266 research outputs found
Pathways to early retirement: structure and agency in decision-making among British civil servants
Cohort profile: the DASH (determinants of adolescent social well-being and health) study, an ethnically diverse cohort
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Prevalence of psychosis in black ethnic minorities in Britain: analysis based on three national surveys
Purpose
A considerable excess of psychosis in black ethnic minorities is apparent from clinical studies, in Britain, as in other developed economies with white majority populations. This excess is not so marked in population surveys. Equitable health service provision should be informed by the best estimates of the excess. We used national survey data to establish the difference in the prevalence of psychosis between black ethnic groups and the white majority in the British general population.
Methods
Analysis of the combined datasets (N = 26,091) from the British national mental health surveys of 1993, 2000 and 2007. Cases of psychosis were determined either by the use of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), or from a combination of screening items. We controlled for sex, age, social class, unemployment, design features and other putative confounders, using a Disease Risk Score.
Results
People from black ethnic minorities had an excess prevalence rate of psychosis compared with the white majority population. The OR, weighted for study design and response rate, was 2.72 (95 % CI 1.3â5.6, p = 0.002). This was marginally increased after controlling for potential confounders (OR = 2.90, 95 % CI 1.4â6.2, p = 0.006).
Conclusions
The excess of psychosis in black ethnic minority groups was similar to that in two previous British community surveys, and less than that based on clinical studies. Even so it confirms a considerable need for increased mental health service resources in areas with high proportions of black ethnic minority inhabitants
âTheyâre more like ordinary stroppy British womenâ: Attitudes and expectations of maternity care professionals to UK-born ethnic minority women
Objective To explore the attitudes and expectations of maternity care professionals to UK-born ethnic minority mothers. Methods Qualitative in-depth interviews with 30 professionals from eight NHS maternity units in England that provide services for large proportions of women of black Caribbean, black African, Indian, Pakistani and Irish descent. Results All the professionals reported providing care to both UK-born and migrant mothers from ethnic minorities. Most of them felt that they could differentiate between UK-born and migrant mothers based mainly on language fluency and accent. âWesternized dressâ and âfreedomâ were also cited as indicators. Overall, professionals found it easier to provide services to UK-born mothers and felt that their needs were more like those of white English mothers than those of migrant mothers. UK-born mothers were generally thought to be assertive and expressive, and in control of care-related decision-making whereas some South Asian Muslim women were thought to be constrained by family influences. Preconceived ideas about ethnic minority mothers' tolerance of pain in labour, use of pharmacological pain relief measures and mode of delivery were recurring themes. Women's education and social class were felt to be major influences on the uptake of maternity care, regardless of ethnicity.
Conclusions Professionals appeared to equate the needs of UK-born ethnic minority women with those of white English women. Overall, this has positive implications for care provision. Despite this, specific behavioural expectations and unconscious stereotypical views were evident and have the potential to affect clinical practice
Testing message framing to increase physical activity among British South Asians
Objective: British South Asians (BSAs) experience a higher incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) which is not declining in line with the UK national average. Low physical activity levels are likely to contribute to this elevated risk. This study investigated the effectiveness of message framing, cultural sensitivity and their interaction on promoting physical activity among BSAs. Design: One hundred and seventy-nine participants (70 males and 109 females) were randomly allocated to watch one of four films in a 2 (loss vs. gain)âĂâ2 (culturally sensitive vs. non-culturally sensitive) design. Main outcome measures: Measures of self-reported physical activity and behavioural intention were completed at baseline and two-month follow-up. Results: The analysis revealed no main effects for message framing, cultural sensitivity or for the interaction between these factors for self-reported physical activity and behavioural intention. Conclusions: Healthy BSAs appear not to respond to health promotion messages which have been manipulated by message framing or cultural sensitivity. Possible explanations are that despite an increased risk of developing CHD, healthy BSAs may be unwilling to engage in immediate action for a potential future health problem and cultural sensitivity may be irrelevant to a âWesternisedâ sample. Nevertheless, future research ought to investigate variations of the current intervention by using a larger sample size, targeting a more sedentary population, varying the length and exposure to the intervention in less assimilated groups, clinically symptomatic populations or those at high risk of CHD
Facilitators and barriers to help-seeking for breast and cervical cancer symptoms: a qualitative study with an ethnically diverse sample in London
Objective Earlier diagnosis of cancer has become a policy priority. There is evidence that minority ethnic groups are more likely to delay helpâseeking for cancer symptoms, but few studies have explored reasons for delay in these groups. The present study explored facilitators and barriers to helpâseeking for breast and cervical cancer in an ethnically diverse sample of women. Methods Semiâstructured interviews were carried out with 54 healthy women from a range of ethnic backgrounds; Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Caribbean, African, Black British, Black other, White British and White other. Framework analysis was used to identify themes. Results Appraising a symptom as possibly due to cancer was an important facilitator of helpâseeking, although for some the prospect of a cancer diagnosis was a deterrent. Women believed that earlier diagnosis improved the chance of survival, and this facilitated prompt helpâseeking. A sympathetic GP facilitated helpâseeking, and an unsympathetic GP was a deterrent. Some ethnic minority women described the use of alternative medicine and prayer as a firstâline strategy that might delay helpâseeking. Language barriers, racism and a tendency to âsoldier onâ were also mentioned by these women. Conclusions Models of delay in presentation for early cancer symptoms are likely to transfer across different ethnic groups. Encouraging open discussion about cancer among minority communities could help raise awareness about the importance of early detection and promote helpâseeking as a priority response to a possible cancer symptom
