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

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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

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

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

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

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

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

Barriers and Enablers to Weight Management Programmes for Working Men: A Qualitative Study

Gender-sensitised weight management programmes have been developed to encourage more men to access support. Whilst these programmes have proved successful for some groups of men, they are not a panacea, and the views of men who have never attended any form of structured weight management programme remain unknown. The aim of this research was to explore the views of such men towards body weight, health, and weight management programmes. Participants were recruited purposefully at their place of work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 adult men with a BMI > 25 who worked in routine manual occupations and had no previous experience of attending a weight management programme. Interviews were analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Interview findings were developed into five themes: “the indestructible breadwinner,” “avoidance of feminine behaviour,” “the body conscious man,” “being one of the lads,” and “doctor knows best.” The findings suggest that these men have high levels of body consciousness, value guidance from GPs, have high levels of agency towards lifestyle choices, and wish to preserve their masculinity. The study identified various factors that help explain low participation in weight management programmes for men and potential ways to improve access. Future interventions should include gender sensitisation of resources and providing men with the opportunity to follow self-directed weight management programmes to increase participation. Individual and population-level interventions to address weight management that includes the perceived and actual needs of men working in routine manual occupations are urgently needed to address health inequalities

Stories of survival: children’s narratives of psychosocial well-being following paediatric critical illness or injury

Survival from critical illness can expose children to an array of negative physical and psychological problems. While the perspective of parents and professionals have been well documented, there is limited understanding of how childhood critical care survivors make sense of their experiences in relation to psychosocial well-being. We aimed to explore long-term psychosocial well-being of childhood survivors of critical illness through their stories. A qualitative, exploratory study using serial in-depth interviews was employed. Nine children (aged 6–15 years) were recruited to the study, 6–14 months post-discharge from a paediatric intensive care unit. Qualitative art-based methods were used with a responsive interviewing technique and data were analysed using narrative psychological analysis. Four themes emerged: disrupted lives and stories; survivors revealed uncertainties in their stories as they recalled their critical care event, exposure to death and dying; talking about extreme physical vulnerability provoked anxieties, mediating between different social worlds and identities; revealed the dynamic nature of survival and getting on with life; the prospective outlook survivors had on their existence despite newly manifesting adversities. Childhood survivors’ stories identify challenges and adversities that are faced when attempting to readjust to life following critical illness that both enhance and impair psychosocial well-being

Systematic review of randomised controlled trials of interventions that aim to reduce the risk, either directly or indirectly, of overweight and obesity in infancy and early childhood

The risk factors for childhood overweight and obesity are known and can be identified antenatally or during infancy, however, the majority of effective interventions are designed for older children. This review identified interventions designed to reduce the risk of overweight/obesity that were delivered antenatally or during the first 2 years of life, with outcomes reported from birth to 7 years of age. Six electronic databases were searched for papers reporting randomised controlled trials of interventions published from January 1990 to September 2013. A total of 35 eligible studies were identified, describing 27 unique trials of which 24 were behavioural and three were non-behavioural. The 24 behavioural trials were categorised by type of intervention: (1) nutritional and/or responsive feeding interventions targeted at parents of infants, which improved feeding practices and had some impact on child weight (n = 12); (2) breastfeeding promotion and lactation support for mothers, which had a positive effect on breastfeeding but not child weight (n = 5); (3) parenting and family lifestyle (n = 4); and (4) maternal health (n = 3) interventions that had some impact on feeding practices but not child weight. The non-behavioural trials comprised interventions manipulating formula milk composition (n = 3). Of these, lower/hydrolysed protein formula milk had a positive effect on weight outcomes. Interventions that aim to improve diet and parental responsiveness to infant cues showed most promise in terms of self-reported behavioural change. Despite the known risk factors, there were very few intervention studies for pregnant women that continue during infancy which should be a priority for future research