Evaluating Health Promotion Research Articles

Abstract MP19: Academic-community Partnership To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of The Greater Boston Food Bank’s Healthy Pantry Program

Background: Food pantries are a significant nutrition source for food-insecure households. Traffic-light labeling is a new strategy in some pantries to help clients and staff identify healthier food choices. Healthy Pantry Program (HPP) is an online training designed by The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) to teach staff of its affiliated pantries how to promote healthier choices by implementing traffic-light labels using Supporting Wellness at Pantries and behavioral nudges, such as placing healthy foods at eye level. Our academic research team partnered with GBFB to evaluate HPP by assessing if food pantries that participated in HPP increased their GBFB purchases of healthier (green and yellow) foods more than matched control pantries. Methods: We conducted an observational study of 107 food pantries in the GBFB network in eastern Massachusetts, including 10 pantries that completed HPP training and 97 control pantries matched by organizational characteristics and baseline food purchases. Five HPP pantries participated during Wave 1 (Oct 2018-Jan 2019), and 5 participated during Wave 2 (May 2019-Aug 2019). Outcomes were changes in percentage of pantries’ monthly green and yellow purchases from GBFB at 6-month (Waves 1 and 2) and 12-month (Wave 1 only) follow-ups compared to baseline purchases (6 months pre-HPP). We used a difference-in-differences analysis to examine whether HPP pantries increased green-yellow food purchases more than control pantries. Results: In Wave 1, HPP pantries had small but nonsignificant increases in green-yellow purchases at 6 and 12 months compared to matched controls (Table). In Wave 2, HPP and control pantries had similar increases in green-yellow purchases at 6 months. Conclusions: An online training implemented by a food bank to improve healthy choices in food pantries did not significantly improve pantries’ purchases of healthier foods. Academic-community organization partnerships to evaluate health promotion initiatives can help guide effective program design and development.

Robust cross-country comparison of children meeting 24-HR movement guidelines: an odds solution for binary effect efficiency measures

AimInternational comparisons of public health measures relative to observed best practice are increasingly important for evaluating community health promotion strategies and policies such as meeting or not meeting public health guidelines. This study aimed to identify methods enabling robust evaluation with such binary effect measures at a population level.Subject and methodsConventional efficiency comparisons of binary effect proportions are problematic due to a lack of consistency with alternate framing of resulting relative risks. In this paper, we illustrate such inconsistent efficiency measures comparing the proportion of school age children (9–11 years) meeting or not meeting integrated movement guidelines (IMGs) across the 12 countries from the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) study. IMGs jointly consider physical activity, sleep and sedentary behaviours. An odds method is developed to enable consistent efficiency comparison with alternative framing of binary effects.ResultsA novel odds solution to relative risk problems arising with conventional efficiency comparison of binary effects with alternative framing is shown to provide consistent efficiency measures relative to best practice. Furthermore, this technical advancement is shown to extend to consistent indirect comparison and evidence translation.ConclusionRobust methods for international cross-country comparison of binary effect measures such as meeting or not meeting guidelines are identified with a novel odds ratio method. This novel solution is particularly important for health promotion evaluation of IMGs given the need for consistent comparison in evaluating practice evidence of what works now and consistent evidence translation of treatment effects as and when they emerge.

Economic evaluation of workplace health promotion interventions focused on Lifestyle: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

