Exploring the use of body worn cameras in acute mental health wards: a mixed-method evaluation of a pilot intervention.

BACKGROUND: Body worn cameras (BWC) are mobile audio and video capture devices that can be secured to clothing allowing the wearer to record some of what they see and hear. This technology is being introduced in a range of healthcare settings as part of larger violence reduction strategies aimed at reducing incidents of aggression and violence on inpatient wards, however limited evidence exists to understand if this technology achieves such goals. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of BWCs on two inpatient mental health wards, including the impact on incidents, the acceptability to staff and patients, the sustainability of the resource use and ability to manage the use of BWCs on these wards. METHODS: The study used a mixed-methods design comparing quantitative measures including ward activity and routinely collected incident data at three time-points before during and after the pilot implementation of BWCs on one acute ward and one psychiatric intensive care unit, alongside pre and post pilot qualitative interviews with patients and staff, analysed using a framework based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. RESULTS: Results showed no clear relationship between the use of BWCs and rates or severity of incidents on either ward, with limited impact of using BWCs on levels of incidents. Qualitative findings noted mixed perceptions about the use of BWCs and highlighted the complexity of implementing such technology as a violence reduction method within a busy healthcare setting Furthermore, the qualitative data collected during this pilot period highlighted the potential systemic and contextual factors such as low staffing that may impact on the incident data presented. CONCLUSION: This study sheds light on the complexities of using such BWCs as a tool for 'maximising safety' on mental health settings. The findings suggest that BWCs have a limited impact on levels of incidents on wards, something that is likely to be largely influenced by the process of implementation as well as a range of contextual factors. As a result, it is likely that while BWCs may see successes in one hospital site this is not guaranteed for another site as such factors will have a considerable impact on efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility.

Investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on recovery colleges: multi-site qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health problems increased as access to mental health services reduced. Recovery colleges are recovery-focused adult education initiatives delivered by people with professional and lived mental health expertise. Designed to be collaborative and inclusive, they were uniquely positioned to support people experiencing mental health problems during the pandemic. There is limited research exploring the lasting impacts of the pandemic on recovery college operation and delivery to students. AIMS: To ascertain how the COVID-19 pandemic changed recovery college operation in England. METHOD: We coproduced a qualitative interview study of recovery college managers across the UK. Academics and co-researchers with lived mental health experience collaborated on conducting interviews and analysing data, using a collaborative thematic framework analysis. RESULTS: Thirty-one managers participated. Five themes were identified: complex organisational relationships, changed ways of working, navigating the rapid transition to digital delivery, responding to isolation and changes to accessibility. Two key pandemic-related changes to recovery college operation were highlighted: their use as accessible services that relieve pressure on mental health services through hybrid face-to-face and digital course delivery, and the development of digitally delivered courses for individuals with mental health needs. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic either led to or accelerated developments in recovery college operation, leading to a positioning of recovery colleges as a preventative service with wider accessibility to people with mental health problems, people under the care of forensic mental health services and mental healthcare staff. These benefits are strengthened by relationships with partner organisations and autonomy from statutory healthcare infrastructures.

