REaCH-Resiliency Engagement and Care in Health; a Befriending Intervention to Address the Psycho-Social Challenges of Vulnerable Youth in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Trial in India

The study explores the effectiveness, feasibility, and acceptability of a befriending intervention delivered by trained lay health workers to address the issues of the rural youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. We did an exploratory trial with 501 upskilled youth, where we randomly recruited 251 to the intervention group (REaCH) and 250 to the control group (General Enquiry Telephone Call-GETC). The outcome variables included in the study were depressive symptoms, wellbeing, and social support. The majority of the participants were females (64.2%), unmarried (63.55%), and hailed from economically poorer households (57.63%). The befriending intervention reduced depressive symptoms (OR: 0.95, p = 0.05) and significantly improved social support (OR: 1.03, p = 0.000) among participants in the intervention group. The participants in the intervention group had higher perceived social support from friends, families, and significant others when compared to the control group. Additionally, suicidality scores decreased for people in the intervention group from baseline to follow up; however, the results were not statistically significant. Befriending intervention is a practical, low-cost technique to sustain the youth in employment and ensure sustainable income. It inspires practitioners and policymakers to create mental health gatekeeping. The trial was registered prospectively on 27 July 2020 in Clinical Trial Registry India; ICMR-NIMS (Registration Number: CTRI/2020/07/026834).

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REaCH-Resiliency Engagement and Care in Health; A Telephone Befriending Intervention to Address The Psycho-Social Challenges of Vulnerable Population in The Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Trial in India

10.21203/rs.3.rs-72843/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

M D Saju ◽

Lorane Scaria ◽

KK Shaju ◽

Natania Cheguvera ◽

MK Joseph ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Large Scale ◽

Central Government ◽

Health Workers ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Development Project ◽

Telephone Intervention ◽

Clinical Trial Registry ◽

Exploratory Trial

Abstract Background Observational evidence suggests that befriending interventions provided by the lay mental health workers, when trained and supervised by experts, are effective in enhancing social support, wellbeing and reducing depression. We carried out a telephone intervention for youth, recruited from DDUGKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana), a central government funded skill development project in India.Methods We performed an exploratory trial in Kerala, India, between 29th July, 2020 and 26th August, 2020 with pass out students of DDUGKY. From a total of 1036 students, 498 fulfilled the criteria and were recruited for the program. We randomized the participants via a computer generated randomization list. Out of 498 eligible participants, 251 were randomized to the intervention group and 247 to the general enquiry call group. Total of 439 (89%) participants, (251 (100%) = intervention arm and 188 (76%) = control arm), completed follow-up assessment after one month. The primary outcomes of the study included depression, measured by Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and wellbeing, using WHO Wellbeing Index; while secondary outcomes included social support from friends and family.Results Analysis was done for 439 pass out students who completed one-month intervention. Befriending intervention was effective in increasing the wellbeing (p=0.000) and social support (p=0.008) in the intervention group. Regression analysis revealed that befriending intervention is associated with notable changes in support from significant others (OR: 2.91, P=0.005), support from family (OR: 2.47, P=0.013) and support from friends (OR: 2.52, P=0.007).Conclusion Befriending intervention was found successful in improving overall wellbeing and social support among student participants of the programme. Large-scale transformational efforts to secure country’s mental health service pipeline is possible by integrating this intervention into existing DDU-GKY institutional and program eco-systems. Task shifting and sharing strategies can be effectively employed to improve the mental health outcomes of the people especially during a community crisis. Trial Registration Clinical Trial Registry India; ICMR-NIMS (Registration Number: CTRI/2020/07/026834), prospectively registered (Registration date: 27th July 2020) , http://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/showallp.php?mid1=45953&EncHid=&userName=CTRI/2020/07/026834

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Revisit the Effectiveness of Educational Kinesiology on Stress and Anxiety Amelioration in Kindergarteners With Special Needs: A Nonrandomized Trial

10.21203/rs.3.rs-407301/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pui Lun Alan TAI ◽

Kwok Wai Way LAU

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Special Needs ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Clinical Trial Registry ◽

Open Label ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Educational Kinesiology ◽

