Prevention Project Research Articles

Selenoprotein P deficiency is associated with higher risk of incident heart failure

IntroductionSelenium deficiency has been associated with mortality, cardiovascular disease and worsened prognosis in heart failure (HF). In a recent population-based study, high selenium levels were shown to be associated with reduced mortality and reduced incidence of HF, but only in non-smokers. Here, we aimed to examine if selenoprotein P (SELENOP), a main selenium carrier protein, is associated with incident HF. Materials and methodsSELENOP concentrations were measured in plasma of 5060 randomly selected subjects from the population-based prospective cohort “Malmö Preventive Project” (n = 18240) using an ELISA approach. Exclusion of subjects with prevalent HF (n = 230) and subjects with missing data on co-variates included in the regression analysis (n = 27) resulted in complete data for 4803 subjects (29.1% women, mean age 69.6 ± 6.2 years, 19.7% smokers). Cox regression models adjusted for traditional risk factors were used to analyse SELENOP's association with incident HF. Further, subjects within the quintile with the lowest SELENOP concentrations were compared to subjects in the remaining quintiles. ResultsEach 1 standard deviation increment in SELENOP levels was associated with lower risk of incident HF (n = 436) during a median follow-up period of 14.7 years (hazard ratio (HR) 0.90; CI95% 0.82–0.99; p = 0.043). Further analyses showed that subjects in the lowest SELENOP quintile were at the highest risk of incident HF when compared to quintiles 2–5 (HR 1.52; CI95% 1.21–1.89; p = 2.5 × 10−4). ConclusionLow selenoprotein P levels are associated with a higher risk of incident HF in a general population. Further studies are warranted.

Quality of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Rural South Australia After a Quality Improvement Program: Results of the Country Heart Attack Prevention (CHAP) Project

Quality of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Rural South Australia After a Quality Improvement Program: Results of the Country Heart Attack Prevention (CHAP) Project

Restorative methods as a strategy for the prevention of violence and bullying in primary and secondary schools in Mexico: An exploratory study

School coexistence processes are mediated by conflict situations that are often not adequately, immediately and comprehensively resolved by schools, giving rise to violence. School violence has become a matter of global priority not only at the school or family level, but also socially due to its magnitude and scope. In the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), reported in 2018 that 23% of students in Mexico had suffered bullying at least once a month, these data are worrying as they reveal high rate of violence. Considering the increase of violence in Mexican educational institutions, we wonder if students' awareness in the use of communication to resolve disagreements would be achieved after participating in a conflict prevention project applying restorative practices.The objective of this study was to test whether students acquired greater emotional self-regulation, self-determination, and peaceful strategies to resolve conflicts after participating in a project centred on the restorative paradigm.A total of 336 students from an elementary school and a high school located in Mexico participated in this study. An ad hoc questionnaire was administered to the students by a restorative justice specialist in the middle of the school year. Statistical analyses were performed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences V. 25. The results obtained showed that, after the implementation of this program for five months, students in both schools showed greater emotional self-regulation and self-determination. In conclusion, providing students with restorative strategies to resolve disputes favoured the use of peaceful conflict resolution strategies.

Dynamic evolution of spring sand and dust storms and cross-border response in Mongolian plateau from 2000 to 2021

ABSTRACT According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 15.3), frequent sand and dust storms (SDSs) in the spring are a long-term challenge to the prevention and control of land degradation on the Mongolian plateau. In this study, MODIS remote sensing data are used to monitor and analyse SDS events on the Mongolian Plateau. The annual distribution of spring SDSs (March to May) from 2000 to 2021 are obtained based on the dust storm detection index. The overall classification accuracy is 85.24% and the kappa coefficient is 0.7636. Results show a decrease in the overall frequency of SDS events, where storm events in 2000–2010 are significantly higher than those in the second decade. The cross-border regions between China and Mongolia appear to be SDS intensity centers, particularly those in southern Mongolia. Precipitation exhibits a strong negative correlation with the area affected by SDS, and the correlation coefficient is – 0.72. The increase in barren and sand contributes primarily to the increase in SDS, whereas wind prevention and sand control projects undertaken by the Mongolian and Chinese governments promote regional restoration. Policies pertaining to cross-board sandstorm responses on the Mongolian Plateau are recommended.

