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OBJECTIVE: The school food environment (SFE) is an ideal setting for encouraging healthy dietary behaviour. We aimed to develop an instrument to assess whole-SFE, test the instrument in the school setting and demonstrate its use to make food environment recommendations. DESIGN: SFE literature and UK school food guidance were searched to inform instrument items. The instrument consisted of (i) an observation proforma capturing canteen areas systems, food presentation and monitoring of food intake and (ii) a questionnaire assessing food policies, provision and activities. The instrument was tested in schools and used to develop SFE recommendations. Descriptive analyses enabled narrative discussion. SETTING: Primary schools. PARTICIPANTS: An observation was undertaken at schools in urban and rural geographical regions of Northern Ireland of varying socio-economic status (n 18). School senior management completed the questionnaire with input from school caterers (n 16). RESULTS: The instrument captured desired detail and potential instrument modifications were identified. SFE varied. Differences existed between food policies and how policies were implemented and monitored. At many schools, there was scope to enhance physical eating environments (n 12, 67 %) and food presentation (n 15, 83 %); emphasise healthy eating through food activities (n 7, 78 %) and increase parental engagement in school food (n 9, 56 %). CONCLUSIONS: The developed instrument can measure whole-SFE in primary schools and also enabled identification of recommendations to enhance SFE. Further assessment and adaptation of the instrument are required to enable future use as a research tool or for self-assessment use by schools.
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Serviços de Alimentação , Instituições Acadêmicas , Irlanda do Norte , Inquéritos e Questionários , Política Nutricional , Dieta SaudávelRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Adolescent smoking is associated with significant health and social risks. Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of interventions based on behavior change theories in preventing adolescent smoking uptake. However, evidence from the theory-based perspective of evaluation is limited, especially for how such complex interventions work, and how they work when implemented in different contextual settings. METHOD: A comparative qualitative analysis was conducted to explore various influences on behavior change among participants taking part in two smoking prevention interventions in Northern Ireland and Bogotá. Twenty-seven focus groups were conducted in 12 schools (6 in Northern Ireland and 6 in Bogota, n = 195 pupils participated; aged 11-15 years). The Theoretical Domains Framework guided a content analysis of the data. RESULTS: We found similarities across settings in terms of knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to smoking or vaping behavior change, as well as differences in contextual resources and social influence. Different environmental resources included availability to purchase tobacco products in the neighborhoods and previous information about tobacco risk. Participants in both interventions perceived behavioral change outcomes related to personal skills and intention to not smoke or vape. CONCLUSION: These findings have highlighted how both individual factors and contextual resources influence behavior change for smoking prevention in practice. Local contextual factors and social influences affecting pupils should be taken into account in the implementation and evaluation of health behavior change interventions. In particular, this study supports using social and contextual influence strategies in interventions to reduce the onset of adolescent smoking and vaping.
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BACKGROUND: Social integration with friends has an important role in shaping adolescents' behavior and determining their wellbeing. Friendship features such as companionship, trust, closeness, intimacy, and conflicts all form the concept of friendship quality. The quality of friendships can either enhance or impede mental development during adolescence. Therefore, this systematic review was conducted to understand the association between friendship quality and adolescents' mental wellbeing. METHODS: In November 2020 and later in August 2022, the search for evidence was conducted on five databases (Medline, Embase, ProQuest, Scopus, and PsycINFO). Only peer-reviewed quantitative studies published from January 2000 to August 2022 that investigated friendship quality as their exposure variable in relation to six constructs of subjective wellbeing (mood, loneliness, life satisfaction, happiness, self-esteem, and subjective wellbeing) were included. After screening for eligibility, two reviewers independently extracted the data based on population characteristics, study design, exposure and outcome variables, outcome measures used, and results. Risk of bias assessment was performed utilizing the NIH Quality Assessment Tool. Narrative evidence synthesis was performed based on the constructs of subjective wellbeing. RESULTS: Forty-three articles out of 21,585 records were included in the review. The relationship between friendship quality and depression has been investigated extensively in the literature and negative (beneficial) associations were found in eighteen studies out of twenty-three. Poor peer relationship was associated with loneliness in nine studies out of ten. All seven studies on life satisfaction and quality of peer connection found a positive association. In five studies, better peer relationship was found to be associated with happiness. A positive association between friendship quality and self-esteem was observed in five out of six applicable studies. Friendship quality was found to be positively associated with subjective well-being in all of five included studies. CONCLUSIONS: Although majority of the included studies were cross-sectional in nature, this review demonstrates the paramount value of promoting healthy friendship to adolescents' subjective wellbeing constructs. Interventions that aim to promote subjective wellbeing among adolescents should consider the development and maintenance of healthy friendships. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020219312.