Registration Number

Abstract Although educational kinesiology is a popular intervention aims to improve brain functioning via physical movements, it lacks supporting scientific evidence. This study explores the effect of educational kinesiology on the changes in stress and anxiety markers in kindergarteners with special needs using psychometrics and biological measures. This open label non-randomized clinical trial was registered retrospectively in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration number: ChiCTR2000036305, url: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=58067, registration date: 22/08/2020). Thirty-seven kindergarteners with special needs (3.5-6.5 years old) were assigned to either the intervention group, which received one-hour educational kinesiology intervention weekly for a total of 10 weeks, or the wait-list control group. Scores of Parent-rated Preschool Anxiety Scale (PAS-TC), salivary cortisol and oxytocin levels were obtained pre- and post-intervention. After controlling baseline, the changes in oxytocin levels remained significantly different between groups (F1,35 = 5.590, p = 0.020, eta2 = 0.145), but not in cortisol levels (F1,35 = 0.364, p = 0.550, eta2 = 0.01). PAS-TC showed significant improvement in anxiety levels after the intervention in the intervention group (X2 = 4.367, p = 0.037, φ = 0.344, p = 0.037). Findings from both subjective and objective measures indicate a plausible anti-stress and anxiety effect in kindergarteners with special needs.

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Effect of Educational Program of Self-care Behaviors on Perceived Social Support Among Mother With Preeclampsia From Southeastern Iran, A Clinical Trial Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-45951/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Fatemeh Ahmadinezhad ◽

Azar Nematolahi ◽

Marzieh Akbarzadeh

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Educational Program ◽

Perceived Social Support ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Self Care ◽

Control Group ◽

Perinatal Complications ◽

Registration Number ◽

Health Quality ◽

Registration Date

Abstract ObjectivePreeclampsia in pregnancy causes severe perinatal complications. Self-care may play a role in improving health, quality of life and reducing health costs. The aim of this study was Effect of Educational Program of Self-Care Behaviors on Perceived Social Support among mother with Preeclampsia.ResultsMean score of self-care, social support and its dimensions in the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group [p < 0.05]. In the control group, the correlation between the score of self-care with social support and its dimensions was negative and significant [P < 0.05]. In the intervention group, the correlation between self-care, perceived social support and its dimensions was no significant. The score of self-care and perceived social support increased significantly after intervention. However, the correlation between self-care score and social support in intervention group was not significant.Trial registration number: IRCT20180127038526N1 Registration date: 2018-05-01

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Community Health Workers as a Strategy to Tackle Psychosocial Suffering Due to Physical Distancing: A Randomized Controlled Trial

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18063097 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 3097

Author(s):

Dorien Vanden Bossche ◽

Susan Lagaert ◽

Sara Willems ◽

Peter Decat

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Community Health ◽

Health Workers ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Psychosocial Health ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

The Impact

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many primary care professionals were overburdened and experienced difficulties reaching vulnerable patients and meeting the increased need for psychosocial support. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) tested whether a primary healthcare (PHC) based community health worker (CHW) intervention could tackle psychosocial suffering due to physical distancing measures in patients with limited social networks. Methods: CHWs provided 8 weeks of tailored psychosocial support to the intervention group. Control group patients received ‘care as usual’. The impact on feelings of emotional support, social isolation, social participation, anxiety and fear of COVID-19 were measured longitudinally using a face-to-face survey to determine their mean change from baseline. Self-rated change in psychosocial health at 8 weeks was determined. Results: We failed to find a significant effect of the intervention on the prespecified psychosocial health measures. However, the intervention did lead to significant improvement in self-rated change in psychosocial health. Conclusions: This study confirms partially the existing evidence on the effectiveness of CHW interventions as a strategy to address mental health in PHC in a COVID context. Further research is needed to elaborate the implementation of CHWs in PHC to reach vulnerable populations during and after health crises.

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Effects of a psychosocial intervention at one-year follow-up in a PREDIMED-plus sample with obesity and metabolic syndrome

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-88298-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Núria Mallorquí-Bagué ◽

María Lozano-Madrid ◽

Cristina Vintró-Alcaraz ◽

Laura Forcano ◽

Andrés Díaz-López ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Food Addiction ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Lifestyle Recommendations ◽

One Year ◽

Mediational Role

AbstractThis study examines if overweight/obesity are related to higher impulsivity, food addiction and depressive symptoms, and if these variables could be modified after 1 year of a multimodal intervention (diet, physical activity, psychosocial support). 342 adults (55–75 years) with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) from the PREDIMED-Plus Cognition study were randomized to the intervention or to the control group (lifestyle recommendations). Cognitive and psychopathological assessments were performed at baseline and after 1-year follow-up. At baseline, higher impulsivity was linked to higher food addiction and depressive symptoms, but not to body mass index (BMI). Food addiction not only predicted higher BMI and depressive symptoms, but also achieved a mediational role between impulsivity and BMI/depressive symptoms. After 1 year, patients in both groups reported significant decreases in BMI, food addiction and impulsivity. BMI reduction and impulsivity improvements were higher in the intervention group. Higher BMI decrease was achieved in individuals with lower impulsivity. Higher scores in food addiction were also related to greater post-treatment impulsivity. To conclude, overweight/obesity are related to higher impulsivity, food addiction and depressive symptoms in mid/old age individuals with MetS. Our results also highlight the modifiable nature of the studied variables and the interest of promoting multimodal interventions within this population.

