Health information needs of men

Objective: To understand the views of men and service providers concerning the health information needs of men. Design: A men's health programme was implemented aimed at developing new health information resources designed for use by local organizations with men in socially disadvantaged groups. Research was carried out at the scoping stage to assess the views of men and other programme stakeholders. Setting: The research was conducted within the north of England between Manchester, Bradford and Leeds. The region was selected as it is characterized by socio-economic and ethnic diversity. Method: A structured evidence review was conducted on current provision of health information. Qualitative interviews were carried out with men (n = 46) across four groups, young men (aged 16-21), new fathers (25-45), middle-aged men (40-55), and older men (60+). Telephone interviews were carried out with stakeholders with expertise in men's health, including health professionals, service providers and commissioners (n = 20). All interviews were fully transcribed and analysed thematically. Results: Key themes emerging concerned: routines men follow for engaging with health information; support required for making effective use of information; preferred settings and media approaches; and what men would like to see in the future. The importance of personalization and settings-based approaches was explored, and factors engendering trust were outlined. Conclusion: The research outlined common themes and differences among men according to age and life stage. There is a need for targeting materials to more fine-grained 'segments' of men. The project contributes to producing actionable insights, while it remains important to explore complexities of men's health information needs. © 2013 The Author(s)

'It's coming at things from a very different standpoint': evaluating the 'Supporting Self-Care in General Practice Programme' in NHS East of England

Aim: To undertake a service evaluation of the NHS East of England Supporting Self-Care in General Practice programme. Background: The number of people purported to live with long-term conditions continues to rise generating increasing policy emphasis on the importance of self-care. Previous work has highlighted barriers to implementing self-care interventions in general practice, including a lack of organisational approaches to providing self-care and limited engagement and training of healthcare professionals. In response to these barriers and policy drivers, NHS East of England Strategic Health Authority developed and commenced the Supporting Self-care in General Practice (SSCiGP) programme, which seeks to transform the relationships between people with long-term conditions and primary care practitioners. Methods: This was a mixed methods study, carried out over two phases, which included interviews, survey work and practice-based case studies. Results: This paper focuses on findings related to clinician and practice level change. Clinicians reported changes in their perceptions and in consultation practices following attendance on the SSCiGP programme. These changes were linked to empathy and patient-centredness that mirrored what patients valued in interactions with clinicians. There were qualitative and descriptive differences, but no statistically significant differences between clinicians who had and had not attended the SSCiGP programme. Time was recognised as a significant barrier to implementing, and sustaining skills learnt from the SSCiGP programme. Greater impact at practice level could be achieved when there was whole practice commitment to values that underpinned the SSCiGP programme. There was evidence that such approaches are being incorporated to change practice systems and structures to better facilitate self-care, particularly in practices who were early programme adopters. Conclusion: This evaluation demonstrates that training around clinician change can be effective in shifting service delivery when sat within a cultural framework that genuinely situates patients at the centre of consultations and practice activity

Effectiveness of a community football programme on improving physiological markers of health in a hard-to-reach male population: the role of exercise intensity

© 2015 Taylor & Francis. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of participation in recreational football during a community health programme, on physiological markers of health within a hard to reach population. Nine men (Age: 33 ± 9 years, Mass: 75.4 ± 13.7 kg, Height: 1.74 ± 0.07 m and Body Fat: 19 ± 2%) were recruited to participate in the study in collaboration with an English Premier League Football Club. Participants completed the 12-week football-based programme which included two coached football sessions each week. Physiological tests for blood pressure, resting heart rate, cholesterol and an anthropometrical test for body composition were completed at three time points during the study (Weeks – 1, 6 and 12) in an attempt to evaluate the impact of the intervention on health. During each training session, measurements of intensity (%HRmax, identified from the yoyo intermittent level 1 test), duration and rating of perceived exertion were made. The 12-week programme (mean HRmax throughout programme = 75 ± 4% beats min−1; mean RPE throughout programme = 6 ± 1) elicited few changes in physiological markers of health with the only significant change been a decrease in resting heart rate from weeks 6 to 12 (87 ± 22 beats min−1 at week-6, to 72 ± 17 beats min−1; p < 0.05). These data would suggest that the current community football-related health project was not effective in improving physiological markers of health, but was able to maintain their level of health. A lack of improvement may be due to the low intensity of sessions and a lack of coach education for the promotion of sessions that aim to improve health

Utilização de microeletrodos específicos para oxigênio visando a detecção de sítios de FBN em plantas e culturas de bactérias diazotróficas.

Microeletrodo. Espécies vegetais. Micropropagação. Bactérias utilizadas. Difusão de oxigênio. Resultados e discussão. Taxa de difusão do oxigênio na ausência de membranas biológicas. Verificação do padrão de difusão de oxigênio em nódulos de soja e feijão. Concentração de oxigênio em rtaízes de cana-de-açúcar. Concentração de oxigênio em raízes de arroz. Concentração de oxigênio em películas bacterianas formadas em meios de cultura semi-sólidos.bitstream/CNPAB-2010/27349/1/doc111.pd

