Facilitated arts engagement with women veterans for health and well-being

2021 ◽  
Vol 00 (00) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Caroline Lenette ◽  
Tanja Johnston ◽  
Jandy Paramanathan ◽  
Sonia Poorun
Keyword(s):  
Health Research ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Art Making ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Collaborative Art ◽  
Strength Based ◽  
Art Based Research ◽  
Arts Engagement ◽  
Health And Well Being

To demonstrate the health and well-being benefits of facilitated arts engagement with women veterans, we draw on a key practice-based example from the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum (ANVAM), an organization with expertise in collaborative art-making with veterans. We outline ANVAM’s framework and the processes art therapists use to create facilitated art exhibitions. We discuss how veterans’ involvement with art-making has therapeutic benefits, can contribute new knowledge on health and well-being, and convey nuances of gender-specific experiences. We briefly outline the trend in evidence from academic literature on arts-health research with veterans and the sparse creative research with women veterans to highlight the potential of art-based methods in veteran health and well-being research, given growing numbers and the expanding roles of women in defence. Arts-health research using diverse methods has yielded promising results in this field. As such, interdisciplinary, co-designed, and strength-based art-based research with women veterans can add to knowledge co-creation on this topic.

scholarly journals Individual health trainers to support health and well-being for people under community supervision in the criminal justice system: the STRENGTHEN pilot RCT

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (20) ◽  
pp. 1-136
Author(s):  
Lynne Callaghan ◽  
Tom P Thompson ◽  
Siobhan Creanor ◽  
Cath Quinn ◽  
Jane Senior ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Usual Care ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Pilot Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Full Trial

Background Little is known about the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of interventions, such as health trainer support, to improve the health and well-being of people recently released from prison or serving a community sentence, because of the challenges in recruiting participants and following them up. Objectives This pilot trial aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the trial methods and intervention (and associated costs) for a randomised trial to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of health trainer support versus usual care. Design This trial involved a pilot multicentre, parallel, two-group randomised controlled trial recruiting 120 participants with 1 : 1 individual allocation to receive support from a health trainer and usual care or usual care alone, with a mixed-methods process evaluation, in 2017–18. Setting Participants were identified, screened and recruited in Community Rehabilitation Companies in Plymouth and Manchester or the National Probation Service in Plymouth. The intervention was delivered in the community. Participants Those who had been out of prison for at least 2 months (to allow community stabilisation), with at least 7 months of a community sentence remaining, were invited to participate; those who may have posed an unacceptable risk to the researchers and health trainers and those who were not interested in the trial or intervention support were excluded. Interventions The intervention group received, in addition to usual care, our person-centred health trainer support in one-to-one sessions for up to 14 weeks, either in person or via telephone. Health trainers aimed to empower participants to make healthy lifestyle changes (particularly in alcohol use, smoking, diet and physical activity) and take on the Five Ways to Well-being [Foresight Projects. Mental Capital and Wellbeing: Final Project Report. 2008. URL: www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-capital-and-wellbeing-making-the-most-of-ourselves-in-the-21st-century (accessed 24 January 2019).], and also signposted to other options for support. The control group received treatment as usual, defined by available community and public service options for improving health and well-being. Main outcome measures The main outcomes included the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores, alcohol use, smoking behaviour, dietary behaviour, physical activity, substance use, resource use, quality of life, intervention costs, intervention engagement and feasibility and acceptability of trial methods and the intervention. Results A great deal about recruitment was learned and the target of 120 participants was achieved. The minimum trial retention target at 6 months (60%) was met. Among those offered health trainer support, 62% had at least two sessions. The mixed-methods process evaluation generally supported the trial methods and intervention acceptability and feasibility. The proposed primary outcome, the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores, provided us with valuable data to estimate the sample size for a full trial in which to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the intervention. Conclusions Based on the findings from this pilot trial, a full trial (with some modifications) seems justified, with a sample size of around 900 participants to detect between-group differences in the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scores at a 6-month follow-up. Future work A number of recruitment, trial retention, intervention engagement and blinding issues were identified in this pilot and recommendations are made in preparation of and within a full trial. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN80475744. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 7, No. 20. See the National Institute for Health Research Journals Library website for further project information.

