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BMC Women's Health Jun 2022The World Health Organisation's efforts to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 with a target of 70% screening coverage using a high-performance test demand that women...
BACKGROUND
The World Health Organisation's efforts to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 with a target of 70% screening coverage using a high-performance test demand that women increase participation in screening. Factors that impact uptake of screening must therefore be identified and bottlenecks addressed, especially in lower- and middle-income countries where cervical cancer incidence remains high. This study investigated Muslim women, participation in, intention to engage in and self-efficacy about cervical cancer screening.
METHODS
An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among Muslim women aged 18 years and above in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using appropriate descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, point biserial correlation and binary logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
The mean age of participants was approximately 31 years (M = 30.9, SD = 10.4). Out of the 431 women, 21 (4.9%) had ever participated in cervical cancer screening. Participants demonstrated very low knowledge about cervical cancer and screening, with a mean knowledge score of 3.68 out of 15. Knowledge about cervical cancer was associated with increased odds of participating in cervical cancer screening (aOR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.11, 1.56). Concerns about similarity with health provider in terms of gender and faith was associated with decreased odds of cervical cancer screening self-efficacy (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.67). Islamic modesty (aOR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.81, 0.96) was associated with decreased self-efficacy about seeking cervical cancer screening, whereas attitude (aOR = 1.32, 95%CI 1.14, 1.53) was significantly associated with increased self-efficacy about seeking cervical cancer screening. Again, Islamic modesty (aOR = 0.88, 95%CI 0.80, 0.97) was associated with decreased intention to participate in screening, whereas attitude (aOR = 1.42, 95%CI 1.20, 1.68) was associated with increased intention to participate in screening.
CONCLUSIONS
There are gaps in knowledge of cervical cancer among Muslim women in this study as less than 5% had participated in screening. A positive attitude was found to influence intention to screen and actual participation in screening programmes. Islamic modesty and commitment to the Islamic faith decreased intention and self-efficacy regarding screening. Therefore, comprehensive and appropriate socio-cultural and religion-specific interventions aimed at addressing the barriers to screening are important in improving uptake among Muslim women.
Topics: Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Early Detection of Cancer; Female; Ghana; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Intention; Islam; Mass Screening; Self Efficacy; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms
PubMed: 35698121
DOI: 10.1186/s12905-022-01803-0 -
Preventive Medicine Reports Apr 2022The aim of this study was to evaluate program retention factors in a repeated team-based weight-loss and healthy lifestyle program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait...
The aim of this study was to evaluate program retention factors in a repeated team-based weight-loss and healthy lifestyle program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Data comprised 3107 participants in 10 Aboriginal Knockout Health Challenge contests. Multiple variable and bivariate analyses compared age, gender, self-reported behaviors (physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption) and objectively measured weight between completers and non-completers. First-time participants (n = 3107) who completed were more likely to be female, be older, weigh less and have more completing members in their team; only the number of team members completing was significant among participants (n = 1245) who took part in a second contest participation. Multivariate results were similar, with a participant's odds of completing on their first and second participation occasion increasing by 1.16 and 1.18, respectively, with every teammate completed. Given that the strongest effect centered on a social factor, this highlights the importance of having community-driven design and the benefits of a group-based approach to engage and maintain First Peoples' engagement in preventive health programs. Further, by identifying a change in factors associated with retention in successive weight-loss attempts, this study improves understanding of retention in weight-loss programs more generally.
PubMed: 35141119
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101710 -
BMC Medical Education Mar 2023Medical schools are reported to be less accessible to students with non-traditional backgrounds. These students face barriers when applying for and transitioning to...
BACKGROUND
Medical schools are reported to be less accessible to students with non-traditional backgrounds. These students face barriers when applying for and transitioning to medical school, which may be reduced by offering free preparatory activities. By equalizing access to resources, these activities are expected to reduce disparities in selection outcomes and early academic performance. In the present study, four free institutionally-provided preparatory activities were evaluated by comparing the demographic composition of participating and non-participating applicants. Additionally, the association between participation and selection outcomes and early academic performance was investigated for subgroups (based on sex, migration background and parental education).
