Redressing health inequality through social prescription programme

There is a growing evidence about the role of social prescription on health and wellbeing [1-3]. Social prescription programme can act as a primary or secondary intervention for a range of public health issues including obesity, mental health, parenting skills, life skills and address inequality in health and wealth. Using the innovative “Gym for Free” [4] case study, this paper re visited the impact and outcome of this pilot public health policy initiative in promoting health and redressing inequality in an inner- city deprived area in Birmingham. In addition, there is not enough information available about the process and challenges of translating research findings into policy and practice. This paper will describe the process, and outcomes of translating the findings of this research into implementation of “Be Active” a social prescription policy for the population in Birmingham, U

FABTOTS - An early years community-based obesity prevention programme: A pilot study

FABTOTS, Fit Active Bodies babies and toddlers, was a community-based intervention programme targeting parents of children up to the age of three. It consisted of 2 hour weekly sessions over a six week period aimed at building parental confidence and fostering positive parenting through nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle choices. The programme was delivered by staff at the 18 Children Centres and one teenage pregnancy centre in Sandwell, one of most deprived and ethnically diverse towns in the UK. This paper outlines the development of FABTOTS and an evaluation of the short term impact of the pilot programme on the 173 parents who took part in the first year. Mixed methods of data collection were used; group discussions with the participants took place at the end of each session and facilitators’ observations were noted for process evaluation. Participants completed a questionnaire about their experience of FABTOTS and behavioural changes. After six months, 25 participants took part in a follow up telephone interview to identify the sustainability of the reported behavioural changes. Findings suggested that the programme was feasible and sustainable in the short term but highlighted a number of issues: recruitment, acceptability, retention, duration and content of the programme. Challenges in developing rigorous acceptable tools for data collection in an area with predominantly low literacy rates were noted. Evaluation of its long term sustainability is highly recommended

Comparison of emotional intelligence in working couples in Gorgan

The present study was formulated to determine emotional health in working couples of Gorgan city in 2010.Samples were selected via cluster sampling method after deriving the statistical facts about working males and females in Gorgan City and finally, 100 people (50 couples) were selected. Bar-On questionnaire was selected to measure emotional intelligence due to comprehensiveness, simplicity, and conformity to Iranian culture. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) in SPSS Software. Then, the data were analyzed through inferential statistics. The results obtained from the present study showed that there is no significant difference in emotional intelligence of working females (1.995) compared to their working husbands (1.960)

Nutritional Behaviour and Perceptions on Staying Well during the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic the Experiences of Students from a University in Birmingham, UK

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictive measures on the health and well-being of the general population have recently been highlighted. This paper emerges from a larger study on the impact of a COVID-19 on health and wellbeing of university students in Birmingham, UK. It focuses on the nutritional aspects and students’ perceptions of behaviours that helped them to stay well during a time of uncertainty. A cross sectional study design has been used and data was collected during May and June 2020, via an anonymised online questionnaire. 1784 students completed the questionnaire (F = 1360, M = 418 and Non-binary = 14) with the age range of 18 - 53 (Mean = 25, SD ± 8) years. Findings indicate a major negative impact of covid-19 pandemic and lockdown measures on students’ financial situation, with almost 50% stating decreased in their paid employment. This could have been the reasons for an increased consumption of food out of boredom and anxiety (61.8%), increased purchasing food out of fear (23.8%), consumption of more canned fruits and vegetables (18.6%) and being dependent on social protection measures related to food (10%). The positive impact however was more home cooking and baking (72.4%), more consumption of fresh fruit and vegetables (50.4%), and an awareness of what to do to stay well

Student well-being during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Birmingham, UK

This report discusses student well-being during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Birmingham, UK

The Association of Prenatal Depression and Body Mass Index (BMI) in Pregnant Women Referred to Health Centers in Qom

AbstractIntroduction: Pregnancy is a period during which women experience physical and psychological changes. The considerable changes can be found in their bodies and weights and they are quickly exposed to being overweight and obesity. On the other hand, few studies have assessed the association of depression with body mass index (BMI). This study explored whether depression and BMI affect each other in pregnancy. It aimed to investigate the correlation between prenatal depression and BMI in pregnant women in Qom.Methods: This was a descriptive-correlational study conducted on pregnant women referred to health centers in 2016. Participants were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Samples of 236 pregnant women were divided into two groups: the second (14-28 weeks) and third (28-40 weeks) trimesters of pregnancy. Height and weight were measured to determine the initial BMI as well as BMI during pregnancy. Demographic information was collected from demographic and obstetric forms. Depression was measured using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, significant at P < 0.05.Results: The results showed BMI in the second trimester to be 48.3% in the normal range, 16.1% overweight, and 30.5% obese. In the third trimester, BMI was 16.9% in the normal range, 34.4% overweight, and 46.6% obese. The rate of depression was 19.5% in the second trimester and 17.8% in the third trimester. Pearson’s correlation test showed that the association between prenatal depression and BMI did not exist in the second trimester (P = 0.499). In the third trimester, there was a significant negative correlation (P = 0.024). Based on regression analysis, among the factors related to BMI (depression, number of family members, gravidity, number of living children, parity, mother’s age, unwanted pregnancy by father, unwanted pregnancy by mother), depression and were are the only predictive factors strongly associated with BMI (P = 0.002 and P = 0.028, respectively).Conclusions: In our study, there was an inverse correlation between depression and BMI of pregnant women, so that with increase in depression, BMI decreased. According to the different results of the research, further studies should be carried out regarding the effect of depression on BMI in order to be able to provide further assistance to pregnant women