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Amigos , Relações Interpessoais , Humanos , Adolescente , Grupo Associado , Solidão , AfetoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Evidence for the health benefits of urban green space tends to stem from small, short-term quasi-experimental or cross-sectional observational research, whilst evidence from intervention studies is sparse. The development of an urban greenway (9 km running along 3 rivers) in Northern Ireland provided the opportunity to conduct a natural experiment. This study investigated the public health impact of the urban greenway on a range of physical activity, health, wellbeing, social, and perceptions of the environment outcomes. METHODS: A repeated cross-sectional household survey of adult residents (aged ≥16 years) who lived ≤1-mile radius of the greenway (intervention sample) and > 1-mile radius of the greenway (control sample) was conducted pre (2010/2011) and 6-months post implementation (2016/2017). We assessed changes in outcomes pre- and post-intervention follow-up including physical activity behaviour (primary outcome measure: Global Physical Activity Questionnaire), quality of life, mental wellbeing, social capital and perceptions of the built environment. Linear regression was used to calculate the mean difference between post-intervention and baseline measures adjusting for age, season, education, car ownership and deprivation. Multi-level models were fitted using a random intercept at the super output area (smallest geographical unit) to account for clustering within areas. The analyses were stratified by distance from the greenway and deprivation. We assessed change in the social patterning of outcomes over time using an ordered logit to make model-based outcome predictions across strata. RESULTS: The mean ages of intervention samples were 50.3 (SD 18.9) years at baseline (n = 1037) and 51.7 (SD 19.1) years at follow-up (n = 968). Post-intervention, 65% (adjusted OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.35 to 1.00) of residents who lived closest to the greenway (i.e., ≤400 m) and 60% (adjusted OR, 0.64 95% CI 0.41 to 0.99) who lived furthest from the greenway (i.e.,≥1200 m) met the physical activity guidelines - 68% of the intervention sample met the physical activity guidelines before the intervention. Residents in the most deprived quintiles had a similar reduction in physical activity behaviour as residents in less deprived quintiles. Quality of life at follow-up compared to baseline declined and this decline was significantly less than in the control area (adjusted differences in mean EQ5D: -11.0 (95% CI - 14.5 to - 7.4); - 30.5 (95% CI - 37.9 to - 23.2). Significant change in mental wellbeing was not observed despite improvements in some indicators of social capital. Positive perceptions of the local environment in relation to its attractiveness, traffic and safety increased. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings illustrate the major challenge of evaluating complex urban interventions and the difficulty of capturing and measuring the network of potential variables that influence or hinder meaningful outcomes. The results indicate at this stage no intervention effect for improvements in population-level physical activity behaviour or mental wellbeing. However, they show some modest improvements for secondary outcomes including positive perceptions of the environment and social capital constructs. The public health impact of urban greenways may take a longer period of time to be realised and there is a need to improve evaluation methodology that captures the complex systems nature of urban regeneration.
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Exercício Físico , Qualidade de Vida , Ambiente Construído , Estudos Transversais , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Parques RecreativosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that dietary intake of UK children is suboptimal. As schools provide an ideal natural environment for public health interventions, effective and sustainable methods of improving food knowledge and dietary habits in this population must be identified. Project Daire aimed to improve children's health-related quality of life, wellbeing, food knowledge and dietary habits via two multi-component interventions. METHODS: Daire was a randomised-controlled, factorial design trial evaluating two interventions across four arms. Primary schools in Northern Ireland were randomised to one of four 6-month intervention arms: i) 'Nourish', ii) 'Engage', iii) 'Nourish' and 'Engage' and iv) Control (Delayed). 'Nourish' was an intervention aiming to alter the whole-school food environment, provide food-related experiences and exposure to locally produced foods. 'Engage' was an age-appropriate, cross-curricular educational intervention on food, agriculture, nutrition science and related careers. Primary outcomes were emotional and behavioural wellbeing and health-related quality of life. A number of secondary outcomes, including dietary intake, cooking competence and food-related knowledge, were also measured. RESULTS: Fifteen schools from areas of varying socio-economic status participated in the randomised trial. A total of 903 (n = 445 aged 6-7 years and n = 458 aged 10-11 years) primary school pupils took part. Total Difficulties Score improved in all pupils (6-7 and 10-11 year old pupils) who received the 'Nourish' intervention compared with those that did not (adjusted difference in mean = - 0.82; 95% CI -1.46, - 0.17; P < 0.02). No statistically significant difference in Health-Related Quality of Life was observed. The 'Nourish' intervention also produced some changes in school-based dietary behaviour, which were most apparent in the 10-11 year old pupils. The 'Nourish' intervention also produced improvements in understanding of food labels (adjusted difference in mean = 0.15; 95% CI 0.05, 0.25; P < 0.01) and knowledge of vegetables in season (adjusted difference in mean = 0.29; 95% CI 0.01,0.56; P = 0.04) whilst an increased willingness to try new foods and improved perceived cooking competence was also observed. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in childhood emotional and behavioural wellbeing, dietary intake, knowledge about food, cooking skills and willingness to try new foods were associated with the 'Nourish' whole-school food environment intervention. Exploration of the sustainability and long-term effectiveness of such whole-school food interventions should be conducted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: National Institute of Health (NIH) U.S. National Library of Medicine Clinical Trials.gov (ID: NCT04277312 ).