Whole systems approaches to diet and healthy weight: A scoping review of reviews.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a global epidemic affecting all age groups, populations, and income levels across continents, though is known to disproportionately affect socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. The causes of obesity are complex, informed by diet and weight practices, but shaped by social, commercial, and environmental factors and government policy. Consequently, a Whole System Approach (WSA)-which considers the many causes of obesity and shifts the focus away from individuals as points of intervention and puts an emphasis on understanding and improving the system in which people live-is required. This scoping review of reviews aims to: determine how WSAs to diet and healthy weight have been implemented and evaluated nationally and internationally; to determine what models or theories have been used to implement WSAs; describe how WSAs have been evaluated; determine if WSAs are effective; and to identify the contribution of the public and/or service users in the development of WSAs. METHOD: Systematic searches were carried out using CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO (ProQuest), the Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE. Included review papers were those that focused on the application of a whole system approach to diet and/or healthy weight, and/or reported the theory/model used to implement or simulate this approach. Databases were searched from 1995 to March 2022 using a combination of text and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH terms). In addition, reference sections of identified articles were examined for additional relevant articles. Covidence software was used to screen titles and abstracts from the electronic databases and resolve conflicts. RESULTS: A total of 20,308 articles were initially retrieved; after duplicate removal 7,690 unique title and abstracts were reviewed, and 110 articles were selected for full text review. On completion of full text review, 8 review articles were included for data extraction. These included: one umbrella review, four systematic reviews, a rapid review, and two literature reviews (one of which was on strategic reports written for government and public health policy). Evaluations of WSA were mainly process evaluations although health outcomes were assessed in some studies. Several conceptual frameworks or mathematical modelling approaches have been applied to WSAs for diet, healthy weight, and obesity to inform their planning or delivery, and to understand/map the associated systems. Common mathematical approaches include agent based or System Dynamic Modelling. Underlying both conceptual and mathematical models is an understanding how the elements of the complex systems impact each other to affect diet, healthy weight, and obesity. WSA implementations have reported some success in positively impacting health outcomes including reducing Body Mass Index, reducing sugary food intake, and increasing physical activity. Public and user involvement in WSA was not widely reported. CONCLUSION: The application of WSA to diet and healthy weight shows promise, yet the research is lagging behind their implementation. Further robust evidence for using WSA to address diet and healthy weight are required, including incorporating process and outcome evaluations (perhaps using established approaches such as Systems Dynamic Modelling). Furthermore, the analysis of epidemiological data alongside longitudinal process and outcome evaluation regarding the implementation of a WSA is required.

Assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of inpatient mental health rehabilitation services provided by the NHS and independent sector (ACER): protocol.

BACKGROUND: Mental health rehabilitation services provide specialist treatment to people with particularly severe and complex problems. In 2018, the Care Quality Commission reported that over half the 4,400 mental health inpatient rehabilitation beds in England were provided by the independent sector. They raised concerns that the length of stay and cost of independent sector care was double that of the NHS and that their services tended to be provided much further from people's homes. However, there has been no research comparing the two sectors and we therefore do not know if these concerns are justified. The ACER Study (Assessing the Clinical and cost-Effectiveness of inpatient mental health Rehabilitation services provided by the NHS and independent sector) is a national programme of research in England, funded from 2021 to 2026, that aims to investigate differences in inpatient mental health rehabilitation provided by the NHS and independent sector in terms of: patient characteristics; service quality; patient, carer and staff experiences; clinical and cost effectiveness. METHODS: ACER comprises a:1) detailed survey of NHS and independent sector inpatient mental health rehabilitation services across England; 2) qualitative investigation of patient, family, staff and commissioners' experiences of the two sectors; 3) cohort study comparing clinical outcomes in the two sectors over 18 months; 4) comprehensive national comparison of inpatient service use in the two sectors, using instrumental variable analysis of routinely collected healthcare data over 18 months; 5) health economic evaluation of the relative cost-effectiveness of the two sectors. In Components 3 and 4, our primary outcome is 'successful rehabilitation' defined as a) being discharged from the inpatient rehabilitation unit without readmission and b) inpatient service use over the 18 months. DISCUSSION: The ACER study will deliver the first empirical comparison of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of NHS and independent sector inpatient mental health rehabilitation services. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN17381762 retrospectively registered.

Maternal Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Is Associated With Higher BMI Among Preschool-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Childhood obesity is an ongoing concern in the United States. Higher weight status in early childhood is associated with higher weight status at older ages. The Maternal Obesity Matters (MOMs) Study investigated associations between maternal risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and child BMI z-scores (BMIz) among preschool-aged children. This cross-sectional exploratory study included mothers and their 3- to 5-year-old children in Colorado, United States. Maternal nonfasting blood samples, blood pressure, and maternal and child anthropometrics were collected. Maternal CVD risk was assessed on a scale of 0-5 using five health measures. Multivariate regression tested associations between maternal CVD risk and child BMIz. Each 1-point increase in maternal CVD risk was associated with a 0.18 increase in child BMIz, controlling for maternal employment. Intervening upon maternal health may be an important strategy for addressing childhood obesity.

