscription and devolving of responsibility for critical support resources from public sector. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: The aids and equipment needs of adults under the age of 65 appear to have been underestimated, poorly defined and under-serviced. Service users need more assistance for their carers (i.e. equipment to facilitate safe lifting, urgent breaks from care routines) as well as aids, equipment and modifications to help them to live a more normal life (e.g. going to the beach). Living situation (i.e. independently or with family) significantly influences the nature and extent of aids and equipment requested. Supporting adults up to the age of 65 to live more independently would positively influence carers and family, while at the same time providing opportunities for more targeted personal care supports. Philanthropic and not-for-profit schemes are helping to address these needs through micro-grant schemes for purchases under $10 000, but sustainability is questioned. The introduction of Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) presents an opportunity to consider the lifestyle needs of service users and carers, and determine who is best placed to address them.

Variability in Use of Health Services and Its Association with Self-Management Skills: A Population-Based Exploratory Analysis.

Self-management skills are helpful in making appropriate health-related decisions; however, improvements in self-management skills do not always translate into changes in health services utilization. Therefore, to assess associations between self-management skills and health services use, a randomly selected sample of 984 residents was drawn from South East Queensland, Australia. This cross-sectional study collected self-reported data on respondents' use of health services, health-related behaviors, demographics, and 3 self-management skills: self-monitoring, health services navigation, and social mobilization. The results indicate that the ability to navigate the health system was associated with greater use of health services while the ability to mobilize one's social supports was associated with reduced use of allied health services. Being able to navigate the health system appeared to be driven by necessity, in that those with higher navigation skills were unemployed, financially stressed, or had a chronic condition. This pattern of results confirms the socioeconomic gradient that exists in health.

The impact of culturally responsive self-management interventions on health outcomes for minority populations: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The health of people from Indigenous and ethnic minorities is poorer than the remainder of the population. Frequently, Westernized health systems respond by introducing self-management interventions to improve chronic illness health outcomes. The aim of this study was to answer the research question: "Can self-management programs that have been adapted or modified still be effective for ethnic minority and Indigenous populations?" METHODS: A systematic review across four databases was conducted. RESULTS: Twenty-three publications met the inclusion criteria. As the studies were heterogeneous, meta-analysis was not possible. Overall, interventions resulted in more positive health outcomes than usual care, but findings were inconsistent. DISCUSSION: We argue that rather than focusing on individual skills, knowledge, self-efficacy, and attitudes toward self-management, it may be more important to explore the structures and processes that underpin the sharing of information and skills within clinical or education encounters. Given that self-management is a Western cultural construct, creating empathic and responsive systems might be more effective for improving health of Indigenous and ethnic minority groups rather than relying predominantly on individual skill development.

Randomized controlled trial of a computer-tailored multiple health behaviour intervention in general practice: 12-month follow-up results.

BACKGROUND: Effective strategies to address risk factors of non-communicable diseases are required to curtail the expanding costs of health care. This trial tested the effectiveness over one year of a minimal intervention targeting multiple health behaviours (diet, physical activity, alcohol and smoking) in a general practice setting, through the provision of personalised, computer-tailored feedback. METHODS: Patients who had attended a general practice in the previous 6 months were recruited from 21 general practitioners in Brisbane, Australia. Baseline data were collected using self-reports on adherence to ten health behaviours and summarised into a health score from 0 to 10. This randomised controlled trial used a 2×2 factorial design, with one arm randomising subjects to the intervention or control group. The other arm was either feedback at baseline (single contact) or an additional assessment with feedback at 3 months (dual contact). As such, 4 study groups created were, to which participants were randomised blindly: A. Intervention with single contact; B. Intervention with dual contact; C. Control with single contact and D. Control with dual contact. All participants were assessed again at 12 months. RESULTS: Of the 4676 participants randomised, 3065 completed questionnaires at 12 months. Both single and dual contact groups improved their 10 item health scores (+0.31 and +0.49 respectively) relative to control group outcomes (+0.02; p<0.01). Improvement in adherence to guidelines for fish intake, type of milk consumed, vegetable and fruit intake, and alcohol intake were observed in single and dual contact intervention groups (p<0.01). Both intervention groups showed greater improvement than controls for individual health behaviours, apart from red meat intake, smoking behaviour, physical activity and body weight. Interestingly, there was an improvement in reported non-smoking rates in both intervention and control groups (3% single contact; 4.5% dual contact). CONCLUSIONS: Small but meaningful long-term changes in health behaviours can be achieved with a low-intensity intervention, which may reduce health care costs if implemented on a large scale. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanism by which maintenance of behaviour change can be achieved. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12611001213932.