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Comportamento Infantil , Saúde da Criança , Dieta , Promoção da Saúde/métodos , Serviços de Saúde Escolar , Criança , Comportamento Alimentar , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Humanos , Qualidade de Vida , Instituições AcadêmicasRESUMO
According to the biophilia hypothesis, humans have evolved to prefer natural environments that are essential to their thriving. With urbanization occurring at an unprecedented rate globally, urban greenspace has gained increased attention due to its environmental, health, and socioeconomic benefits. To unlock its full potential, an increased understanding of greenspace metrics is urgently required. In this first-of-a-kind study, we quantified street-level greenspace using 751â¯644 Google Street View images and computer vision methods for 125â¯274 locations in Ireland's major cities. We quantified population-weighted exposure to greenspace and investigated the impact of greenspace on health and socioeconomic determinants. To investigate the association between greenspace and self-reported health, a negative binomial regression analysis was applied. While controlling for other factors, an interquartile range increase in street-level greenspace was associated with a 2.78% increase in self-reported "good or very good" health [95% confidence interval: 2.25-3.31]. Additionally, we observed that populations in upper quartiles of greenspace exposure had higher levels of income and education than those in lower quartiles. This study provides groundbreaking insights into how urban greenspace can be quantified in unprecedented resolution, accuracy, and scale while also having important implications for urban planning and environmental health research and policy.
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Planejamento de Cidades , Parques Recreativos , Cidades , Humanos , Autorrelato , Fatores SocioeconômicosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: There is a need for novel interventions to target inadequate levels of adolescent physical activity behavior. Previous research indicates that better understanding of the processes by which social networks influence physical activity behavior in adolescents may be useful to enhance intervention design. METHODS: This study used a multi-methods approach to aid our understanding about the role of social networks for adolescent physical activity behavior. The quantitative phase of data collection was analyzed using a three-step linear regression model using cross-sectional data from the WiSe study (n = 529 participants, 48.6% female, mean age 14.38 years (SD 0.32)). A demographically reflective sub-sample of schools were invited to take part in the qualitative phase, which involved focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was used to explore findings from the quantitative phase in greater depth, and identify other themes pertaining to the association between social networks and physical activity behavior. RESULTS: Males' physical activity behavior was predicted by their friend group (0.46, p = 0.007) whereas females' physical activity was predicted by their best friend (0.21, p = 0.03). The three main findings that were uncovered by the regression analysis were explored during the qualitative phase: 1) friends have similar physical activity behaviors; 2) friendship social networks may influence differently early adolescent male and female physical activity behavior; 3) popularity and sociability were not associated with physical activity behavior. Two additional themes emerged from the analysis of focus group data: 4) social norms and 5) external factors that may impact the relationship between adolescent physical activity behavior and social networks. CONCLUSIONS: The investigation of the interplay between the findings from each phase of the inquiry indicated that social networks influence in different ways and to different degrees the physical activity of adolescent males and females. In turn, these insights point to the need for a systematic tailoring process for the development and implementation of physical activity behavior interventions.
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Comportamento do Adolescente , Adolescente , Estudos Transversais , Exercício Físico , Feminino , Amigos , Humanos , Masculino , Rede Social , Apoio SocialRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Despite a steady decline in adolescent smoking globally, it remains a prevalent risk factor for non-communicable disease. Previous research points to differences in socio-environmental and psychosocial risk factors for smoking and how they vary across different settings with disparate social and cultural characteristics. As a result, smoking rates have remained disproportionately higher in some settings while decreasing in others. This study explored the socio-environmental and psychosocial risk factors for smoking susceptibility in a high-income and upper-middle income setting. METHODS: Cross-sectional data were obtained from 1,573 male and female adolescents aged 11-15 years who completed self-administered questionnaires in schools in Northern Ireland and Bogotá, Colombia. Using logistic regression analysis, we examined how socio-environmental and psychosocial predictors of smoking susceptibility compared across the two countries. RESULTS: In Northern Ireland, reduced odds of smoking susceptibility were significantly associated with less family smoking (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.41-1.00); having access to information about smoking in school (OR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.59-0.96); negative attitudes towards smoking (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.23-0.51); higher levels of openness (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.50-0.69); and higher levels of self-reported wellbeing (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.44-0.74). Increased odds of smoking susceptibility were associated with reporting less smoking of a mother (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.06-1.76); higher levels of extraversion (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04-1.90); and receiving pocket money (OR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.37). In Bogotá, reduced odds of smoking susceptibility were significantly associated with reporting less smoking among friends (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76-0.98); higher levels of self-efficacy (OR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.40-0.83); greater perceived behavioural control to quit smoking (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.56-0.90); and lower levels of truancy (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52-0.92). In Bogotá, no factors were associated with increased odds of smoking susceptibility in the final model. CONCLUSIONS: The findings illustrate that there were differences in predictors of adolescent smoking susceptibility across the two settings. By using a comparative approach we demonstrate that smoking interventions and policies must be sensitive to the cultural and normative context within which they are implemented.
