scholarly journals Can a collective-impact initiative improve well-being in three US communities? Findings from a prospective repeated cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. e048378
Author(s):  
Carley Riley ◽  
Brita Roy ◽  
Veronica Lam ◽  
Kerianne Lawson ◽  
Lauren Nakano ◽  
...  

IntroductionCommunities are seeking to learn if and how they can improve the well-being of their residents. We therefore examined the impact of a community-led, collective-impact initiative, deployed through Blue Zones Project by Sharecare, aimed at improving health and well-being in one set of US communities.MethodsWe used data from cross-sectional surveys of the Well-Being Index (2010–2017) to assess how the Life Evaluation Index (LEI) in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach in California (Beach Cities) changed over time and how this change compares with change for similar cities (Beach Cities-like) and for the USA as a whole. We examined types of interventions, perceived impacts, and relationships between intervention type and change in LEI.ResultsThe Beach Cities experienced greater increases in LEI than Beach Cities-like communities and the nation. The entire portfolio of interventions was positively associated with change in LEI in the Beach Cities (+1.12, p=0.012), with process-oriented interventions most closely associated with improvement.ConclusionsCommunity-led collective action that leverages community engagement and activation, strategic use of programming and large-scale built-environment and policy change can improve health and well-being at scale.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Guerrini Usubini ◽  
Giorgia Varallo ◽  
Valentina Granese ◽  
Roberto Cattivelli ◽  
Simone Consoli ◽  
...  

Obesity is a global health problem that affects both physical and psychological health and well-being. Psychological flexibility is one of the key components related to psychological health. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the impact of psychological flexibility on psychological well-being in a sample of 220 individuals with obesity. Multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the role of psychological flexibility in explaining psychological well-being, controlling for confounding factors (sex, age, and Body Mass Index). According to the results, psychological flexibility significantly explained psychological well-being. Our study provides additional evidence of the impact of psychological flexibility on psychological well-being. It also provides further support for the importance of integrating psychological flexibility in the psychological interventions for obesity.


Author(s):  
Achim Siegel ◽  
Aileen C. Hoge ◽  
Anna T. Ehmann ◽  
Peter Martus ◽  
Monika A. Rieger

Workplace health management (WHM) in Germany aims at maintaining and increasing the health and well-being of employees. Little is known about company executives’ attitudes toward WHM. To gain more insight, we conducted a large-scale survey in companies in the German county of Reutlingen in 2017. We sent a standardized questionnaire to 906 companies, containing inter alia 26 self-constructed declarative statements depicting company executives’ opinions on various WHM aspects; 222 questionnaires could be evaluated. By exploratory factor analysis we assigned the 26 items to six factors reflecting different attitudes toward WHM. Factor values were standardized to a scale from 0 to 10. The attitude ‘positive view of general health services in the company’, for example, achieved by far the lowest mean agreement (3.3 points). For the attitude ‘general skepticism toward WHM’, agreement and disagreement were balanced (5.0 points). Using multiple regression analyses, we searched for variables that could partially explain respondents’ agreement with attitudes. In conclusion, a general WHM skepticism was widespread, but not dominant. The idea that general health services should be offered in companies was predominantly rejected. Older respondents and respondents from smaller companies and craft enterprises were more skeptical than average about WHM and its possible extensions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Letourneau ◽  
Sheila McDonald ◽  
Lyndsay Jerusha MacKay ◽  
Rhonda C. Bell ◽  
Erin Hetherington ◽  
...  

Objectives: Our aim is to understand the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on families who have been followed longitudinally in two cohorts studied in Alberta, Canada. We will examine household infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, financial impact, domestic violence, substance use, child school and daily life and relationships in the home. We will identify risk and protective factors for maternal mental health outcomes using longitudinal data that can inform policy and government resource allocation in future disasters.Methods: Mothers who are currently participating in two longitudinal studies, Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON; N = 1,800) and All Our Families (AOF: N = 2,534) were eligible to participate. Mothers were invited to complete the baseline COVID-19 Impact Survey (20–30 min) within 4 months of March 15, 2020, which was when the province of Alberta, Canada, implemented school closures and physical-distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Mothers were asked to report on their own, their child's and their family's functioning. Mothers were re-surveyed at 6 months after completion of the initial COVID-19 Impact Survey, and will be re-surveyed again at 12 months.Results: Responses from participants in both cohorts will be examined in harmonized analyses as well as separately. Descriptive, multivariable analysis will be undertaken to examine risk and resiliency over time and factors that predict mental health and well-being.Conclusions: This study will provide timely information on the impact of COVID-19 for Albertan families. It will identify risk and protective factors for mental health and well-being among contemporary urban families supported by a publicly funded health care system to inform allocation of resources to support those most vulnerable during a global pandemic.


