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BMC Public Health Dec 2021Ghana is facing the public health "double burden" of both communicable and chronic diseases. To combat increased chronic disease prevalence, physical activity promotion...
BACKGROUND
Ghana is facing the public health "double burden" of both communicable and chronic diseases. To combat increased chronic disease prevalence, physical activity promotion efforts are necessary. The Ministry of Health (MOH) developed physical activity guidelines in 2009, but community members are unaware of the guidelines and sample activities (e.g., ballroom dancing) are not culturally appropriate. The purposes of this study were to investigate 1) dissemination of the physical activity guidelines through MOH and Ghana Health Service (GHS) and 2) culturally appropriate physical activities.
METHODS
Data were collected in urban and rural areas of Ghana through focus groups (N = 2) with community representatives and in-depth interviews (N = 15) with GHS health workers. Focus group and interview questions included recommended types of physical activity; interview questions included dissemination factors based on Diffusion of Innovations. The research team analyzed the data through an inductive, grounded theory approach.
RESULTS
Together, the focus groups and in-depth interviews generated 942 meaning units coded into themes of Physical Activity Perceptions (N = 337 meaning units), Suggested Physical Activities (N = 317), and Dissemination and Implementation Factors (N = 290). Participants had positive perceptions of physical activity but expressed concerns over individual abilities; barriers included the built environment and a lack of time. Suggested physical activities included walking, jogging, football, and dancing for adults; traditional games and football for youth, and walking and daily chores for older adults. Participants noted that guideline implementation was influenced by leadership engagement at multiple levels, relative advantage, and compatibility. Respondents suggested implementation strategies to resolve barriers, including involving partner organizations and developing an implementation plan. Participants were largely unaware of the physical activity guidelines; typical dissemination methods included written materials and the internet.
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study suggest that physical activity guidelines should include familiar physical activities such as traditional games. Results also suggest that public health workers within GHS experience challenges in disseminating the physical activity guidelines. Adapting, disseminating, and implementing physical activity guidelines is a necessary step in increasing physical activity levels and preventing chronic diseases. These results contribute to understanding translation of physical activity policy to practice.
Topics: Adolescent; Aged; Exercise; Focus Groups; Ghana; Humans; Qualitative Research; Walking
PubMed: 34895182
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-12250-1 -
BMJ Open Dec 2023Healthcare systems are currently facing challenges in enhancing access and improving the quality of healthcare services around the world, and one of the innovative...
INTRODUCTION
Healthcare systems are currently facing challenges in enhancing access and improving the quality of healthcare services around the world, and one of the innovative strategies that have been used to address such challenges is the positive deviance (PD) approach. The approach assumes that identifying, examining, understanding and disseminating solutions to problems that are already available within the community and organisations including the healthcare system can help in bringing improvements at scale. However, to the best of the researcher's knowledge, there is no scoping review, that is, conducted to map and synthesise the available evidence on the use of the PD approach for healthcare system service improvements. Hence, this scoping review aims to map and synthesise resources on the methodologies and reported outcomes and identify gaps and potentials regarding the use of the PD approach in the healthcare system.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
Articles will be searched and retrieved in research databases such as PubMed, Embase and Scopus. Retrieved articles will be screened independently for inclusion through a title and, or abstract review. Then, articles that passed the title and abstract review will be screened by reading the full texts. A descriptive mapping and synthesis of the literature will be employed to present data using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and data will be presented in text, figure and table formats.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
The results of this scoping review will be published in peer-reviewed reputable international journals. Furthermore, it will also be disseminated through conference presentations, and popular press to the wider community. However, formal ethical approval is not required as primary data will not be collected.
Topics: Humans; Checklist; Databases, Factual; Delivery of Health Care; Peer Review; Research Design; Review Literature as Topic; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Clinical Protocols
PubMed: 38101832
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-078809 -
BMJ Open Jan 2021Vaping behaviour has increased in popularity and is particularly important to examine how it effects health outcomes in vulnerable populations, including those with...
INTRODUCTION
Vaping behaviour has increased in popularity and is particularly important to examine how it effects health outcomes in vulnerable populations, including those with opioid use disorder (OUD). With polysubstance use including cigarette and cannabis use being highly prevalent in the OUD population and cannabis/nicotine increasingly being consumed by vaping, vaping may have an important contribution to health outcomes in these individuals. The primary objective of this review is to systematically assess the literature related to patients with OUD and the effects vaping has shown on their physical and mental health.
