Toward sustainable interventions for enhancing vigilance: A scoping review

Background/Introduction:Over the last decade, a global increase in the number of armed conflicts has been recorded and Mobile Health Units (MHU) are deployed to provide aid to people with limited access to health care. However, the service modality has received criticism related to irregular service provision and logistical difficulties. Although MHUs may be of value in conflicts and insecure environments, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding their usefulness to address dominating health needs.Objectives:To elucidate the use of MHUs in conflict settings in adherence to WHO Classification for Emergency Medical Teams.Method/Description:A scoping review was conducted following the framework by Arksey and O’Malley. Twenty-six bibliographic databases and websites were searched for white and grey literature published between 2000-2021 reporting on the use of MHUs in conflict settings.Results/Outcomes:Fourteen publications were included in the final analysis, highlighting seven themes: site of operation and mobility, key characteristics, services, benchmark indicators, staff, community engagement, and safety and security. The mobile approach was reported to increase access to health services. Challenges described primarily concerned access and availability, limited coverage, and logistics. Several studies highlighted the need for more sustainable interventions and a more clearly defined exit strategy.Conclusion:There is a paucity of publications reporting on the use of MHUs in conflict settings and inconsistencies in the reported data. The literature adhered to previous research and WHO guidelines to some extent. Further research is needed evaluating the interventions and outcomes of MHUs in conflict settings.

Brain infections are serious neurological events that require immediate care, with around 171 districts of 19 states in India reporting cases every year. Along with the biomedical factors, psychosocial factors of health (BPS) are influential in the outcomes of brain infections as well. A scoping review was conducted to understand the psychosocial factors explored in brain infections in the last decade. Articles focusing on social, psychological, public health factors, sequelae, and rehabilitation of inflammatory conditions, both pathogenic and autoimmune were covered. The search was conducted using keywords related to brain infections in electronic databases: PubMed, EBSCO, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Prisma-ScR guidelines were used to screen articles and the identified factors were categorized under eight psychosocial factors using Arksey and O'Malley's framework of analysis. From a total of 6012 documents retrieved, 11 articles met the criteria. Global burden associated with brain infections, disability and death, the vulnerable population at risk of developing brain infections, gaps in existing literature, pathways to care, mental health, cognitive difficulty associated with infections and their sequelae were the major psychosocial factors identified. The review focussed to understand the multitude of psychosocial factors causing delay and damage in brain infections in LMIC context. Along with biomedical factors, there exist several psychosocial factors that could potentially influence the outcome of treatment in brain infections. However, only few have been explored, suggesting the need for more studies to inform the care and sustainable interventions at the macro level to improve the outcomes and reduce the burden in brain infections.

Anemia is a significant health issue among adolescent girls, particularly in developing countries. This study aims to explore the relationship between nutritional knowledge and attitudes toward anemia prevention in adolescent girls through a scoping review. The research methods included a literature search from databases such as PubMed, SINTA, and ScienceDirect, with inclusion criteria comprising articles in English or Indonesian published between 2019-2024. Fifteen studies were selected for analysis based on these criteria. The results show that increasing nutritional knowledge, particularly regarding iron intake and balanced diets, can enhance positive attitudes toward anemia prevention. School-based nutrition education programs and innovative media have proven effective, although socioeconomic challenges and access to nutritious food remain obstacles. In conclusion, sustainable nutrition education interventions are essential to reducing the prevalence of anemia among adolescent girls.

Supporting the health and well-being of older Australians necessitates the implementation of effective and sustainable community-based interventions. Rural settings, however, pose unique challenges to intervention implementation and sustainability, with limited research exploring strategies employed to overcome these complexities. To identify enabling strategies that support the sustainable implementation of community-based health and well-being interventions for older adults in rural Australia. A scoping review, following methods by Arksey and O'Malley and enhanced by elements of the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), was conducted. An electronic search of seven databases was completed in April 2023. A thematic analysis was applied to provide a comprehensive and contextualised understanding of the phenomenon of interest. Of 1277 records screened, 15 studies were identified and included for review. Five themes identified key enablers for rural implementation: (1) Co-designing for the local context; (2) Embedding local champions; (3) Leveraging existing local resources; (4) Maintaining impact beyond the end of the funded period and (5) Flexibility in funding models. The sustainable implementation of interventions requires active community involvement and consultation through all stages of program design and delivery to effectively meet the health and well-being needs of older rural-dwelling Australians. Our findings advocate for clear implementation guidelines to support the design, delivery and adaptation of community-based programs that appropriately reflect the unique contextual needs and strengths of rural communities.

