Creating older adults technology training policies: Lessons from community practices

Influencing government policy in adult learning areas requires consistent efforts in having findings noticed by educational policy makers. Submissions by Adult Learning Australia and researchers have called for unified educational policies and practices across Australia. This paper argues that, whilst it is important to address macro issues of policy formation, research into micro issues can also be valuable in assisting policy formation. Using information technology and communication teaching in a community centre, it considers analysis of informal daily policies and practices and what is working at the everyday level is important. Student experience examples at one centre teaching these skills to older adults are reported to show the types of policies and practices which maximised the long-term running of the centre and long periods of student retention

The role of computer tuition in community health: A grounded theory approach

This study describes the impact computer training has on the health outcomes of older adults at a community centre and its implications for influencing computer training practices. Our objective is to understand and link this groups self-reports of their health arising from attending lessons to improve the content and delivery of computer tuition. In this paper we first discuss our research questions and review the literature on the relationship between computer tuition and health. We then discuss our data collection method using ethnographic practices and our use of Grounded Theory to analyse our data. The theory that emerges is that the way computer tuition is practised does have a role in community health is evident from the disclosure of self-reports older adults make, as our results suggest. We then discuss our findings emphasising implications for education policies and practices for older adults undertaking computer training

Do families with experience of mental ill health have a voice? Gatekeeping in health and social care research

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Protocol for a longitudinal qualitative study: survivors of childhood critical illness exploring long-term psychosocial well-being and needs–The SCETCH Project

Life-threatening critical illness affects over a quarter of a million children and adolescents (0-18 years old) annually in the USA and the UK. Death from critical illness is rare; however, survivors and their families can be exposed to a complex array of negative physical, psychological and social problems. Currently, within the literature, there is a distinct paucity of child and adolescent survivor self-reports, thus limiting our understanding of how survivors perceive this adversity and subsequently cope and grow in the long-term following their critical illness. This study aims to explore and understand psychosocial well-being and needs of critical illness survivors, 6-20 months post paediatric intensive care admission

Motor Development Interventions for Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

CONTEXTS Preterm infants are at an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delay. Some studies report positive intervention effects on motor outcomes, but it is currently unclear which motor activities are most effective in the short and longer term. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to identify interventions that improve the motor development of preterm infants. DATA SOURCES An a priori protocol was agreed upon. Seventeen electronic databases from 1980 to April 2015 and gray literature sources were searched. STUDY SELECTION Three reviewers screened the articles. DATA EXTRACTION The outcome of interest was motor skills assessment scores. All data collection and risk of bias assessments were agreed upon by the 3 reviewers. RESULTS Forty-two publications, which reported results from 36 trials (25 randomized controlled trials and 11 nonrandomized studies) with a total of 3484 infants, met the inclusion criteria. A meta-analysis was conducted by using standardized mean differences on 21 studies, with positive effects found at 3 months (mean 1.37; confidence interval 0.48-2.27), 6 months (0.34; 0.11-0.57), 12 months (0.73; 0.20-1.26), and 24 months (0.28; 0.07-0.49). At 3 months, there was a large and significant effect size for motor-specific interventions (2.00; 0.28-3.72) but not generic interventions (0.33; -0.03 to -0.69). Studies were not excluded on the basis of quality; therefore, heterogeneity was significant and the random-effects model was used. LIMITATIONS Incomplete or inconsistent reporting of outcome measures limited the data available for meta-analysis beyond 24 months. CONCLUSIONS A positive intervention effect on motor skills appears to be present up to 24 months' corrected age. There is some evidence at 3 months that interventions with specific motor components are most effective

Development of an evidence-based practice guideline for UK public health nurses (health visitors) to use with parents of infants at risk of obesity

Introduction: Evidence about effective interventions that reduce obesity risk during infancy is needed. This project aimed to systematically review published Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) of behavioural and non-behavioural interventions which address potential risk factors for obesity to inform a guideline for UK health visitors. Methods: A multiprofessional Guideline Development Group (GDG) was convened to undertake a systematic review, based on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Findings from the review were used to develop a guideline which was subsequently externally reviewed by national experts and practitioners. Results: We identified 28 RCTs reporting behavioural and non-behavioural interventions delivered during infancy with breastfeeding and/or weight outcomes measured during the first two years of life. A number of on-going studies were also identified. Inclusion criteria for intervention studies included parental breastfeeding intentions and first time parents. Good evidence exists for breastfeeding promotion and support interventions. Evidence exists for parental education around responsive feeding, aspects of infant diet and soothing/sleep expectations. These behavioural components informed the guideline. Despite good evidence that infants fed lower protein formula milk gained less weight compared to milk with higher protein levels, it was not possible to incorporate the evidence from the non-behavioural studies into the guideline. Conclusion: Further research is needed to establish clinically effective interventions for obesity prevention during infancy. Continuous dialogue between commissioners, policy makers, health visitors and parents is essential to ensure existing UK policies are not a barrier to implementing obesity prevention strategies in the first year of life

