Factors Affecting Young Mothers’ Access to Child Healthcare Services: A Behavioural Analysis to Guide the Development of Interventions

Young mothers are more likely to access healthcare for their children in emergent care settings and less likely to use preventive care. This study examines the healthcare-seeking behaviours of young mothers to inform the design of tailored interventions. Semi-structured interviews with nine young mothers (aged ≤ 25 years) who were attending a supported playgroup in Brisbane, Australia were conducted and explored using the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Five behavioural themes were identified (navigating the system, complex referral pathways, delays and long wait times, understanding child development, and connecting to services) and the role of the supported playgroup in shaping young mothers’ understanding of child development and connecting them to services was highlighted. Recommended strategies to address these factors include opportunities for young mothers to learn about child developmental milestones, improving young mothers’ health literacy, increasing young mothers’ skills and/or the availability of support to help them navigate health services, and providing more accessible entry points for child assessments, referrals, or early intervention programs

Selective inhibition of tropomyosin-receptor-kinase A (TrkA) reduces pain and joint damage in two rat models of inflammatory arthritis

Background: Inflammation is an essential component of arthritis pain. Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a key role in acute and chronic pain states especially those associated with inflammation. NGF acts through tropomyosin-receptor-kinase A (TrkA). NGF blockade has reduced arthritis pain in clinical trials. We explored the mechanisms within the joint which may contribute to the analgesic effects of NGF by selectively inhibiting TrkA in carrageenan-induced or collagen-induced joint pain behaviour. The goal of the current study was to elucidate whether inflammation is central to the efficacy for NGF blockade. Methods: Rats were injected in their left knees with 2 % carrageenan or saline. Collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was induced by intradermal injections of a mixture of bovine type II collagen (0.2 mg) and incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (0.2 mg). Oral doses (30 mg/kg) of AR786 or vehicle control were given twice daily after arthritis induction. Ibuprofen-treated (35 mg/kg, orally, once daily) rats with CIA were used as positive analgesic controls. Pain behaviour was measured as hind-limb weight-bearing asymmetry and hind-paw withdrawal thresholds to von Frey hair stimulation (carrageenan synovitis), or withdrawal to joint compression using a Randall Selitto device (CIA). Inflammation was measured as increased knee joint diameter and by histopathological analysis. Results: Intra-articular injections of carrageenan or induction of CIA was each associated with pain behaviour and synovial inflammation. Systemic administration of the TrkA inhibitor AR786 reduced carrageenan-induced or CIA-induced pain behaviour to control values, and inhibited joint swelling and histological evidence of synovial inflammation and joint damage. Conclusions: By using two models of varying inflammation we demonstrate for the first time that selective inhibition of TrkA may reduce carrageenan-induced or CIA-induced pain behaviour in rats, in part through potentially inhibiting synovial inflammation, although direct effects on sensory nerves are also likely. Our observations suggest that inflammatory arthritis causes pain and the presence of inflammation is fundamental to the beneficial effects (reduction in pain and pathology) of NGF blockade. Further research should determine whether TrkA inhibition may ameliorate human inflammatory arthritis

Government - Community Partnerships: Rhetoric or Reality?

This paper will explore a community development project involving a peer support and advocacy network, Young Mothers for Young Women, to determine the challenges and barriers in the management of government-community sector partnerships. Young Mothers for Young Women has identified models of practice and policies that can make a difference to how services and young women engage with society. However, passing this information through the chain of relationships both within the community and government sector has proven to be problematic. The impact of competitive tendering, the complexity of the way in which government-community sector relationships are constructed, the practices of government in terms of policy making processes, and the issues surrounding the ownership of intellectual property will be examined. This paper will share some of the experiences, the learnings and possible ways of improving relationships so as to achieve better community and individual outcomes through informed policy and practice in the government and community sectors for people seeking assistance. Government-community partnerships offer an opportunity for community development and shifting power relations between government and community groups to a power-sharing partnership. However, if these relations are managed poorly or fail to promote development and empowerment, they may further entrench existing inequalities

The Secret Powers of Wordless Books!

