Tools for a systematic appraisal of integrated community-based approaches to prevent childhood obesity.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation and monitoring methods are often unable to identify crucial elements of success or failure of integrated community-wide approaches aiming to tackle childhood overweight and obesity, yet difficult to determine in complex programmes. Therefore, we aimed to systematically appraise strengths and weaknesses of such programmes and to assess the usefulness of the appraisal tools used. METHODS: To identify strengths and weaknesses of the integrated community-based approaches two tools were used: the Good Practice Appraisal tool for obesity prevention programmes, projects, initiatives and intervention (GPAT), a self-administered questionnaire developed by the WHO; and the OPEN tool, a structured list of questions based on the EPODE theory, to assist face-to-face interviews with the principle programme coordinators. The strengths and weaknesses of these tools were assessed with regard to practicalities, quality of acquired data and the appraisal process, criteria and scoring. RESULTS: Several strengths and weaknesses were identified in all the assessed integrated community-based approaches, different for each of them. The GPAT provided information mostly on intervention elements whereas through the OPEN tool information on both the programme and intervention levels were acquired. CONCLUSION: Large variability between integrated community-wide approaches preventing childhood obesity in the European region was identified and therefore each of them has different needs. Both tools used in combination seem to facilitate comprehensive assessment of integrated community-wide approaches in a systematic manner, which is rarely conducted. Nonetheless, the tools should be improved in line to their limitations as recommended in this manuscript.

A local consensus process making use of focus groups to enhance the implementation of a national integrated health care standard on obesity care.

BACKGROUND: Recent guidelines on obesity management promote integrated care. There is little knowledge about local opportunities and barriers, faced by health care professionals and patients, that affect implementation of an integrated national health care standard in a local setting. Our aim is to understand experiences and expectations of health care professionals and patients as part of the local implementation process. METHODS: Eight focus groups and two interviews have been conducted among 24 patients (60+) and 29 professionals from seven different care disciplines. RESULTS: Both patients and professionals have identified serious barriers to implement the national standard: older adults do not feel taken seriously and experience lacking support from professionals. Professionals give contradictory advice and recommendations do not match needs of older adults. Professionals actually feel reluctant to discuss weight-related topics due to several reasons: they do not consider obesity being a chronic disease, lack of qualifications to support self-management and perceived lack of awareness and motivation among patients. CONCLUSION: Focus groups have proven their value to ascertain the opportunities and barriers older adults and professionals foresee while improving obesity care in order to meet the standards as required in a national guideline. Our research provides an emerging picture of health care professionals and patients having contradictory views and expectations about 'the others' role and their notions on the capability to intervene on patient's weight problems. Without this emerging picture, we would have missed important information on barriers to overcome. The likelihood of successful implementation would then have been small.

Response to influenza virus vaccination during chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients receiving chemotherapy are at increased risk for influenza virus infection. Little is known about the preferred moment of vaccination during chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Breast cancer patients received influenza vaccination during FEC (5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide)-containing chemotherapy regimens. Patients were randomised for early (day 4) or late (day 16) vaccination during the chemotherapy cycle. Influenza virus-specific antibody titres were determined before and 3 weeks after vaccination by haemagglutination inhibition. RESULTS: We included 38 breast cancer patients (20 in the early and 18 in the late group) and 21 healthy controls. The overall patient group had significant lower responses to the vaccine compared with healthy controls. Patients vaccinated at day 4 tended to have higher antibody titres as compared with patients vaccinated at day 16, although the difference in post-vaccination titres is not statistically significant. Geometric mean titres post-vaccination for day 4 versus day 16 were 63.7 versus 29.5 (H3N2), 28.2 versus 19.6 (H1N1) and 29.8 versus 16.0 (B/Brisbane), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients on chemotherapy have significantly lower responses to influenza virus vaccination compared with healthy controls. Vaccination early during the chemotherapy cycle induces better responses than does vaccination at day 16 of the cycle. Follow-up studies are needed to confirm this effect.