To identify and evaluate randomized clinical trials focusing on economic evaluation of workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions based on healthy lifestyles, physical activity and nutrition. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out between March and May 2019, following the PRISMA statement. The literature search was conducted on Cochrane Library, Scopus, WOS and Medline databases. The quality appraisal included the overall risk of bias (Cochrane Collaboration tool), the quality of the evidence (GRADEpro) and the quality of the health economic analysis (QHES instrument). Of the 15 studies selected, 3 were interventions based on nutrition, 11 were focused on lifestyle and only one on physical activity. Given the heterogeneity of included studies, it was decided to do a subgroup analysis. For the weight loss (n=5 studies), a general increase of 0.56Kg (95% CI=0.76, 0.84) I2 =99.41%, and for the Quality-adjusted Life Years achieved (n=5 studies) a very small increase of 0.003 (95% CI=0.002, 0.004) I2 =99.25%, were observed. The implementation of lifestyle interventions in the workplace has proven to be cost-effective for both employers and society. What problem did the study address? There are few studies aimed at evaluating the efficiency of WHP interventions. However, those that identify and assessing interventions related to lifestyle are particularly scarce, despite the evidence showing that these researchers improve the quality of care of occupational health. What were the main findings? This systematic review demonstrates the effectiveness of the WHP interventions, and in some cases, the efficiency of these interventions for both employers and society. Additional research in this area is necessary as well as the assessment of the cost-effectiveness of such interventions. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? To know the cost-benefit of different WHP interventions allows more efficient management of resources, which helps to make political and business decisions, becoming healthier and safer workplaces.

Design and Preliminary Evaluation of a Community-Based Brain Health Promotion and Wellness Program

Recommendations for risk reduction of dementia and cognitive decline emphasize addressing modifiable risk factors including physical activity, cognitive stimulation, and socialization. However, existing resources and programs to promote brain health through multifaceted risk factor reduction are often costly, challenging to individualize, and limited in their delivery format, narrowing their accessibility among older adults. To address community identified needs for brain health promotion resources, we applied a user-centered design approach to develop, implement, and evaluate feasibility/acceptability of a community-based brain health promotion program: Strength & Resilience Brain Health and Wellness Program. Design requirements were specified through ongoing end-user feedback via structured and open-ended surveys, group dialogue, and facilitator memoing which informed needed iterative refinements of program components. The resultant program incorporates information about brain health/dementia prevention, physical exercise, and cognitively-stimulating activities targeting attention, focus, problem solving, and communication. Integrated across components are deliberate adaptations for physical/cognitive abilities and activities to facilitate group cohesion and reduce stigma. Across two 10-week offerings, we found the program to be feasible as demonstrated through high enrollment (N=44) and retention (75%). A quarter of participants self-disclosed a dementia diagnosis in baseline surveys. Participants rated program components as acceptable, and perceived positive influences on target risk factors particularly social isolation, sense of self-worth, and cognitive stimulation. The current study provides a platform for a feasible and scalable group, community-based brain health promotion program, and suggests participant-centered outcomes extend beyond cognitive domains. More rigorous evaluation of the program is needed to evaluate fidelity across components and standardized outcomes.

Developing Research and Education on Aging Among Asians Through International Networks

Asians are the largest and the fastest growing segment of the world population. However, age-related social and health issues are understudied among them. Studies on older Asians are often small-sized and scattered geographically, and use instruments that are inconsistent in context, language and culture. Findings from different studies on Asians are difficult to synthesize to support health promotion, clinical practice and policy evaluations. To advance research into aging among Asians, a fundamental step is to create content-relevant, linguistically and culturally appropriate research instruments, and encourage use of these consistent and comparable instruments across studies. In this interactive session, the author will lead the group to discuss the need, feasibility and strategies for developing an international network to promote resource sharing and research collaborations across country borders and disciplines. By bringing the isolated but passionate Asian aging researchers together, this network will accelerate the growth of research on Aging Among Asians.

Promoção da saúde de graduandos de enfermagem: uma revisão integrativa

Objetivo: Analisar as atividades de Promoção da Saúde oferecidas pelas Universidades aos discentes de enfermagem, a partir da produção cientí­fica nacional e internacional; e identificar as evidências dessas intervenções tendo em vista o movimento das Universidades Promotoras da Saúde. Métodos: Revisão Integrativa da literatura, com uso dos descritores em saúde, palavras-chave e MeshTerms, realizada nas bases de dados Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS), PubMed Central (PMC), Cochrane e Web of Science (WoS), no perí­odo de 2003 a 2019. Resultados: Foram selecionados 14 artigos, que foram agrupados nas categorias: Fazer e formar para saúde: avaliação de promoção da saúde e; Outras necessidades de Promoção da Saúde. Conclusões: As estratégias de promoção da saúde oferecidas pelas universidades aos graduandos demonstram preocupação com aspectos pontuais do desenvolvimento do corpo do estudante, mas nem sempre resulta da articulação entre as demandas e o que é oferecido, no que tange a saúde dos universitários. Verificou-se a necessidade de novos estudos sobre a temática, que contribuam para a construção de polí­ticas e ações de saúde voltadas para a população universitária, que necessita ser atendida em sua singularidade.