"The Kale Is Green" and Other Things Caregivers Say when Feeding Infants and Toddlers Are Associated with Child Rate of Acceptance.

BACKGROUND: Responsive feeding is important for helping children to develop healthy eating behaviors. Verbal feeding interactions between caregivers and children may reflect caregiver's responsiveness and contribute to children's developing lexical networks related to food and eating. OBJECTIVES: This project aimed to: 1) characterize what caregivers say to infants and toddlers during a single feeding session and 2) test the associations between caregiver's verbal prompts and food acceptance by children. METHODS: Filmed interactions of caregivers and their infants (N = 46 infants aged 6-11 mo) and toddlers (N = 60 toddlers aged 12-24 mo) were coded and analyzed to explore the following: 1) what caregivers said during a single feeding session and 2) whether caregiver's verbalizations were associated with child food acceptance. Caregiver verbal prompts were coded during each food offer and summed across the feeding session; prompts were categorized as supportive, engaging, and unsupportive. Outcomes included accepted tastes, rejected tastes, and rate of acceptance. Mann-Whitney's U tests and Spearman's correlations tested bivariate associations. Multilevel ordered logistic regression tested associations between verbal prompt categories and the rate of acceptance across offers. RESULTS: Verbal prompts were largely supportive (41%) and engaging (46%), and caregivers of toddlers used significantly more verbal prompts than caregivers of infants (mean ± SD: 34.5 ± 16.9 compared with 25.2 ± 11.6; P = 0.006). Among toddlers, more engaging and unsupportive prompts were associated with a lower rate of acceptance (ρ = -0.30, P = 0.02; ρ = -0.37, P = 0.004). For all children, multilevel analyses revealed that more unsupportive verbal prompts were associated with a lower rate of acceptance (b = -1.52; SE = 0.62; P = 0.01) and individual caregiver use of more engaging and unsupportive prompts than usual was associated with a lower rate of acceptance (b = -0.33; SE = 0.08; P < 0.001: b = -0.58; SE = 0.11; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that caregivers may strive for a supportive and engaging emotional setting during feeding, although verbalization category may change as children exhibit more rejection. Furthermore, what caregivers say may change as children develop more advanced language capabilities.

Infant eating behaviors and Milk feeding independently predict infant size.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates the association of infant eating behaviors with infant size, and if those associations are mediated by infant feeding. METHODS: Mothers with infants less than 12 months of age and living in Central North Carolina were enrolled (N = 61). Data were collected at baseline and at 3- and 6-month follow up visits. Modified constructs from the Baby Eating Behavior Questionnaire (BEBQ) and Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) measured parents' perceptions of infant eating behaviors related to food approach (enjoyment of food, and food responsiveness) and food avoidance (food fussiness, satiety responsiveness, and slowness in eating). Linear mixed effects models tested longitudinal associations among infant eating behavior ratings, infant feeding (breastfeeding intensity, timing of introduction of complementary foods), and anthropometry (weight, length, and weight-for-length z-scores). Path analyses were stratified by age and tested for direct and indirect effects of mothers' ratings of infant eating behaviors and infant feeding on infant anthropometry. RESULTS: Linear mixed models showed that general appetite was associated with higher weight-for-age, and satiety responsiveness was associated with lower length-for-age. Path analyses showed that infant milk feeding did not mediate associations. Breastfeeding intensity was independently associated with lower weight- and length-for-age z-scores. Age at complementary feeding initiation was associated with lower length-for-age z-scores. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between parental perceptions of general appetite, satiety responsiveness, and infant weight and length are observed early in life. These findings suggest that parental perceptions of infant eating behaviors may contribute to the early developmental programming of later health outcomes.

Validation of a Home Food Environment Instrument Assessing Household Food Patterning and Quality.