Preventative therapy for breast cancer: a clinical experience

BackgroundBreast Cancer incidence in the UK is estimated to rise to 71,000 per year by 2035. Preventative strategies could significantly reduce this. Preventative therapy reduces women’s risk of oestrogen receptor positive breast cancer, but uptake remains low. Having established a preventative therapy clinic as part of a wider breast cancer prevention project, we explored qualitative data to inform future preventative efforts.MethodWomen aged 30 to 60 who had benign diagnoses at a symptomatic breast clinic or were under mammographic surveillance in the moderate risk family history clinic were invited to participate in the study. Those who expressed an interest and completed an initial questionnaire had their breast cancer risk calculated using the IBIS risk calculator. Those at increased risk were invited to a consultation about preventative therapy.Results182 women were identified as increased risk (≥ 17% lifetime or ≥ 3% 10-year risk NICE guidelines: Familial breast cancer: classification, care and managing breast cancer and related risks in people with a family history of breast cancer, 20131) of whom 91 women (50%) would not have been identified by family history criteria alone. 96% attended a risk/prevention consultation and all eligible women accepted screening mammography but only 14 (8%) women requested a preventative therapy prescription during the duration of the study. Reluctance to take medication and inconvenient time of life were common reasons for declining preventative therapy. Despite this, the majority were grateful for breast cancer risk and prevention information.ConclusionsWomen at increased risk of breast cancer accept additional screening but are reluctant to take preventative therapy. This suggests that stratified screening methods using risk calculations would have high uptake. Raising awareness of preventative therapy is important and the breast cancer community has yet to find the optimum timing and formula for discussing it and must accept women’s informed preferences above artificial targets.Registration numbersThe PIONEER study was granted Health Research Authority (HRA) ethical approval by the Westminster Ethics Committee. IRAS project ID 265619, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04574063. Recruitment began in September 2020 and was completed in October 2021.

Engaging communities in implementation research projects for prevention and control of schistosomiasis: the example of Madagascar

Engaging communities in implementation research projects for prevention and control of schistosomiasis: the example of Madagascar

The outcome and challenges of application of pressure ulcer prevention project in king Fahad Hospital Jeddah – 2023

Background: A pressure ulcer (PU), also known as bedsore, pressure injury, or decubitus ulcer, is a localized injury brought on by sustained pressure applied to the skin and underlying soft tissue over an extended length of time. 
 Aim: This study aimed to identify the outcome and challenges of the application of pressure ulcer prevention project.
 Methodology: This is a retrospective hospital-based study, which monitored the pressure ulcer prevention project's (PUPP) results from 2019 to 2021 for 3 years. Data on 21400 patients were gathered from several departments of a hospital in the northern region of Saudi Arabia. The project's main goals were the installation of a wound care team, hospital staff education, ongoing data monitoring, and follow-up visits for inpatient units.
 Results: This current study showed that the pressure ulcer prevention project was successful showing a statistically significant reduction of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) from 1.97% in 2018 to 1.4% in 2019 to 0.53% in 2020 to 0.14% in 2021. 
 Conclusion: The research concluded the percentage of cases of pressure ulcers was successfully decreased by the PUPP. The project can be expanded and carried out in additional hospitals.

Evaluation of a Community Suicide Prevention Project (Roots of Hope): Protocol for an Implementation Science Study.