Improving diet, physical activity and other lifestyle behaviours using computer-tailored advice in general practice: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The adoption and maintenance of healthy behaviours is essential in the primary prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a minimal intervention on multiple lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity, smoking and alcohol, delivered through general practice, using computer-tailored feedback. METHODS: Adult patients visiting 21 general practitioners in Brisbane, Australia, were surveyed about ten health behaviours that are risk factors for chronic, non-communicable diseases. Those who completed the self-administered baseline questionnaire entered a randomised controlled trial, with the intervention group receiving computer-tailored printed advice, targeting those health behaviours for which respondents were not meeting current recommendations. The primary outcome was change in summary lifestyle score (Prudence Score) and individual health behaviours at three months. A repeated measures analysis compared change in these outcomes in intervention and control groups after adjusting for age and education. RESULTS: 2306 patients were randomised into the trial. 1711 (76%) returned the follow-up questionnaire at 3 months. The Prudence Score (10 items) in the intervention group at baseline was 5.88, improving to 6.25 at 3 months (improvement = 0.37), compared with 5.84 to 5.96 (improvement = 0.12) in the control group (F = 13.3, p = 0.01). The intervention group showed improvement in meeting recommendations for all individual health behaviours compared with the control group. However, these differences were significant only for fish intake (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.11-1.68), salt intake (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.38), and type of spread used (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.06-1.51). CONCLUSION: A minimal intervention using computer-tailored feedback to address multiple lifestyle behaviours can facilitate change and improve unhealthy behaviours. Although individual behaviour changes were modest, when implemented on a large scale through general practice, this intervention appears to be an effective and practical tool for population-wide primary prevention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12611001213932.

Association between melanoma thickness, clinical skin examination and socioeconomic status: results of a large population-based study.

Survival from melanoma is inversely related to tumour thickness and is less favorable for those in lower socioeconomic (SES) strata. Reasons for this are unclear but may relate to a lower prevalence of skin screening. Our aim was to examine the association between melanoma thickness, individual-level SES and clinical skin examination (CSE) using a population-based case-control study. Cases were Queensland (Australia) residents aged 20-75 years with a histologically confirmed first primary invasive cutaneous melanoma diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2003. Telephone interviews were completed by 3,762 cases (77.7%) and 3,824 (50.4%) controls. Thickness was dichotomized to thin (≤2 mm) and thick (>2 mm). Compared with controls, the risk of thick melanoma was significantly increased among men [relative risk ratio (RRR) = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.22-2.00], older participants (RRR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.10-2.82), those educated to primary level (RRR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.08-2.66), not married/living as married (RRR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.15-1.88), retired (RRR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.01-1.94) and not having a CSE in past 3 years (RRR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.12-1.86). There was a significant trend to increasing prevalence of CSE with higher education (p < 0.01) and the benefit of CSE in reducing the risk of thick melanoma was most pronounced among that subgroup. There were no significant associations between cases with thin melanoma and controls. Melanoma thickness at presentation is significantly associated with educational level, other measures of SES and absence of CSE. Public health education efforts should focus on identifying new avenues that specifically target those subgroups of the population who are at increased risk of being diagnosed with thick melanoma.