Guideline for UK midwives/health visitors to use with parents of infants at risk of developing childhood overweight/obesity

A guideline for members of the health visiting team to use with parents of infants at risk of overweight/obesity has been developed. The guideline contains recommendations about identification of infants at risk as well as a number of strategies that could be used for prevention of overweight/obesity. The guideline needs to be applied alongside health visitors’ professional judgement. It is not intended to replace normal UK clinical practice which is guided by the Healthy Child Programme and complements existing guidance such as the Framework for Action for tackling obesity

The computer tutor's role in community health and learning

This paper discusses a computer tuition program at Skylarkers 60 and Better Healthy Ageing Program in Inala, Brisbane. Specifically, it discusses issues of community health, education and technological equity in equipping older students with computer skills. We present the results of a three-year study that suggests the role of the computer tutor in the health of the student has accounted for improved student reports of their overall health. From this, measures and suggestions for successful practice to assist students to use technology comfortably in society have been developed and are reported

Barriers and enablers to Caregivers Responsive feeding Behaviour (CRiB): A mixed method systematic review protocol

Background: Childhood overweight and obesity is a major public health issue. Responsive feeding has been identified as having a protective effect against child overweight and obesity, and is associated with healthy weight gain during infancy. Responsive feeding occurs when the caregiver recognises and responds in a timely and developmentally appropriate manner to infant hunger and satiety cues. Despite its benefits, responsive feeding is not ubiquitous. To better support caregivers to engage in responsive feeding behaviours, it is necessary to first systematically identify the barriers and enablers associated with this behaviour. This mixed-methods systematic review therefore aims to synthesise evidence on barriers and enablers to responsive feeding using the COM-B model of behavioural change. Methods: 7 electronic databases will be searched (Maternal and Infant Care, CINAHL, Cochrane, PubMed, Medline, PsycINFO, EMBASE). Studies examining factors associated with parental responsive and non-responsive feeding of infants and children (<2 years) will be included. Papers collecting primary data, or analysing primary data through secondary analysis will be included. All titles, abstracts and full texts will be screened by two reviewers. Quantitative and qualitative data from all eligible papers will be independently extracted by at least two reviewers using pre-determined standardised data extraction forms. Two reviewers will independently assess the methodological quality of the studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT). This review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA). Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required for this review as no primary data will be collected, and no identifying personal information will be present. The review will be disseminated in a peer reviewed journal

Validation, optimal threshold determination, and clinical utility of the Infant Risk of Overweight Checklist (IROC) for early prevention of child overweight

Background: Previous research has demonstrated the predictive validity of the Infant Risk of Overweight Checklist (IROC). This study further establishes the predictive accuracy of the IROC using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and examines the optimal threshold for determining high risk of childhood overweight. Methods: Using the IROC algorithm, we calculated the risk of being overweight, based on International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria, in the first year of life for 980 children in the ALSPAC cohort at 5 years. Discrimination was assessed by the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC c¬¬-statistic). Net reclassification index (NRI) was calculated for risk thresholds ranging from 2.5% to 30% which determine cut-offs for identifying infants at risk of becoming overweight. Results: At five years of age, 12.3% of boys and 19.6% of girls were categorised overweight. Discrimination (AUC c-statistic) ranged from 0.67 (95% CI 0.62 – 0.72) when risk scores were calculated directly to 0.93 (95% CI 0.88 – 0.98) when the algorithm was recalibrated and missing values of the risk factor algorithm were imputed. The NRI showed there were positive gains in reclassification using risk thresholds from 5% to 20%, with the maximum NRI being at 10%. Conclusions: This study confirms the IROC has moderately good validity for assessing overweight risk in infants and offers an optimal threshold for determining high risk. The IROC algorithm has been imbedded into a computer programme for Proactive Assessment of Obesity Risk during Infancy (ProAsk) which facilitates early overweight prevention through communication of risk to parents. http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/chi.2015.024