The home food environment (HFE) is associated with dietary intake; yet measuring HFE quality often requires burdensome collection of detailed inventories. This project evaluated the capacity of the Home Inventory to Describe Eating and Activity, version 2 (Home-IDEA2) to capture HFE quality by measuring the presence or absence of household foods. Validity was tested using a modified application of the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI). Comparative data were drawn from the National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) Food-at-Home Public Use File. HEI scores were calculated for 4202 households in FoodAPS using Home-IDEA2 inventories and full reported inventories. Paired t-tests compared: (1) estimated vs. total edible grams (EEG; TEG); (2) limited vs. all reported foods; and (3) EEG + limited foods vs. TEG + all reported foods. Sensitivity and range of scores were compared. Mean HEI scores for Home-IDEA2 were higher (p < 0.003) than FoodAPS: (1) 51.6 ± 16.1 vs. 49.6 ± 18.1 (food amounts); (2) 53.5 ± 15.8 vs. 49.8 ± 15.4 (food items); (3) 55.5 ± 15.7 vs. 49.8 ± 15.4 (full instrument); differences were small. Scores demonstrated comparable sensitivity and range. The study found that the Home-IDEA2 can capture HFE quality adequately with low data collection burden.

The influence of prestroke proficiency on poststroke lexical-semantic performance in bilingual aphasia.

BACKGROUND: Bilingual persons with aphasia (BWA) may present different degrees and patterns of impairment in their two languages. Previous research suggests that prestroke proficiency may be amongst the factors determining poststroke language impairment in BWA, however this relationship is not well understood. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prestroke proficiency and poststroke lexical-semantic performance in BWA and to identify common patterns of language impairment in this population. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Twenty-seven Spanish-English BWA (14 female, age range = 29-88 years) were administered a language use questionnaire (LUQ) to measure several aspects of their bilingual language history that contribute to their prestroke proficiency in both languages. They also underwent standardized language assessments tapping lexical-semantic performance in each language. A principal component analysis was first conducted on the LUQ metrics to determine the factors that contributed to prestroke proficiency in each language. Next, regression analyses allowed assessing the relationships between prestroke proficiency and poststroke lexical-semantic performance in both languages. Differences in proficiency and language performance across languages were contrasted prior and after stroke to identify profiles of impairment. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Prestroke proficiency in the native language was determined by daily use, educational history, lifetime exposure, and language ability rating. Prestroke proficiency in the second language was determined by age of acquisition, daily use, educational history, lifetime exposure, lifetime confidence, family proficiency, and language ability rating. Prestroke proficiency significantly predicted poststroke lexical-semantic performance in BWA in both languages. Twenty-two participants presented parallel impairment while only three presented differential impairment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that prestroke language proficiency is a key predictor of poststroke language impairment in BWA. These findings have important implications for the assessment and diagnosis of aphasia in bilingual individuals.

Cultivating Research Skills During Clinical Training to Promote Pediatric-Scientist Development.

Physician-scientists represent a critical component of the biomedical and health research workforce. However, the proportion of physicians who spend a significant amount of effort on scientific research has declined over the past 40 years. This trend has been particularly noticeable in pediatrics despite recent scientific work revealing that early life influences, exposures, and health status play a significant role in lifelong health and disease. To address this problem, the Duke University Department of Pediatrics developed the Duke Pediatric Research Scholars Program for Physician-Scientist Development (DPRS). The DPRS is focused on research training during pediatric residency and fellowship. We aim to provide sufficient research exposure and support to help scholars develop a research niche and scholarly products as well as identify the career pathways that will enable them to achieve their research goals. Herein, we describe the DPRS's organizational structure, core components, recruitment strategies, and initial results, and we discuss implementation challenges and solutions. Additionally, we detail the program's integration with the department's residency and fellowship training programs (with particular reference to the challenges of integrating research into small- to medium-sized residency programs) and describe the development and integration of related initiatives across Duke University School of Medicine. The program served as the basis for 2 successful National Institutes of Health Stimulating Access to Research in Residency (R38) applications, and we hope it will serve as a model to integrate formalized research training for residents and fellows who wish to pursue research careers in academic medicine.

The Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) data linkage service user and carer advisory group: creating and sustaining a successful patient and public involvement group to guide research in a complex area.