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Características Culturais , Fumar , Adolescente , Criança , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Amigos , Humanos , Masculino , Instituições Acadêmicas , Fumar/epidemiologia , Fumar/psicologia , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Evidence is suggestive of sedentary behaviour being associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer, but the evidence base is too limited to draw any conclusions for other cancers. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between recreational screen time and site-specific cancer risk. METHODS: We analysed data from the prospective UK Biobank cohort study. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between daily recreational screen time (including television (TV) viewing time, computer use time and total screen time) and site-specific cancer risk. Partition models and isotemporal substitution models investigated the impact of substituting recreational screen time with physical activity. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 7.6 years, 28,992 incident cancers were identified among 470,578 adults. A 1-h increase in daily TV viewing time was associated with higher risks of oropharyngeal, oesophago-gastric and colon cancer in fully adjusted models. Participants who reported ≤1, compared with 1- ≤ 3, hours/day of TV viewing time had lower risks of lung, breast, and oesophago-gastric cancer. Findings were inconsistent for daily recreational computer use and daily total recreational screen time. The majority of observed associations were small, and were attenuated after excluding cancers diagnosed within the first two years of follow-up, except for oesophago-gastric and colon cancers (HR 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.10; and HR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.07 per 1-h increase in daily TV viewing time, respectively). However, isotemporal substitution models showed reduced risk of some site-specific (oropharyngeal, lung, breast and colorectal) cancers when replacing 1-h/day of TV viewing with 1-h of moderate-intensity physical activity or walking. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that daily recreational screen time, particularly TV viewing, was associated with small increased risks of oesophago-gastric and colon cancer. Replacing 1-h/day of TV viewing with 1-h of moderate-intensity physical activity or walking was associated with lower risk of oropharyngeal, lung, breast and colorectal cancers. Further research from other large prospective cohort studies is required, while mechanistic research is warranted to enhance the biological plausibility of these findings.
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Exercício Físico , Neoplasias/epidemiologia , Recreação , Tempo de Tela , Adulto , Idoso , Bancos de Espécimes Biológicos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Modelos de Riscos Proporcionais , Estudos Prospectivos , Fatores de Risco , Comportamento de Redução do Risco , Reino Unido/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Research has highlighted the importance of peers for determining health behaviors in adolescents, yet these behaviors have typically been investigated in isolation. We need to understand common network processes operating across health behaviors collectively, in order to discern how social network processes impact health behaviors. Thus, this systematic review of studies investigated adolescent peer social networks and health behaviors. A search of six databases (CINAHL, Education Resources Information Centre, Embase, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Medline and PsycINFO) identified 55 eligible studies. The mean age of the participants was 15.1â¯years (range 13-18; 51.1% female). Study samples ranged from 143 to 20,745 participants. Studies investigated drinking (31%), smoking (22%), both drinking and smoking (13%) substance use (18%), physical activity (9%) and diet or weight management (7%). Study design was largely longitudinal (nâ¯=â¯41, 73%) and cross-sectional (nâ¯=â¯14, 25%). All studies were set in school and all but one study focused on school-based friendship networks. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess risk of bias: studies were assessed as good (51%), fair (16%) or poor (33%). The synthesis of results revolved around two network behavior patterns: 1) health behavior similarity within a social network, driven by homophilic social selection and/or social influence, and 2) popularity: health behavior engagement in relation to changes in social status; or network popularity predicting health behaviors. Adolescents in denser networks had statistically significant lower levels of harmful behavior (nâ¯=â¯2/2, 100%). Findings suggest that social network processes are important factors in adolescent health behaviors.
