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Summary: Mass participation sports event (MPSE)s have been identified as a potential referral pathway for engaging inactive patients in regular physical activity. This study aimed to review evidence of physical activity behaviour and associated health-related outcomes of engaging in MPSEs among the general population. A systematic review was performed of quantitative studies that examined the relationship between MPSEs and physical activity behaviour or secondary outcomes (e.g. physical activity motivation or confidence, physical or mental health) or any intervention to maintain physical activity following MPSEs. Search methods included searching five electronic databases and checking reference lists. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A total of 2079 papers were identified, 142 were independently assessed for eligibility and 39 were included. Data from prospective cohort studies suggested that levels of physical activity achieved in training for MPSEs tended to drop in the months after, but increases were reported in some studies of novice participants. Interventions involving health promotion materials provided post-event led to small increases in physical activity. Perceived benefits of participating in MPSEs included physical and mental health, fitness, self-efficacy and social connections. Existing evidence suggests that MPSEs can act as a motivator to initiate exercise in preparation for the event, but there is limited evidence on how best to sustain physical activity post-event. Given the short duration of most studies, longer prospective analyses are needed to delineate patterns of habitual and event-related activity and account for seasonal effects. Lay Summary: Mass participation sporting events can be attractive to low-active participants as well as regular exercisers, with a notable proportion identified as low active (one-fifth). Overall levels of physical activity tend to decline after event completion, suggesting that training in preparation for events was not maintained. There is some evidence of increased exercise post-event reported among novice participants, though evidence is limited on effective ways to sustain exercise after event completion. Regularly held events such as parkrun or booster interventions following events helped maintain exercise levels over 12 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the well-being ['well-being' and 'wellbeing' are used interchangeably in the literature. Well-being is used in this paper (except in the reference list where exact wording is maintained)] benefits of participation in a workplace choir for health service staff. A mixed method study, this project combines quantitative measures of work engagement, perceived stress, resilience levels and work absences with qualitative interviews with choir participants. It is the first study of workplace choirs in Ireland and one of very few studies internationally that research health service staff choirs. There is some preliminary evidence of benefits that choir attendance may increase positive perception of workers' mental health as well as effect depression rates. However, evidence is limited quantitatively and difficulties in measuring the health benefits of arts interventions are noted. Qualitative data, however, confirms previous study findings, namely that a workplace choir can promote social connectedness, enjoyment at work and staff engagement. Work place choir was also noted to appeal mainly to a limited demographic of work place staff and people with relatively positive health and well-being. Efforts must be made to engage staff from lower socio-economic backgrounds, diverse cultural backgrounds and male staff in work place health promotion activities, as these groups were found less likely to join a work place choir. Given the low cost and low risk of this activity, and the qualitative benefits reported, it is recommended to continue to develop and evaluate health service workplace choirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A holistic well-being approach, understood as an approach that pays attention to the promotion of individual, relational and collective well-being in a particular context, is proposed as a way to address the fragmented nature in which mental health and well-being programmes are implemented in school communities in South Africa. The goal of this paper is to indicate key aspects for sustainable coordination of a process to facilitate holistic well-being in South African schools. Research was conducted in six South African schools with the aim of developing an integrated, multilevel process to facilitate holistic well-being in these contexts. A participatory action learning and action research approach was applied. As part of this research, key aspects that could contribute to the sustainable coordination of holistic well-being were identified. The research comprised a cross-case analysis of the data gathered, as well as a focus group that was held with the coordinators who facilitated the development of the process in each school. In addition, the school principals completed a semi-structured questionnaire, and Skype interviews were conducted with four international experts. The five aspects identified as key to the sustainable coordination of well-being are: that ownership and responsibility should reside in the school context; that there should be a clear vision for the promotion of holistic well-being; that the connections between all involved should be deepened; that all efforts to promote holistic well-being should be integrated, and that the complexity of the process should be acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing interest in the potential use of outdoor water environments, or blue space, in the promotion of human health and wellbeing. However, therapeutic nature-based practices are currently outpacing policy and the evidence base for health or wellbeing benefits of therapeutic interventions within blue space has not been systematically assessed. This systematic review aims to address the gap in understanding the impacts of blue space within existing interventions for targeted individuals. A systematic review was carried out, searching Google Scholar, SCOPUS, PubMed, etc. through to August 2017. Only blue space interventions were included that were specifically designed and structured with a therapeutic purpose for individuals with a defined need and did not include nature-based promotion projects or casual recreation in the outdoors. Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and were assessed. Overall, the studies suggest that blue care can have direct benefit for health, especially mental health and psycho-social wellbeing. The majority of papers found a positive or weak association between blue care and health and wellbeing indicators. There was also some evidence for greater social connectedness during and after interventions, but results were inconsistent and mixed across studies with very few findings for physical health. This is the first systematic review of the literature on blue care. In summary, it has been shown that mental health, especially psycho-social wellbeing, can be improved with investment in blue spaces. Key areas for future research include improving understanding of the mechanisms through which blue care can improve public health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress and strain among adolescents have been investigated and discussed largely within three separate disciplines: mental health, where the focus has been on the negative effects of stress on emotional health; criminology, where the emphasis has been on the effects of strain on delinquency; and biology, where the focus has been to understand the effects of stress on physiology. Recently, scholars have called for increased multilevel developmental analyses of the bio-psychosocial nature of risk and protection for behaviors of individuals. This paper draws on several different but converging theoretical perspectives in an attempt to provide an overview of research relevant to stress in adolescence and puts forth a new framework that aims to provide both a common language and consilience by which future research can analyze the effects of multiple biological, social and environmental factors experienced during specific developmental periods, and cumulatively over time, on harmful behavior during adolescence. We present a framework to examine the effects of stress on diverse behavioral outcomes among adolescents, including substance use, suicidal behavior, self-inflicted harm, and delinquency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, the mental health system is being transformed into a strengths-based, recovery-oriented system of care, to which the concept of active living is central. Based on an integrative review of the literature, this paper presents a heuristic conceptual framework of the potential contribution that enjoyable and meaningful leisure experiences can have in active living, recovery, health and life quality among persons with mental illness. This framework is holistic and reflects the humanistic approach to mental illness endorsed by the United Nations and the World Health Organization. It also includes ecological factors such as health care systems and environmental factors as well as cultural influences that can facilitate and/or hamper recovery, active living and health/life quality. Unique to this framework is our conceptualization of active living from a broad-based and meaning-oriented perspective rather than the traditional, narrower conceptualization which focuses on physical activity and exercise. Conceptualizing active living in this manner suggests a unique and culturally sensitive potential for leisure experiences to contribute to recovery, health and life quality. In particular, this paper highlights the potential of leisure engagements as a positive, strengths-based and potentially cost-effective means for helping people better deal with the challenges of living with mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates associations between hazardous jobs, mental health and wellbeing among Thai adults. In 2005, 87 134 distance-learning students from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University completed a self-administered questionnaire; at the 2009 follow-up 60 569 again participated. Job characteristics were reported in 2005, psychological distress and life satisfaction were reported in both 2005 and 2009. We derived two composite variables grading psychologically and physically hazardous jobs and reported adjusted odds ratios (AOR) from multivariate logistic regressions. Analyses focused on cohort members in paid work: the total was 62 332 at 2005 baseline and 41 671 at 2009 follow-up. Crosssectional AORs linking psychologically hazardous jobs to psychological distress ranged from 1.52 (one hazard) to 4.48 (four hazards) for males and a corresponding 1.34-3.76 for females. Similarly AORs for physically hazardous jobs were 1.75 (one hazard) to 2.76 (four or more hazards) for males and 1.70-3.19 for females. A similar magnitude of associations was found between psychologically adverse jobs and low life satisfaction (AORs of 1.34-4.34 among males and 1.18-3.63 among females). Longitudinal analyses confirm these cross-sectional relationships. Thus, significant dose– response associations were found linking hazardous job exposures in 2005 to mental health and wellbeing in 2009. The health impacts of psychologically and physically hazardous jobs in developed, Western countries are equally evident in transitioning Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand. Regulation and monitoring of work conditions will become increasingly important to the health and