BACKGROUND: Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in health and social care research has been shown to improve the quality and relevance of research. PPI in data linkage research is important in ensuring the legitimacy of future health informatics initiatives, but remains sparse and under-developed. This article describes the setting up and evaluation of a service user and carer advisory group with the aim of providing feedback and advice to researchers developing or making use of database linkages in the field of mental health. AIM: The aim of this study is to describe the creation and formative evaluation of the service user and carer advisory group after a trial period of 12 months. METHOD: Six individuals were recruited to the group all of whom had personal experience of mental illness. A formative evaluation was conducted after a trial period of 12 months. RESULTS: Evaluation revealed that the group succeeded in promoting dialogue between service users/carers and researchers. Factors that contributed to the success of the group's first year included the opportunity it provided for researchers to involve service users and carers in their projects, the training provided to group members, and the openness of researchers to receiving feedback from the group. CONCLUSION: The group encourages the incorporation of PPI in data linkage research which helps to ensure the legitimacy of data linkage practices and governance systems whilst also improving the quality and relevance of the research being conducted using linked data.

Contributions of nonmaternal caregivers to infant feeding in a low-income African-American sample.

Infant feeding is a well-established topic of interest in obesity research, yet few studies have focused on contributions of nonmaternal caregivers (NMCs)-such as fathers, grandparents, and daycare providers-to infant feeding. Data from the Infant Care, Feeding and Risk of Obesity Project in North Carolina were used to investigate (a) which factors were associated with NMC feeding styles and (b) how NMCs' and mothers' feeding styles compared. Multivariate regression models utilizing random effects were used to analyse data from 108 NMCs who were identified by mothers as being heavily involved in infant feeding. Feeding styles were measured using the Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire. Several individual characteristics were important. Higher laissez faire-attention scores were reported by men and NMCs who lived in the same household as infant. Men reported higher indulgent-coax and indulgent-pamper scores. Perceptions of fussier infants, older infant age, and higher infant weight-for-length z-scores were also important. Mothers' and NMCs' feeding styles differed. Compared with mothers, grandparents reported lower laissez faire and indulgent-permissive scores. Fathers reported higher pressure-soothe and indulgent scores. Daycare providers reported higher restriction-diet quality and responsive satiety. Feeding styles were also predicted to change over time for all caregiver types. These findings highlight the importance of helping all caregivers develop skills that will promote optimal infant feeding outcomes. Given the paucity of research in this area, it is important to improve our understanding of what influences caregivers' feeding styles, especially among diverse populations, and how exposure to different feeding styles may shape children's obesity risk.

A state-led framework for value-based purchasing to incent integration.

Addressing healthcare costs requires incenting providers to address both physical and behavioral health conditions, as well as social determinants of health. The most complex, and expensive, patients are often those with comorbid mental illness and/or addiction, who are at higher risk for exposure to violence, food insecurity, unstable housing and other adversities that negatively affect health. Yet today's value-based payment models and associated quality measures do not incent providers to address patients' behavioral and social needs. We propose a state-led framework for moving towards fully integrated accountability through improved value-based payment and measurement.

Why involve families in acute mental healthcare? A collaborative conceptual review.

OBJECTIVES: Family involvement is strongly recommended in clinical guidelines but suffers from poor implementation. To explore this topic at a conceptual level, a multidisciplinary review team including academics, clinicians and individuals with lived experience undertook a review to explore the theoretical background of family involvement models in acute mental health treatment and how this relates to their delivery. DESIGN: A conceptual review was undertaken, including a systematic search and narrative synthesis. Included family models were mapped onto the most commonly referenced underlying theories: the diathesis-stress model, systems theories and postmodern theories of mental health. Common components of the models were summarised and compared. Lastly, a thematic analysis was undertaken to explore the role of patients and families in the delivery of the approaches. SETTING: General adult acute mental health treatment. RESULTS: Six distinct family involvement models were identified: Calgary Family Assessment and Intervention Models, ERIC (Equipe Rapide d'Intervention de Crise), Family Psychoeducation Models, Family Systems Approach, Open Dialogue and the Somerset Model. Findings indicated that despite wide variation in the theoretical models underlying family involvement models, there were many commonalities in their components, such as a focus on communication, language use and joint decision-making. Thematic analysis of the role of patients and families identified several issues for implementation. This included potential harms that could emerge during delivery of the models, such as imposing linear 'patient-carer' relationships and the risk of perceived coercion. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that future staff training may benefit from discussing the chosen family involvement model within the context of other theories of mental health. This may help to clarify the underlying purpose of family involvement and address the diverse needs and world views of patients, families and professionals in acute settings.