(1) Background: Native foods are essential for promoting health, sustainability, and the resilience of Indigenous communities. They contribute to biodiversity, are adapted to local ecosystems, and support cultural identity. This study aims to identify and describe strategies and health outcomes from programs and interventions using native foods to promote health or address food insecurity. (2) Methods: A scoping review was conducted using five databases, including studies that implemented interventions using native foods exclusively or combined with introduced foods (non-native). The review included studies involving human participants and reporting outcomes related to health, nutritional improvements, food security, or cultural impacts. (3) Results: Nineteen studies were included. Most interventions (n = 16) combined native foods with introduced healthy foods and implemented multicomponent strategies to promote their intake (n = 15), such as educational sessions, food distribution, gardening, cooking activities, community events, media campaigns, and policy changes. Of the 19 studies, 12 explicitly used a participatory method. Reported outcomes included improved dietary intake and nutrient intake, such as increased intake of vitamin A, calcium, and iron; enhanced knowledge about native foods and healthy eating; improved health; positive cultural impacts; and enhanced food security. (4) Conclusions: The results from this scoping review suggest that interventions using native foods show promising results in improving health, nutritional outcomes, cultural identity, and food security, highlighting their potential for broader public health applications and the value of participatory approaches for sustainable interventions.

Background:The long history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has resulted in a public and mental health crisis. Despite the significant mental health burdens facing the Palestinian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and refugee camps, this issue remains comprehensively unexplored.Aims:This scoping review identified mental health interventions and assessed their effectiveness among populations in the OPT and Palestinian refugee camps, while addressing delivery challenges.Method:A scoping review was conducted using 14 databases to include relevant studies published through March 2024 using PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews.Results:Analyzing 31 intervention studies meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria, revealed varied outcomes in interventions targeting post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and overall mental well-being.Conclusions:While some interventions showed potential, others had limited effectiveness, underscoring the complexity of mental health needs in conflict zones. Gender- and risk-specific effectiveness was observed, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches. Challenges like low attendance rates and systemic barriers hindered intervention success. The profound impact of war on children stresses the urgency for targeted interventions. Empowerment and community connectedness are vital for resilience, along with the importance of family and community involvement and research that balances the need for strong evaluation designs with the need for ongoing mental health services. Advocacy for systemic changes is crucial to implement the complex sustainable interventions necessary to assure mental health in any population. This review highlights the importance of holistic, contextually relevant approaches for mental health intervention in OPT and refugee camps, emphasizing rigorous evaluations and community-driven approaches.

Adolescence is an important life stage during which shifts toward more healthy and sustainable diets can be promoted. Adolescents have increasing influence over their food choices, informed by their developing personal knowledge and values, affecting long-term dietary behaviors into adulthood. The recent literature regarding adolescents' (1) perceptions of environmentally sustainable diets and (2) interventions to support adolescents to eat sustainably was reviewed in this study. We reviewed published literature that focused on adolescent participants and their perceptions of, or interventions to support, sustainable dietary habits. Five electronic databases were searched to include studies published since 2012 that met the inclusion criteria, including reporting of participants aged between 11 and 18 years, reporting on adolescents' perceptions of sustainable diets or interventions implemented to improve the sustainability of adolescents' diets, and framed in the context of sustainability. Data were extracted, including study and participant characteristics, methodology, and results in relation to each of the 2 research focus areas. Twenty-eight articles were included in the review. Findings suggest that adolescents' understanding of what constitutes sustainable eating is poor. Adolescents who had previously received education regarding sustainable diets valued nature and health, or were from a rural or indigenous community, were more likely to value environmentally sustainable-food choices. Interventions which target adolescents' understanding of and aspiration to make sustainable-food choices appears to improve their attitudes toward sustainable food, whereas interventions to increase the availability of sustainable foods improved the environmental sustainability of adolescents' dietary intake. Multicomponent, tailored, and community-based interventions were most effective; however, the long-term effect of these interventions remains unclear. More research is needed in low- and middle-income countries, with consideration of adolescents' level of autonomy in food choice in local food environments and the long-term effectiveness of interventions. Systematic Review Registration: Open Science Framework identifier osf.io/h3jz6.