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Comportamento do Adolescente/psicologia , Amigos/psicologia , Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde , Rede Social , Adolescente , Saúde do Adolescente , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Grupo Associado , Apoio SocialRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Individuals living in deprived inner cities have disproportionately high rates of cancers, Type 2 diabetes and obesity, which have stress- and physical inactivity-related etiologies. This study aims to quantify effects of ecological park restoration on physical activity, stress and cardio-metabolic health outcomes. METHODS: The Study of Active Neighborhoods in Detroit is a quasi-experimental, longitudinal panel natural experiment with two conditions (restored park intervention (INT) and control (CNT)) and annual measurements at baseline and 3-years post-restoration. Individuals (sampled within 500 m of an INT/CNT park) serve as the unit of analysis. Restoration (n = 4 parks) involves replacing non-native plants and turf with native plants; creating trails; posting signage; and leading community stewardship events. The CNT condition (n = 5) is an unmaintained park, matched to INT based on specified neighborhood conditions. Recruitment involves several avenues, with a retention goal of 450 participants. Park measures include plant/avian diversity; usage of the park (SOPARC); signs of care; auditory environment recordings; and visual greenness using 360 imagery. Health outcomes include device-based physical activity behavior (primary outcome); salivary cortisol (secondary outcome); and several downstream health outcomes. Exposure to the INT will be assessed through visual contact time and time spent in the park using GPS data. Changes in health outcomes between years and INT versus CNT will be tested using generalized linear (mixed) models. DISCUSSION: Our study will examine whether restored urban greenspaces increase physical activity and lower stress, with public health planning implications, where small changes in neighborhood greenspaces may have large health benefits in low-income neighborhoods. STUDY REGISTRATION: Registration: OSF Preregistration registered March 31, 2020. Accessible from https://osf.io/surx7.
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Exercício Físico , Promoção da Saúde/organização & administração , Parques Recreativos/organização & administração , Características de Residência/estatística & dados numéricos , Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 2/prevenção & controle , Planejamento Ambiental/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Michigan , Atividade Motora , Obesidade/prevenção & controle , Pobreza/estatística & dados numéricos , Recreação , Comportamento Sedentário , Meio Social , Fatores SocioeconômicosRESUMO
Processing decisions for accelerometry data can have important implications for outcome measures, yet little evidence exists exploring these in older adults. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of three potentially important criteria on older adults, physical activity, and sedentary time. Participants (n = 222: mean age 71.75 years [SD = 6.58], 57% male) wore ActiGraph GT3X+ for 7 days. Eight data processing combinations from three criteria were explored: low-frequency extension (on/off), nonwear time (90/120 min), and intensity cut points (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ≥1,041 and >2,000 counts/min). Analyses included Wilcoxon signed-rank test, paired t tests, and correlation coefficients (significance, p < .05). Results for low-frequency extension on 90-min nonwear time and >1,041 counts/min showed significantly higher light and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and lower sedentary time. Cut points had the greatest impact on physical activity and sedentary time. Processing criteria can significantly impact physical activity and/or sedentary time, potentially leading to data inaccuracies, preventing cross-study comparisons and influencing the accuracy of population surveillance.
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BACKGROUND: There has been a growing interest in understanding the effects of social networks on health-related behaviour, with a particular backdrop being the emerging prominence of complexity or systems science in public health. Social network interventions specifically use or alter the characteristics of social networks to generate, accelerate, or maintain health behaviours. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate health behaviour outcomes of social network interventions. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We searched eight databases and two trial registries from 1990 to May 28, 2019, for English-language reports of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and before-and-after studies investigating social network interventions for health behaviours and outcomes. Trials that did not specifically use social networks or that did not include a comparator group were excluded. We screened studies and extracted data from published reports independently. The primary outcome of health behaviours or outcomes at ≤6 months was assessed by random-effects meta-analysis. Secondary outcomes included those measures at >6-12 months and >12 months. This study is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO: CRD42015023541. We identified 26,503 reports; after exclusion, 37 studies, conducted between 1996 and 2018 from 11 countries, were eligible for analysis, with a total of 53,891 participants (mean age 32.4 years [SD 12.7]; 45.5% females). A range of study designs were included: 27 used RCT/cluster RCT designs, and 10 used other study designs. Eligible studies addressed a variety of health outcomes, in particular sexual health and substance use. Social network interventions showed a significant intervention effect compared with comparator groups for sexual health outcomes. The pooled odds ratio (OR) was 1.46 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.11; I2 = 76%) for sexual health outcomes at ≤6 months and OR 1.51 (95% CI 1.27-1.81; I2 = 40%) for sexual health outcomes at >6-12 months. Intervention effects for drug risk outcomes at each time point were not significant. There were also significant intervention effects for some other health outcomes including alcohol misuse, well-being, change in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and smoking cessation. Because of clinical and measurement heterogeneity, it was not appropriate to pool data on these other behaviours in a meta-analysis. For sexual health outcomes, prespecified subgroup analyses were significant for intervention approach (p < 0.001), mean age of participants (p = 0.002), and intervention length (p = 0.05). Overall, 22 of the 37 studies demonstrated a high risk of bias, as measured by the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. The main study limitations identified were the inclusion of studies of variable quality; difficulty in isolating the effects of specific social network intervention components on health outcomes, as interventions included other active components; and reliance on self-reported outcomes, which have inherent recall and desirability biases. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that social network interventions can be effective in the short term (<6 months) and longer term (>6 months) for sexual health outcomes. Intervention effects for drug risk outcomes at each time point were not significant. There were also significant intervention effects for some other health outcomes including alcohol misuse, well-being, change in HbA1c, and smoking cessation.
