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The British Journal of Nutrition May 2014The present systematic review examined the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake in adults (mean age ≥ 18 years). Relevant databases were... (Review)
Review
The present systematic review examined the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake in adults (mean age ≥ 18 years). Relevant databases were searched from the earliest record until November 2012. Search terms included: nutrition; diet or food knowledge and energy intake; feeding behaviour; diet; eating; nutrient or food intake or consumption. Included studies were original research articles that used instruments providing quantitative assessment of both nutrition knowledge and dietary intake and their statistical association. The initial search netted 1,193,393 potentially relevant articles, of which twenty-nine were eligible for inclusion. Most of them were conducted in community populations (n 22) with fewer (n 7) in athletic populations. Due to the heterogeneity of methods used to assess nutrition knowledge and dietary intake, a meta-analysis was not possible. The majority of the studies (65·5%: community 63·6%; athletic 71·4%) reported significant, positive, but weak (r< 0·5) associations between higher nutrition knowledge and dietary intake, most often a higher intake of fruit and vegetables. However, study quality ranged widely and participant representation from lower socio-economic status was limited, with most participants being tertiary educated and female. Well-designed studies using validated methodologies are needed to clarify the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. Diet quality scores or indices that aim to evaluate compliance to dietary guidelines may be particularly valuable for assessing the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. Nutrition knowledge is an integral component of health literacy and as low health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes, contemporary, high-quality research is needed to inform community nutrition education and public health policy.
Topics: Adult; Athletes; Diet; Energy Intake; Feeding Behavior; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Male; Nutrition Policy; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 24621991
DOI: 10.1017/S0007114514000087 -
Current Drug Targets Jul 2007Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death around the world. (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death around the world.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of peer reviewed articles published since 1999 on the topics of public education and policy for stroke prevention. A research librarian conducted the search using Pubmed and the International Pharmacy Abstracts (IPA). We reviewed the abstracts from the search results to determine if they met the inclusion criteria. Then we abstracted the relevant data from the articles using an evaluation criteria and data abstraction instrument.
RESULTS
The searches of Pubmed and the IPA returned 446 articles, of which 36 were included in the review. Thirty-two were educational programs and four were policies. Twenty-two of the programs were directed at patients, four at providers, and seven at both. Seven of the educational programs were judged successful using the evaluation criteria. They included two large scale programs and five narrowly targeted programs. The policies included two articles presenting guidelines for treatment for stroke prevention in specific patient populations and two articles presenting recommendations for changes in systems of care for stroke prevention and treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
Future efforts to evaluate these programs will require global efforts with a special emphasis on testing and validating with international patient populations. Barriers remain for translating stroke prevention policies into clinical practice. "This material is based upon work supported by the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, the Office of Research and Development, Rehabilitation R&D Service, and Health Services R&D Service, Department of Veteran Affairs."
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel; Health Policy; Humans; Patient Education as Topic; Program Evaluation; Public Health; Research Design; Stroke; United States
PubMed: 17630942
DOI: 10.2174/138945007781077337 -
Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences Jun 2018Recent evidence indicates that reproductive-age people have inadequate fertility awareness (FA) concerning fertility, infertility risk factors, and consequences of... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Recent evidence indicates that reproductive-age people have inadequate fertility awareness (FA) concerning fertility, infertility risk factors, and consequences of delaying childbearing. However, no study has tried to summarize these studies and to clarify the variables associated with FA, namely the role of gender, age, education, and reproductive status on FA.
METHODS
A literature search up to February 2017 was conducted using the EBSCO, Web of Science, Scielo, and Scopus electronic databases with combinations of keywords and MeSH terms (e.g. 'awareness' OR 'health knowledge, attitudes, practice' AND 'fertility'; 'fertile period'; 'assisted reprod*').
RESULTS
Seventy-one articles met the eligibility criteria and were included. The main results showed that participants report low-to-moderate FA. Higher levels of FA were shown by women, highly educated individuals, people who reported difficulties with conceiving, and those who had planned their pregnancies. Having or desiring to have children was not related to FA level. An inconsistent association between study participant age and FA was observed, with some studies indicating that older participants had higher FA, but others found an opposite result or did not find any association.