METHODS
Participants were applicants to a Dutch medical school in 2016-2019 (N = 3592). Free preparatory activities included Summer School (N = 595), Coaching Day (N = 1794), Pre-Academic Program (N = 217), and Junior Med School (N = 81), supplemented with data on participation in commercial coaching (N = 65). Demographic compositions of participants and non-participants were compared using chi-squared tests. Regression analyses were performed to compare selection outcomes (curriculum vitae [CV], selection test score, probability of enrolment) and early academic performance (first-course grade) between participants and non-participants of demographic subgroups, controlling for pre-university grades and participation in other activities.
RESULTS
Generally, no differences in sociodemographic compositions of participants and non-participants were found, but males participated less often in Summer School and Coaching Day. Applicants with a non-Western background participated less often in commercial coaching, but the overall participation rate was low and participation had negligible effects on selection outcomes. Participation in Summer School and Coaching Day were stronger related with selection outcomes. In some cases, this association was even stronger for males and candidates with a migration background. After controlling for pre-university grades, none of the preparatory activities were positively associated with early academic performance.
CONCLUSIONS
Free institutionally-provided preparatory activities may contribute to student diversity in medical education, because usage was similar across sociodemographic subgroups, and participation was positively associated with selection outcomes of underrepresented and non-traditional students. However, since participation was not associated with early academic performance, adjustments to activities and/or curricula are needed to ensure inclusion and retention after selection.
Topics: Male; Humans; Cohort Studies; School Admission Criteria; Education, Medical; Educational Status; Ethnicity; Schools, Medical
PubMed: 36991413
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04191-7 -
The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging 2023Different types of community-based intervention activities may have differential effects in improving the intrinsic capacity (IC) of older people. This study aims to (i)...
OBJECTIVES
Different types of community-based intervention activities may have differential effects in improving the intrinsic capacity (IC) of older people. This study aims to (i) identify subgroups of older people based on their IC impairments, (ii) examine the differential associations between different types of activity participations and change in IC across subgroups, and (iii) assess whether the activity participation patterns of older people align with the way that would benefit them the most.
METHODS
Participants were community-dwelling older people aged 60 years or above. They were screened for IC impairments at baseline, and their participation records of different types (cognitive, physical, nutritional, mental, and social) of intervention activities were collected for one year. An aggregated IC score was created based on four IC domains including cognitive (self-rated memory), locomotor (self-rated difficulties in walking), vitality (self-rated weight loss), and psychological (subjective well-being). Cluster analysis was used to group homogenous participants. Mixed-effects regression was used to examine the associations between activity counts (i.e., number of sessions participated) and change in IC. Activity participation patterns were also compared across subgroups.
RESULTS
Data were obtained from 7,357 participants (mean age = 74.72 years). Four clusters were identified, including those who were relatively robust (cluster 1, N = 4,380, 59.5%), those who had cognitive decline (cluster 2, N = 2,134, 29.0%), those who had impaired mobility and vitality (cluster 3, N = 319, 4.3%), and those with poor psychological well-being (cluster 4, N = 524, 7.1%). Overall, activity count was associated with IC improvement (β = 0.073, 95% CI [0.037, 0.108]). However, as regards the cluster-specific results, different types of activities were associated with IC improvement for different specific clusters. For instance, cognitive activity count was associated with IC improvement only for cluster 2 (β = 0.491, 95% CI [0.258, 0.732]). Notably, none of the activity types were associated with IC improvement for cluster 1. Regarding the activity participation patterns, there were no significant differences across the four clusters (Wilk's Λ = 0.997, F = 1.400, p = .138).
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
IC improvement depended on the activity types and IC status of older people. In view of this, a people-centred and targeted approach should be adopted to maximize the overall benefits of intervention activities.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Independent Living; Cognitive Dysfunction; Walking
PubMed: 37997725
DOI: 10.1007/s12603-023-2003-0 -
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2020This study aimed to investigate the sensory integration and perceptual-motor performances in elementary school children (5-12 years) with autistic spectrum disorder...
PURPOSE
This study aimed to investigate the sensory integration and perceptual-motor performances in elementary school children (5-12 years) with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) in Taiwan. The impacts of comprehensive body functions on activity participations in ASD were also investigated to provide evidence for clinical applications and further study.
METHODS
One hundred and seventeen children with ASD (42 females; aged 5-13 years, average age 8 years 3 months) were recruited. All participants were assessed with standardized measures of body functions and activity participations. The body function measures included Bruininks-Oseretsky of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition, Sensory Profile, Test of Sensory Integration Functions, and Test of Visual Perception Skills - Third Edition. The activity participation measures included the Chinese versions of both Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale and School Function Assessment.