The purpose of this chapter is to review how well walking interventions have increased and sustained walking, and to provide suggestions for improving future walking interventions. A scoping review was conducted of walking interventions for adults that emphasised walking as a primary intervention strategy and/or included a walking outcome measure. Interventions conducted at the individual, community, and policy levels between 1990 and 2015 were included, with greater emphasis on recent interventions. Walking tends to increase early in interventions and then gradually declines. Results suggest that increased walking, and environmental-change activities to support walking are more likely to be sustained when they are immediately followed by greater economic benefits/time-savings, social approval, and/or physical/emotional well-being. Adaptive interventions that adjust intervention procedures to match dynamically changing environmental circumstances also hold promise for sustaining increased walking. Interventions that incorporate automated technology, durable built environment changes, and civic engagement, may increase cost-efficiency. Variations in outcome measures, study duration, seasons, participant characteristics, and possible measurement reactivity preclude causal inferences about the differential effectiveness of specific intervention procedures for increasing and sustaining walking. This review synthesises the effects of diverse walking interventions on increasing and sustaining walking over a 25-year period. Suggestions are provided to guide future development of more effective, sustainable walking interventions at the population level.

Background/Objectives: This systematic review of neuropsychological rehabilitation strategies for primary progressive aphasia will consider recent developments in cognitive neuroscience, especially neuroimaging techniques such as EEG and fMRI, to outline how these tools might be integrated into clinical practice to maximize treatment outcomes. Methods: A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature from the last decade was performed following the PRISMA guidelines across multiple databases. A total of 63 studies were included, guided by predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, with a focus on cognitive and language rehabilitation in PPA, interventions guided by neuroimaging, and mechanisms of neuroplasticity. Results: Integration of neuroimaging techniques contributes to the increase in the efficacy of interventions with critical information about the neural mechanisms underlying language deficits in the aphasias. Traditional rehabilitation strategies, technology-assisted interventions, and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques hold considerable promise for language improvement. Neuroimaging was also found to be necessary in subtype-specific differentiation toward tailoring therapeutic intervention. Evidence also shows that directed and sustained interventions using neuroplasticity can have long-term effects in managing the symptoms of PPA. Conclusions: The present review underlines the necessity of including cognitive neuroscience techniques within neuropsychological rehabilitation to enhance therapeutic outcomes in PPA. In addition, neuroimaging modalities such as EEG and fMRI are also of great importance in understanding the underlying neurobiology of language disturbances and guiding tailored interventions. Long-term benefits of these approaches should be evaluated, including their applicability in routine clinical practice.

Multi-component mental health interventions, combining psychotherapy and physical activity (PA), have shown potential with adult populations, but their use with children and young people (CYP) remains unclear. This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing evidence on interventions that incorporate both psychotherapy and PA for CYP (4–18 years). Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, and incorporating revisions from Levac, Colquhoun and O’Brien, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews, and PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) recommendations, the review explored academic literature using five databases, as well as grey literature sources and clinical trial registries. Twenty-eight sources of evidence met the inclusion criteria and highlighted three main approaches to PA integration within the interventions: concurrent integration, asynchronous integration, and integration through PA planning and psychoeducation. A mixed pattern emerged, with six of twelve randomised controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrating statistically significant improvements in mental health and well-being outcomes. This review also raises critical questions about the development of theoretically grounded PA components and exploration of strategies for long-term sustainability and highlights the need for a structured approach to PA integration. Future research should prioritise understanding CYP’s perspectives on the feasibility and acceptability of multi-component interventions. Addressing these areas will support the development of more robust and sustainable interventions, which could become vital in future CYP mental health initiatives. Overall, this review offers novel insights into the integration of psychotherapy and PA in CYP mental health interventions and informs future research and practice in this area.

Stroke is a major cause of disability globally, with high recurrence rates despite the implementation of secondary prevention strategies. Promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour are critical to mitigate these risks. Collaborative research approaches, including citizen science, offer promising methods for developing more effective and sustainable interventions by leveraging patient insights and lived experiences across different research stages. This scoping review explored the application of citizen science approaches in developing interventions targeting physical activity and sedentary behaviour for people with stroke. Following Arksey and O'Malley's framework and the PRISMA-ScR checklist, five databases were searched. We included empirical studies involving stroke patients in research on physical activity or sedentary behaviour interventions. Data was extracted on terminology, collaboration methods, and participant roles and analysed using the Participation Matrix framework. Methodological rigor was assessed using the CASP qualitative checklist. Fourteen studies were included, most published after 2020 and originating from diverse countries. Terms like "co-design," "co-creation," and "patient and public involvement" were prevalent, but "citizen science" was not explicitly mentioned. Methods for active involvement of stroke patients included focus groups, workshops, and advisory panels. Stroke patients primarily participated as advisors or partners during intervention design, with minimal involvement in early research stages, data analysis, or dissemination. Researchers predominantly held decision-making roles. Citizen science in stroke research is still developing, with limited patient involvement across research phases. Expanding the depth and scope of patient involvement could enhance the relevance and long-term impact of interventions.