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Effectiveness of a motivational intervention based on spirometry results to achieve smoking cessation in primary healthcare patients: randomised, parallel, controlled multicentre study

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2020-216219 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. jech-2020-216219

Author(s):

Francisco Martin-Lujan ◽

Josep Basora-Gallisa ◽

Felipe Villalobos ◽

Nuria Martin-Vergara ◽

Estefania Aparicio-Llopis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Smoking Cessation ◽

Respiratory Disease ◽

Primary Healthcare ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Smoking Cessation Advice ◽

Registration Number ◽

Brief Advice ◽

Prolonged Abstinence

ObjectiveThis 12-month study in a primary healthcare network aimed to assess the effectiveness of usual smoking cessation advice compared with personalised information about the spirometry results.DesignRandomised, parallel, controlled, multicentre clinical trial.SettingThis study involved 12 primary healthcare centres (Tarragona, Spain).ParticipantsActive smokers aged 35–70 years, without known respiratory disease. Each participant received brief smoking cessation advice along with a spirometry assessment. Participants with normal results were randomised to the intervention group (IG), including detailed spirometry information at baseline and 6-month follow-up or control group (CG), which was simply informed that their spirometry values were within normal parameters.Main outcomeProlonged abstinence (12 months) validated by expired-CO testing.ResultsSpirometry was normal in 571 patients in 571 patients (45.9% male), 286 allocated to IG and 285 to CG. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the groups. Mean age was 49.8 (SD ±7.78) years and mean cumulative smoking exposure was 29.2 (±18.7) pack-years. Prolonged abstinence was 5.6% (16/286) in the IG, compared with 2.1% (6/285) in the CG (p=0.03); the cumulative abstinence curve was favourable in the IG (HR 1.98; 95% CI 1.29 to 3.04).ConclusionsIn active smokers without known respiratory disease, brief advice plus detailed spirometry information doubled prolonged abstinence rates, compared with brief advice alone, in 12-month follow-up, suggesting a more effective intervention to achieve smoking cessation in primary healthcare.Trial registration numberNCT01194596.

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Effect of a brief training program for primigravid adolescents on parenting self-efficacy and mother-infant bonding in the southeast of Iran

International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health ◽

10.1515/ijamh-2017-0092 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zahra Moudi ◽

Behjat Talebi ◽

Mahnaz Shahraki Pour

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Training Program ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Routine Care ◽

Control Group ◽

Middle Income ◽

Brief Training ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Limited Health

Abstract Background Annually, about 16 million adolescent girls give birth, accounting for 11% of all births worldwide. Ninety-five percent of these births occur in low- and middle-income countries, and previous studies have addressed the need for parenting interventions in developing countries with limited health care resources to improve parenting behaviors. Objective To explore the effect of a brief training program for primigravid adolescents on parenting self-efficacy and mother-infant bonding. Subjects We enrolled 116 married pregnant adolescents. Methods This quasi-experimental study was conducted during August 22, 2016–February 3, 2017. The intervention group received three sessions of training on neonatal care, while the control group received the routine care. We evaluated parenting self-efficacy using the Perceived Maternal Parenting Self-Efficacy (PMP S-E) questionnaire, the mother-infant bonding using the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ) and social support by means of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The participants were followed up for 1 month. Results The mean ages of the intervention and the control groups were 16.37 ± 0.97 and 16.27 ± 1.12 years, respectively. The intervention group obtained higher self-efficacy and bonding scores compared to the control group. The logistic regression model showed that the second (evoking behaviors) and the third (reading behavior or signaling) subscales of the PMP S-E, the route of delivery and women’s educational levels could predict the mother-infant bonding scores. Conclusion Primigravid adolescents can benefit from brief interventions during pregnancy through improving their parenting self-efficacy and mother-infant bonding.