Male frequent attenders of general practice and their help seeking preferences

Background: Low rates of health service usage by men are commonly linked to masculine values and traditional male gender roles. However, not all men conform to these stereotypical notions of masculinity, with some men choosing to attend health services on a frequent basis, for a variety of different reasons. This study draws upon the accounts of male frequent attenders of the General Practitioner's (GP) surgery, examining their help-seeking preferences and their reasons for choosing services within general practice over other sources of support. Methods: The study extends thematic analysis of interview data from the Self Care in Primary Care study (SCinPC), a large scale multi-method evaluation study of a self care programme delivered to frequent attenders of general practice. Data were collected from 34 semi-structured interviews conducted with men prior to their exposure to the intervention. Results: The ages of interviewed men ranged from 16 to 72 years, and 91% of the sample (n= 31) stated that they had a current health condition. The thematic analysis exposed diverse perspectives within male help-seeking preferences and the decision-making behind men's choice of services. The study also draws attention to the large variation in men's knowledge of available health services, particularly alternatives to general practice. Furthermore, the data revealed some men's lack of confidence in existing alternatives to general practice. Conclusions: The study highlights the complex nature of male help-seeking preferences, and provides evidence that there should be no 'one size fits all' approach to male service provision. It also provides impetus for conducting further studies into this under researched area of interest. © 2011 WPMH GmbH

Associations between daily sitting time and the combinations of lifestyle risk factors in men

Background: Understanding the reciprocal role that multiple problematic behaviours play in men's health is important for intervention delivery and for reducing the healthcare burden. Data regarding the concurrence of problematic health behaviours is currently limited but offers insights into risk profiles, and should now include total time spent sitting/day. Methods: Self-reported data on lifestyle health behaviours was collected from 232 men aged ≥18 years who engaged in a men's health promotion programme delivered by 16 English Premier League Clubs. Results: Men at risk due to high sitting display multiple concurrent lifestyle risk factors, 88.6% displayed at least two ancillary risk factors and were three times more likely to report ≥2 lifestyle risk factors (OR. =3.13, 95% confidence interval (CI). =1.52-6.42) than those with low sitting risk. Significant differences in the mean number of risk factors reported between those participants in the higher risk (2.43. ±. 0.90) and lower risk (2.13. ±. 0.96) sitting categories were also found (P=0.015). Conclusions: Hard-to-reach men displayed multiple problematic concurrent behaviours, strongly linked to total sitting time. © 2012 WPMH GmbH

Indicators of university–industry knowledge transfer performance and their implication for universities: evidence from the United Kingdom

The issue of what indicators are most appropriate in order to measure the performance of universities in knowledge transfer (KT) activities remains relatively under-investigated. The main aim of this paper is to identify and discuss the limitations to the current measurements of university-industry KT performance, and propose some directions for improvement. We argue that university-industry KT can unfold in many ways and impact many stakeholders, and that, especially in highly differentiated university systems, choosing indicators focused on a narrow range of activities and impacts might limit the ability of universities to accurately represent their KT performance. Therefore, KT indicators should include a variety of activities and reflect a variety of impacts, so as to allow comparability between different institutions and avoid the creation of undesirable behavioural incentives. To illustrate these issues empirically, we discuss the case of the United Kingdom’s Higher Education –Business and Community Interaction (HE-BCI) survey

SENP1 participates in the dynamic regulation of Elk-1 SUMOylation

The modification of proteins with SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier) plays an important role in determining their functional properties. Importantly though, SUMOylation is a highly dynamic process enabling transient responses to be elicited. This dynamism is controlled by two competing conjugating and deconjugating activities. The latter activity is mediated by the SENP [SUMO1/sentrin/SMT3 (suppressor of mif two 3 homologue 1)-specific peptidase] family of SUMO-specific proteases. The transcription factor Elk-1 [ETS (E twenty-six)-like 1] undergoes rapid de-SUMOylation following cellular stimulation with growth factors, and this contributes to its conversion from a SUMO-dependent repressor into a potent transcriptional activator. In the present study we demonstrate an important role for SENP1 in the de-SUMOylation of Elk-1, and therefore an integral role in determining the Elk-1-dependent transcriptional programme. Among the SENPs, Elk-1 preferentially forms a complex with SENP1. This preferential binding is reflected by the higher efficiency of SENP1 in promoting Elk-1 transactivation. Moreover, depletion of SENP1 causes a reciprocal effect and reduces the transactivation properties of Elk-1. Partial redundancy of function with SENP2 is revealed by combinatorial knockdown studies. Importantly, depletion of SENP1 also reduces the activation of the Elk-1 target gene c-FOS. Taken together, these results therefore reveal an important role for SENP1 in the regulation of Elk-1-mediated gene expression in response to mitogenic signalling cues

'I just want to watch the match': a practitioner's reflective account of men's health themed match day events at an English Premier League football club

This study reflects on the effectiveness and delivery of a series of health themed match day events at an English Premier League Football Club which aimed to create awareness and motivate men to adopt recommended health behaviours. A range of marketing techniques and activities were adopted within a targeted space and time to increase men's exposure to health information. The first author adopted a practitioner-cum-researcher role and was immersed in the planning and delivery of the events utilising the principles of ethnography. Data were predominately collated through observations and personal reflections logged via autobiographical field notes. Data were analysed through abductive reasoning. In general, men were reluctant to engage in health-related behaviours on match days. However, subtle, non-invasive approaches were deemed successful. Positive outcomes and case studies from the latter techniques are presented and suggestions for effective strategies that will better engage men in health information and behaviours are made. © 2014 © 2014 Taylor & Francis