Despite evidence that application of infection prevention measures can reduce healthcare-associated infections, compliance with these measures is low, especially among physicians. Intervention effects often do not sustain. An overview of determinants for physicians' infection prevention behaviour and successful behaviour change strategies is lacking. The aim of this review was to identify what determinants influence physicians' infection prevention behaviour, what strategies to improve compliance have been explored, and whether theories, models, and frameworks from implementation science have been used in these studies. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Embase, APA PsycInfo and Web of Science up to June 2nd, 2023, in collaboration with a medical information specialist. All study types focusing on infection prevention behaviour of physicians in high-income countries were included. Data on determinants and strategies was extracted; determinants were categorized into the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Fifty-six articles were included. The TDF domains 'environmental context and resources', 'social influences', 'beliefs about consequences', 'memory, attention and decision-making', 'knowledge', and 'skills' were found most relevant. The prevailing determinant covers a theme outside the TDF: socio-demographic factors. Sustainable interventions are multimodal approaches that at least include feedback, education, and a champion. Theories, models, and frameworks have rarely been used to guide implementation strategy development. In conclusion, it was found that intervention studies rarely specify the determinants that they aim to address and they lack theoretical underpinning. Future initiatives should combine knowledge about determinants with implementation science to develop theory-based interventions tailored to determinants.

Purpose Human trafficking is a public health social work issue. This review aimed to present the current state (nature and extent) of sex trafficking research, categorize best practices, and identify recommendations for professionals. Methods Comprehensive literature searches of online databases were conducted to identify eligible articles from January 2000 to March 2019. Results The search yielded 467 studies, 87 met the predetermined criteria for inclusion. Seven themes identified: awareness, identification, at-risk populations, health issues, implementation of trafficking legislation, service and program implementation, and exploiters. Discussion and Implications for Practice Findings indicate the need for additional research to determine the most effective practices to increase awareness and identification, widespread TVPA implementation, reduce risk factors and resulting health disparities, offer services to survivors and prevention of potential victims. Conclusion There should be significant efforts to enhance all sex trafficking research in the United States to implement effective, sustainable and evidence-based interdisciplinary interventions.

The objective of this study is to assess the scope of existing practice, nature, and impact of nurse-led type 2 diabetic foot prevention services and educational programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in SSA imposes a heavy burden on current healthcare services. Complications such as foot ulcers can have a significant impact on patient care and healthcare resources. It is imperative to identify patients at risk of developing diabetic foot complications and empower them with diabetes self-management education and support from specialised foot clinics is crucial. However, the availability of such programmes and services in SSA is limited. Studies of nurse-led diabetic foot prevention services and/or educational programmes in low- or middle-income countries in SSA for adults with T2DM, written in English, between August 2013 and March 2024 were considered. Following the standard Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for conducting and reporting scoping reviews, searches were conducted on four electronic databases (CINAHL, ProQuest, MEDLINE, and Scopus) and Google Scholar. The titles and abstracts were scrutinised. All eligible papers were retrieved and screened for full text. The review included ten studies (across 14 papers), all of which focused on nurse-led diabetes self-management education (DSME) programmes in SSA. There are no specific educational programmes or services led by nurses that focus exclusively on diabetic foot prevention. The analysis highlighted the components of successful nurse-led DSMEs that led to positive glycaemic control and self-care behaviors, including the focus on behavior change and the DSME should be co-produced with service users. The theoretical aspects of the DSME include evidence-based, structured, interactive, culturally and linguistically appropriate group-based activities. The DSME should be delivered over a period of several weeks, and sessions should last between 1.5 and 2 h. Barriers to delivery and participation include the rainy season, stockouts, time and resources needed, and a DSME that meets diverse levels of literacy and education. There is a heightened need for nurse-led, co-produced, culturally congruent, frugal, and sustainable education interventions or programmes. There is also a need for diabetic foot screening and foot ulcer prevention services that can operate sustainably alongside these educational interventions through task-shifted, simple, and frugal initiatives.

Human MicroRNAs Modulated by Diet: A Scoping Review