The Conceptualization of the Natural Environment in Healthcare Facilities: A Scoping Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-47
Author(s):  
Peggy Chi ◽  
Jennifer Gutberg ◽  
Whitney Berta
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Outcomes ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Therapeutic Goals ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Nature Contact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Objectives: To identify how the natural environment (NE) in healthcare has been conceptualized. Background: The NE appears to afford significant therapeutic benefits. A clear concept of the NE in healthcare affords a shared understanding from which to advance science to facilitate comparisons across contexts. In this article, the various meanings of the NE were brought together into one framework by which to map its themes and their relationships. Method: A scoping review was conducted using database searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane for articles published up to July 2018. The bibliography of the included articles were manually searched for published books. Results: This review includes 137 peer-reviewed articles and research-based books from 27 countries. A conceptual framework was developed to identify five themes that conceptualize the NE in healthcare: (1) definitions of the NE in healthcare, (2) processes of the NE in healthcare, (3) usages of the NE in healthcare, (4) opinions about the NE in healthcare, and (5) NE’s impacts on health and work outcomes in healthcare. These themes are filtered by the NE’s physical and programmatic designs; changes in one affect the others. Definitions of the NE are described as human-made space, located in the indoors and outdoors, containing elements of nature and designed with the purpose to positively influence humans. Processes are described as the participatory approach in NE's development and its therapeutic goals. Usages are categorized into nature contact, frequency of usage, and accessibility. Opinions are accounted for by perceptions, preference, and satisfaction. Outcomes are related to physical health, mental health and well-being and work. Conclusions: This framework contributes to the conceptual discussion and emphasizes NE’s complementarity to the biomedical healthcare system.

scholarly journals Child food insecurity in the UK: a rapid review

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (13) ◽  
pp. 1-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magaly Aceves-Martins ◽  
Moira Cruickshank ◽  
Cynthia Fraser ◽  
Miriam Brazzelli
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Academic Outcomes ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Children’S Health ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Health And Well Being

BackgroundFood insecurity (FI) is a multifaceted, socioeconomic problem involving difficulties accessing sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet people’s dietary requirements and preferences for a healthy life. For children experiencing FI, there are some potentially negative developmental consequences and it is, therefore, important to understand the links between FI and children’s health and well-being as well as any strategies undertaken to address FI. The overall objective of this assessment was to determine the nature, extent and consequences of FI affecting children (aged ≤ 18 years) in the UK.ObjectiveTo determine the nature, extent and consequences of FI affecting children (aged ≤ 18 years) in the UK.Data sourcesThe databases searched on 4 December 2017 included MEDLINE (including In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations and E-pub ahead of print files), EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux (CAB) abstracts, The Cochrane Library, Education Resources Information Centre (ERIC), PsycINFO, the Social Science Citation Index and the Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA).MethodsA rapid review of the current published and unpublished literature was conducted, including all study designs from specified high-income countries in children aged ≤ 18 years. Searches were conducted of major health-care, nutrition, education and social science databases from 1995 onwards, and websites of relevant UK and international organisations. Final searches were undertaken in December 2017.ResultsIn total, 109 studies were selected. Only five studies were conducted in the UK, four of which provided qualitative data. Possible factors associated with child FI were identified, for example socioeconomic status, material deprivation, living in public housing and having unemployed or poorly educated parents. Children’s health, well-being and academic outcomes were all negatively affected by FI. The mediating effects of family stressors and parenting practices in the relationship between FI and children’s health and well-being outcomes were not clear. Food assistance programmes were generally effective in mitigating FI and improving nutritional outcomes (including hunger) in the short term, but did not eradicate FI, eliminate its effects on children’s health or have an impact on academic outcomes. No reports assessing the prevalence of child FI in the UK or the cost-effectiveness and sustainability of interventions to tackle FI were identified.LimitationsThere was a lack of consistency in how FI was defined and measured across studies. Most of the studies used indirect measurements of child FI through parental reports. The majority of studies were conducted in North America. Only five studies were conducted in the UK. Thirty potentially relevant studies were not included in the review as a result of time and resource constraints. Most studies were observational and caution is advised in interpreting their results.ConclusionsA number of factors that were related to child FI were identified, as were negative associations between child FI and physical, mental and social outcomes. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution because of the correlational nature of the analyses and the fact that it is difficult to determine if some factors are predictors or consequences of FI.Future researchThere is an urgent requirement for the development of a reliable instrument to measure and monitor child FI in the UK and for well-designed interventions or programmes to tackle child FI.Study registrationThis study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42017084818.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme. The Health Services Research Unit is core-funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates.

