P2_3 "We Scare Because We Care"

In the Disney PixarTM film, Monsters, Inc., it is stated that laughter has ten times the energy of screams. We investigated this claim and found, that even with laughter lasting longer than screams, the higher decibel level of screams allowed them to produce more energy than laughter by a factor of 8000

P2_2 Understanding Goku's Spirit Bomb

 Goku's iconic "Spirit Bomb" has aided the hero in difficult situations in the world of Dragon Ball. With the aid of a photon sphere model, we obtain a glimpse into the necessary requisites. By creating a hypothetical sun-sized SB, we find that a photon sphere would require 5x1042 humans and would span 1x108 episodes.

Predictors of recruitment and retention in randomised controlled trials of behavioural smoking cessation interventions : a systematic review and meta-regression analysis

This work was funded by Cancer Research UK (application number C50862/A25405). The funder had no role in pro- tocol design, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Open access via Wiley agreementPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Tailoring CONSORT-SPI to improve the reporting of smoking cessation intervention trials: An expert consensus study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inadequate reporting of smoking cessation intervention trials is common and leads to significant challenges for researchers. The aim of this study was to tailor CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials)-SPI (Social and Psychological Interventions) guidelines to improve reporting of trials of behavioural interventions to promote smoking cessation. METHOD: Informed by missing data from the IC-SMOKE (Intervention and Comparison group support provided in SMOKing cEssation) systematic review project, this study used a multi-stage Delphi process to examine which items could be added or modified to improve the reporting of smoking cessation trials. The first stage involved an on-line survey of 17 international experts in smoking cessation and trial methodology voting on the importance of items for inclusion in the updated guidelines. This was followed by a face-to-face expert consensus meeting attended by 15 of these experts, where the final inclusion and exclusion of new items and modifications were agreed upon. A nine-point Likert scale was used to establish consensus, with suggested modifications requiring agreement of 75% or more. Disagreements in the first stage were presented again at the second stage for discussion and a second round of voting. Only items which reached the threshold for agreement were included. RESULTS: The experts agreed on the inclusion of 10 new items and the specification of 12 existing items. This included modifications that could apply to trials more widely (e.g. the rationale for the comparator), but also modifications that were very specific to smoking cessation trials (e.g. the reporting of smoking cessation outcomes). CONCLUSIONS: A Delphi study has developed a modified CONSORT-SPI guideline (CONSORT-SPI-SMOKE) to improve the reporting of trials of behavioural interventions to promote smoking cessation

Tailoring CONSORT-SPI to Improve the Reporting of Smoking Cessation Intervention Trials : An expert consensus study

Primary funding: This work was funded by Cancer Research UK (application number C50862/A25405). The funder has no role in protocol design, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Embedding Physical Activity into Community-Based Peer Support Groups for those Severely Affected by Mental Illness

Despite a growing evidence base on the effectiveness of community-based physical activity interventions for mental health, there is a lack of studies that focus on those affected by severe mental illness (SMI), who often experience poorer physical health, and are less physically active than the wider population. The use of peer support groups in this context is also understudied, despite benefits being documented in other contexts. This study examined the impact and process of a nationwide project to embed physical activity into peer support groups for those affected by SMI. Following the embedding of physical activity within peer support groups, interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences of those involved with the project and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The key findings related to: 1) the social aspects of embedding physical activity in the groups; 2) the focus on peer support and informal physical activity (rather than organised sport) being beneficial; 3) doing things differently and lessons to learn; and 4) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, we found that peer support is an important feature to include in projects encouraging those severely affected by mental illness to become more physically active

Understanding the Impacts of Online Mental Health Peer Support Forums: Realist Synthesis