2021 ◽  
pp. jech-2020-216030
Author(s):  
Benjamin J Gray ◽  
Richard G Kyle ◽  
Jiao Song ◽  
Alisha R Davies

BackgroundThe public health response to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a detrimental impact on employment and there are concerns the impact may be greatest among the most vulnerable. We examined the characteristics of those who experienced changes in employment status during the early months of the pandemic.MethodsData were collected from a cross-sectional, nationally representative household survey of the working age population (18–64 years) in Wales in May/June 2020 (n=1379). We looked at changes in employment and being placed on furlough since February 2020 across demographics, contract type, job skill level, health status and household factors. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test and multinomial logistic regression models examined associations between demographics, subgroups and employment outcomes.ResultsOf our respondents, 91.0% remained in the same job in May/June 2020 as they were in February 2020, 5.7% were now in a new job and 3.3% experienced unemployment. In addition, 24% of our respondents reported being placed on furlough. Non-permanent contract types, individuals who reported low mental well-being and household financial difficulties were all significant factors in experiencing unemployment. Being placed on ‘furlough’ was more likely in younger (18–29 years) and older (60–64 years) workers, those in lower skilled jobs and from households with less financial security.ConclusionA number of vulnerable population groups were observed to experience detrimental employment outcomes during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted support is needed to mitigate against both the direct impacts on employment, and indirect impacts on financial insecurity and health.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elenna R. Cowen ◽  
Eric Wiedenman ◽  
Megan Adkins ◽  
Kazuma Akehi ◽  
James W. Ball ◽  
...  

Students that participate in recreational sports and regular exercise are more likely to continueto be physically active. Thee purpose of this cross-sectional study design was to examine differentiatingmotives among participants and how motivation constructs relate to body composition.College students(n=403) were surveyed using the EMI-2 to determine motivational constructs in relation to body com-position. Standardized coefficients indicate that Appearance (β=-0.242, p=0.001), Health Pressures (β=0.208, p=0.05), and Weight Management ( β=0.332, p=0.001) have a statistically signi cant in uenceon intramural participants’ BMIs. This study is useful for promoting, designing, and implementing futurehealth programs for young adults.Creating diversity in activities encourages additional populations toparticipate in physical activity opportunities, thus improving overall health and well-being.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria da Piedade Moreira Brandão ◽  
Laura Martins ◽  
Marlena Szewczyczak ◽  
Dorota Talarska ◽  
Ian Philp ◽  
...  

Introduction: According to the OECD, Portugal and Poland rank below average in several well-being measures such as income and wealth, and health status. Investigating how people perceive the threats to health in these two countries, is an important issue to address priority needs. To meet this need, the objective of this paper was to compare the perceptions of the threats to the health and well-being among the Polish and Portuguese older persons and explore differences between the countries in respect of patterns of self-rated health.Material and Methods: A Cross-sectional study with two convenience samples from primary health care services of Poland and Portugal was conducted; 480 adults aged 65 and over (247 Portuguese) were included. The EASYCare standard assessment of 2010 was applied under a joint project of both countries. The association between ‘self-rated unhealthy’ and socio-demographic and threats to health variables was examined using logistic regression.Results: In both countries about two thirds of the older persons self-rated their health as unhealthy. Having more than enough finances was associated with a significant lower odds of being unhealthy compared with those without enough finances at the end of the month (Portugal: OR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.63; Poland: OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.88). Visual problems, bodily pain, memory loss, feeling bored or lonely and reporting shortness of breath during normal activities was consistently associated with fair or poor self-rated health.Discussion: These findings provide important information regarding the health profile of older people which can help in the development of people-centred health systems where their lives and well-being can be improved. Conclusion: The unhealthy perception of older people was consistently associated with indicators of major health threats.


Author(s):  
Alessandro Borghi ◽  
Maria Elena Flacco ◽  
Alberto Monti ◽  
Lucrezia Pacetti ◽  
Michela Tabanelli ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The impact of malignant melanoma (MM) on patients’ psychophysical well-being has been poorly addressed. We aimed to assess the perceived burden in patients with a diagnosis of MM, using two different tools, one generic and one specific for MM, such as Pictorial Representation of Illness and Self Measure (PRISM) and Melanoma Concerns Questionnaire (MCQ-28), respectively. The correlation between PRISM and MCQ-28 subscales and the relevance of disease and patient-related variables were also investigated. Methods This single-centre, cross-sectional study included all adult consecutive MM patients who attended our Dermatology Unit from December 2020 to June 2021. Demographics and disease-related data were recorded. PRISM and MCQ-28 were administered. Results One hundred and seventy-one patients were included (mean age: 59.5 ±14.9 years.; 48.0% males). Median time from MM diagnosis to inclusion was 36 months. Nearly 80% of the patients had in situ or stage I MM. Overall, 22.2% of the patients reported a PRISM score <100mm and similar percentages provided scores indicating impaired quality of life, as assessed with MCQ-28 subscales. A weak, albeit significant, correlation was found between PRISM scores and ACP, CON and SOC2 subscales. The most relevant association found was that between lower PRISM scores and higher-stage MM. Conclusions In the study population, mostly affected with superficial MM, their perception of the burden associated with MM did not appear either particularly dramatic or disabling. PRISM seems a reliable system for capturing and quantifying the domains correlated with the emotive dimension of MM, especially MM-related concerns and willingness to face life