RESULTS
School-aged children with ASD had different levels of impairments on body function measures. Most participant scores fell within the impairment range on 13 to 15 items out of the total 19 sensory and perceptual-motor measure subtests, with worst performance on coordination-related motor task and most sensory integrative dimensions. The results indicated a significant main effect for age and sex on some body functions and activity participations. Correlation analyses indicated strong associations between body function and activity participation across settings in ASD.
CONCLUSION
Our findings characterized the developmental continuum of body functions of school-aged children with ASD and showed their associations with adaptation and participation. While emphasizing the development of functional skills to facilitate age-appropriate activity participation in multiple scenarios, interventions aiming to improve body functions are indispensable.
PubMed: 32753871
DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S253337 -
International Journal For Equity in... Jan 2023Increasing evidence suggests that participation proportions in longitudinal health research vary according to sex/gender, age, social class, or migration status....
BACKGROUND
Increasing evidence suggests that participation proportions in longitudinal health research vary according to sex/gender, age, social class, or migration status. Intersectionality scholarship purports that such social categories cannot be understood in isolation and makes visible the co-dependent nature of the social determinants of health and illness. This paper uses an intersectionality-informed approach in order to expand the understanding of why people participate in health research, and the impact of intersecting social structures and experiences on these attitudes.
METHODS
A sample of 80 respondents who had previously either accepted or declined an invitation to participate in the German National Cohort (NAKO) participated in our interview study. Interviews were semi-structured and contained both narrative elements and more structured probes. Data analysis proceeded in two steps: first, the entire data set was analysed thematically (separately for participants and non-participants); second, key themes were compared across self-reported sex/gender, age group and migration status to identify differences and commonalities.
RESULTS
Respondents' attitudes towards study participation can be categorised into four themes: wanting to make a contribution, seeking personalised health information, excitement and feeling chosen, and seeking social recognition. Besides citing logistical challenges, non-participants narrated adverse experiences with or attitudes towards science and the healthcare system that deterred them from participating. A range of social experiences and cultural value systems shaped such attitudes; in particular, this includes the cultural authority of science as an arbiter of social questions, transgressing social categories and experiences of marginalisation. Care responsibilities, predominantly borne by female respondents, also impacted upon the decision to take part in NAKO.
DISCUSSION
Our findings suggest that for participants, health research constitutes a site of distinction in the sense of making a difference and being distinct or distinguishable, whereas non-participants inhabited an orientation towards science that reflected their subjective marginalisation through science. No clear relationship can thereby be presumed between social location and a particular attitude towards study participation; rather, such attitudes transgress and challenge categorical boundaries. This challenges the understanding of particular populations as more or less disadvantaged, or as more or less inclined to participate in health research.
Topics: Humans; Female; Intersectional Framework; Emotions; Data Analysis; Narration; Self Report
PubMed: 36721141
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-022-01807-0 -
BMC Medical Research Methodology Jan 2022To pursue high quality research, successful participant recruitment is essential, but recruitment rates are often low. This is specifically true in target populations...
BACKGROUND
To pursue high quality research, successful participant recruitment is essential, but recruitment rates are often low. This is specifically true in target populations with impairments, for instance, among stroke survivors. Previous studies focusing on recruitment have mainly relied on information from professionals, and there is therefore a need to contribute with new methodological insights to how potential rehabilitation research participants describe their interest and preferences to participate in research. The purpose of this study was to generate knowledge about stroke survivors' interest in participating in rehabilitation research, reasons for being interested or not, and preferred forms and foci of rehabilitation interventions. An additional aim was to describe preferences regarding survey administration modes and processes for recruitment to studies.
METHOD
This cross-sectional study recruited Swedish residents who had sustained a stroke, initially by using advertisement on the National Stroke Association's website, flyers posted at local occupational and physical therapy offices and at local stroke/senior organization meetings. Secondly, participants were recruited through a local stroke register. The survey, administered either in a paper form returned by postal mail; online or as a phone interview with 128 stroke survivors.
RESULTS
Most of the participants were interested in participating in rehabilitation research, particularly younger persons (p = 0.001) and those closer to stroke onset (p = 0.047). Contribution to research, possibility to try new rehabilitation interventions and meeting others in the same situation were reasons that attracted an interest to participate. Other important aspects were related to motivation, individual needs, as well as how skilled the people who provided the intervention were. Participants preferred group-based programs, and programs focusing on regaining lost functions were highly requested. A majority wanted to be contacted through postal mail (70%) and most of them (90%) used the paper form to respond to the survey.