METHOD AND ANALYSIS
A systematic search of databases including MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, Cochrane Clinical Trials Registry, the National Institutes for Health Clinical Trials Registry and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform from inception to 31 December 2020 will be conducted. Identified citations will be screened by two reviewers to determine eligibility at the title and abstract level, and then at the full text and data extraction phases. Any disagreements in inclusion will be resolved through unblinded discussion by these reviewers, with any remaining disagreements being resolved by a third reviewer. Data collection from eligible studies will be conducted according to the data extraction form tested prior to abstraction. Included studies will be examined for quality and bias and will be meta-analysed where applicable. This protocol is reported in keeping with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols guidelines.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
The results for this review will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals, posters and presentations at scientific conferences. Additionally, we are collaborating with the Canadian Addiction Treatment Centre clinics to help disseminate the findings for this review. As this is a systematic review, no ethics approval is needed.
REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42020178441.
Topics: Canada; Cannabis; Humans; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Opioid-Related Disorders; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Research Design; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Vaping
PubMed: 33468604
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040349 -
Tropical Medicine and Health Feb 2022This paper discusses the challenges of disseminating COVID-19 information to migrant populations by sharing our trial-and-error approach. In 2018, the Migrants' Neighbor... (Review)
Review
This paper discusses the challenges of disseminating COVID-19 information to migrant populations by sharing our trial-and-error approach. In 2018, the Migrants' Neighbor Network & Action (MINNA), a consortium of individuals and organizations that addressed the issues of accessing relevant information and services for migrants in Japan, was launched. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the MINNA attempted to investigate and improve access to health information among Vietnamese, Nepali, and Burmese migrants in Japan. We had three assumptions in distribution of information to reach a large audience, such as building a multilingual website, requesting stakeholders to disseminate information, or posting on Facebook. None of our assumptions were sufficient to reach the target audience in the context of COVID-19, as total number of views that accessed our materials were less than 300 at most. We viewed these myths as the result of overlooking critical elements of effective communication strategies. Eventually, MINNA managed to establish communication with the manager of a Facebook page with the largest number of followers from the Vietnamese community in Japan. Compared with our previous attempts, the messages were delivered to a large audience on the Facebook page, such as the article on COVID-19 vaccines that was viewed more than 300,000 times. In public health emergencies, interactive process of information dissemination is necessary. It is a key component for risk communication and should be prioritized. Breakthroughs in communicating with a larger audience could be possible through partnerships with online communities.
PubMed: 35105384
DOI: 10.1186/s41182-022-00404-9 -
NPJ Digital Medicine Feb 2021COVID-19 chatbots are widely used to screen for symptoms and disseminate information about the virus, yet little is known about the population subgroups that interact...
COVID-19 chatbots are widely used to screen for symptoms and disseminate information about the virus, yet little is known about the population subgroups that interact with this technology and the specific features that are used. An analysis of 1,000,740 patients invited to use a COVID-19 chatbot, 69,451 (6.94%) of which agreed to participate, shows differences in chatbot feature use by gender, race, and age. These results can inform future public health COVID-19 symptom screening and information dissemination strategies.
PubMed: 33608660
DOI: 10.1038/s41746-021-00405-8 -
BMC Public Health Jul 2023State-based Guidelines were issued for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services (caring for children 0-6 years) recommending greater time outdoors and... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
The impact of an e-newsletter or animated video to disseminate outdoor free-play information in relation to COVID-19 guidelines in New South Wales early childhood education and care services: a randomised controlled trial.
BACKGROUND
State-based Guidelines were issued for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services (caring for children 0-6 years) recommending greater time outdoors and inclusion of indoor-outdoor programs to facilitate social distancing to reduce spread of COVID-19. The aim of this 3-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) was to examine the impact of different dissemination strategies on increasing ECEC service intentions to adopt recommendations from the Guidelines.
METHODS
This was a post-intervention only RCT. A sample of eligible ECEC services in New South Wales (n = 1026) were randomly allocated to one of three groups; (i) e-newsletter resource; (ii) animated video resource; or (iii) control (standard email). The intervention was designed to address key determinants of guideline adoption including awareness and knowledge. Following delivery of the intervention in September 2021, services were invited to participate in an online or telephone survey from October-December 2021. The primary trial outcome was the proportion of services intending to adopt the Guidelines, defined as intention to; (i) offer an indoor-outdoor program for the full day; or (ii) offer more outdoor play time. Secondary outcomes included awareness, reach, knowledge and implementation of the Guidelines. Barriers to Guideline implementation, cost of the dissemination strategies and analytic data to measure fidelity of intervention delivery were also captured.
RESULTS
Of the 154 services that provided post-intervention data, 58 received the e-newsletter (37.7%), 50 received the animated video (32.5%), and 46 received the control (29.9%). Services who received the animated video had nearly five times the odds (OR: 4.91 [1.03, 23.34] p = 0.046) than those in the control group, to report having intentions to adopt the Guidelines. There were no statistically significant differences in awareness or knowledge of the Guidelines between either intervention or control services. Development costs were greatest for the animated video. The extent to which the dissemination strategy was viewed in full, were similar for both the e-newsletter and animated video.