Background:Online forums are widely used for mental health peer support. However, evidence of their safety and effectiveness is mixed. Further research focused on articulating the contexts in which positive and negative impacts emerge from forum use is required to inform innovations in implementation.Objective:This study aimed to develop a realist program theory to explain the impacts of online mental health peer support forums on users.Methods:We conducted a realist synthesis of literature published between 2019 and 2023 and 18 stakeholder interviews with forum staff.Results:Synthesis of 102 evidence sources and 18 interviews produced an overarching program theory comprising 22 context-mechanism-outcome configurations. Findings indicate that users’ perceptions of psychological safety and the personal relevance of forum content are foundational to ongoing engagement. Safe and active forums that provide convenient access to information and advice can lead to improvements in mental health self-efficacy. Within the context of welcoming and nonjudgmental communities, users may benefit from the opportunity to explore personal difficulties with peers, experience reduced isolation and normalization of mental health experiences, and engage in mutual encouragement. The program theory highlights the vital role of moderators in creating facilitative online spaces, stimulating community engagement, and limiting access to distressing content. A key challenge for organizations that host mental health forums lies in balancing forum openness and anonymity with the need to enforce rules, such as restrictions on what users can discuss, to promote community safety.Conclusions:This is the first realist synthesis of online mental health peer support forums. The novel program theory highlights how successful implementation depends on establishing protocols for enhancing safety and strategies for maintaining user engagement to promote forum sustainability

Welcome

Zoe began her academic journey at LJMU back in 2001, completing a BA in Literature and American Studies. She then joined the Public Health Institute in 2016 to study for an MSc in Public Health: Addictions, and continued at PHI for her PhD in Public Health. Despite prior study, my first experience of writing a dissertation was for my MSc in Public Health: Addictions. I remember being a little daunted by the prospect (especially of having to do a viva) and a little overwhelmed with choosing a topic. As the students featured in this edition of the journal demonstrate, there are so many fascinating areas within public health to choose from. After changing my mind several times, I went with a topic that I was most interested in, and believed was an important area for research. In the end, I went with the less ‘glamorous’ sounding topic of smoking cessation, but it’s a subject that I find interesting and care about, so I never got bored of it. In fact, it opened up opportunities for me for further work and study, and formed the basis for my PhD. A dissertation is hard work and can be challenging at times, so having a topic you care about and find interesting certainly helps on those days when you wonder why you even considered doing an MSc! I was fortunate enough to have supportive and insightful supervisors who helped me to produce a dissertation that I was proud of, and I hope our students feel the same way. For me, supervising students is a rewarding activity and I enjoy passing on some of the skills and knowledge I have gained throughout my time studying and working at LJMU. It’s also a great opportunity to learn from and with our students as there are so many fascinating topics to cover. In a post-COVID landscape, it is reassuring to see how research and study have evolved and how these students have adapted to new ways of working. The dissertations included in this journal cover a broad range of topics and methodologies, and are a testament to the hard work and dedication the students have demonstrated throughout their time at LJMU. They also give some insight into the public health issues we face today and provide hope that the next generation of researchers will have a positive impact on the many facets of public health. This journal offers a well-deserved platform to showcase the work of these students and to celebrate their successes, and I hope they continue to learn and succeed in whatever they do next. &nbsp

Service user perceptions of smoking cessation in residential substance use treatment.

INTRODUCTION: Prevalence of tobacco smoking among adults in substance misuse treatment is much higher than the wider population, yet limited research is available, and residential treatment services have been overlooked as a potential setting for cessation interventions. Exploring the perceptions of service users about smoking cessation in residential rehabilitation is important to gain better understanding of this issue and identify ways to inform future intervention development. METHODS: Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted in the Northwest of England in 2017 with adults (7 male, 3 female) who were currently or had previously been in residential treatment for substance misuse. Five participants were current smokers, three had never smoked, and two were former smokers. Participants were asked about their smoking behaviours, factors relating to smoking and smoking cessation and the relationship between smoking and substance use. All interviews were transcribed and data was analysed thematically. RESULTS: Study findings highlighted a general consensus amongst participants that residential treatment services offered an ideal opportunity for cessation but there were concerns that doing so might jeopardise recovery. Smoking in substance use treatment services is still the norm and factors such as perceived social and psychological benefits, normative behaviours and lack of perceived risk or prioritisation pose challenges for implementing smoking cessation within this setting, although facilitators such as motivation to change and appropriateness of the setting were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that service users perceive residential treatment services as suitable environments to introduce smoking cessation. To address the needs of adults who smoke and are in recovery from substance use, further research and cooperation from treatment organisations is needed to integrate substance misuse and smoking cessation services. More conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of tackling both issues at the same time is also required