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Objectives: Métis, with a population of close to 390,000 people, are a culturally distinct and constitutionally recognized Aboriginal group in Canada that suffers from poorer overall health than non-Aboriginal Canadians. One important predictor of good health is physical activity. Guided by frameworks based on social and Aboriginal-specific determinants, we investigated the correlates of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and active transportation (walking) among adult Métis, with a particular focus on how culturally specific variables were associated with these two types of activity. We also examined how demographic, geographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors were associated with physical activity. Design: We used data from Statistics Canada’s 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and Métis Supplement to analyze the correlates of physical activity among Métis aged 20-64, using a series of logistic regression models. Results: Having attended a Métis cultural event in the past year was positively associated with LTPA, as was a high level of spirituality. Similarly, those who had attended a cultural event in the last year were more likely to report a high level of active transportation. Speaking an Aboriginal language and being a member of a Métis organization were not independently associated with the two types of physical activity. Self-perceived health, being male and household income were other correlates positively associated with LTPA, whereas age, body mass index and smoking were negatively associated with this type of activity. Active transportation was positively associated with self-perceived health and being female, while negatively associated with age and body mass index. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that interventions aimed at increasing physical activity among adult Métis might be more successful if they are connected to cultural activities and spirituality. This research also suggests that demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors are important considerations when designing initiatives to increase physical activity among adult Métis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of schizophrenia has been contested since its inception. Over the last decades, criticism of the concept has become increasingly mainstream and calls for its abandonment have intensified. Nevertheless, the concept remains widely used and retains taken-for-granted status within much mental health research and practice. The combination of its contested status and continued use raises questions about how it is used and with what implications for people who receive the diagnosis. This study explores how 'schizophrenia' is spoken about by mental health professionals who use the diagnosis in day-to-day practice. Eight interviews with professionals across professions were analysed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. Two striking and consistent themes were identified. The first is a discrepancy between the way participants talked about 'schizophrenia' to the interviewer, and the way they described talking about it in clinical encounters. The second is the potentially entrapping impact of the wider discourses participants drew on in talk about clinical encounters. The study concludes with reflections on how those working in the mental health field can break out of this discursive entrapment, and help the people they work with do the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The psychometric properties of the General Functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device were examined using the Rasch Model (N = 237 couples). Mothers’ and fathers’ ratings of the General Functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device are recommended, provided these are analyzed separately. More than a quarter of couples differed significantly in their ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of the current study was to develop an instrument, the Children’s Active Play Imagery Questionnaire (CAPIQ), to assess imagery use during children’s (7–14 years) active play. Phase 1 involved an assessment of content validity using experts (N = 7), while Phase 2 assessed the factorial validity of the CAPIQ using a sample of children (N = 302). Phase 3 contributed to the factorial validity of the CAPIQ by utilising confirmatory factor analysis among an independent sample of children (N = 252). The final version of the CAPIQ consists of 11 items across three factors: fun, social and capability. Further use of the CAPIQ will aid in identifying types of imagery used among children (7–14 years) in their active play, which may contribute to physical activity interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction The paucity of training in physical activity (PA) promotion in UK medical schools is a barrier to health professionals' promotion of PA to their patients. Doctors who are more physically active are more likely to counsel patients in this regard. We used a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effect of an intervention which engaged students in goal-setting, using pedometer step counts, on their PA behaviour and intentions to promote PA in future practice. Methods We invited fourth-year medical students to participate in the study during their four-week placement in primary care. Following baseline pedometer measurement of daily step counts for one week, students were randomly allocated to intervention (individual step count goal-setting) or control groups. Using pedometers, both groups monitored their PA during the following week. Intentions to promote PA were assessed using a questionnaire based on the theory of planned behaviour at baseline, four weeks and nine weeks. Focus groups explored the students' experiences of PA measurement, goalsetting for behaviour change and health promotion teaching. Results One-hundred and thirty-six students participated (70 intervention; 66 control). The mean change in daily step count was greater (P=0.001) in the intervention group (1245, 95% CI 762 to 1727) than in the control group (-65, 95% CI -644 to 573). Scores for perceived behavioural control over PA counselling increased in both groups, with a trend for higher scores in the intervention group. Intervention group students described how experience of personal PA behaviour change gave insights into barriers patients may face and improved their confidence in PA counselling. Conclusions Medical students' personal experience of goal setting in increasing PA appears to lead to a more positive perception of their ability to deliver effective PA promotion in future practice. Inclusion of this learning experience within the undergraduate curriculum may improve doctors' skills in health promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a research study that examines the impact of promoting physical activity among general practitioners on their behavior and intentions to promote physical activity among their patients in Great Britain. It is mentioned that a randomized controlled trial was conducted on fourth year medical students during their placement in primary care. Also, the pedometer step counts were used for the research.