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Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Comportamento de Redução do Risco , Rede Social , Adolescente , Adulto , Biomarcadores/sangue , Criança , Feminino , Hemoglobinas Glicadas/análise , Nível de Saúde , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Ensaios Clínicos Controlados Aleatórios como Assunto , Abandono do Hábito de Fumar , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias/prevenção & controle , Fatores de Tempo , Sexo sem Proteção/prevenção & controle , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have documented that high rates of delay discounting are associated with obesity. However, studies utilizing monetary reward experiments typically report no associations, as opposed to positive associations apparent in studies utilising food-reward experiments. Our objective was to investigate the reasons behind the mixed evidence from a methodological perspective using systematic review and meta-analytic methodologies. METHODS: Seven databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Econlit and IBSS) were systematically searched. Logistic meta-regression was applied to identify the determinants of a significant association and risk of bias was assessed using a modified form of the Newcastle Ottawa cohort scale. RESULTS: A total of 59 studies were identified, among which 29 studies (49.2%) found a significant positive association and 29 (49.2%) reported no association. A higher proportion of significant and positive associations was reported in those studies utilizing 'best-practice' methods (i.e. appropriate measurement models) to estimate monetary delay discounting (15/27; 55.6%) and incentive-compatible experiments (10/16; 62.5%) than those using non-'best-practice' methods (14/34; 41.2%) and hypothetical experiments (19/43; 44.2%). All five studies utilizing both 'best-practice' methods and incentive-compatible experiments generated a positive and significant relationship. Results from a logistic meta-regression also suggested that studies employing incentive-compatible experiments (OR: 4.38, 95% CI = 1.05-18.33, p value: 0.04), 'best-practice' methods (OR: 4.40, 95% CI = 0.88-22.99, p value: 0.07), parametric methods (OR: 3.36, 95% CI = 0.83-13.57, p value: 0.04), those conducted in children/adolescent populations (OR: 3.90, 95% CI = 0.85-17.88, p value: 0.08), and those with larger sample size (OR: 1.91, 95% CI = 1.15-3.18, p value: 0.01) tended to show positive and significant associations between delay discounting and obesity. CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests that the mixed evidence to date is a result of methodological heterogeneity, and that future studies should utilise 'best practice' methods.
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Desvalorização pelo Atraso , Alimentos , Doações , Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde/fisiologia , Obesidade/psicologia , Recompensa , Desvalorização pelo Atraso/fisiologia , Humanos , Motivação , Obesidade/fisiopatologia , Obesidade/prevenção & controleRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Investigating the association of the neighborhood social environment on physical activity is complex. A systematic scoping review was performed to (1) provide an inventory of studies assessing the influence of the neighborhood social environment on physical activity since 2006; (2) describe methodologies employed; and (3) formulate recommendations for the field. METHODS: Two databases were searched using terms related to 'physical activity,' 'neighborhood,' and 'social environment' in January 2017. Eligibility criteria included: 1) physical activity as an outcome; 2) neighborhood social environment as a predictor; 3) healthy population (without diagnosed clinical condition or special population); 4) observational or experimental design. Of 1352 studies identified, 181 were included. Textual data relevant to the social environment measurement and analysis were extracted from each article into qualitative software (MAXQDA) and coded to identify social environmental constructs, measurement methods, level of measurement (individual vs. aggregated to neighborhood), and whether authors explicitly recognized the construct as the social environment. The following measures were generated for each construct: number of unique measurements; % of times measured at an aggregate level; % of times authors referred to the construct as the social environment. Social environmental constructs were then grouped into larger descriptive dimensions. RESULTS/FINDINGS: Fifty-nine social environmental constructs were identified and grouped into 9 dimensions: Crime & Safety (n = 133 studies; included in 73% of studies); Economic & Social Disadvantage (n = 55, 33%); Social Cohesion & Capital (n = 47, 26%); Social Relationships (n = 22, 12%); Social Environment (n = 16, 9%); Disorder & Incivilities (n = 15, 8%); Sense of Place/Belonging (n = 8, 4%); Discrimination/Segregation (n = 3, 2%); Civic Participation & Engagement (n = 2, 1%). Across all articles, the social environment was measured using 176 different methods, was measured at an aggregate-level 38% of the time, and referred to as the social environment 23% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: Inconsistent terminology, definitions, and measurement of the social environment and the lack of explicit language identifying constructs as the social environment make it challenging to compare results across studies and draw conclusions. Improvements are needed to increase our understanding of social environmental correlates and/or determinants of physical activity and facilitate cross-disciplinary conversations necessary to effectively intervene to promote physical activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42017059580.