Roots of Hope (RoH) is a multisite Canadian community-based suicide prevention initiative developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), which is based on evidence for intervention effectiveness and World Health Organization recommendations. Seven communities developed local activities in the following 5 pillars: specialized supports, training and networks, public awareness, means safety, and evaluation research. We aim to use an implementation research approach to understand the RoH model for reducing suicidal behaviors and their impacts in communities, and the lessons learned for the equitable development and implementation of RoH in different contexts. Moreover, we want to understand how the program is implemented in relation to the context, the causal pathways, and the factors influencing successful implementation. The evaluation includes assessments of short-term and intermediate effects at each site and overall. The principal investigator (PI) developed a consensus among local research coordinators on common approaches and indicators through ongoing participation in an online community of practice, and regular virtual and in-person meetings. At the completion of the pilot phase, the PI will summarize evaluation results across sites and conduct pooled analyses. The RoH theory of change and evaluation model shows how evaluation activities from the planning phase through the implementation of activities in each of the pillars can help clarify the viability of the RoH model and identify factors that facilitate and inhibit effective and equitable implementation in different contexts. Beginning with a situational analysis to identify resources in each community and local specificities, we will examine the implementation characteristics of conformity, dosage, coverage, quality, utility, equity, appreciation, facilitators, and impediments. Evaluation of short-term effects will focus on changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, help-seeking, service use, stigma, media reports, empowerment, and care experiences. Intermediate effects, long-term effects, and impact will include assessments of the changes in suicides, suicide attempt rates, and suicide risk indicators. A variety of data sources, both quantitative and qualitative, will be used. The quantitative and qualitative data from all sites will be summarized by the PI in March 2023 to draw conclusions to help the MHCC in its improvements to the RoH model, and to inform communities about how to better implement RoH. Since the COVID-19 pandemic occurred at the beginning of program implementation, its impact and influence will be documented. The validity of RoH in contributing to the prevention of suicides and suicidal behaviors will be clarified in a variety of contexts. The final evaluation report will be available in September 2023. The evaluation results, including the identification of factors that facilitate and inhibit the implementation of RoH and the adaptations to challenges, will be useful to the MHCC, current RoH communities, and those considering adopting the RoH model. DERR1-10.2196/39978.

The Outcome and Challenges of Application of Pressure Ulcer Prevention Project in King Fahad Hospital Jeddah – 2023

BACKGROUND: A pressure ulcer (PU), also known as bedsore, pressure injury, or decubitus ulcer, is a localized injury brought on by sustained pressure applied to the skin and underlying soft tissue over an extended length of time. This study aimed to identify the outcome and challenges of the application of pressure ulcer prevention project focus to clarify the findings of the application of the project, to highlight the challenges met by the team who apply the project, to know the prevalence state during the application period, and to identify the adherence of nurses to their role. Through Improved nursing education, improve adherence to a policy of pressure ulcer prevention, being sure all equipment is in adequate working condition, Monitoring high-risk patients.
 
 METHODOLOGY: This is a retrospective hospital-based study, which monitored the pressure ulcer prevention project’s (PUPP) results from 2019 to 2021 for 3 years. Data on 21400 patients were gathered from several departments of a hospital in the west region of Saudi Arabia. The project’s main goals were the installation of a wound care team, hospital staff education, ongoing data monitoring, and follow-up visits for inpatient units.
 
 RESULTS: This current study showed that the pressure ulcer prevention project was successful showing a statistically significant reduction of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) from 1.97% in 2018 to 1.4% in 2019 to 0.53% in 2020 to 0.14% in 2021. 
 
 CONCLUSION: The research concluded the percentage of cases of pressure ulcers was successfully decreased by the PUPP. The project can be expanded and carried out in additional hospitals.

Educating adolescents about the influence of the media via the French program « Service sanitaire »

Gathered within the context of the French “Service Sanitaire des Etudiants en Santé” (SSES), the leaders of a local prevention project and the coordinators of the said device have joined forces to propose a course dedicated to media education. Sharing their target population: middle school students, the aim was to put health students in a position to disseminate prevention interventions integrating the potential influence of digital media, in the region’s middle schools. The present study proposes to evaluate the integration of this media education module into the local SSES. Using the referentialization model developed by G. Figari, we study the relevance of the plan, by combining and comparing the context of the creation of the media education module (MEM) and the strategies of integration into the SESS. The integration mechanism analyzed in the light of the effects produced allows us to address the effectiveness of the tool. Finally, the usefulness and efficiency of the implementation of the module are evaluated by relating the final product to the initial objectives. This study results in a description of the reality of the newly established local system. The cooperation between the SSES team and professionals competent in prevention and health promotion is both a source of opportunities and difficulties&#8230.