Ethnicity and cardiovascular health inequalities in people with severe mental illnesses: protocol for the E-CHASM study
âThe final publication is available at Springer via http://dx. doi.10.1007/s00127-016-1185-8JD is funded by the Health Foundation
working with the Academy of Medical Sciences. CM is supported by
a European Research Council Consolidator Award (Ref: ERC-CoG-
2014-Proposal 648837, REACH). RS is funded by the NIHR Spe-
cialist Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the South
London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psy-
chiatry, Kingâs College London. GT and FG are supported by the
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for
Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South London at
Kingâs College London Foundation Trust. GT acknowledges financial
support from the Department of Health via the National Institute for
Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre and Dementia
Unit awarded to South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
in partnership with Kingâs College London and Kingâs College
Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. GT is supported by the European
Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007â2013) Emerald
project. AR is funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 pro-
gramme OpenMinTeD and KConnect projects, by the National
Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre
and Dementia Biomedical Research Unit at South London and
Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Kingâs College London, and by
QBurs
Frailty Index associates with GRIN2B in two representative samples from the United States and the United Kingdom
The concept of frailty has been used in the clinical and research field for more than two decades. It is usually described as a clinical state of heightened vulnerability to poor resolution of homeostasis after a stressor event, which thereby increases the risk of adverse outcomes, including falls, delirium, disability and mortality. Here we report the results of the first genome-wide association scan and comparative gene ontology analyses where we aimed to identify genes and pathways associated with the deficit model of frailty. We used a discovery-replication design with two independent, nationally representative samples of older adults. The square-root transformed Frailty Index (FI) was the outcome variable, and age and sex were included as covariates. We report one hit exceeding genome-wide significance: the rs6765037 A allele was significantly associated with a decrease in the square-root transformed FI score in the Discovery sample (beta = -0.01958, p = 2.14E-08), without confirmation in the Replication sample. We also report a nominal replication: the rs7134291 A allele was significantly associated with a decrease in the square-root transformed FI score (Discovery sample: beta = -0.01021, p = 1.85E-06, Replication sample: beta = -0.005013, p = 0.03433). These hits represent the KBTBD12 and the GRIN2B genes, respectively. Comparative gene ontology analysis identified the pathways âNeuropathic pain signalling in dorsal horn neuronsâ and the âGPCR-Mediated Nutrient Sensing in Enteroendocrine Cellsâ, exceeding the p = 0.01 significance in both samples, although this result does not survive correction for multiple testing. Considering the crucial role of GRIN2B in brain development, synaptic plasticity and cognition, this gene appears to be a potential candidate to play a role in frailty. In conclusion, we conducted genome-wide association scan and pathway analyses and have identified genes and pathways with potential roles in frailty. However, frailty is a complex condition. Therefore, further research is required to confirm our results and more thoroughly identify relevant biological mechanisms.</p
Frailty among older adults and its distribution in England
Background: Information on the spatial distribution of the frail population is crucial to inform service planning in health and social care. Objectives: To estimate small-area frailty prevalence among older adults using survey data. To assess whether prevalence differs between urban, rural, coastal and inland areas of England. Design: Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), ordinal logistic regression was used to predict the probability of frailty, according to age, sex and area deprivation. Probabilities were applied to demographic and economic information in 2020 population projections to estimate the district-level prevalence of frailty. Results: The prevalence of frailty in adults aged 50+ (2020) in England was estimated to be 8.1 [95% CI 7.3â8.8]%. We found substantial geographic variation, with the prevalence of frailty varying by a factor of 4.0 [3.5â4.4] between the most and least frail areas. A higher prevalence of frailty was found for urban than rural areas, and coastal than inland areas. There are widespread geographic inequalities in healthy ageing in England, with older people in urban and coastal areas disproportionately frail relative to those in rural and inland areas. Conclusions: Interventions aimed at reducing inequalities in healthy ageing should be targeted at urban and coastal areas, where the greatest benefit may be achieved
Evaluation of ethnic disparities in detection of depression and anxiety in primary care during the maternal period : combined analysis of routine and cohort data
Background: There are limited data on detection disparities of common mental disorders in minority ethnic women. Aims: Describe the natural history of common mental disorders in primary care in the maternal period, characterise women with, and explore ethnic disparities in, detected and potentially missed common mental disorders. Method: Secondary analyses of linked birth cohort and primary care data involving 8991 (39.4% White British) women in Bradford. Common mental disorders were characterised through indications in the electronic medical record. Potentially missed common mental disorders were defined as an elevated General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) score during pregnancy with no corresponding common mental disorder markers in the medical record. Results: Estimated prevalence of pre-birth common mental disorders was 9.5%, rising to 14.0% 3 years postnatally. Up to half of cases were potentially missed. Compared with White British women, minority ethnic women were twice as likely to have potentially missed common mental disorders and half as likely to have a marker of screening for common mental disorders. Conclusions: Common mental disorder detection disparities exist for minority ethnic women in the maternal period
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