KYAMC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 193-198
Author(s):  
Sailendra Nath Biswas ◽  
Rubaiyat Farzana Hussain ◽  
Mohd Raisul Hasan ◽  
Taslima Akber Happy ◽  
Mahaidhe Hassan ◽  
...  

Background: Healthy lifestyle is one which helps keeping and improving health and well-being. This means maintaining hygiene, eating balanced diet, getting regular exercise, avoiding tobacco and drugs and getting adequate rest and recreation. Objective(s): To assess healthy lifestyle practice among selected rural-community of Sirajganj district. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among people living in selected villages of Sirajganj. A total of 490 respondents were interviewed face-to-face using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Among the respondents 73.3% were female, mean age was 40.29 ± 15.84 years and 56.9% were literates. Mean monthly income was 10812.30±10039.63 taka. Majority (97.3%) said that they wash their hands 'before eating', 89.0% said 'after coming from washroom', 18.6% mentioned of 'after coming in contact with sick person', 3.9% said 'after playing and 3.1% mentioned of 'after holding coins'. About 84% used soap and water for hand washing. One third (33.9%) washed their hands for a period of more than 20 seconds. About 28% consume meat, fish, and egg daily. Majority (77.8%) consumed extra salt daily, 81.8% never took part in playing of doing exercises and 9.8% were current smokers. Conclusion: Subjects were ruralpeople and showed lack of many elements of healthy lifestyle. Proportion of tobacco-use was less. Yet a big proportion consumes extra salt, don't do any exercise, don't eat fruits and cannot eat protein rich food. KYAMC Journal Vol. 11, No.-4, January 2021, Page 193-198


Gut ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. gutjnl-2021-324729
Author(s):  
Sathvik Namburar ◽  
Daniel von Renteln ◽  
John Damianos ◽  
Lisa Bradish ◽  
Jeanne Barrett ◽  
...  

ObjectiveProcedure-intense specialties, such as surgery or endoscopy, are a major contributor to the impact of the healthcare sector on the environment. We aimed to measure the amount of waste generated during endoscopic procedures and to understand the impact on waste of changing from reusable to single use endoscopes in the USA.DesignWe conducted a 5-day audit (cross-sectional study) of all endoscopies performed at two US academic medical centres with low and a high endoscopy volume (2000 and 13 000 procedures annually, respectively). We calculated the average disposable waste (excluding waste from reprocessing) generated during one endoscopic procedure to estimate waste of all endoscopic procedures generated in the USA annually (18 million). We further estimated the impact of changing from reusable to single-use endoscopes taking reprocessing waste into account.Results278 endoscopies were performed for 243 patients. Each endoscopy generated 2.1 kg of disposable waste (46 L volume). 64% of waste was going to the landfill, 28% represented biohazard waste and 9% was recycled. The estimated total waste generated during all endoscopic procedures performed in the USA annually would weigh 38 000 metric tons (equivalent of 25 000 passenger cars) and cover 117 soccer fields to 1 m depth. If all endoscopic procedures were performed with single-use endoscopes and accounting for reprocessing, the net waste mass would increase by 40%. Excluding waste from ancillary supplies, net waste generated from reprocessing and endoscope disposal would quadruple with only using single-use endoscopes.ConclusionThis quantitative assessment of the environmental impact of endoscopic procedures highlights that a large amount of waste is generated from disposable instruments. Transitioning to single-use endoscopes may reduce reprocessing waste but would increase net waste.


Author(s):  
Branka Rodić Trmčić ◽  
Aleksandra Labus ◽  
Svetlana Mitrović ◽  
Vesna Buha ◽  
Gordana Stanojević

The main task of Internet of Things in eHealth solutions is to collect data, connect people, things and processes. This provides a wealth of information that can be useful in decision-making, improving health and well-being. The aim of this study is to identify framework of sensors and application health services to detect sources of stress and stressors and make them visible to users. Also, we aim at extracting relationship between event and sensor data in order to improve health behavior. Evaluation of the proposed framework model will be performed. Model is based on Internet of Things in eHealth and is going to aim to improve health behavior. Following the established pattern of behavior realized through wearable system users will be proposed a preventive actions model. Further, it will examine the impact of changing health behavior on habits, condition and attitudes in relation to well-being and prevention.


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