The risk of cardiometabolic disorders in lean non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A longitudinal study

BackgroundRecent studies suggest that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in lean (BMI<25 ​kg/m2) individuals presents a distinct phenotype. We sought to determine the cardiometabolic consequences of lean NAFLD in a population cohort of relatively young asymptomatic individuals who participated in a voluntary routine health promotion evaluation in Brazil. MethodsWe analyzed data in our population collected from 2004 to 2016. Medical and demographic history, anthropometric measures, and fasting blood samples were obtained. Participants had ultrasonography to assess for fatty liver. We defined NAFLD as fatty liver in individuals scoring below 8 on the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT). We included data from 9137 individuals who had complete data at baseline and at follow-up. ResultsThe prevalence of lean NAFLD in our cohort was 3.8%. Over the median follow-up period of 2.4 years (range 0.5–9.9 years), lean individuals had 74% (HR: 1.74 (1.39–2.18)) and 67% (1.67 (1.29–2.15)) greater risk of developing elevated BP and elevated glucose, and nearly 3 times the risk of atherogenic dyslipidemia (HR: 2.98 (2.10–4.24)) compared to lean individuals without NAFLD. Lean NAFLD individuals also had higher risk of developing elevated glucose (HR: 1.37 (1.07–1.75)) and atherogenic dyslipidemia (1.46 (1.05–2.01)) compared to non-lean individuals without NAFLD. However, there was no significant difference in the risk of elevated BP, elevated glucose or atherogenic dyslipidemia between lean NAFLD and non-lean individuals with NAFLD in fully adjusted models. ConclusionLean NAFLD is not metabolically benign. Further cardiovascular risk stratification and appropriate preventive measures should be considered in lean individuals who present with NAFLD.

Explaining the Experience of Health Education and Training Professionals to Evaluate the Methods and Effectiveness of Health Education among Elementary School Students

Background and Objectives: Evaluation methods of health education are part of education program for all students. Evaluating health education curricula should show essential knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to explain the experiences of education specialists and health education experts to test health education in elementary school. Material and Methods: Qualitative methods used in this study. It based on an interpretive model and it was also implemented using a phenomenological approach. The method of data collection was semi-structured interviews with 15 health education experts who met the inclusion criteria. Colaizzi method used to analyze the interview data. Results: Findings consist of one main class "Evaluation of Health Education Knowledge and Health Promotion" and thirty subclasses "Written exams, conferences, doing classroom assignments correctly, class participation, practical assessment, classroom questions, evaluation of classroom activities, evaluation outside of the classroom, Peer to peer evaluation, self-evaluation, academic record, recording important events of students’ performance, personal and group testing and etc. Conclusion: Studying the experiences of health education experts and evaluating health education showed that observation of children's behavior change over time is an effective methods of health education assessment in elementary school. Therefore, planning and prioritizing the proper formulation and implementation of health education evaluation curricula should focus on changing children's behavior over time.