wellbeing of the Thai workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive qualitative evidence, but limited quantitative evidence, indicates that mutual aid organizations such as Men's Sheds have positive impacts on wellbeing, health-related quality of life, and loneliness. A recently developed theoretical model proposes that Men's Sheds may have these impacts via mediating factors such as broadening social networks, increasing behavioural activation and physical activity, reducing alcohol use, and providing meaning in life. The aim of this study was to quantitatively test a model whereby psychological safety (feeling safe, accepted, and valued) is associated with Men's Shed engagement (frequency of attendance, duration of membership, diversity of activities), which is associated with the hypothesized mediators, which, in turn, are associated with wellbeing, health-related quality of life, and loneliness. Men's Shed members (N  = 333, M age = 70.90 years, SD = 10.34, 98% male) completed a survey assessing the factors in the model. The hypothesized path model provided an excellent fit to the data. Findings indicated that higher psychological safety was associated with higher engagement, which, in turn, was associated with larger social networks and more meaning in life, which were associated with higher wellbeing and lower loneliness. Higher behavioural activation and less alcohol use were also associated with higher wellbeing. Higher Men's Shed engagement was not associated with higher behavioural activation and physical activity, or less alcohol use, but behavioural activation and alcohol use were directly associated with health-related quality of life. Implications for optimizing health outcomes within Men's Sheds are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the significance of prioritizing Indigenous voices and knowledge systems, using whānau-centred initiatives (a concept that encompasses the broader family and community) as a foundation for health promotion within an Indigenous context. Tū Kahikatea, a conceptual framework, is used to demonstrate the relationship between the values underpinning different whānau-centred initiatives and their corresponding outcomes. The framework highlights the capacity of whānau-centred initiatives to support whānau in attaining mana motuhake, which represents collective self-determination and the ability to exercise control over their own future. By doing so, these initiatives contribute to the improvement of whānau health outcomes. With recent changes to Aotearoa New Zealand's health system, the findings underscore the benefits and potential of whānau-centred initiatives in enhancing whānau health outcomes, and advocate for continued strengths-based practices in Aotearoa New Zealand's health system. By bridging the gap between academia and grassroots community action, the article demonstrates the potential of whānau-centred initiatives and contributes to a global call for integrating Indigenous viewpoints and practices into Westernized healthcare, in order to improve Indigenous health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health literacy (MHL) is a determinant of psychological well-being in young people. A randomized controlled design was used to evaluate the appreciation and effectiveness of an interactive video on French University students' MHL (knowledge about depression and suicidal behavior, mental health help-seeking behaviors, stigma and misconceptions about mental health). At the baseline, all participants (n = 101) completed a questionnaire including several scales on MHL. One month after, participants were randomly assigned to two homogeneous groups (intervention, n = 50 or control, n = 51) and again completed the questionnaire on MHL. Through a mixed-methods approach, semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the intervention group to collect information on the appreciation of the interactive video. Quantitative data indicated that MHL scores increased or remained stable in the intervention group. Comparison with the control group and multivariate logistic regression models did not show statistically significant differences, due to the small sample of the study. According to qualitative data, users appreciated the content and the format of the intervention. It was suggested that the video could be disseminated in other University campuses in France and internationally to promote MHL among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate health literacy is a risk factor for poorer outcomes across various conditions. The present study examined the level of health literacy, as measured by the Single Item Literacy Screener (SILS), and its association with a range of physical and mental outcomes [e.g. health-related quality of life, depression, anxiety, well-being, body mass index (BMI)] among individuals with depression in Hong Kong. A total of 112 individuals with depression were recruited from the community and invited to complete a survey. Among the participants, 42.9% of them were classified as having inadequate health literacy as screened by the SILS. After adjusting for significant sociodemographic and background variables, participants with inadequate health literacy had significantly poorer health-related quality of life and well-being, and had higher scores in depression, anxiety and BMI compared with those with adequate health literacy. Inadequate health literacy was associated with a range of negative physical and mental outcomes among individuals with depression. Interventions promoting the health literacy level of individuals with depression are highly warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lockdown restrictions imposed across the UK in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound impact on many people's health and wellbeing. People were encouraged to be active, but population surveys suggest some