LyondellBasell is getting green bonds

LyondellBasell Industries is launching a public offering of green bonds. The principal of the bonds will be $500 million and will bear a 5.625% interest rate. The proceeds from the bonds will go toward circular economy, renewable energy, pollution prevention, and energy efficiency projects. Green bonds have become popular as a way to connect chemical companies with investors interested in backing sustainability. In March, Air Products raised more than $1.3 billion in two bond offerings that it intends to use for low-carbon ammonia and sustainable aviation fuels, and Eastman Chemical closed a $500 million green bond offering.

Sub-staff training program for community residents to provide community-based care services at day-care facilities

Objectives As the birthrate declines and the population ages, increase in the number of older adults certified as requiring long-term care and shortage of care staff are important issues to be considered. This study developed a sub-staff training program that trains community residents as sub-staff (paid auxiliary staff who possess knowledge and skills in care prevention and confidentiality) to provide care for enhancing independence of older adults with the support of staff in day-care facilities. The study also examined the program's feasibility and key factors, through the introduction of practical examples and surveys, for implementation in care prevention projects of local governments.Methods The four-month training program included lectures on care prevention and provided job training to ensure participants understood the goals and contents of the care plan and learnt to provide care services with the assistance of facility staff. The training program was conducted at 14 facilities in Tokyo and Chiba from 2015 to 2017. The evaluation focused on the completion rate, change in understanding of care prevention and confidence regarding activities at the facility and in the community, participation in community activities after program completion, the psychological impact on care service recipients, and the perception of workload reduction by the facility staff.Results A total of 96 out of 104 participants completed the training program (completion rate of 92.3%). The survey results showed that participants' confidence in activities at the facilities and understanding of care prevention increased significantly; 65.3% participated in new community activities after program completion, including activities at the facilities. The results of the survey of care service recipients showed that negative psychological effects did not increase among those who received care services from the participants compared to those who did not receive care from participants. Among the facility staff, 85.7% indicated that their workload had reduced after the community residents' participation in care services.Conclusion The training program improved participants' confidence in care-related activities and their understanding of care prevention. More than half of them engaged in new community activities afterwards. Participants' provision of care services had a less negative impact on the service recipients and led to a reduction in workload for the facility staff. These results suggest high feasibility of the training program for care prevention projects.

Designing and Evaluating Opioid Misuse Prevention Training for Rural Communities and Health Care Providers.

Through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration funding, Michigan State University (MSU) Extension partnered with MSU's Family Medicine and Health Department of Northwest Michigan to implement trainings for community members and health care providers to increase awareness and improve prevention efforts addressing opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural areas. We formed the Michigan Substance Use Prevention, Education and Recovery (MiSUPER) project to design and evaluate opioid misuse prevention trainings. A socio-ecological prevention model was an underlying conceptual framework for this project and drove strategies used in trainings, products created, and measurement. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of one-time online educational training events for rural community members and health care providers on community OUD issues, treatment options, and supports for those in recovery. Between 2020 and 2022, rural participants completed pre- and posttraining, and 30-day follow-up evaluation surveys. We report the demographic characteristics of community (n = 451) and provider (n = 59) participants, self-reported knowledge gained, and overall perceptions of the trainings. Findings show community members' knowledge increased from pre- to posttraining (p < .001) and was maintained at 3 months, while providers' knowledge was unchanged over time. Posttraining, community participants felt more comfortable speaking about addiction with family and friends (p < .001), and providers had better knowledge of local resources for patients who could not afford opioid misuse treatments (p < .05). All participants reported gaining knowledge of community resources for opioid misuse prevention, treatment, and recovery (p < .01). Opioid misuse prevention trainings may be most effective when adapted to leverage local resources.

Multi-Cause Calibration of Verbal Autopsy-Based Cause-Specific Mortality Estimates of Children and Neonates in Mozambique.