Evaluating health promotion standards at the Farshchian heart center of Hamadan, Iran

ABSTRACT Objective Farshchian Heart Center is the fifth health-promoting hospital and the first center of its type in Western Iran that officially joined the International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services (HPH) in 2016. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the health promotion standards at this center in 2018. Methods We conducted this cross-sectional study at Farshchian Heart Center of Hamadan. The main data collection instruments included questionnaires obtained from indicators of five different main standards of health-promoting hospitals developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) which were evaluated from three different perspectives: Management staff, hospital employees, and patients. The data were analyzed by SPSS version 21 software. Results We evaluated 111 hospital employees, 109 patients, and 6 management staff. Nurses (46.8%) comprised the majority of the hospital staff respondents. Less than half (42.3%) of the hospital staff expressed awareness of hospital health promotion policies; however, only 13.5% had attended various health promotion programs. Only 51.4% of patients knew about the hospital health promotion policies and 17.4% of them participated in relevant programs. The mean score for patient satisfaction with the hospital health promotion programs according to the visual analogue scale (VAS, range: 0–10) was 7.16 ± 2.45, which was significantly higher in outpatients (8.16 ± 1.85) compared to inpatients (6.44 ± 2.59, p = 0.001). Two thirds (66.7%) of the management staff expressed awareness of implementation of these programs. Conclusion The results of this study demonstrated that health promotion policies based on WHO standards were not well-recognized among patients, hospital employees, and management staff in Farshchian Heart Center of Hamadan, Iran.

Evaluation of Health Promotion Program for the Prevention of Epidemics at Primary Health Care Centers in Baghdad City: Comparative Study

&#x0D; Objective(s): To evaluate and compare between Health Promotion Program for the Prevention of Epidemics at Primary Health Care Centers in Baghdad City.&#x0D; Methodology: A descriptive study, using the evaluation and comparative approaches, is conducted to evaluate health promotion program for the prevention of epidemics at primary health care centers in baghdad city from October 15th 2019 through March 1st 2020. A purposive, non-probability, sample of (42) health promotion unit officers were recruited from the same number of primary health care centers which were divided into (14) main, (14) sub and (14) family medicine primary health care centers in Baghdad City. Interview schedule instrument is constructed for the purpose of the study. Such instrument is comprised of (2) parts; Demographic information sheet and evaluation of health promotion program. Content validity and internal consistency reliability are determined the study instrument through pilot study. Data were collected through the use of the study instrument and the application of the interview technique as means of data collection. Data were analyzed through the application of descriptive statistical data analysis approach of frequency, percentage, total scores, ranges and mean and inferential statistical data analysis approach of analysis of variance.&#x0D; Results: The study results indicate that the family medicine primary health care centers have implemented the health promotion program more sufficiently and effectively than main and sub primary health care centers.&#x0D; Recommendations: The present study recommends that periodic and regular evaluation of the health promotion program is required at health directorates, health care sectors and primary health care centers for the determination of monitoring its utility. Further studies can be carried out on a larger sample size of primary health care centers and a nationwide scale.

Implications of Canadian youth views for measuring youth mental health from a socio-economic perspective.

Developing meaningful indicators to track youth mental health (MH) is important to support the development and evaluation of responsive mental health promotion (MHP) initiatives that address the socio-economic determinants of youth MH. Development of relevant indicators is challenged, however, by the lack of knowledge regarding the relations among socio-economic factors and youth MH. Thirty diverse young people from a Canadian metropolitan area were engaged within a process of social praxis to explore their experiences of the inter-relationship between their socio-economic environments and their MH and their processes of seeking to realize their MH. Participants emphasized 'needs' as foundational to MH, whereas 'wants', driven by materialistic and wealth-oriented values and social norms, constrained their MH. Their reflections on the inter-relations among their MH and socio-economic processes highlight eight inter-related MH needs within the Canadian socio-economic context. In this paper, we present these needs and show how these needs, young people's affective states, and their access to resources within co-evolving socio-economic processes (to enable their needs) illustrate the fundamental inter-relation between young people's MH and socio-economic processes. We identify implications for measuring youth MH within MHP practice, including the importance of iterative indicator frameworks that include measures of young people's access to resources to enable their MH needs and their degree of distress.

The benefits of a historical-dialectical ontology to critical mental health promotion research.