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Determinants of Postpartum Visits in Breastfeeding Mother

International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS) ◽

10.11591/ijphs.v5i1.4771 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 106

Author(s):

Eny Retna Ambarwati ◽

Endang Khoirunnisa ◽

Triantoro Safaria

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Data ◽

Health Workers ◽

Post Partum ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Community Empowerment ◽

Control Group ◽

Maternal Deaths ◽

The Village

Puerperal is likely in the occurrence of maternal deaths, and should receive health care during childbirth to be visited by a health worker at least 3 times since birth. This type of research was descriptive quantitative. The quantitative data obtained from questionnaires, using T-test. The research sample was breastfeeding mothers in the village of Balecatur as the intervention group and breastfeeding mothers in the village of Ambarketawang as the control group. There are significant differences of knowledge, behavior in the treatment of post-partum mothers between the intervention group and the control group with significant value in total of <0.05, influenced by the role of cadres, social suport, the role of health workers. Post partum visits conducted by community empowerment strategies, women as the main actors. The role of leaders, social support affect the success of efforts to increase postnatal visits among others disseminating information, provide examples, sensitize, motivate, guide, moving targets and the community and facilitating thus the knowledge, skills and increased public awareness can foster public participation in the postnatal visit.

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CADRES COMPETENCE IN COMMUNITY-BASED MANAGEMENT OF CHILD ILLNESS IN BANYUMAS DISTRICT, CENTRAL JAVA, INDONESIA

Belitung Nursing Journal ◽

10.33546/bnj.542 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (5) ◽

pp. 492-501

Author(s):

Umi Solikhah ◽

Hari Kusnanto ◽

Fitri Haryanti ◽

Yayi Suryo Prabandari

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trials ◽

Health Center ◽

Health Workers ◽

Intervention Group ◽

T Test ◽

Control Group ◽

P Value ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Child Illness ◽

Randomized Controlled

Background: One of the efforts in the health sector for programs to reduce infant and under-five mortality and morbidity rates is by the competence-based integrated management childhood illness (CB-IMCI) program. However, the program has been poorly implemented by health workers at the health center. Thus, the involvement of cadres is needed and their competency remains important to be improved.Objective: To quantitatively analyze cadre knowledge and competencies in the CB-IMCI program, and its relationship with the implementation of CB-IMCI, as well as to qualitatively explore and analyze the responses of cadres, health workers, and the community to the addition of cadre roles to the management of sick children.Methods: This was a mixed methods study with randomized controlled trials and qualitative method. For randomized controlled trials, 100 cadres were selected, which 50 randomly assigned in the intervention and control group. And for quantitative methods, informants included 10 cadres, 4 health workers, and 20 mothers. Paired t-test and independent t-test were employed for quantitative analysis, and triangulation was used for qualitative analysis.Results: The improvement of knowledge in the intervention group was better (I=14.42/C=4.44/p-value 0.00). The intervention group was more competent in the management of child illness (p-value 0.00). In addition, the cadres have additional competencies assisted by health workers to confidently detect cases earlier, and health center services reach a wider coverage in the community.Conclusion: The addition of cadres roles and competencies in the management of child illness in the community can be implemented in Banyumas Regency. It is suggested that the implementation of this program should be followed up in other health centers by the health department of Indonesia.

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Community Health Workers as a Strategy to Tackle Psychosocial Suffering due to Physical Distancing: A Randomized Controlled Trial

10.20944/preprints202103.0097.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Dorien Vanden Bossche ◽

Susan Lagaert ◽

Sara Willems ◽

Peter Decat

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Community Health ◽

Health Workers ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Psychosocial Health ◽

Control Group ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

The Impact

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic some family physicians were overburdened and experienced difficulties reaching vulnerable patients and meeting the increased need for psycho-social support. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) tested whether a primary healthcare (PHC) based community health worker (CHW) intervention could tackle psychosocial suffering due to physical distancing measures in patients with limited social networks. Methods: CHWs provided 8 weeks of tailored psychosocial support to the intervention group. Control group patients received ‘care as usual’. The impact on feelings of emotional support, social isolation, social participation, anxiety and fear of COVID-19 were measured longitudinally using a face-to-face survey to determine their mean change from baseline. Self-rated change in psychosocial health at 8 weeks was determined. Results: We failed to find a significant effect of the intervention on the prespecified psychosocial health measures. However, the intervention did lead to significant improvement in self-rated change in psychosocial health. Conclusions: This study confirms partially the existing evidence on the effectiveness of CHW in-terventions as a strategy to address mental health in PHC in a COVID context. Further research is needed to elaborate the implementation of CHWs in PHC to reach vulnerable populations during and after health crises.

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