The Countrywide Mortality Surveillance for Action platform is collecting verbal autopsy (VA) records from a nationally representative sample in Mozambique. These records are used to estimate the national and subnational cause-specific mortality fractions (CSMFs) for children (1-59 months) and neonates (1-28 days). Cross-tabulation of VA-based cause-of-death (COD) determination against that from the minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) from the Child Health and Mortality Prevention project revealed important misclassification errors for all the VA algorithms, which if not accounted for will lead to bias in the estimates of CSMF from VA. A recently proposed Bayesian VA-calibration method is used that accounts for this misclassification bias and produces calibrated estimates of CSMF. Both the VA-COD and the MITS-COD can be multi-cause (i.e., suggest more than one probable COD for some of the records). To fully use this probabilistic COD data, we use the multi-cause VA calibration. Two different computer-coded VA algorithms are considered-InSilicoVA and EAVA-and the final CSMF estimates are obtained using an ensemble calibration that uses data from both the algorithms. The calibrated estimates consistently offer a better fit to the data and reveal important changes in the CSMF for both children and neonates in Mozambique after accounting for VA misclassification bias.

Stakeholders’ perceptions and experiences of an outdoor activity project on children myopia prevention: a multiperspective qualitative study

Abstract Objective: The current investigation sought to examine the experiences and perspectives of the project coordinators, participating parents, and children to identify strategies for enhancing children’s engagement and adherence to outdoor physical activities. Methods: A descriptive, qualitative study was conducted from October 2019 to December 2019 through in-depth interviews with 32 families who participated in the Community Child Myopia Prevention Project, 15 project volunteers, and 8 community organizers. Results: Five themes and 10 subthemes were identified to enhance children’s participation rate and adherence to the project. The 5 themes were as follows: (1) overcoming parental barriers, (2) attracting parental participation, (3) active support from parents, (4) creating a positive experience for children, and (5) integration into children’s daily lives. Conclusions: Empowering parents and children by meeting their needs, creating innovative activities, and connecting them with community social networks support the successful integration of the outdoor activity program into their daily lives. The sharing and integration of community resources through community empowerment can provide a framework for developing future community interventional projects.

최대 엔트로피 모형을 활용한 기후변화 시나리오 기반 산사태 취약성평가

Climate change has a significant impact on the occurrence of landslides, and as it intensifies, abnormal weather such as cold waves, heavy snowfall, torrential rains, and typhoons will become more frequent, leading to an increase in disasters. This study constructed a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model using geospatial information and meteorological factors (using representative concentration pathways (RCP) 8.5 and RCP 4.5 scenarios) from landslide occurrence locations from 2010 to 2020 and simulated the national probability of landslide occurrence per year from 2021 to 2085. A vulnerability assessment was performed considering the government’s policy and budget, and the possible damage caused by landslides was quantitatively evaluated. The results of the impact assessment showed that the probability of landslide occurrence based on the RCP 8.5 scenario was 1.8 times higher in the 2030s, 1.7 times higher in the 2050s, and 7.2 times higher in the 2080s than that based on the RCP 4.5 scenario. In addition, passive and active mitigation, assuming a constant increasing rate of policy budget, showed a difference in reduction of landslide risk. Applying passive mitigation in the impact and vulnerability assessments reduced the risk of landslides by a minimum of 47.7% to a maximum of 52.6%. Active mitigation reduced the risk of landslide occurrence from a minimum of 63.6% to a maximum of 68.4%. The results of this study provide basic data for local governments to determine the priorities of landslide prevention projects. However, future research should consider landslide damage intensity and the physical limitations in spatialization of the adaptive capacity considered in the vulnerability evaluation.

The Culture is Prevention Project: measuring cultural connectedness and providing evidence that culture is a social determinant of health for Native Americans