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Exercício Físico , Características de Residência , Meio Social , HumanosRESUMO
BACKGROUND: An adolescent's perceptions of their family's and friends' smoking attitudes and behaviour can influence their own uptake of smoking. There are two broad sources of such social influence: observing the behaviour directly, and assimilating attitudes. METHODS: We analysed data collected for the evaluation of Dead Cool, a school based smoking prevention intervention in Northern Ireland (n=480 in 20 clusters). The main analysis fits three nested logistic regression models predicting pre-intervention susceptibility to taking up smoking, as reflected in responses to three attitudinal questions. Model 1 includes only personal characteristics as explanatory factors. Model 2 adds the behaviour of friends and family that would provide an opportunity for social influence through observational learning. Model 3 adds the susceptibility of friends. RESULTS: Each additional group of variables improved the model fit (with reduced AIC and BIC). However, in the final model, only three variables were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05) in predicting susceptibility to smoking initiation: rebelliousness (OR [1.1,1.3]) from the personal characteristics group; and, in the observational learning group, being friends with a smoker (OR [1.0,2.9]) and frequency of being in the same room or car with someone smoking (OR [2.0,9.0] for most frequent). Adding the two measures of diffusion of susceptibility through the friendship network improved the model fit, but neither was found to be statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis provides additional evidence to support policies that could reduce children's exposure to smoking behaviour, and potential subsequent smoking initiation. No conclusions could be drawn about the diffusion of smoking attitudes through the school friendship networks of children.
Assuntos
Atitude , Prevenção do Hábito de Fumar , Fumar/psicologia , Meio Social , Adolescente , Família/psicologia , Feminino , Amigos/psicologia , Humanos , Masculino , Irlanda do Norte , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Serviços de Saúde EscolarRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Investigating participant engagement and nonusage attrition can help identify the likely active ingredients of electronic health interventions. Research on engagement can identify which intervention components predict health outcomes. Research on nonusage attrition is important to make recommendations for retaining participants in future studies. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate engagement and nonusage attrition in the Physical Activity Loyalty (PAL) scheme, a 6-month complex physical activity intervention in workplaces in Northern Ireland. The intervention included financial incentives with reward redemption and self-regulation techniques. Specific objectives were (1) to determine whether engagement in specific intervention components predicted physical activity at 6 months, (2) to determine whether engagement in specific intervention components predicted targeted mediators at 6 months, and (3) to investigate predictors of nonusage attrition for participants recording daily activity via the PAL scheme physical activity monitoring system and logging onto the website. METHODS: Physical activity was assessed at baseline and 6 months using pedometers (Yamax Digiwalker CW-701, Japan). Markers of engagement and website use, monitoring system use, and reward redemption were collected throughout the scheme. Random-effects generalized least-squares regressions determined whether engagement with specific intervention components predicted 6-month physical activity and mediators. Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to investigate predictors of nonusage attrition (days until first 2-week lapse). RESULTS: A multivariable generalized least-squares regression model (n=230) showed that the frequency of hits on the website's monitoring and feedback component (regression coefficient [b]=50.2; SE=24.5; P=.04) and the percentage of earned points redeemed for financial incentives (b=9.1; SE=3.3; P=.005) were positively related to 6-month pedometer steps per day. The frequency of hits on the discussion forum (b=-69.3; SE=26.6; P=.009) was negatively related to 6-month pedometer steps per day. Reward redemption was not related to levels of more internal forms of motivation. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models identified several baseline predictors associated with nonusage attrition. These included identified regulation (hazard ratio [HR] 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.97), recovery self-efficacy (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.80-0.98), and perceived workplace environment safety (HR 1.07, 95% CI 1.02-1.11) for using the physical activity monitoring system. The EuroQoL health index (HR 0.33, 95% CI 0.12-0.91), financial motivation (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-0.99), and perceived availability of physical activity opportunities in the workplace environment (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99) were associated with website nonusage attrition. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence opposing one of the main hypotheses of self-determination theory by showing that financial rewards are not necessarily associated with decreases in more internal forms of motivation when offered as part of a complex multicomponent intervention. Identifying baseline predictors of nonusage attrition can help researchers to develop strategies to ensure maximum intervention adherence. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN17975376; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17975376 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/76VGZsZug).