groups found this easier than others. We explored the changes in health, wellbeing and physical activity levels among a sample in the UK who experienced the sudden loss of a weekly community-based physical activity opportunity, parkrun. A sample of UK parkrun participants responded to two surveys: pre-COVID-19 in January/February 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020. Outcomes were happiness, life satisfaction, connections with others, physical health, mental health and physical activity. The sample was stratified by gender, age, deprivation status, physical activity and number of parkruns completed. Demographics were reported using descriptive statistics; distributions between sub-groups were compared using Chi-square tests while differences in outcomes were determined using the Mann–Whitney U test. Open text responses were also analysed. Happiness, life satisfaction, connections with others, physical health and mental health of 450 parkrun participants were negatively impacted for all sub-groups, although the impact was not experienced equally. Physical activity fell by 6% while happiness and life satisfaction fell by 12%. People experienced the worst negative impact on their connections with others. The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the wellbeing of a greater proportion of females, younger adults, inactive people, those from higher deprivation areas, and those who had completed fewer parkruns. There is evidence that the wellbeing of those who were more active, and those more involved in a community-based physical activity initiative pre-pandemic, was less negatively affected during the COVID-19 lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With levels of stress and anxiety rising among the university community, universities worldwide are implementing animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) on campus. However, to date, little is known about how to implement these initiatives. Questions also remain as to the impact of evaluated AAIs on health and wellbeing. Therefore, this study sought to review the implementation and effectiveness of previous AAIs in university settings. Electronic databases ProQuest Central, Gale and 16 databases within EBSCOHost were searched with key words, such as AAI, and university or college students for relevant articles. Inclusion criteria included primary research studies that measured a health, wellbeing or behavioural outcome. A total of 47 articles met inclusion criteria, including 24 RCTs. There was limited reporting on the implementation of AAIs in the higher education setting. A total of 11 different mental health and behavioural outcomes have been summarized, with stress, anxiety and mood providing favourable results. An AAI on campus may provide a form of stress and anxiety relief for the university community. Other mental health and behavioural outcomes require further research to determine their effectiveness. These findings highlight that an AAI on campus could potentially provide a form of stress and anxiety relief, and could be a strategy for addressing rising levels of psychological stress and mental health issues among university students and staff in Australia and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Increasingly, school districts are looking for insights on how to embed a well-being focus across school communities. Well-being in K-12 education is proven to support positive mental health, improve academic performance and contribute to positive outcomes for students and staff. How districts transition to deeply integrate well-being into existing priorities and practices is not well understood. Insights on such shifts can help inform widespread change in education. In 2020, six Canadian school districts participated in case study research to examine how and why districts were able to shift their culture to one that prioritizes well-being. Fifty-five school community members participated in individual semi-structured interviews to explore their perception of well-being in their school communities. Analysis identified six themes: well-being is wholistic and requires balance, student and staff well-being are interconnected, organizational leadership sustains implementation, connection and voice as a catalyst to well-being, building capacity to support well-being action, and charting and re-charting a course. Findings increase our understanding of system-level change, and provide insights to support well-being in education. Lay Summary: Well-being in K-12 education is proven to support positive mental health, improve academic performance and contribute to positive outcomes for students and staff. How school districts can deeply integrate well-being into existing priorities and practices is not well understood. Many districts are looking for insights on how to embed a well-being focus across school communities. These insights can help inform change in K-12 education. In 2020, six Canadian school districts participated in case study research to examine how and why districts were able to shift their culture to one that prioritizes well-being. Fifty-five participants from six districts took part in interviews on the topic of district well-being prioritization. Supporting documents were also reviewed. Qualitative analysis identified six common themes: well-being is wholistic and requires balance, student and staff well-being are interconnected, organizational leadership sustains implementation, connection and voice as a catalyst to well-being, building capacity to support well-being action, and charting and re-charting a course. Study findings increase our understanding of system-level change in K-12 education. Findings provide valuable 'entry points' for school and district leaders to consider when making well-being a priority in their own contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can songwriting show us the meaning