Risk and protective factors for suicide and suicidal behaviour: a literature review

The Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh (Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change and General Practice Section) and the University of Stirling (Department of Applied Social Science and Department of Nursing and Midwifery), were commissioned by the then Scottish Executive to undertake a review of the literature on risk and protective factors for suicide and suicidal behaviour. The review had two overarching aims: first, to describe and assess current knowledge regarding the societal and cultural factors associated with increased incidence of suicide (risk factors), and to delineate the population subgroups that are at increased risk of suicidal behaviour; and second, to describe and assess current knowledge regarding factors that promote resilience and healthy survival against suicidal behaviour amongst people who are exposed to known suicidal risk conditions (protective factors)

O-mannosylation in Candida albicans enables development of interkingdom biofilm communities

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Assessing the unintended health impacts of road transport policies and interventions: translating research evidence for use in policy and practice

Background: Transport and its links to health and health inequalities suggest that it is important to assess both the direct and unintended indirect health and related impacts of transport initiatives and policies. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provides a framework to assess the possible health impacts of interventions such as transport. Policymakers and practitioners need access to well conducted research syntheses if research evidence is to be used to inform these assessments. The predictive validity of HIA depends heavily on the use and careful interpretation of supporting empirical evidence. Reviewing and digesting the vast volume and diversity of evidence in a field such as transport is likely to be beyond the scope of most HIAs. Collaborations between HIA practitioners and specialist reviewers to develop syntheses of best available evidence applied specifically to HIA could promote the use of evidence in practice. Methods: Best available research evidence was synthesised using the principles of systematic review. The synthesis was developed to reflect the needs of HIA practitioners and policymakers. Results: Aside from injury reduction measures, there is very little empirical data on the impact of road transport interventions. The possibility of impacts on a diverse range of outcomes and differential impacts across groups, make it difficult to assess overall benefit and harm. In addition, multiple mediating factors in the pathways between transport and hypothesised health impacts further complicate prospective assessment of impacts. Informed by the synthesis, a framework of questions was developed to help HIA practitioners identify the key questions which need to be considered in transport HIA. Conclusion: Principles of systematic review are valuable in producing syntheses of best available evidence for use in HIA practice. Assessment of the health impacts of transport interventions is characterised by much uncertainty, competing values, and differential or conflicting impacts for different population groups at a local or wider level. These are issues pertinent to the value of HIA generally. While uncertainty needs explicit acknowledgement in HIA, there is still scope for best available evidence to inform the development of healthy public policy

Designing in food technology – a curriculum intervention strategy in a one year design & technology postgraduate teacher training course

This study builds on previous work (Barlex and Rutland, 2004) exploring the effectiveness of a deliberate curriculum intervention strategy aimed at enhancing the design ability and design teaching skills of trainee teachers on a one year PGCE Design & Technology course. In this new study the focus is on the design ability and design teaching skills of food technology trainees. A parallel study was carried out at another institution and this will be reported in a future publication. The trainee's initial design ability in food technology was gauged in two ways; using an audit tool and evidence provided by the design portfolio produced during the first food technology design activity for all trainees on the course. The development of food technology design ability was then gauged using evidence from the design portfolios produced during two additional food design activities. The study includes two sets of interviews with a sample of food technology trainees following the food design activities and a final interview at the end of the research project. The ability to teach designing with food and its development across the one year course was gauged using data collected through classroom observation; trainee’s teaching practice file and analysis of interviews with the sample of food technology trainees at the end of each teaching experience. The study will report preliminary findings from data collected September 2004 – December 2004 concerning the development of design ability within food technology and the development of the ability to teach designing with food technology for trainees at a single institution

A review of the effectiveness of interventions, approaches and models at individual, community and population level that are aimed at changing health outcomes through changing knowledge attitudes and behaviour

This document is the summary of a ‘review of reviews’, which aims to bring together a large body of evidence and provide a critical and structured overview of the effectiveness of interventions and models to change attitudes, knowledge and behaviours in six different areas. This overview will provide researchers, policy and decision-makers, and practitioners with accessible, good quality evidence in these topic areas

Physical activity in South Asians: an in-depth qualitative study to explore motivations and facilitators

Background People of South Asian backgrounds living in the UK have a five-fold increased risk of diabetes and a two-fold increased risk of heart disease when compared to the general population. Physical activity can reduce the risk of premature death from a range of conditions. The aim of the study was to explore the motivating and facilitating factors likely to increase physical activity for South Asian adults and their families, in order to develop successful interventions and services. Methodology/Principal Findings This was a qualitative study using focus groups and in-depth interviews. Participants were 59 purposively selected Bangladeshi-, Indian- and Pakistani-origin men and women with an additional 10 key informants. The setting was three urban areas of Scotland: Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. We undertook a theoretically informed thematic analysis of data. Study participants described engaging in a range of physical activities, particularly football and the gym for men, and walking and swimming for women. The main motivators for taking part in physical activity were external motivators - i.e. undertaking physical activity as a means to an end, which included the opportunities that physical activity provided for social activity and enjoyment. The goals of weight reduction and improving mental and physical health were also mentioned. Role models were seen as important to inspire and motivate people to undertake activities that they may otherwise lack confidence in. Few people undertook physical activity for its own sake (intrinsic motivation). Conclusions/Significance Attempts at promoting physical activity in people of South Asian origin need to take account of the social context of people's lives and the external motivators that encourage them to engage in physical activity. Undertaking group based physical activity is important and can be facilitated through religious, community, friendship or family networks. Role models may also prove particularly helpful