Diagnostic performance of waist-to-height ratio in identifying cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic syndrome among adult Saudis. A cross-sectional study

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of waist to height ratio (WHtR) to screen for cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Saudis. Methods: Between June 2013 and August 2014, a cross-sectional study of 3,063 adult Saudis of both genders from King Khalid Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was conducted. Using the “WHO STEPwise Surveillance-Instrument V2.1”, which uses sequential steps including questionnaires and anthropometric and biochemical measurements of MetS and CVRF. Waist to height ratio validity in defining central obesity, MetS, and CVRF were tested using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy. Using multivariate regression analyses for adjustment of confounders as age and gender were applied to compute adjusted odds ratios (aOR). Results: The diagnostic potential of WHtR was excellent for central obesity (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.98), and MetS (AUCs = 0.86); it was good for CVRF ≥2 (AUCs = 0.79) and was satisfactory for dyslipidemia (AUCs = 0.66). The sensitivities and negative predictive values exceeded 85% for diagnosing central obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Adjusted odds ratios for age and gender showed that WHtR ≥0.50 significantly increased the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and ≥2 CVRF by almost 4-fold, and increased the risk of dyslipidemia by 2-fold. Conclusion: Waist height ratio showed a good diagnostic performance for CVRF and MetS among Saudis. Furthermore, WHtR ≥0.5 increased the risk of dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus and hypertension

Knowledge and Awareness of Genital Warts among Female College Students in Iran and Its Role in Vaccination

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is capable of infecting individuals engaging in sexual activity at some points in their lives. As general vaccination of children and adolescents is not a standard practice in Iran, this study aimed to assess the awareness of Iranian female college students regarding HPV and its associated vaccinations.Methods: This cross-sectional research was conducted in 2020 on a cohort of 350 female college students from Shahed University, Iran. Participants were selected through a convenience sampling technique, with the determined sample size based on the enrollment in each faculty. An electronic questionnaire was prepared and administered virtually to the participating students.Results: The mean age of the participants in this study was 21.63±1.93 years. Remarkably, 90% of the students were familiar with genital warts, while only 41% were knowledgeable about the available vaccine. Additionally, a third of the participants were unaware of the sexual transmission of HPV, and half were uninformed about the association between various cancers and genital warts. The average score for overall knowledge was 6.19±3.54. Notably, a significant correlation was observed among age, academic years of study, faculty affiliation, and knowledge about HPV and its vaccine (P<0.001). Interestingly, academic education emerged as the primary source of information after public media and the Internet.Conclusion: The level of knowledge concerning HPV and its associated vaccine among the study participants was predominantly moderate. Considering the pivotal link between cervical cancer and HPV, the significance of providing adequate information and education on preventive measures cannot be overstated

Food and Migration: Dietary Acculturation among Migrants to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a large migrant workforce particularly from North Africa, other Gulf states and South Asia. Migration influences food behavior; however, the change is not often health conducive. This study aimed to investigate the dietary acculturation among 880 migrants and their families in a large University in the Kingdoms’ capital city, Riyadh. Methods: A cross sectional study design was used based on 2 questionnaires; Rosenmoller et al’s and the WHO STEPS surveillance tool for chronic disease surveillance. Data on length of residency, dietary patterns, anthropometric and biochemical measurements were collected by trained interviewers. Descriptive statistics were reported as a percentage or mean, as appropriate. Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test or independent t test, Univariate and Multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to compare the significance between variables. Results: Both male and female participants showed a similar mean age (39.7 and 38.5 years). Approximately 61% of them had <5 year’s duration of residency. Significant gender differences were observed in blood pressure and biochemical measurements, with men showing higher mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure and dyslipidemia than women (P < .001). Women had significantly higher BMI (P < .001), showed higher mean food practice (P < .001) and awareness scores than men. Conclusions: Migration into Saudi Arabia from this subgroup showed marked changes in the food practice; acquisition of unhealthy dietary practices also co-existed despite improved awareness and the presence of comorbidities. Findings from this study have relevance to other migrant communities and public health policy

Culture and Spirituality in the Process of Mental Health and Recovery: Users and Providers Perspectives

Background: Spiritual beliefs are known to impact on mental well-being and recovery, yet professionals and clinicians often fail to explore user and carer perspectives on these. Aims: Explore views of ethnically diverse service users, carers, service providers including Early Intervention in Psychosis service (EIS) professionals and spiritual care team representatives on the significance of spirituality, culture and religion on mental health recovery. Method: Eleven focus groups were conducted with service users, carers, health professionals and representatives of spiritual care. Results: Thematic analysis uncovered three main themes on service users’ mental health recovery: Shame and Creating a Positive Sense of Self; Meeting Cultural, Spiritual, Religious and Individual Needs; Spiritual and Religious Beliefs impact on Well-being. Clinical Implications: Healthcare professionals should consider the impact of spirituality on services users’ mental health recovery and well-being. Further training, guidance and support are needed to increase professional competency