Art-making in mental health – a Fijian pilot study

2020 ◽  
pp. 103985622097006
Author(s):  
Brigid Ryan ◽  
Patricia Fenner ◽  
Odille Chang ◽  
Sefanaia Qaloewai ◽  
Thelma Nabukavou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Recovery ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Initial Training ◽  
Art Making ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Broad Scale

Objective: A pilot art-making and mental health recovery project addressed consumer and carer mental health and well-being in Suva, Fiji. Method: Using feedback surveys, the project evaluated initial training, and a 12-month art programme for consumers, carers and staff across several mental health services. Results: First person and stakeholder group reports from the project reflected broad-scale approval for the novel modality and its potential for continued application in keeping with local cultural values. A broad stakeholder base was involved in planning and participation, aligned with the values of inclusive recovery-oriented mental health service approaches. Conclusions: These results suggest that the programme can add value to mental health care being provided for people with a mental illness in Fiji.

Introduction: The Anthropology-Map Merger

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 4-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Namino Glantz ◽  
Ben McMahan
Keyword(s):  
Community Engagement ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Medical Anthropology ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Applied Anthropology ◽  
Participatory Health Research ◽  
Health And Well Being

The potential of merging anthropology and mapping became clear to us (guest editors Namino Glantz & Ben McMahan) as we sought novel means of improving health among the elderly in Mexico. To share our own experiences and hear about others, we organized a session—The medical anthropology-map merger: Harnessing GIS for participatory health research—at the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) Annual Meeting, held in March 2007 in Tampa, Florida. Presenters detailed case studies to explore how mapping strengthened health research by enriching understanding of the dynamics of health and well-being, and by promoting community engagement in research and intervention. At the same meeting, the PA editors agreed to dedicate this issue of Practicing Anthropology to showcasing the innovative directions that anthropology can take by incorporating participatory mapping. Featured authors—nearly all participants in the SfAA session—illuminate and expand upon the themes Mark Nichter mentions above.

scholarly journals The nature buffer: the missing link in climate change and mental health research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naseem Dillman-Hasso
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Benefits ◽  
C 32 ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

AbstractThe connections between climate change and mental health are well known (Berry et al., Int J Publ Health 55(2):123–132, 2010; Clayton and Manning 2018; Kim et al., J Environ Sci Health C 32(3):299–318, 2014). Research also points to the positive impacts of nature on mental health, well-being, and attention (Capaldi et al., Int J Wellbeing 5(4):1–16, 2015; Kaplan and Kaplan 1989; Tillmann et al., J Epidemiol Community Health 72(10):958–966, 2018). However, no empirical research has examined how degradation of nature as a result of climate change can impact the mental health benefits that nature provides. This paper first reviews the existing research on the negative mental health consequences of climate change and the benefits of nature exposure for stress, mental health, and well-being. The connection between these two lines of research is examined in order to fully understand the impacts of climate change on mental health. Suggestions for future research are included.

scholarly journals Animal-Assisted Play: A Strategy for Promoting Children’s Physical Activity Play

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Boisvert ◽  
W. Andrew Harrell
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Agency Risk ◽  
Health And Well Being

