Active travel means making journeys by physically active means, like walking or cycling. Given active travel is a devolved policy area, this briefing relates primarily to active travel policies in England.
If we are to move to a preventative system in public services, communities need to take on more responsibility for their own health and well-being. That means handing power and resource over to communities that is held by public sector institutions.
The commissioning of public services is one of the most important functions of the public sector but also one that is deeply embedded within the institution. Community Commissioning makes a convincing case for why the process needs to be led by citizens and service users not public sector professionals. Importantly, it also explains in detail how this shift is happening in practice.
This study found that almost half of health care workers reported experiencing a mental illness, which could have significant implications for service delivery. Some health care workers held causal explanations of mental illness that were not evidence based. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Electronic cigarettes have been evaluated and assessed as a smoking cessation tool; however, as Graham Cope explains, a more cautious approach may be needed and users should be made aware of the potential harm of these devices. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
There’s a lot of evidence about the relationship between alcohol consumption and harm experienced by drinkers such as ill health, disability and death. But there is less evidence to bring together what we know about the detrimental effects alcohol has on people other than drinkers, such as being a victim alcohol-related crime, family breakdown, child abuse and needing support from the police and healthcare services.
People with a mental illness are more susceptible to physical ill health than the general population, which leads to significantly higher mortality rates among this group. Reasons for this include lifestyle factors such as smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet. Inadequate knowledge and skills about physical health among mental health nurses can lead to uncoordinated care and inadequate access to physical health services for people with mental ill health. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
In recent years, the regulation of carbohydrate intake has become regarded as essential to achieve a balanced diet, with a range of health benefits attributed to low-carbohydrate diets. ...This article outlines the constituents of dietary carbohydrate, considers the health benefits of carbohydrates, and explains their importance as part of a healthy and balanced diet. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
The ‘Active Ageing’ report by Anchor Hannover – England’s largest not-for-profit provider of care and homes for over 55’s – in association with Demos, highlights the costs of physical inactivity in older people to the NHS. By 2030 this could be as much as £1.3bn. The report also highlights the human cost of inactivity in later life, illustrating how inactivity not only contributes to poorer physical health, but also cognitive decline, reduced emotional wellbeing and loneliness.
Lina Gega explores a review of digital technology for health promotion, which looks at opportunities to address excess mortality in people living with SMI.
A new report from workplace experts, Acas, has revealed that two thirds of workers (66%) have felt stressed or anxious about work over the past year.Acas commissioned YouGov to ask employees in Great Britain about their experiences of stress and anxiety in the workplace. The most common reasons given for the way they felt included workloads (60%), the way that they were managed (42%) and balancing home and work lives (35%).
Age‐related decline in muscle oxidative capacity reduces muscle function and physical performance, leading to disability and frailty. Whether age‐related decline in oxidative capacity is modified by exercise and other lifestyle practices is unclear. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that physical activity is associated with better oxidative capacity, independent of age.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.