Patients' perceptions of a NHS Health Check in the primary care setting

The NHS Health Checks is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management programme for individuals in England aged between 40 and 74 with the aim of identifying previously unassessed individuals that are at high risk of CVD. Little research to date has explored patient perceptions and opinions of Health Checks. This paper aims to investigate the perceptions and opinions of patients who had attended a Health Check appointment within a cohort of 83 General Practices in Gloucestershire. A cross sectional survey of patients who had completed a Health Check appointment during the period May to June 2012 within a single county in England. Quantitative and qualitative data were acquired from 1,011 standardised and anonymised patient surveys sent out by a Health Check Commissioner and GPs. Data gathered included perceptions concerning all aspects of the Health Checks process and actual appointment. Descriptive analysis was used to interrogate the quantitative data. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Concerns about health were a principal driver of attendance. Reassurance, access to health information and guidance, and the identification of CVD risk and CVD diagnosis were perceived as key benefits of attending the appointment. Principal disadvantages included inconsistencies in the Health Check process, administration of appointments and a lack of appropriate follow up advice. Health Checks are popular with patients and provide useful outcomes but greater consistency is needed in engaging patients and describing its purpose

Perceptions of health professionals involved in the implementation of a NHS Health Check care pathway in the primary care setting

Background: The national NHS Health Check programme in England aims to help people stay well for longer and is designed to support individuals aged between 40 and 74 to manage their risk of developing vascular diseases by offering a cardiovascular risk assessment every five years. Aim: To investigate health professionals’ experiences and perspectives concerning the implementation of a local HC programme and challenges to delivery. Methods: Surveys including standardised quantitative questions and qualitative questions were administered to GP practice staff (n = 25) directly involved in the implementation of Health Checks within a single county in the South West of England. Results: There was a lack of clarity concerning the expectations for Health Checks and barriers to consistently implementing the pathway. Practitioners were not always confident in communicating risk or supporting change in patient health behaviours. Conclusions: There is a need for on-going training and support in respect of Health Checks for those engaged in its implementation

Patients' perceptions of a NHS Health Check in the primary care setting

The NHS Health Checks is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management programme for individuals in England aged between 40 and 74 with the aim of identifying previously unassessed individuals that are at high risk of CVD. Little research to date has explored patient perceptions and opinions of Health Checks. This paper aims to investigate the perceptions and opinions of patients who had attended a Health Check appointment within a cohort of 83 General Practices in Gloucestershire. A cross sectional survey of patients who had completed a Health Check appointment during the period May to June 2012 within a single county in England. Quantitative and qualitative data were acquired from 1,011 standardised and anonymised patient surveys sent out by a Health Check Commissioner and GPs. Data gathered included perceptions concerning all aspects of the Health Checks process and actual appointment. Descriptive analysis was used to interrogate the quantitative data. Inductive content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Concerns about health were a principal driver of attendance. Reassurance, access to health information and guidance, and the identification of CVD risk and CVD diagnosis were perceived as key benefits of attending the appointment. Principal disadvantages included inconsistencies in the Health Check process, administration of appointments and a lack of appropriate follow up advice. Health Checks are popular with patients and provide useful outcomes but greater consistency is needed in engaging patients and describing its purpose

"Step by Step". A feasibility study of a lunchtime walking intervention designed to increase walking, improve mental well-being and work performance in sedentary employees: Rationale and study design

BACKGROUND: Following an extensive recruitment campaign, a 16-week lunchtime intervention to increase walking was implemented with insufficiently physically active University employees to examine programme feasibility and the effects of the programme in increasing walking behaviour, and in improving well-being and work performance. METHODS/DESIGN: A feasibility study in which participants were randomised to an immediate treatment or a delayed treatment control (to start at 10 weeks) group. For the first ten weeks of the intervention, participants took part in three facilitator-led group walks per week each of thirty minutes duration and were challenged to accumulate another sixty minutes of walking during the weekends. In the second phase of the intervention, the organised group walks ceased to be offered and participants were encouraged to self-organise their walks. Motivational principles were employed using contemporary motivational theory. Outcome measures (including self-reported walking, step counts, cardiovascular fitness, general and work-related well-being and work performance) were assessed at baseline, at the end of the 16-week intervention and (for some) four months after the end of the intervention. Process and outcome assessments were also taken throughout, and following, the intervention. DISCUSSION: The results of the intervention will determine the feasibility of implementing a lunchtime walking programme to increase walking behaviour, well-being and performance in sedentary employees. If successful, there is scope to implement definitive trials across a range of worksites with the aim of improving both employee and organisational health