Assuntos
Exercício Físico/fisiologia , Local de Trabalho/economia , Adulto , Feminino , Doações , Humanos , Internet , Masculino , Motivação , PrognósticoRESUMO
Social media (SM) offer huge potential for public health research, serving as a vehicle for surveillance, delivery of health interventions, recruitment to trials, collection of data, and dissemination. However, the networked nature of the data means they are riddled with ethical challenges, and no clear consensus has emerged as to the ethical handling of such data. This article outlines the key ethical concerns for public health researchers using SM and discusses how these concerns might best be addressed. Key issues discussed include privacy; anonymity and confidentiality; authenticity; the rapidly changing SM environment; informed consent; recruitment, voluntary participation, and sampling; minimizing harm; and data security and management. Despite the obvious need, producing a set of prescriptive guidelines for researchers using SM is difficult because the field is evolving quickly. What is clear, however, is that the ethical issues connected to SM-related public health research are also growing. Most importantly, public health researchers must work within the ethical principles set out by the Declaration of Helsinki that protect individual users first and foremost.
Assuntos
Pesquisa sobre Serviços de Saúde/ética , Saúde Pública/métodos , Mídias Sociais , Confidencialidade , Humanos , Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido , Privacidade , Projetos de PesquisaRESUMO
Background: Regular physical activity is important for maintaining physical and mental health. Benefits are optimized when physical activity is maintained. Understanding causal mechanisms is important to inform future interventions. Purpose: To investigate mediators of physical activity maintenance. Methods: Six databases were searched (Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science). Eligibility criteria included adult nonclinical populations, validated measure of physical activity behavior at baseline and at least 6 months postbaseline, control/comparison group(s), and reported mediators of physical activity behavior change. Mediators were examined according to (i) formal mediation tests, (ii) mediator association with physical activity outcome, and (iii) intervention effects on mediators. Results: There were few formal mediation tests conducted (n = 12/39 included studies), and various other methodological limitations were identified. There was some evidence that effective mediators in formal mediation tests at 6 months and later included the "behavioral processes of change" (n = 5/6). Many of the included interventions were not effective for changing targeted mediators (only 34% of 413 tests of mediator changes were significant). Conclusions: There were a number of methodological and statistical limitations in the evidence base. In future, prespecified formal mediation tests should be carried out and could be aided by a formal framework. Social and environmental variables should be considered in addition to intrapersonal variables. Improving knowledge of how to change hypothesized mediators, based on theory and evidence, will reveal how physical activity behavior change maintenance can be achieved. Maintenance research would be enhanced by establishing a formal definition of behavior change "maintenance." PROSPERO registration: PROSPERO 2015:CRD- 42015025462.
Assuntos
Medicina do Comportamento/métodos , Exercício Físico , Comportamentos Relacionados com a Saúde , Promoção da Saúde/métodos , Adulto , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: We evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a loyalty scheme based intervention involving rewards for increasing physical activity in public sector employees. METHODS: A cluster randomised wait-list controlled trial in public sector organisations in Northern Ireland. We randomly assigned clusters (1:1) using a computer generated random sequence. Researchers were masked to allocation, but participants were not. Employees aged 18-65 years with no self-reported medical contraindications to physical activity were included. The Physical Activity Loyalty Scheme (PAL) intervention was based on high-street loyalty cards where participants earned points for minutes of activity that could be redeemed for rewards, complemented by evidence-based behaviour change techniques. The primary outcome was objectively measured mean steps/day at 6 months using a validated pedometer (Yamax Digi-Walker CW-701) over 7 days, assessed with intention to treat analysis. Secondary outcomes included health, mental wellbeing, quality of life, work absenteeism and presenteeism, and use of healthcare resources. Cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit and mediation analyses were conducted. Trial registered with Current Controlled Trials, number ISRCTN17975376. RESULTS: Between September 2014 and October 2015, we recruited and randomly assigned 37 clusters (from nine organisations; mean clusters per organisation = four) and 853 participants to the intervention (n = 19 with 457 participants) or control group (n = 18 with 396 participants). Primary outcome data were available for 249 (54·4%) intervention and 236 (59·6%) control participants. Mean steps/day were significantly lower in the intervention vs control group (adjusted mean difference = - 336, 95% CI: -612 to - 60, p = 0·02) at 6 months. Participants redeemed only 39% (SD 43%) of their earned points. Using the Quality Adjusted Life Year outcome, the intervention was not cost effective from an NHS/PSS perspective. A net cost analysis from an employer perspective demonstrated the intervention group was associated with a mean of 2·97 h less absenteeism over a 4 week period (p = 0·62), which could result in net savings ranging from £66 to £735 depending on the wage rate employed. At 4-weeks post-baseline there were significant increases in identified regulation, integrated regulation, intrinsic motivation, social norms and intentions in intervention compared to control participants. CONCLUSIONS: Our mixed results pose challenges that are too infrequently exposed in public heath intervention trials. Although the intervention successfully altered several hypothesised mediating constructs it did not translate into long-term behaviour change. Our incentive level may have been too low to incentivise change, despite being designed a priori by a Contingent Valuation Survey. There were also major re-structuring of several organisations which presented significant implementation challenges, and technical limitations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN17975376 (Registered 19/09/2014).