In this article, we explore challenges and opportunities in research oriented to understanding the relations among elements of socio-economic life and mental health (MH) and the development and evaluation of mental health promotion (HP) initiatives. We review the population health intervention research (PHIR) literature and respond to recommendations regarding social determinants of health and health inequities-focused research. We discuss three inter-related issue areas: first, the continued dominance of linear and individually oriented theories within predominantly quantitative research approaches and the underdevelopment of ontological and theoretical perspectives that capture complexity; second, the inconsistent use of measures of socio-economic status and health with a lack of attention to taken for granted assumptions; and third, the continued focus on measuring MH challenges to the neglect of exploring the meaning of MH in a positive sense. We extend recommendations within the PHIR literature by sharing our application of a historical-dialectical ontological perspective within a process of social praxis with diverse Canadian young people with varying degrees of access to socio-economic resources. Young people were engaged to explore the relations among socio-economic processes, young people's MH and implications for mental HP. We argue that this ontological perspective can support the development of structurally oriented critical qualitative research approaches in PHIR.

Protocol for a systematic review of health promotion interventions for African Americans delivered in US barbershops and hair salons

IntroductionAfrican American adults are disproportionately burdened by chronic diseases, particularly at younger ages. Developing culturally appropriate interventions is paramount to closing the gap in these health inequities. The purpose of...

Abstract P221: The Impact of Prevalent and New-onset Cardiometabolic Risk on the Incidence of Hepatic Steatosis

Background: Little is known about hepatic steatosis (HS) incidence and its relationship to underlying or new-onset cardiometabolic risk. This study aims to assess the incidence of hepatic steatosis in an asymptomatic population and to determine its relationship to both prevalent and new-onset cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: We analyzed retrospective data from a voluntary employer-sponsored routine health promotion evaluation at the Preventive Medicine Center of the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (São Paulo, Brazil) collected from October 2004 to December 2016.Medical and demographic history, anthropometric measures including blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, and fasting blood samples were obtained. Participants also had ultrasonography to assess for HS. We included data from 8,448 individuals who had complete cardiometabolic and ultrasound data at baseline and repeated all tests at least 6 months later. Results: The mean age (standard deviation, SD) of participants was 40 (9) years. Over a mean (SD) follow-up of 3.4 (2.3) years, the incidence of HS was 14.7%. As shown in the table, diabetes, poor physical activity, elevated waist circumference and cigarette smoking at baseline were independently associated with hepatic steatosis. There was an additive effect of the increasing cardiometabolic risk factors (see graph) on the risk of developing HS. Participants with new-onset cardiometabolic risk factors also had a higher risk of incident HS after accounting for baseline demographics and cardiometabolic risk factors (see forest plot). This was most pronounced for incident obesity (BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m 2 ). Conclusion: In this relatively young population, the incidence of HS was high and was both independently and collectively associated with baseline cardiometabolic risk. New-onset cardiometabolic risk tracks with incident HS. This study emphasizes the need for assessing and mitigating cardiometabolic risk in the prevention of HS.

Pemberdayaan Masyarakat melalui Pelatihan Komunikasi Efektif bagi Kader Posyandu

COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT TROUGH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION TRAINING FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH VOLUNTEER (CADRE) OF POSYANDU. Community participation for creating Indonesia’s health development is necessary. One of manifestation of community empowerment is through Posyandu activities that are managed by community health volunteers (cadre) with the aim of providing facilities to the public in obtaining basic health services as a promotive and preventive health strategy in community. Cadres as the driving agent need to be equipped with health promotion skills as an attempt to create national health development optimally. The purpose of this community service is to provide knowledge of effective communication, and to introduce of communication media for promoting of health information. The methods of conducting communication training include: survey activities, communication training, preparing health promotion media and evaluation. The results of the training showed that participants had good communication skills, participants were able to practice effective communication techniques and realized the importance of the media to promote Posyandu activities.

