We're currently making some changes in the background of our email updates to solve some problems we've been having recently. During our testing phase this may automatically generate some alerts, which will show below, but you can ignore these! If all goes according to plan we will be resuming normal service in the next week…
Open access. Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) are often used to make judgements about the relative cost-effectiveness of competing interventions and require an understanding of the relationship between health and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) when measured in utility terms. There is a dearth of information in the literature concerning how childhood overweight is associated with quality of life when this is measured using utilities. This study explores how weight is associated with utility-based HRQOL in 5–6 year olds and examines the psychometric properties of a newly developed pediatric utility measure – the CHU9D instrument.
Background Compared to children and adults, little is known about changes in adolescent health over time. This study profiles the health of preadolescents in two distinct time periods, 1980 and 2012. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens
Bariatic weight loss surgery can reduce the risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart attacks and type 2 diabetes, as well improve existing conditions, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine. The project is the largest comprehensive study of longer term outcomes post-bariatric surgery in the UK. It suggests that widening the availability of bariatric surgery could boost the health prospects for thousands of people who are morbidly obese body mass index of 40 kg/m2 or more. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens
The news website reports on a trial by UK-based researchers that aimed to assess whether it's better to stop smoking gradually or abruptly.
The researchers included almost 700 people and randomly assigned them to a gradual or abrupt stop in cigarette use. After four weeks, 39.2% of participants that gradually stopped smoking were still abstinent, compared with 49.0% that stopped smoking abruptly.
Both groups had access to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), such as patches or gum, after the quit day. At six months, the proportion of participants that still abstained from smoking had reduced to 15.5% in the gradual group and 22.0% in the abrupt group.
The findings of this trial show promise, but going "cold turkey", as the headline suggests, may not be for everyone.
Adolescence is a period of increased risk for mental health problems and development of associated lifestyle risk behaviours. This study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between obesogenic risk factors, weight status, and depressive symptomatology in a cohort of Australian adolescents. Open Access Article
Peer support can be a really helpful type of support for people looking to stop smoking. With this in mind, we asked individuals within Rethink Mental Illness services and support groups to share some insights from their experiences of reducing the amount they are smoking, or quitting completely.
It is possible that participation in golf, which is a form of physical activity, may be associated with effects on longevity, the cardiovascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal systems, as well as on mental health and well-being. We outline our scoping review protocol to examine the relationships and effects of golf on physical and mental health. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
"Pint of beer a day could protect you from heart attacks," The Independent reports. A new review on the alleged protective effects of moderate beer drinking has been warmly welcomed by the UK media – but nobody reported that it was funded by an Italian beer trade association.
The article examines the views of counselors on self-care in Great Britain. Topics covered include examples of professional self-care activities including supervision, peer support and personal therapy, examples of physical and psychological personal self-care such as exercising, seeing family and friends and reading and the opinion that childhood experiences and family background influence the view and practice of self-care. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
We present a large scale study where a nationally representative sample of 1,000 participants were asked to make real purchases within an online supermarket platform. The study captured the effectof price changes, and of the signposting of such changes, for breakfast cereals and soft drinks. We find that such taxes are an effective means of altering food purchasing, with a 20% rate being sufficient to make a significant impact.
There is growing recognition of the influence of the workplace environment on the eating habits of the workforce, which in turn may contribute to increased overweight and obesity. Overweight and obesity exact enormous costs in terms of reduced well-being, worker productivity and increased risk of non-communicable diseases. The workplace is an ideal place to intervene and support healthy behaviours. This review aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to nurses’ healthy eating in the workplace. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you are requesting.
Historically, alcohol use and related harms are more prevalent in men than in women. However, emerging evidence suggests the epidemiology of alcohol use is changing in younger cohorts. The current study aimed to systematically summarise published literature on birth cohort changes in male-to-female ratios in indicators of alcohol use and related harms. Open Access Article
Food consumers in the western world face many complex issues that can impinge on their current and future health. The aim of this research was to identify areas of agreement regarding the basic food knowledge required by young adults for healthy living. Login using your SSSFT NHS OpenAthens details for full text. SSOTP - You can request a copy of this article by replying to this email. Please ensure you are clear which article you requesting.
Chronic illness are responsible for 84% of all healthcare expenditure and are highly prevalent among the older population. Physical activity (PA) has beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors, physical function, pain and depressive symptoms. There is an urgent need to understand more about how to increase PA levels in older adults.
Aim
This study aimed to investigate the effect of interventions designed to increase PA behaviour among older adults. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
Research studies funded by companies that make sugar sweetened beverages are significantly less likely to find links between sugary drinks and obesity or diabetes related outcomes than independently funded studies, a review of the literature has found. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
An increasing number of people require help to manage their weight. The NHS recommends weight loss advice by general practitioners and/or a referral to a practice nurse. Although this is helpful for some, more effective approaches that can be disseminated economically on a large scale are needed.
Research shows that there are health risks are associated with spending more than 6–7 sedentary hours per day, independent of exercise time. (Patel et al, Am J Epidemiol, 2010;172(4):419–29) The aim was to identify which patients could benefit from reducing their sedentary time. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details
Prenatal smoking exposure has been associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is commonly associated with a wide spectrum of psychiatric comorbidity. The association between smoking and neuropsychiatric comorbidity of ADHD has remained understudied. The aim of this study is to examine the association between prenatal exposure to maternal smoking and offspring ADHD, and test whether the smoking-ADHD associations are stronger when ADHD is accompanied by other lifetime neuropsychiatric comorbidities.