Changes in work affect in response to lunchtime walking in previously physically inactive employees: a randomized trial

Physical activity may regulate affective experiences at work, but controlled studies are needed and there has been a reliance on retrospective accounts of experience. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of lunchtime walks on momentary work affect at the individual and group levels. Physically inactive employees (N=56; M age=47.68; 92.86% female) from a large university in the UK were randomized to immediate treatment or delayed treatment (DT). The DT participants completed both a control and intervention period. During the intervention period, participants partook in three weekly 30-min lunchtime group-led walks for 10 weeks. They completed twice daily affective reports at work (morning and afternoon) using mobile phones on two randomly chosen days per week. Multilevel modeling was used to analyze the data. Lunchtime walks improved enthusiasm, relaxation, and nervousness at work, although the pattern of results differed depending on whether between-group or within-person analyses were conducted. The intervention was effective in changing some affective states and may have broader implications for public health and workplace performance

“Artlift” Arts-on-Referral Intervention in UK Primary Care: Updated findings from an ongoing observational study

Background: Arts for health interventions are an accepted option for medical management of mental wellbeing in health care. Updated findings are presented from a prospective longitudinal follow-up (observational) design study of an arts on referral programme in UK general practice, over a 7-year period (2009–2016). Methods: Primary care process and mental wellbeing outcomes were investigated, including progress through the intervention, changes in mental wellbeing, and factors associated with those outcomes. A total of n =1297 patients were referred to an eight or 10-week intervention over a period from 2009 to 2016. Patient sociodemographic information was recorded at baseline, and patient progress (e.g. attendance) assessed throughout the intervention. Results: Of all referrals, 51.7% completed their course of prescribed art (the intervention). Of those that attended, 74.7% engaged with the intervention as rated by the artists leading the courses. A significant increase in wellbeing was observed from pre- to post-intervention (t = −19.29, df =523, P < 0.001, two-tailed) for those that completed and/or engaged. A sub sample (N =103) of these referrals self-reported multi-morbidities. These multiple health care service users were majority completers (79.6%), and were rated as having engaged (81.0%). This group also had a significant increase in well-being, although this was smaller than for the group as a whole (t = −7.38, df =68, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Findings confirm that art interventions can be effective in the promotion of well-being for those that complete, including those referred with multi-morbidity, with significant changes in wellbeing evident across the intervention periods

Sports graduate capabilities and competencies: a comparison of graduate and employer perceptions in six EU countries

The graduate employment market faces ever-increasing socio-economic and political pressures. Higher Education Institutions and the sport sector in the EU have an important role in contributing to graduate employment. The aims of the study were: (1) to assess general perceptions of employability, and (2) to assess sports graduates’ and employers’ perceptions of specific capabilities and competencies in order to identify possible improvements for sports graduate employability programmes. A cross-sectional survey of sports graduates and employers was administered in six EU countries including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic to assess graduate and employer perceptions. A graduate capabilities and competencies framework was devised to assess personal, interpersonal, cognitive, role-specific and generic skills. Responses were elicited from 1132 sports graduates and 327 employers. There was generally a wide difference of opinion between employers and sports graduates in terms of the importance and possession of a number of capabilities and competencies. There is a need for the Higher Education sector and employers to take responsibility in ensuring that work experience, work placement and volunteering opportunities are embedded in curricula and to ensure the fitness of purpose of what and how graduate capabilities and competencies are assessed

The impact of a fitness/wellness course on psychobehavioral factors

Today American society is becoming more sedentary than any other generation before. This shift in society has shown a decrease in exercise activity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate psychobehavioral factors in relation to exercise adherence and well being. Participants (N= 80) were self-selected based upon one's enrollment into one of eight selected Physical Education Fitness Wellness (PEFWL) walking courses. This study employed a pretest-intervention-post-test quasi-experimental design, which evaluated barriers to habitual physical activity, demographics, exercise decisional balance, exercise enjoyment, exercise processes of change, stages of change for adopting physical activity, and social support in relation to current exercise patterns via a 128-item online questionnaire. Data was analyzed using 2 x 2 (Stage x Time) ANOVA and dependent t-tests with a level of significance set at p <.05. The results indicated there was a significant increase in self-efficacy from pre to post testing. No significant differences were found in pre and post testing levels of exercise enjoyment, decisional balance, social support, and the pros and cons of decisional balance in relation to physical activity parameters.Thesis (M.S.)School of Physical Educatio