Evaluation of a pragmatic trial of a collaborative school-based obesity prevention intervention in a low-income urban district

Broader adoption of effective school-based obesity prevention interventions is critical to the success of ongoing efforts to address the childhood obesity epidemic. School-level barriers to adopting evidence-based interventions may be overcome by empowering school-level leaders to select appropriate intervention components. We used a quasi-experimental pragmatic trial design to evaluate a tailored obesity prevention intervention in 9 schools in a mid-sized urban school district in upstate New York from fall 2013 to spring 2016. We analyzed repeated height and weight measurements from an existing district screening system on 5882 students from intervention and control schools matched using propensity score methods. We assessed diet and physical activity changes in intervention schools using surveys and direct observation. The intervention led to a change of −0.27 (p = 0.026, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): −0.51, −0.03) and −0.28 (p = 0.031, 95% CI: −0.54, −0.03) BMI units in spring 2014 and fall 2014, respectively. There were no significant differences between intervention and control from spring 2015 to spring 2016. Despite the lack of sustained effects on BMI, we demonstrated the potential of supporting school leaders in a low-income district to implement supportive policy and practice changes and of using an existing BMI screening system to reduce the burden of health promotion evaluation.

Process evaluation of a workplace-based health promotion and exercise cluster-randomised trial to increase productivity and reduce neck pain in office workers: a RE-AIM approach

BackgroundThis study uses the RE-AIM framework to provide a process evaluation of a workplace-based cluster randomised trial comparing an ergonomic plus exercise intervention to an ergonomic plus health promotion intervention; and to highlight variations across organisations; and consider the implications of the findings for intervention translation.MethodThis study applied the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) methodology to examine the interventions’ implementation and to explore the extent to which differences between participating organisations contributed to the variations in findings. Qualitative and quantitative data collected from individual participants, research team observations and organisations were interrogated to report on the five RE-AIM domains.ResultsOverall reach was 22.7% but varied across organisations (range 9 to 83%). Participants were generally representative of the recruitment pool though more females (n = 452 or 59%) were recruited than were in the pool (49%). Effectiveness measures (health-related productivity loss and neck pain) varied across all organisations, with no clear pattern emerging to indicate the source of the variation. Organisation-level adoption (66%) and staffing level adoption (91%) were high. The interventions were implemented with minimal protocol variations and high staffing consistency, but organisations varied in their provision of resources (e.g. training space, seniority of liaisons). Mean adherence of participants to the EET intervention was 56% during the intervention period, but varied from 41 to 71% across organisations. At 12 months, 15% of participants reported regular EET adherence. Overall mean (SD) adherence to EHP was 56% (29%) across organisations during the intervention period (range 28 to 77%), with 62% of participants reporting regular adherence at 12 months. No organisations continued the interventions after the follow-up period.ConclusionAlthough the study protocol was implemented with high consistency and fidelity, variations in four domains (reach, effectiveness, adoption and implementation) arose between the 14 participating organisations. These variations may be the source of mixed effectiveness across organisations. Factors known to increase the success of workplace interventions, such as strong management support, a visible commitment to employee wellbeing and participant engagement in intervention design should be considered and adequately measured for future interventions.Trial registrationACTRN12612001154897; 29 October 2012.

Dental Caries in Relation to Socioeconomic Factors of 6 and 12-year-old Schoolchildren of Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India: An Epidemiological Study.

Aims and objectivesDetermination of prevalence of dental caries in 6 and 12-year-old schoolchildren, dental caries prevalence between government and private schoolchildren, and the influence of socioeconomic factors on dental caries on children of Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India.Materials and methodsIn the government and private schools at Paonta Sahib of Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh, India, a cross-sectional study was carried out. The study population comprised schoolchildren of 6 and 12 years. A total of 1,004 children of both genders were surveyed for dental caries status. The decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index was used for clinical examination of caries. Prior collection of sociodemographic information was done in addition to information on oral health behavior by personal interview.ResultsIn the present study, dental caries prevalence was found to be higher in children of 6 years of age (63.6%) than that of 12 years (53.6%) (p = 0.001). The mean DMFT was 2.47 ± 2.75 for 6–year-old children and 1.18 ± 1.33 for 12–year-old children. No significant difference was observed in dental caries prevalence among children of government and private school (p = 0.167). Moreover, dental caries frequency was highest in children belonging to upper-middle (38.14%) class followed by lower-middle (32.32%), upper-lower (25.42%), and upper class (4.12%). The obtained data were analyzed using the chi-square test and one-way ANOVA test.ConclusionDental caries prevalence was high in children of 6 years of age in the study. The dental caries frequency was more in upper-middle-class children. These results suggest that emphasis should be given to scientific monitoring, effective implementation, and evaluation of school-based oral health promotion and preventive programs to increase the dental awareness and oral hygiene practices, in Paonta Sahib, Sirmour district.How to cite this articleJindal L, Dua P, Mangla R, et al. Dental Caries in Relation to Socioeconomic Factors of 6 and 12-year-old Schoolchildren of Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India: An Epidemiological Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(4):395–398.