CONCLUSION
The current findings suggest that interventions to increase FA are warranted, especially those targeting men, people with low education, and in family planning settings. Interventions and campaigns should be customized to meet individuals' needs regarding FA. Because of the high heterogeneity regarding the assessment of FA, these conclusions must be interpreted with caution.
Topics: Age Factors; Female; Fertility; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Policy; Humans; Infertility; Male; Patient Education as Topic; Risk Factors
PubMed: 29957086
DOI: 10.1080/03009734.2018.1480186 -
BMC Public Health Dec 2017Although menthol was not banned under the Tobacco Control Act, the law made it clear that this did not prevent the Food and Drug Administration from issuing a product... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Although menthol was not banned under the Tobacco Control Act, the law made it clear that this did not prevent the Food and Drug Administration from issuing a product standard to ban menthol to protect public health. The purpose of this review was to update the evidence synthesis regarding the role of menthol in initiation, dependence and cessation.
METHODS
A systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature on menthol cigarettes via a PubMed search through May 9, 2017. The National Cancer Institute's Bibliography of Literature on Menthol and Tobacco and the FDA's 2011 report and 2013 addendum were reviewed for additional publications. Included articles addressing initiation, dependence, and cessation were synthesized based on study design and quality, consistency of evidence across populations and over time, coherence of findings across studies, and plausibility of the findings.
RESULTS
Eighty-two studies on menthol cigarette initiation (n = 46), dependence (n = 14), and cessation (n = 34) were included. Large, representative studies show an association between menthol and youth smoking that is consistent in magnitude and direction. One longitudinal and eight cross-sectional studies demonstrate that menthol smokers report increased nicotine dependence compared to non-menthol smokers. Ten studies support the temporal relationship between menthol and reduced smoking cessation, as they measure cessation success at follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS
The strength and consistency of the associations in these studies support that the removal of menthol from cigarettes is likely to reduce youth smoking initiation, improve smoking cessation outcomes in adult smokers, and in turn, benefit public health.
Topics: Cigarette Smoking; Health Policy; Humans; Menthol; Public Health; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; United States
PubMed: 29284458
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-017-4987-z -
Annual Review of Nutrition 2014Decisions related to a spectrum of nutrition-related public health and clinical concerns must consider many factors and are best informed by evaluating the totality and... (Review)
Review
Decisions related to a spectrum of nutrition-related public health and clinical concerns must consider many factors and are best informed by evaluating the totality and quality of the evidence. Systematic review (SR) is a structured process to evaluate, compare, and synthesize relevant evidence for the SR-specific question(s). Applications of SR are exemplified here through the discussion of four case studies: research agendas, nutrient reference intakes, dietary guidance, and practice guidelines. Concerns that SR cannot be effectively applied to nutrition evidence because of the lack of an unexposed comparator and the complex homeostasis in nutrition are discussed. Central to understanding the applicability of SR is its flexibility in defining key inclusion criteria and rigorous elements as appropriate for the SR-specific question(s). Through the reduction of bias and random error by explicit, reproducible, comprehensive, and rigorous examination of all of the evidence, SR informs the scientific judgment needed for sound evidence-based public health nutrition.
Topics: Animals; Decision Support Techniques; Evidence-Based Medicine; Health Promotion; Humans; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Nutrition Policy; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Public Health; Review Literature as Topic
PubMed: 24819324
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-080508-141240 -
Addiction (Abingdon, England) Mar 2021To comprehensively review enacted and proposed alcohol laws and existing impact evaluations of national alcohol policies in Chile. (Review)
Review
AIMS
To comprehensively review enacted and proposed alcohol laws and existing impact evaluations of national alcohol policies in Chile.
