Effects of a home-based physical training and activity promotion program in community-dwelling older persons with cognitive impairment after discharge from rehabilitation: A randomized controlled trial

Background Older people with cognitive impairment (CI) are at high risk for mobility limitations and adverse outcomes after discharge from geriatric rehabilitation settings. Study aim was to estimate the effects of a specifically designed home-based physical training and activity promotion program on physical capacity, different aspects of physical activity (PA), and psychosocial status. Methods Patients with mild-to-moderate CI (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]: 17-26 points) discharged home after rehabilitation were included in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a 12-week intervention and 12-week follow-up period. The intervention group performed a CI-specific, autonomous, home-based strength, balance and walking training supported by tailored motivational strategies to foster training adherence and promote PA. The control group participated in an unspecific motor placebo activity. Primary outcomes were physical capacity (Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB]) and PA (sensor-based activity time). Results Among 118 randomized participants (82.3±6.0 years) with CI (MMSE: 23.3±2.4) and high levels of multi-morbidity, those participants undergoing home-based training demonstrated superior outcomes to the control group in SPPB (mean difference between groups 1.9 points; 95%-CI: 1.0-2.8; p<.001), with persistent benefits over the follow-up (1.3 points; 95%-CI: 0.4-2.2; p<.001). There were no differences in PA across any time points. Among secondary outcomes, fear of falling and activity avoidance behavior were reduced in the intervention group at all time points, life-space mobility improved short-term. Conclusions Study results demonstrate clinically important benefits of an individually tailored autonomous physical training and activity promotion program on physical capacity and secondary outcomes in different domains in a vulnerable, multi-morbid population.

Online health promotion program and individualized health coaching for veteran wellbeing

The pandemic has highlighted the need for accessible and effective health promotion as Canadians are isolated from their communities during social distancing measures. A web-based health promotion program in which participants also received individualized email-based health coaching from medical students has been available during the pandemic to empower veterans and their family members to engage in healthy lifestyle change. Health coaches’ email interactions with participants used techniques of motivational interviewing, including an empathetic style, statements of affirmation, and reflections. Open-ended questions were useful in gaining insight into the participant’s current lifestyle, including habits, challenges, and coping strategies. As services have transitioned online and individuals have become more isolated, the connection formed between online health coaches and individuals participating in the health promotion program became crucial in countering the mental and physical health repercussions of the pandemic. In a preliminary analysis, we show that web-based health promotion with health coaching, for Canadian Veterans and their families, leads to significant weight loss, increased activity and improvement in wellbeing metrics such as sleep and stress. The medical students acting as health coaches were able to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges involved in behaviour change, something that is seldom covered in detail in the medical school curricula. Medical students were also able to practice their motivational counseling skills surrounding lifestyle changes. Given the lack of available evidence for web-based health promotion that targets veterans and their families, these preliminary results appear promising, with longer-term follow-up planned for the next two years.

Factors of development of children's sports schools in rural areas

The article presents an analysis of the external and internal environment of children's sports schools in rural areas in the form of a SWOT matrix. Children's sports schools in rural areas are distinguished by a huge set of sports disciplines, many their own facilities and a low pricing policy. Among the most significant disadvantages are the lack of active promotion of schools and a small percentage of paid services compared to budget ones. To improve the situation of children's sports schools in rural areas, it is proposed to create a promotion program that will help increase the number of students and affect the growth of the organization's income.

PROM SSCOL – Impact of a Papillomavirus vaccination promotion program in middle school: a study protocol for a cluster controlled trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND In Reunion Island, incidence and mortality for uterine cervical cancer is high, yet coverage rate for HPV vaccination is low. OBJECTIVE The main objective of the study is to evaluate, the impact of a health promotion program, promoting HPV vaccination, on the proportion of middle school girls who complete the full HPV vaccination schedule (2 or 3 doses) by the end of school year. METHODS This study is a cluster controlled intervention study using a superiority design. A combined health promotion program will be offered, containing: information to students and parents, training of general practitioners and free school-based vaccination (in a "health bus"). Children who will benefit from this program will constitute the intervention group, and will be compared to children from another middle school who will not benefit from any program, constituting the control group. RESULTS Our hypotheses were as follow : Clear and appropriate information for the target population as well as for their parents, will improve their knowledge about HPV vaccination, and thus increase their adherence to this vaccination ; combining information with vaccination in the school setting will reduce any material obstacles that may prevent the vaccination process; raising awareness among general practitioners will enable them to better understand the benefits and risks of HPV vaccination, and thus encourage families, who naturally trust them, to adhere to the program. CONCLUSIONS Final implication would be an extension of this program in all middle schools of the Island and thus increase HPV vaccination coverage. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04459221

The development and effects of an emotional competency promotion program for nursing students: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design

Purpose: The objectives of this research are to verify the development and effectiveness of a nursing student emotional competency promotion program that is important in professional nursing strategies for strengthening the psychological well-being of patients.Methods: This research was done by developing an emotional competency promotion program for nursing students according to the analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation (ADDIE) model. Apply the program to students and evaluate their effects on their self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management and self-efficacy using a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects of this research were 48 nursing students enrolled in the department of nursing of D College; 24 students were placed in the experimental group and 24 students were in the control group. The experimental group participated in the developed program from December 18, 2017 to January 12, 2018, for a total of 8 sessions. Each session was 120 minutes long. For data collection, a pretest, posttest 1 and 2 were performed using an independent t-test and repeated measure ANOVA using SPSS/WIN 22.0.Results: The experimental group who participated in the emotional competency promotion program showed higher self awareness (F=5.65, p=.005), self management (F=11.12, p<.001), social awareness (F=5.02, p=.009), relationship management (F=11.22, p<.001) and self-efficacy (F=14.24, p<.001) than the control group. These results were supported by a statistically meaningful difference in the time period and the interaction between the time period and the two groups.Conclusion: The study’s findings indicate that the emotional competency promotion program developed through this study is effective at increasing the self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship management and self-efficacy of nursing students.