BackgroundIt is important for non-Native persons to understand that the meaning of culture to Native American/Indigenous Peoples is not about esteem, taste or music but rather is described as a cognitive map on how to be. Native American/Indigenous culture can be thought of as all the things and ways in which Native/Indigenous people understand who they are, where they come from and how they are to interact with others. Hundreds of years across many generations have taught that culture-based activities and interventions improve Native/Indigenous health and wellbeing. We explore if increased Native American culture/cultural connectedness is associated with better mental health/well-being and physical health.MethodsWe analyzed data from a two-phased study (N = 259 and N = 102) of 361 urban Native Americans in California (2018–2021). The 29 items validated Cultural Connectedness Scale-California (CCS-CA) measured Native culture/cultural connectedness. Mental health/well-being and physical health were assessed using the: modified Herth Hope Index (mHHI), Satisfaction with Life (SWL), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R-10), Substance Abuse (CAGE-AID), and Health Related Quality of Life (HRQOL). We conducted Pearson correlations and stepwise regression analyses with CCS-CA as the independent (predictor) variable to explore our main research questions: 1) Is increased Native American/Indigenous culture associated with: 1) better mental health/well-being; and 2) better physical health?ResultsIncreased Native/Indigenous culture (CCS-CA scores) is significantly associated with better mental health/well-being (mHHI, p < .001) and satisfaction with life (SWL, p < .001) predicts good physical health days (HRQOL, p < .001). Increased connection to Native American/Indigenous culture (CCS-CA scores) is significantly associated with decreased risk for depression (CESD-R-10, p < .0) and substance abuse and (CAGE-AID, p < .07). Significant results for culture as protective against risk for substance abuse (CAGE-AID) was most likely affected (p value approaching significance) due to an error in language on the measure (i.e., created double negative).ConclusionsNative American/Indigenous culture is a predictor of improved outcomes for mental health/well-being and physical healthy days. Native culture is an important social determinant of health. We add to the evidence that Native/Indigenous culture (i.e., cultural connectedness) be considered an important intervention objective and health-related outcome measure.

Schoolchildren's Lifestyle and Behaviors Relating to Obesity: Collaborative Study in Urban Uganda

Context: Child obesity, one of the major contributors to noncommunicable diseases in developing countries, is rising following drastic economic growth and lifestyle changes. In Uganda, noncommunicable diseases as a cause of death have increased from 15% in 1990 to 35% in 2019.&#x0D; Aim: The study aimed to investigate schoolchildren’s obesity status, lifestyle behaviors, and the factors of obesity in urban Uganda.&#x0D; Methods: The study was conducted with a cross-sectional, descriptive quantitative design. The survey using the researcher-developed questionnaire and physical measurement tools for 330 children aged 9 to 11 years old in 6 elementary schools in urban Uganda in November 2018. The Japanese Red Cross College of Nursing Institutional Review Board approved this study (Approval Number: 2018-066).&#x0D; Results: Obesity status among schoolchildren in urban Uganda was 67.6% normal, 25.2% underweight, 5.4% overweight, and 1.8% obese.&#x0D; Conclusion: Obesity and overweight have not been predominant in this population. However, children's growth must be carefully monitored to prevent future overweight and obesity due to the limited availability of school health services and rapid lifestyle changes. Demographic factors associated with obesity status (waist-hip ratio, body fat, and body mass index) were gender, financial access to food, screen time, sleep time, and sleep hours. Based on this study in Uganda, the researchers expect to develop further collaborative child obesity prevention projects.

Research priorities relating to the delivery of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation programmes: results of a modified Delphi process

ObjectiveThe purpose of this British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) research priority setting project (PSP) was to identify a top 10 list of priority research questions for cardiovascular...

Community Gardens: A Catalyst for Community Change.

Community gardens are increasing in popularity and are associated with extensive physical and mental health benefits, increased access to fresh produce, and increased social connections. However, evidence is primarily from research in urban and school settings, and little is known about the role of community gardens in rural settings as part of policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes to promote health. This study explores the implementation of community gardens as part of an obesity prevention project, titled Healthier Together (HT), in five rural Georgia counties with limited food access and high obesity prevalence (>40%) using a mixed-methods research design that included data from project records, a community survey, interviews, and focus groups with county coalition members. Nineteen community gardens were implemented across five counties, 89% distributed produce direct to consumers, and 50% were integrated into the food system. Few (8.3%) of the survey respondents (n = 265) identified gardens as a food source, but 21.9% reported using an HT garden in the past year. Themes emerging from interviews (n = 39) and five focus groups suggested community gardens were a catalyst for broader community health change by increasing awareness of the value and absence of healthy food and generating excitement for future PSE initiatives to more comprehensively address food and physical activity access. Practitioners should consider placement of rural community gardens to optimize access to and distribution of produce as well as communication and marketing strategies to increase engagement and leverage gardens as gateways for PSE approaches to improve rural health.