The influence of maternal psychosocial characteristics on infant feeding styles.

Maternal feeding styles in infancy and early childhood are associated with children's later risk for overweight and obesity. Maternal psychosocial factors that influence feeding styles during the complementary feeding period, the time during which infants transition from a milk-based diet to one that includes solid foods and other non-milk products, have received less attention. The present study explores how maternal psychosocial factors-specifically self-esteem, parenting self-efficacy, parenting satisfaction, and depression symptoms-influence mothers' infant feeding styles at nine months of age, a time during which solid foods eating habits are being established. Participants included 160 low-income, African-American mother-infant pairs in central North Carolina who were enrolled in the Infant Care and Risk of Obesity Study. Regression models tested for associations between maternal psychosocial characteristics and pressuring and restrictive feeding styles. Models were first adjusted for maternal age, education, marital status and obesity status. To account for infant characteristics, models were then adjusted for infant weight-for-length, distress to limitations and activity level scores. Maternal self-esteem was negatively associated with pressuring to soothe. Maternal parenting self-efficacy was positively associated with restriction-diet quality. Maternal parenting satisfaction and depression symptoms were not associated with feeding styles in the final models. Focusing on strengthening maternal self-esteem and parenting self-efficacy may help to prevent the development of less desirable infant feeding styles.

Treatment of the elderly when cure is the goal: the influence of age on treatment selection and efficacy for stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: : Treatment of elderly patients with stage III NSCLC is controversial. Limited data exist, as the elderly are underrepresented in clinical trials. METHODS: : After ethics approval, we performed a retrospective review of 1372 stage III NSCLC patients treated at our institution during the period 1997-2007. Patients with malignant effusions and microscopic N2 discovered only postoperatively were excluded, leaving 740 who were classified by treatment plan: palliative (palliative chemotherapy or radiation [≤40 Gy]); nonsurgical multimodality (>40 Gy radiation ± chemotherapy); or surgical multimodality (chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery). Demographics, treatment, toxicity, and survival were analyzed by age, 0 to 65 years, n = 384; 66 to 75 years, n = 256; 76+ years, n = 100, and compared using log-rank, univariate, and multivariate statistical tests. RESULTS: : Patients older than 65 years were more likely to have poor performance status (p < 0.0001), multiple comorbidities (p < 0.0001), and to receive palliative therapy only (p < 0.0001). Older and younger patients treated with curative intent with nonsurgical bimodality therapy or trimodality therapy including surgery had similar rates of grade 3/4 toxicity (0-65 years, 39%; 66-75 years, 43%; 76+ years, 5%; p = 0.18) and toxic death (0-65 years, 4%; 66-75 years, 4%; 76+ years, 0%; p = 0.76). Survival was worse with increasing age (p < 0.0001), likely due to greater use of palliative treatment in the elderly. When survival was analyzed for patients treated with curative intent, there was no difference between age groups for nonsurgical (p = 0.32) or surgical (p = 0.53) therapy. CONCLUSION: : In select fit elderly patients, combined modality therapy is tolerable and is associated with survival similar to that of younger patients.

Facilitating culturally integrated behaviors among allied health students.

This article offers a perspective on why culturally integrated behaviors are important for allied health education and suggestions of methods to facilitate such behaviors. Literature and theory are used to support cultural integration in allied health curricula. Examples of learning experiences from students in cross-cultural environments and reflections on those experiences further elucidate facilitation methods.