Development of the Health Awareness and Behaviour Tool (HABiT): reliability and suitability for a Canadian older adult population

BackgroundDetermining the effectiveness of community-based health promotion and disease prevention programs requires an appropriate data collection tool. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive health questionnaire for older adults, called the HABiT, and evaluate its reliability, content validity, and face validity in assessing individual health-related items (e.g., health status, healthcare utilization) and five specific scales: knowledge, current health behaviors (risk factors), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), perceived risk and understanding, and self-efficacy.MethodsIterative survey development and evaluation of its psychometric properties in a convenience sample of 28 older adults (≥ 55 years old), half from a low-income population. Following item generation, the questionnaire was assessed for content validity (expert panel), face validity (participant feedback), internal consistency of each scale (Cronbach’s alpha), and test-retest reliability for each item and scale (Pearson’s r and phi correlations, as appropriate).ResultsQuestions were drawn from 15 sources, but primarily three surveys: Canadian Community Health Survey, Canadian Diabetes Risk Questionnaire (CANRISK), and a survey by the Canadian Hypertension Education Program. Expert consensus was attained for item inclusion and representation of the desired constructs. Participants completing the questionnaire deemed the questions to be clear and appropriate. Test-retest reliability for many individual items was moderate-to-high, with some exceptions for items that can reasonably change in a short period (e.g., perceived day-to-day stress). Of the five potential scales evaluated, two had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha ≥ 0.60) and a subset of one scale also had acceptable internal consistency. Test-retest reliability was high (correlation ≥ 0.80) for all scales and sub-scales.ConclusionsThe HABiT is a reliable and suitable comprehensive tool with content and face validity that can be used to evaluate health promotion and chronic disease prevention programs in older adults, including low-income older adults. Some noted limitations are discussed. Data collected using this tool also provides a diabetes risk score, health literacy score, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for economic analysis.

Challenges to create an evidence-based programme register in France

Abstract The majority of health promotion and disease prevention interventions implemented in both targeted and general populations have unknown effectiveness. This contrasts with drug treatments which must be proven effective before they can be prescribed. The recent evaluation of four addiction prevention interventions chosen by public health implementers showed that two had positive impacts on addiction prevention and two had deleterious effects. Despite over 50 years’ worth of scientific literature on the evaluation of health promotion and disease prevention programmes, it is little known and little used by project promoters. These promoters cannot be blamed for not using this literature as it is often difficult to access, to read and to understand. Even if they successfully access and read the articles, interventions are often not described properly, rendering the text useless for implementers. It is therefore necessary to create interfaces that translate this literature into a form useful for funders and project promoters. As a result, Public Health France has studied existing portals in both the United States and in Europe. An independent double-reviewing process comparable to the review process used by scientific journals for manuscripts as in the Norwegian portal was chosen for this reason.An expert committee has worked during more than one year to design and test a scoring grid that will be published soon. The 80+ programme evaluations found in the scientific literature will now be reviewed with the approved grid. Public Health France has also begun visiting each region in France to present the portal to local health authorities and NGOs to enable project promoters to submit their programmes soon and to promote the use of evidence-based or research-based programmes when possible.