This article explores how animal-assisted play might be used as a strategy in playwork to support children’s right to play, enrich their play experiences, encourage their physical activity play and better their health and life quality. Children’s interactions with pets or companion animals in free play or animal-assisted activities (AAA) can yield therapeutic benefits by increasing physical and mental health and well-being and also offer possibilities for more outdoor play, agency, risk-taking, fun and enjoyment, as well as high-quality play experiences. We invite playwork practitioners to consider the important role of animals in children’s lives and the potential value of animal-assisted play in creating opportunities for enriching children’s play and life quality.

scholarly journals The therapeutic potential of truffle fungi: a patent survey

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 305-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Gajos ◽  
Florian Ryszka ◽  
Joerg Geistlinger
Keyword(s):  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Symptom Relief ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Cosmetic Industry ◽  
Medicinal Properties ◽  
Sedative Action ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Menopause Symptom

The purpose of this article is to research and retrieve patent information regarding the therapeutic use of truffles. Truffles have a unique value as a foodstuff and impact positively on human health and well-being. They are applied in such industries as the pharmaceutical industry and the cosmetic industry. Patent documentation available in the Espacenet network and the Patentscope service were analyzed by key word and patent specifications were examined to describe state of the art and to identify scientific research trends in therapeutic applications of truffles. Medicinal properties of truffles such as the anticancer or cardiovascular effect, a reduction in blood lipids, immunological resistance and increased energy were identified. Other therapeutic benefits include sedative action, prevention of hormonal imbalances in women, pre-menopause symptom relief, senile urethritis and prostate disorders, sleep disorders and increased absorption of calcium from milk. Truffles can also be used to alleviate symptoms of milk intolerance such as diarrhoea or bloating, to ease rheumatic pains and to treat and prevent further development or recurrence of senile cataract.

scholarly journals A scoping review on the measurement of transnationalism in migrant health research in high-income countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Na Kim ◽  
Marcelo Urquia ◽  
Sarah Fredsted Villadsen ◽  
Lisa Merry
Keyword(s):  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Latent Variable ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Migrant Health ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
High Income ◽  
Validity Data ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Background Migrants commonly maintain transnational ties as they relocate and settle in a new country. There is a growing body of research examining transnationalism and health. We sought to identify how transnationalism has been defined and operationalized in migrant health research in high income countries and to document which populations and health and well-being outcomes have been studied in relation to this concept. Methods We conducted a scoping review using the methodology recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). We searched nine electronic databases; no time restrictions were applied. Studies published in English or French in peer-reviewed journals were considered. Studies were eligible if they included a measure of transnationalism (or one of its dimensions; social, cultural, economic, political and identity ties and/or healthcare use) and examined health or well-being. Results Forty-seven studies, mainly cross-sectional designs (81%), were included; almost half were conducted in the United States. The majority studied immigrants, broadly defined; 23% included refugees and/or asylum-seekers while 36% included undocumented migrants. Definitions of transnationalism varied according to the focus of the study and just over half provided explicit definitions. Most often, transnationalism was defined in terms of social connections to the home country. Studies and measures mainly focused on contacts and visits with family and remittance sending, and only about one third of studies examined and measured more than two dimensions of transnationalism. The operationalization of transnationalism was not consistent and reliability and validity data, and details on language translation, were limited. Almost half of the studies examined mental health outcomes, such as emotional well-being, or symptoms of depression. Other commonly studied outcomes included self-rated health, life satisfaction and perceived discrimination. Conclusion To enhance comparability in this field, researchers should provide a clear, explicit definition of transnationalism based on the scope of their study, and for its measurement, they should draw from validated items/questions and be consistent in its operationalization across studies. To enhance the quality of findings, more complex approaches for operationalizing transnationalism (e.g., latent variable modelling) and longitudinal designs should be used. Further research examining a range of transnationalism dimensions and health and well-being outcomes, and with a diversity of migrant populations, is also warranted.

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