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

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

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

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

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

The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on University Staff Dietary Behaviours, Sleeping Patterns, and Well-Being: An International Comparison Study

This study assessed the impact of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being by measuring the changes to food security, dietary behaviour, and sleeping patterns of university staff in England, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and China. Using a cross-sectional study design, participants in four universities in the respective countries were surveyed between June and July 2020. The mean age of the 902 participants was 42 years old and 67% were female. The findings indicate a reduction in emotionally driven food behaviour [t (901.00) = −20.87, p <  0.001], food acquisition location [t (901.00) = −51.55, p < 0.001], skipping meals [t (901.00) = −24, p < 0.001], and consumption of canned fruit and vegetables [t (901.00) = −10.18, p < 0.001]. However, home cooking [t (901.00) = 36.61, p < 0.001] and the food shopping experience [t (901.00) = 4.53, p <  0.001] markedly increased during lockdown. The participants had higher levels of well-being during the pandemic and experienced a significant increase in sleeping hours (p < 0.001). Increased age and sleeping hours were positively associated with overall well-being. Conversely, emotionally driven food behaviour (i.e., buying and eating more food out of boredom/fear or anxiety) and skipping meals decreased the overall well-being. Lockdown had beneficial effects on dietary behaviours, sleeping patterns, and well-being, but there were variations between countries

Depressive symptoms in higher education students during the COVID-19 pandemic: the role of containment measures

Background Students are a vulnerable group for the indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly their mental health. This paper examined the cross-national variation in students’ depressive symptoms and whether this can be related to the various protective measures implemented in response to the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods Student data stem from the COVID-19 International Student Well-being Study, covering 26 countries during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Country-level data on government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were retrieved from the Oxford COVID-19 Tracker. Multilevel analyses were performed to estimate the impact of the containment and economic support measures on students’ depressive symptoms (n = 78 312). Results School and workplace closures, and stay-at-home restrictions were positively related to students’ depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, while none of the economic support measures significantly related to depressive symptoms. Countries’ scores on the index of these containment measures explained 1.5% of the cross-national variation in students’ depressive symptoms (5.3%). This containment index’s effect was stable, even when controlling for the economic support index, students’ characteristics, and countries’ epidemiological context and economic conditions. Conclusions Our findings raise concerns about the potential adverse effects of existing containment measures (especially the closure of schools and workplaces and stay-at-home restrictions) on students’ mental health