CONCLUSIONS
A range of personal and external aspects, including challenges related to digitized administration modes, should be considered to achieve high participation rates in rehabilitation research targeting stroke survivors. The importance of addressing individual needs and prerequisites in an individualized manner should not be underestimated and might be a useful strategy to recruitment success.
Topics: Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Rehabilitation Research; Stroke; Stroke Rehabilitation; Survivors
PubMed: 35094690
DOI: 10.1186/s12874-022-01521-z -
Cancer Control : Journal of the Moffitt... Jul 2014The results from phase 1 clinical trials can allow new treatments to progress further in drug development or halt that process altogether. At the forefront of phase 1... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The results from phase 1 clinical trials can allow new treatments to progress further in drug development or halt that process altogether. At the forefront of phase 1 clinical trials is the safety of every patient participant, which is particularly true when testing new oncologic treatments in which patients may risk potentially toxic treatments in the hope of slowing the progression of or even curing their disease.
METHODS
We explore the benefits and risks that patients experience when participating in phase 1 clinical trials.
RESULTS
Rules and regulations have been put into place to protect the safety and interests of patients while undergoing clinical trials. Selecting patients with cancer who will survive long enough to accrue data for these trials continues to be challenging. New prognostic models have been validated to help health care professionals select those patients who will likely benefit from participation in phase 1 trials. There also are long-lasting positive and negative impacts on those patients who choose to participate in phase 1 clinical trials.
CONCLUSIONS
Modern phase 1 clinical trials represent a therapeutic option for many patients who progress through frontline therapy for their malignancies. Recent phase 1 clinical trials testing targeted therapies have increased responses in many diseases in which other lines of therapy have failed. Patients still face many risks and benefits while enrolled in a phase 1 trial, but the likelihood of treatment response in the era of rational, targeted therapy is increased when compared with the era of cytotoxic therapy.
Topics: Clinical Trials as Topic; Humans; Patient Participation; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 24955702
DOI: 10.1177/107327481402100303 -
BMC Public Health Mar 2024Globally, COVID-19 and associated restrictions impacted negatively on recreational physical activity (RPA). Participation in community sport was significantly impacted...
BACKGROUND
Globally, COVID-19 and associated restrictions impacted negatively on recreational physical activity (RPA). Participation in community sport was significantly impacted with cancelled training and competitions. Whilst team and club-based sport participation declined during COVID-19 restrictions, participation in some physical activities actually increased, particularly individual and online activities and outdoor activities not requiring facilities.
AIM
The aim of this study is to investigate changes in the patterns of participation in club-based sport, informal sport and other RPA in Australia from pre, during and post-COVID-19 restrictions. Further, these participation patterns are broken down by gender, age and region of residence.
METHODS
Two longitudinal waves of an online survey were conducted in mid-2020 and mid-2021. The first wave also captured retrospective pre-COVID19 (2019) data. Two sections of the survey dealt respectively with two 'settings' of RPA: organised club sport, and less structured sport and recreational physical activity (designated 'other RPA'). For each year 2019-2021 each individual was categorized as participating (Yes/No) in each of club sport and other RPA. For each setting, the proportions of each pattern of participation were tabulated, and the results for the demographic cohorts were compared.
RESULTS
A total of 1,138 Australians aged 13 years and above completed both waves of the survey. Overall, there were considerable differences between the patterns of club sport and other RPA. Most individuals who participated in other RPA (69%) were able to and did participate continuously throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, and not surprisingly, the club-sport participants were forced to drop out in 2020 during COVID-19 restrictions, and less than half reported returning to play post-COVID-19 restrictions. Less than a quarter of sports club participants were able to continue to play throughout COVID-19 and beyond. Significantly more males returned to playing sport 51% than females 44%.
CONCLUSION
Participation in community club-based sport has been significantly negatively impacted by COVID-19, more so than participation in some other recreational sport and physical activities. Further, fewer females than males returned to playing community sport, and priority and specific attention should be given to understanding why women and girls have not returned to playing community club-based sport.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Australasian People; Australia; COVID-19; Exercise; Pandemics; Retrospective Studies; Adolescent; Young Adult; Adult
PubMed: 38500087
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18245-y