of music and language for health and wellbeing in culturally and linguistically diverse mothers? This article examines the artistic processes in music-cum-health workshops involving new and expectant mothers and their midwives. The voices of the mothers of colour have been silenced historically and systemically. To give them social justice in a health context, singing is a powerful tool and songwriting links this tool to useful health messages. Through this article, the formation of a song on the placenta, a key part of the womb in childbearing, is traced through the stories of a music facilitator, a mother and a midwife. The storying highlights the importance of artistic processes for understanding the person within and their cultural identity. The article argues that cultural understanding of the participants in such arts-in-health programmes is important for socially just models of health care for those at the margins. Summary From being instrumentalized as interventions that are 'administered' with an aim to garner health outcomes, art-based participatory approaches are now recognized as capable of activating culturally founded wellbeing in individuals. Through this article, I propose that as the focus shifts from what art does for health to what art means for a healthy life, the cultural vitality inherent in individuals and societies can be better championed in arts-in-health discourses. I discuss the artistic processes in singing and songwriting in a perinatal context involving mothers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their midwives. I argue for lenses to better understand the role of cultural practices in health research involving migrant and refugee communities. Using narrative inquiry, I trace intersecting trajectories wherein the storied life of a coloured mother is intercepted by that of a midwife, and of myself, a coloured female mother-researcher and facilitator. At the intersection emerges a song, as a process and product. This article advances that it is when artmaking processes are centred that the voices from the margins become heard, and it is when their voices are amplified that health research design becomes equitable and ethically sound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arts in Health initiatives and interventions to support health have emerged from and been applied to mainly WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) contexts. This overlooks the rich cultural traditions that exist across the globe, where community groups often make prolific use of participatory song and dance as a part of ceremonies, ritual and gatherings in everyday life. Here, we argue that these practices can provide a valuable starting point for the co-development of health interventions, illustrated by the CHIME project for perinatal mental health in The Gambia, which worked with local Kanyeleng groups (female fertility societies) to design and evaluate a brief intervention to support maternal mental health through social singing. Here, we use the project as a lens through which to highlight the value of co-creation, cultural embeddedness and partnership building in global health research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of health promotion advocates a socioecological approach to health that addresses a variety of physical, social, environmental, political and cultural factors. Encouraging a holistic approach, health promotion examines many aspects of health and wellbeing, including physical, mental, sexual, community, social and ecological health. Despite this holism, there is a noticeable absence of discussion surrounding spirituality and spiritual health. This research study explored how leading scholars in Canadian health promotion understand the place of spirituality in health promotion. Using the fourth edition of Health Promotion in Canada (Rootman et al. , 2017) as the sampling frame of recognized leaders in the field, 13 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with authors from the book. This study is situated within a critical health promotion approach that utilizes methodologies aiming for social justice, equity and ecological sustainability. I argue that by avoiding spirituality within health promotion frameworks and education, the secularism of health promotion and its underlying values of Eurocentric knowledge production and science remain invisible and rarely critiqued. This study intends to open up possibilities for centering spiritual and non-Western epistemologies and ways of knowing that have been marginalized, such as Indigenous understandings of health and wellbeing. Restoring right relations with Indigenous peoples in Canada has taken on new urgency with the calls to action of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission report (NCTR, 2015). This is one important way that health promotion can fulfill its promise of being inclusive, relevant and effective for human and planetary wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irish Travellers are a minority ethnic group who experience a high prevalence of mental health problems and a rate of suicide six times higher compared to the general Irish population. This study explores Travellers' perceptions of mental health and its determinants. It also identifies the most relevant factors for promoting positive mental health and wellbeing among this socially excluded group. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed to explore participants' perceptions of mental health and mental health needs. Four focus groups were conducted with a total of 25 adult members of the Travelling community. Inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to identify and interpret the main themes emerging from the participants' responses. Travellers conceptualize mental health mostly in negative terms and showed a lack of awareness of the concept of positive mental health. Travellers showed a strong awareness of the social determinants of mental health identifying employment, better education, suitable accommodation, a reduction of discrimination and improved trust and social cohesion as important determinants that need to be addressed to improve their mental health status. The centrality of cultural identity and social–emotional skills emerged as key factors in promoting positive mental health among Travellers. The findings suggest that Travellers' mental health is multidimensional and requires a socio-ecological approach that addresses the wider determinants of health. Community mental health promotion initiatives should focus on reducing discrimination, enhancing social and emotional wellbeing and self-esteem, improvement of living conditions, reduced mental health stigma, and the promotion of Traveller culture and positive self-identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The All Right? campaign was developed as a mental health promotion campaign following the 2010–2011 Canterbury earthquakes. One aspect of the overall campaign was the utilisation of social media as a means of promoting wellbeing messages. This research evaluates the use of the All Right? Facebook page as a means of promoting wellbeing after a major natural disaster. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to gather data about the social media component of the All Right? campaign. Findings indicate that the All Right? Facebook page has become a valued source of consistent wellbeing tips and advice -' the place that I go '. Wellbeing reminders posted on the page were especially valued following earthquake aftershocks. High proportions of respondents to a survey (n  = 212) linked from the All Right? Facebook page agreed that the page was helpful (98%), gave people ideas of things that they can do to help themselves (96%), and made people think about their wellbeing (93%). Over four fifths (85%) of respondents had done activities as a result of what they saw on the All Right? Facebook page. Success factors for the Facebook page often mirrored those for the campaign itself, including: local research to inform the use of appropriate language for translating evidence-based wellbeing messages into a local setting; not being marketed as a government message; and effectively combining public health and communications expertise. Success factors specific to the Facebook page included: regular posts with a focus on issues that affect everyone in Canterbury post-disaster; timely posts, especially immediately following aftershocks; a consistent tone for the All Right? Facebook page; and balancing wellbeing facts and tips with other content that was relevant to the Canterbury population. The overall success of the All Right? Facebook page was reliant on being part of a trusted population-wide mental health promotion campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the enormous potential of social media for health promotion, there is an inadequate evidence base for how they can be used effectively to influence behaviour. In Australia, research suggests social media use is higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people than the general Australian population; however, health promoters need a better understanding of who uses technologies, how and why. This qualitative study investigates what types of health content are being shared among Aboriginal and Torres Strait people through social media networks, as well as how people engage with, and are influenced by, health-related information in their offline life. We present six social media user typologies together with an overview of health content that generated significant interaction. Content ranged from typical health-related issues such as mental health, diet, alcohol, smoking and exercise, through to a range of broader social determinants of health. Social media-based health promotion approaches that build on the social capital generated by supportive online environments may be more likely to generate greater traction than confronting and emotion-inducing approaches used in mass media campaigns for some health topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms are increasingly used to disseminate social marketing messages about mental health and wellbeing. This study presents a range of message appeals used in social media enabled mental health promotion and stigma reduction messages. Furthermore, it examines the relationship between the type of message appeals and audience engagement. A content analysis of 65 organisation-generated YouTube videos about depression and anxiety and stigma reduction was conducted. The most utilised message appeal was Sorrow, followed by Affiliation, Ease/Convenience, Hope, Humour, Guilt/Shame, Heroic/Successful, and Fear. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the type of message appeals and audience engagement in terms of the number of likes, comments, and shares. The analysis revealed that Sorrow is the most useful message appeal for generating audience comments. However, Sorrow is negatively associated with the number of likes and shares. The results suggest that mental health promotion messages may engage a larger audience through Affiliation and Hope as they have a positive impact on the number of shares. This could, in effect, turn audiences into vocal advocates for mental health promotion and stigma reduction messages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing emphasis on wellbeing as a target for mental health promotion, especially during the formative period of childhood. Despite growing research on the importance of mental wellbeing, there is little information on how to effectively promote it or how to promote it equitably. This article presents a scoping review of interventions which seek to promote mental wellbeing and reduce inequities in children and young people living in high income countries. We