Storytelling is most often associated with words. But what happens when you take the words away and are left with just the pictures? No longer is there a hierarchy of reader vs. listener. Suddenly, you have opened a world of possibilities based on the “readers” experiences, perceptions, and ideas. People of all ages, reading abilities, languages, and experiences can enjoy the benefits of “reading” a wordless book! Join us as we present tips on “reading” a wordless book, the sciences behind the benefits, hands-on projects to enhance the experience, and ways to incorporate all ages into the story. Pictures alone really can change the world

Family Inclusion in Child Protection Practice: creating hope - re-creating families: ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in the Queensland child protection system

[Extract] The report presents evidence that directly addresses key recommendations from the Crime and Misconduct Commission of Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in Foster Care, which called for improvements in practice with parents of children and young people in care.\ud \ud FIN is a representative grouping of practitioners, academics and parents with children in care seeking to advance practice and policy in working with parents of children and young people in the statutory child protection system. While it started in Queensland, FIN has also developed in New South Wales and Western Australia as considerable interest exists in those jurisdictions in working to improve outcomes for children and young people through more effective work with parents and other family members. Work has also taken place in the ACT. There is a developing interest in all Australian jurisdictions in the importance of this work. Queensland has, however, been the forerunner to national efforts

An assessment of speech, language, and literacy of children of young mothers attending supported playgroup

Children growing up in disadvantage are more vulnerable to speech, language, and literacy difficulties, which are important in the acquisition of many different life skills. Despite supported playgroups engaging directly with families living in disadvantage, very few speech and language studies have been delivered within this setting. This study aimed to identify needs related to speech, language, and literacy of children of young mothers who were attending a supported playgroup in Brisbane, Australia. This was a cross-sectional study with 11 mother–child dyads. Child assessments were delivered by a speech pathologist and compared with normative data. Results indicate that children’s speech and language skills were age-appropriate, despite presenting with some speech sound errors. Children aged 4–5 years had difficulty with some literacy tasks. These findings suggest that future research or language interventions for the supported playgroup setting should provide language-learning opportunities that address speech sound production and early literacy skills

An assessment of speech, language, and literacy of children of young mothers attending supported playgroup

Children growing up in disadvantage are more vulnerable to speech, language, and literacy difficulties, which are important in the acquisition of many different life skills. Despite supported playgroups engaging directly with families living in disadvantage, very few speech and language studies have been delivered within this setting. This study aimed to identify needs related to speech, language, and literacy of children of young mothers who were attending a supported playgroup in Brisbane, Australia. This was a cross-sectional study with 11 mother–child dyads. Child assessments were delivered by a speech pathologist and compared with normative data. Results indicate that children’s speech and language skills were age-appropriate, despite presenting with some speech sound errors. Children aged 4–5 years had difficulty with some literacy tasks. These findings suggest that future research or language interventions for the supported playgroup setting should provide language-learning opportunities that address speech sound production and early literacy skills

The HepTestContest: a global innovation contest to identify approaches to hepatitis B and C testing

Abstract Background Innovation contests are a novel approach to elicit good ideas and innovative practices in various areas of public health. There remains limited published literature on approaches to deliver hepatitis testing. The purpose of this innovation contest was to identify examples of different hepatitis B and C approaches to support countries in their scale-up of hepatitis testing and to supplement development of formal recommendations on service delivery in the 2017 World Health Organization hepatitis B and C testing guidelines. Methods This contest involved four steps: 1) establishment of a multisectoral steering committee to coordinate a call for contest entries; 2) dissemination of the call for entries through diverse media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, email listservs, academic journals); 3) independent ranking of submissions by a panel of judges according to pre-specified criteria (clarity of testing model, innovation, effectiveness, next steps) using a 1-10 scale; 4) recognition of highly ranked entries through presentation at international conferences, commendation certificate, and inclusion as a case study in the WHO 2017 testing guidelines. Results The innovation contest received 64 entries from 27 countries and took a total of 4 months to complete. Sixteen entries were directly included in the WHO testing guidelines. The entries covered testing in different populations, including primary care patients (n = 5), people who inject drugs (PWID) (n = 4), pregnant women (n = 4), general populations (n = 4), high-risk groups (n = 3), relatives of people living with hepatitis B and C (n = 2), migrants (n = 2), incarcerated individuals (n = 2), workers (n = 2), and emergency department patients (n = 2). A variety of different testing delivery approaches were employed, including integrated HIV-hepatitis testing (n = 12); integrated testing with harm reduction and addiction services (n = 9); use of electronic medical records to support targeted testing (n = 8); decentralization (n = 8); and task shifting (n = 7). Conclusion The global innovation contest identified a range of local hepatitis testing approaches that can be used to inform the development of testing strategies in different settings and populations. Further implementation and evaluation of different testing approaches is needed