METHODS
We searched enacted laws in the Chilean National Library of Congress, proposed laws in the websites of the House of Deputies and Senate and impact evaluations in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Scielo, JSTOR, Epistemonikos and OpenGrey from inception to February 2019. Eligibility criteria included enacted laws and proposed laws on national alcohol policies and research studies evaluating the impact of national alcohol policies. One author screened enacted laws and proposed laws; two authors independently screened research records. We included any national alcohol policy intervention and classified policies according to 10 World Health Organization (WHO) alcohol policy domains. We used the Cochrane EPOC Review Group criteria to assess risk of bias of research records. We registered the review protocol in PROSPERO, registration record CRD42016050156.
RESULTS
We identified and screened 229 enacted laws, 138 proposed laws and 1538 research records. Of these, 72 enacted laws, 118 proposed laws and three research articles were eligible for synthesis. We found enacted policies in all WHO alcohol policy domains. Regarding the most cost-effective policies, Chile has made limited use of taxation, has not regulated alcohol marketing and has weakened alcohol availability regulation. We found a large number of proposed laws, 79% of which would strengthen alcohol control. The few impact evaluation studies examined drink-driving policies and found a short-term reduction of alcohol-related injuries and deaths.
CONCLUSIONS
Chile has enacted alcohol policies in all World Health Organization policy domains, but has not adopted policies with highest likely cost-effectiveness. Only the impact of drink-driving policies has been evaluated.
Topics: Chile; Humans; Marketing; Policy Making; Public Policy; Taxes
PubMed: 32710455
DOI: 10.1111/add.15208 -
Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy Sep 2018Given the evolution of the public health (PH) and the changes from the phenomenon of globalization, this area has encountered new ethical challenges. In order to find a... (Review)
Review
Given the evolution of the public health (PH) and the changes from the phenomenon of globalization, this area has encountered new ethical challenges. In order to find a coherent approach to address ethical issues in PH policy, this study aimed to identify the evolution of public health ethics (PHE) frameworks and the main moral values and norms in PH practice and policy. According to the research questions, a systematic search of the literature, in English, with no time limit was performed using the main keywords in databases Web of Science (ISI) and PubMed. Finally, the full text of 56 papers was analyzed. Most of the frameworks have common underpinning assumptions and beliefs, and the need to balance PH moral obligation to prevent harm and health promotion with respect for individual autonomy has been specified. As such, a clear shift from liberal values in biomedical ethics is seen toward the community's collective values in PHE. The main moral norms in PH practice and policy included protecting the population against harm and improving PH benefits, utility and evidenced-based effectiveness, distributive justice and fairness, respect for all, privacy and confidentiality, solidarity, social responsibility, community empowerment and participation, transparency, accountability and trust. Systematic review of PHE frameworks indicates utilization of the aforementioned moral norms through an practical framework as an ethical guide for action in the PH policy. The validity of this process requires a systematic approach including procedural conditions.
Topics: Bioethical Issues; Bioethics; Community Participation; Disaster Planning; Evidence-Based Practice; Health Care Rationing; Health Care Reform; Health Policy; Humans; Moral Obligations; Morals; Philosophy, Medical; Power, Psychological; Primary Prevention; Public Health Practice; Social Justice
PubMed: 29124449
DOI: 10.1007/s11019-017-9813-y -
PloS One 2013There is increasing recognition that the development of evidence-informed health policy is not only a technical problem of knowledge exchange or translation, but also a... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
There is increasing recognition that the development of evidence-informed health policy is not only a technical problem of knowledge exchange or translation, but also a political challenge. Yet, while political scientists have long considered the nature of political systems, the role of institutional structures, and the political contestation of policy issues as central to understanding policy decisions, these issues remain largely unexplored by scholars of evidence-informed policy making.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review of empirical studies that examined the influence of key features of political systems and institutional mechanisms on evidence use, and contextual factors that may contribute to the politicisation of health evidence. Eligible studies were identified through searches of seven health and social sciences databases, websites of relevant organisations, the British Library database, and manual searches of academic journals. Relevant findings were extracted using a uniform data extraction tool and synthesised by narrative review.