CONCLUSION
This study found potential for the inclusion of interactive strategies to disseminate policy and guideline information within the ECEC setting, in the context of the need for rapid communication. Further research should explore the added benefits of embedding such strategies within a multi-strategy intervention.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
Retrospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) on the 23/02/2023 (ACTRN 12,623,000,198,628).
Topics: Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; New South Wales; COVID-19; Australia; Communication; Communications Media
PubMed: 37420179
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16177-7 -
Ophthalmology Sep 2020
Topics: Biomedical Research; COVID-19; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Humans; Information Dissemination; Intersectoral Collaboration; Ophthalmologists; Ophthalmology; Practice Patterns, Physicians'; SARS-CoV-2; Social Media
PubMed: 32502595
DOI: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.05.048 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2023Physical and non-physical processes that occur in nature may influence biological processes, such as dissemination of infectious diseases. However, such processes may be...
INTRODUCTION
Physical and non-physical processes that occur in nature may influence biological processes, such as dissemination of infectious diseases. However, such processes may be hard to detect when they are complex systems. Because complexity is a dynamic and non-linear interaction among numerous elements and structural levels in which specific effects are not necessarily linked to any one specific element, cause-effect connections are rarely or poorly observed.
METHODS
To test this hypothesis, the complex and dynamic properties of geo-biological data were explored with high-resolution epidemiological data collected in the 2001 Uruguayan foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) epizootic that mainly affected cattle. County-level data on cases, farm density, road density, river density, and the ratio of road (or river) length/county perimeter were analyzed with an open-ended procedure that identified geographical clustering in the first 11 epidemic weeks. Two questions were asked: (i) do geo-referenced epidemiologic data display complex properties? and (ii) can such properties facilitate or prevent disease dissemination?
RESULTS
Emergent patterns were detected when complex data structures were analyzed, which were not observed when variables were assessed individually. Complex properties-including data circularity-were demonstrated. The emergent patterns helped identify 11 counties as 'disseminators' or 'facilitators' (F) and 264 counties as 'barriers' (B) of epidemic spread. In the early epidemic phase, F and B counties differed in terms of road density and FMD case density. Focusing on non-biological, geographical data, a second analysis indicated that complex relationships may identify B-like counties even before epidemics occur.
DISCUSSION
Geographical barriers and/or promoters of disease dispersal may precede the introduction of emerging pathogens. If corroborated, the analysis of geo-referenced complexity may support anticipatory epidemiological policies.
PubMed: 37252396
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1149460 -
Journal of Neurosurgery. Case Lessons Feb 2022Central neurocytomas usually have a favorable clinical course, and gross total resection (GTR) results in long-term survival. Recurrences of central neurocytomas are...
BACKGROUND
Central neurocytomas usually have a favorable clinical course, and gross total resection (GTR) results in long-term survival. Recurrences of central neurocytomas are usually local, and dissemination is extremely rare.
OBSERVATIONS
A 24-year-old man who presented with vomiting was found to have a mass in the right lateral ventricle. After GTR, he received whole-brain irradiation and chemotherapy and had remained disease-free on follow-up for years. The review of the initial tumor revealed central neurocytoma. Seventeen years later, he presented with deterioration of memory, and magnetic resonance imaging showed an enhanced lesion in the left hippocampus. The enhanced lesion was resected, and the histological examination revealed that the tumor was a disseminated atypical central neurocytoma with frequent mitoses. Although he was treated with chemotherapy, the disseminated tumor slowly grew and invaded the brain. Massive brain invasion occurred without enhanced lesions, and he died 27 months after the tumor recurrence.
LESSONS
In this patient, a central neurocytoma disseminated after an extremely long period of time. Once neurocytomas disseminate and show aggressive behavior, patients usually follow a poor course. Patients with central neurocytomas should be followed up for a long time.
PubMed: 36130558
DOI: 10.3171/CASE21610 -
AMIA ... Annual Symposium Proceedings.... 2021Marginalized communities often mistrust research due to a history of unethical practice and limited community engagement. Research community engagement is expected with...
Marginalized communities often mistrust research due to a history of unethical practice and limited community engagement. Research community engagement is expected with Indigenous communities, but few empirical studies have explored engagement in results dissemination, let alone using technology. Studies on using technology to disseminate results focus on health and research professional audiences. This paper discusses Alaska Native stakeholder values on technology to facilitate collaborative results dissemination. In this formative study, six participants engaged in participatory design activities on collaborative results dissemination. Sketches and interviews were analyzed deductively using a value-based codebook. Study findings highlight the importance of community context and transparency. Contextual awareness includes understanding local culture and power dynamics, acknowledging the diversity of cultural practices within Alaska Native groups. Transparency is tied to clear communication: encouraging active dialogue and providing alternatives to communicate research. Technology that supports such collaborative dissemination could increase trust and improve adoption of research-recommended actions.
Topics: Alaska Natives; Communication; Humans; Technology; Trust
PubMed: 35308978
DOI: No ID Found