Walking for depression or depressive symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Problem: Depression is a common disorder worldwide. Most patients are treated within primary care and antidepressant treatment is not recommended for people with mild depression. Physical activity has been shown to alleviate depression but it is not known whether the less vigorous activity of walking - a potentially widely acceptable and safe intervention - confers such benefit. Method: Eleven databases were systematically searched for randomised controlled trials of walking as a treatment intervention for depression, from database inception until January 2012. Meta-analyses were carried out on all trials eligible for inclusion and on sub-groups of outdoor, indoor and group walking. Results: Of the 14,672 articles retrieved, eight trials met the inclusion criteria. The pooled standardised mean difference (effect size) was -0.86 [-1.12, -0.61] showing that walking has a statistically significant, large effect on symptoms of depression. However, there was considerable heterogeneity amongst the interventions and research populations and it is uncertain whether the results can be generalised to specific populations such as primary care patients. Conclusions: Walking has a statistically significant, large effect on the symptoms of depression in some populations, but the current evidence base from randomised, controlled trials is limited. Thus, while walking is a promising treatment for depression or depressive symptoms with few, if any, contraindications, further investigations to establish the frequency, intensity, duration and type(s) of effective walking interventions particularly in primary care populations would be beneficial for providing further recommendations to clinical practitioners

Development of an outcome indicator framework for a universal health visiting programme using routinely collected data

BackgroundUniversal health visiting has been a cornerstone of preventative healthcare for children in the United Kingdom (UK) for over 100 years. In 2016, Scotland introduced a new Universal Health Visiting Pathway (UHVP), involving a greater number of contacts with a particular emphasis on the first year, visits within the home setting, and rigorous developmental assessment conducted by a qualified Health Visitor. To evaluate the UHVP, an outcome indicator framework was developed using routine administrative data. This paper sets out the development of these indicators.MethodsA logic model was produced with stakeholders to define the group of outcomes, before further refining and aligning of the measures through discussions with stakeholders and inspection of data. Power calculations were carried out and initial data described for the chosen indicators.ResultsEighteen indicators were selected across eight outcome areas: parental smoking, breastfeeding, immunisations, dental health, developmental concerns, obesity, accidents and injuries, and child protection interventions. Data quality was mixed. Coverage of reviews was high; over 90% of children received key reviews. Individual item completion was more variable: 92.2% had breastfeeding data at 6–8 weeks, whilst 63.2% had BMI recorded at 27–30 months. Prevalence also varied greatly, from 1.3% of children’s names being on the Child Protection register for over six months by age three, to 93.6% having received all immunisations by age two.ConclusionsHome visiting services play a key role in ensuring children and families have the right support to enable the best start in life. As these programmes evolve, it is crucial to understand whether changes lead to improvements in child outcomes. This paper describes a set of indicators using routinely-collected data, lessening additional burden on participants, and reducing response bias which may be apparent in other forms of evaluation. Further research is needed to explore the transferability of this indicator framework to other settings

Training manual for facilitators of teacher training seminars on education for responsible living

The Partnership for Education and Research about Responsible Living (PERL) comprises educators, researchers and practitioners from over 120 institutions in more than 50 countries. This partnership stems from an awareness of the urgent need for individuals and society to significantly rethink and reorient the choices they make and the manner in which they live their lives in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change and financial instability, to ensure more just distribution of resources and to foster sustainable, dignified human development for all. Based on six years of work by the Consumer Citizenship Network (CCN), PERL partners develop projects, methods and materials to encourage people to contribute to constructive change through the way they choose to live. PERL is contributing to the Marrakech Process on Sustainable Consumption and Production, as well as to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), which boasts the active participation of UNEP, UNESCO, the Italian Task Force on Education for Sustainable Consumption and the Swedish Ministry of the Environment. PERL is based both in Europe as an Erasmus Academic Network and established in Asia Pacific, Africa and Latin America. The PERL network is a large multi-disciplinary organisation which has a core of working group members supported by a larger group which constitutes the Consultants network. PERL is coordinated from the Hedmark University College in Norway. The Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion also supports PERL. One of the PERL working groups is focusing on ‘Active Learning Methodologies’ and its objectives are to develop resources that build on the criteria and student-centred constructive methods of the original “Images and Objects” Active Methodology Toolkit and the YouthXchange Training Kit.peer-reviewe