FINDINGS
56 studies were selected for inclusion. Relevant political and institutional aspects affecting the use of health evidence included the level of state centralisation and democratisation, the influence of external donors and organisations, the organisation and function of bureaucracies, and the framing of evidence in relation to social norms and values. However, our understanding of such influences remains piecemeal given the limited number of empirical analyses on this subject, the paucity of comparative works, and the limited consideration of political and institutional theory in these studies.
CONCLUSIONS
This review highlights the need for a more explicit engagement with the political and institutional factors affecting the use of health evidence in decision-making. A more nuanced understanding of evidence use in health policy making requires both additional empirical studies of evidence use, and an engagement with theories and approaches beyond the current remit of public health or knowledge utilisation studies.
Topics: Africa; Decision Making; Europe; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Policy; Humans; Policy Making; Politics; Public Health; United States
PubMed: 24204823
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077404 -
Curationis Dec 2020The need to achieve school health and promote well-being that would transcend children's school life has been highlighted in several studies. Promotion of health and...
BACKGROUND
The need to achieve school health and promote well-being that would transcend children's school life has been highlighted in several studies. Promotion of health and well-being of children has not been achieved despite the prescripts of the World Health Organization and national mandates.
OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this systematic review was to explore and describe the current evidence on the dissemination and implementation of a policy on school health in public schools.
METHODS
Five steps of a systematic review were used to achieve the purpose of the study. The steps include framing a clear review question, developing a search approach through gathering and classifying evidence, conducting a critical appraisal, evidence summary as well as the results. Ebscohost, SAE publications, Web of Science and JSTOR databases were used to identify articles written between 2013 and 2018 and to enable access to current studies on the promotion of school health. Keywords included the following: dissemination; implementation; school health policy; and public schools. The search yielded n = 1995 articles. From this figure, 1976 articles were ineligible and only 19 articles met the inclusion criteria.
RESULTS
Seven themes emerged from the findings of this systematic review as follows: shared information, training and development of key role-players, programme development and research, commitment from key role-players, monitoring activities, executive support and collaborative partnerships.
CONCLUSION
The findings show that it is possible for a policy on school health to be disseminated and implemented effectively in public schools.
Topics: Health Policy; Humans; Policy Making; Public Sector; School Health Services; Schools; South Africa
PubMed: 33314955
DOI: 10.4102/curationis.v43i1.2110 -
Health Research Policy and Systems Oct 2017In order to understand and measure the policy impact of research we need a definition of research impact that is suited to the task. This article systematically reviewed... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
In order to understand and measure the policy impact of research we need a definition of research impact that is suited to the task. This article systematically reviewed both peer-reviewed and grey literature for definitions of research impact to develop a definition of research impact that can be used to investigate how public health research influences policy.
METHOD
Keyword searches of the electronic databases Web of Science, ProQuest, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Informit, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Google Scholar were conducted between August 2015 and April 2016. Keywords included 'definition' and 'policy' and 'research impact' or 'research evidence'. The search terms 'health', public health' or 'mental health' and 'knowledge transfer' or 'research translation' were used to focus the search on relevant health discipline approaches. Studies included in the review described processes, theories or frameworks associated with public health, health services or mental health policy.
RESULTS
We identified 108 definitions in 83 publications. The key findings were that literature on research impact is growing, but only 23% of peer-reviewed publications on the topic explicitly defined the term and that the majority (76%) of definitions were derived from research organisations and funding institutions. We identified four main types of definition, namely (1) definitions that conceptualise research impacts in terms of positive changes or effects that evidence can bring about when transferred into policies (example Research Excellence Framework definition), (2) definitions that interpret research impacts as measurable outcomes (Research Councils UK), and (3) bibliometric and (4) use-based definitions. We identified four constructs underpinning these definitions that related to concepts of contribution, change, avenues and levels of impact.
CONCLUSION
The dominance of bureaucratic definitions, the tendency to discuss but not define the concept of research impact, and the heterogeneity of definitions confirm the need for conceptual clarity in this area. We propose a working definition of research impact that can be used in a range of health policy contexts.
Topics: Health Policy; Health Services; Humans; Peer Review, Health Care; Public Health; Serial Publications
PubMed: 28969650
DOI: 10.1186/s12961-017-0247-z