used Fair Foundations: The VicHealth framework for health equity (VicHealth (2013) Melbourne, Australia: The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation) to identify points of entry at three layers of influence: (i) socio-economic, cultural and political contexts, (ii) daily living conditions, and (iii) individual and family health-related factors. We identified more than 1000 interventions which aimed to prevent or treat childhood mental illness, but there were far fewer that aimed to promote children's or young people's mental wellbeing. The interventions we studied were either universal or specifically targeted children from disadvantaged families: none explicitly used an equity framework to guide their design or evaluation or addressed social gradients in wellbeing. Most interventions remained focused on proximate factors, although we also identified a handful of interventions that sought to address children's access to services and their educational and neighbourhood environments. However, we found encouraging evidence that interventions in family and educational settings were successful in building children's strengths and supporting positive parenting, universally and within disadvantaged groups. Such positive programme evaluations signal the potential for using a proportionate universalism approach that emphasizes equity in the promotion of mental wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns over dwindling play opportunities for children have recently become a preoccupation for health promotion in western industrialized countries. The emerging discussions of play seem to be shaped by the urgency to address the children's obesity epidemic and by societal concerns around risk. Accordingly, the promotion of play from within the field appears to have adopted the following principles: (i) particular forms of play are critical for increasing children's levels of physical activity; and (ii) play should be limited to activities that are not risky. In this article, we argue that these emerging principles may begin to re-shape children's play: play is predominantly instrumentalized as a means to promote children's physical health, which may result in a reduction of possibilities for children to play freely and a restriction of the kinds of play designated as appropriate for physical health. We argue that within this context some of the social and emotional elements of health and well-being that children gain through diverse forms of playing are neglected. This has implications for health promotion because it suggests a narrowing of the conception of health that was originally advocated for within the field. Additionally, this reveals a curious paradox; despite the urgency to promote physical activity through play, this position may limit the range of opportunities for children to freely engage in play, in effect reducing their activity levels. We propose an example that promotes play for children and better aligns with the conception of health as outlined in the Ottawa Charter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last decade has witnessed increasing interest in the promotion of mental health and well-being because of its importance for health and social functioning at individual level and for the social and economic well-being of societies. Recent research from a range of disciplines (including neurodevelopment, developmental psychology and genetics) has highlighted the importance of childhood, and particularly the first few years of life, for future mental, social and emotional development. The quality of the parent–child relationship and parenting more generally is one of the factors in determining outcomes. The objective of this review was to identify effective interventions to support parents, parenting and the parent–child relationship from the ante-natal period to adolescence. A systematic search of key electronic databases was undertaken to identify systematic reviews evaluating approaches to parenting support; 52 systematic reviews were identified. Results were synthesized qualitatively and reported under the following headings: (i) perinatal programmes; (ii) parenting support programmes in infancy and early years focused on enhancing caregiver sensitivity and attunement; (iii) formal parenting programmes focused on children's behaviour; (iv) parenting support for highest risk groups. The review provides a robust international evidence base of programmes which have been demonstrated to improve parenting and the mental health and well-being of children. Policies and programmes to support parenting offer much scope for improving mental health. Effective provision requires a skilled workforce and careful application of approaches that have been found to work. More research is needed to develop and identify interventions for some of the highest risk groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A range of evidence-based, cost-effective interventions can be implemented in parenting, at schools, at the workplace and in older age to promote mental health and well-being. Such programmes need to be supplemented with actions to build mental health capital and promote resilience to manage and cope with the global risks that face humankind over the coming years. Actions need to connect mental and physical health and individuals need to be connected through health-promoting social networks; living environments need to be designed to support mental health and well-being; well-being indicators that include material living conditions, quality of life and sustainability can help drive healthy public policy. There is an urgent need to invest in skills training in decision-making, social interactions, building trust and cooperative behaviour that support the family of humanity as a whole as it faces the unprecedented stressors resulting from climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]