To investigate the sustainability of Robot-assisted upper limb therapy (RT-UL) as part of routine occupational therapy and physiotherapy clinical practice. Two separate audits, 12 months apart, of RT-UL computer data records were undertaken to determine sustainability in a subacute rehabilitation unit. Records of the two audits were compared in terms of the number of early subacute stroke survivors using RT-UL, the number of RT-UL sessions, duration of RT-UL sessions, and disciplines prescribing RT-UL. During Audit 1 58% (n = 18) of stroke survivors received RT-UL compared to 50% (n = 7) in Audit 2. The total number of RT-UL sessions reduced between audits (148 vs. 36 sessions) reflecting the overall reduction in admission rates for stroke survivors. There was no significant difference between audits in the average number of RT-UL sessions per patient (p = 0.203) nor the length of sessions (p = 0.762). Patients engaged in active therapy more than three-quarters of the time when on the robotic device. Physiotherapists were the primary prescribers of RT-UL when compared to occupational therapists. RT-UL was in continued and regular use with stroke survivors 2 years after initial implementation within an inpatient rehabilitation setting. RT-UL practice was intensive and used routinely with patients. RT-UL is a sustainable and intensive intervention for stroke survivors within an inpatient rehabilitative setting. The cost-benefits of RT-UL should be evaluated from the perspective of the whole rehabilitation service not just at an individual patient level. RT-UL may be considered a "bridging" form of UL practice for those with more limited active UL movement until there is sufficient UL movement and power for more complex real-world task-specific practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robot assisted upper limb (UL) therapy has been identified as an intervention with the potential to help improve the amount of practice performed by stroke survivors. This study aimed to measure the amount of UL practice (i.e., repetitions, duration, intensity) performed by subacute stroke survivors, in particular those with severe UL impairment, pre and post implementation of robot assisted upper limb therapy (RT-UL) into an inpatient rehabilitation setting. Two observational study phases (pre-RT-UL and post-RT-UL) were undertaken of occupational therapy and physiotherapy sessions performed by subacute stroke survivors. Upper limb tasks observed and recorded in therapy were classified as either impairment-related therapy or activity-related. In the pre-RT-UL observational phase, 7 subacute stroke survivors were observed across 11 days involving 25 therapy sessions. Post-RT-UL, 12 subacute stroke survivors were observed across 12 days involving 29 therapy sessions. There were no significant differences in characteristics of patients observed in each phase (p >.05). The mean difference (95% CI) between pre and post RT-UL for repetitions (reps) (569 (1 to 1136) and intensity (7 (4–11)) reps/min of practice increased for all patients, including those with severe UL impairment (337 (37–638)) reps and 8 (2–14) reps/minute, with the duration of therapy unchanged. This is the first study to have observed an increase in UL practice with the inclusion of RT-UL as part of routine clinical practice. This increase in practice is considered to be due to RT-UL providing highly supportive and expeditious semi-supervised practice. Notably, RT-UL was able to be implemented within the existing organisational structures with only basic training of therapy staff. Robotics presents as a viable intervention to increase the amount and intensity of upper limb practice performed by stroke survivors in routine clinical practice Robotics were able to be implemented within the existing organisational structures with only basic training of therapy staff [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the high death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, reported rates of adherence to adaptive preventive health behaviours during the early wave of the pandemic were suboptimal for reducing the risk of disease spread. Additionally, some have adopted practices with the intention of preventing infection that have harmful consequences. Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), consisting of perceived vulnerability, severity, response efficacy, and self-efficacy, has been used to predict intentions to engage in behaviours in past pandemics, and can be extended to the COVID-19 outbreak. Three hundred and thirty-three American adults completed a survey in May 2020 through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Ten behaviours recommended by the CDC and WHO and two 'maladaptive' behaviours presented in the media were selected for investigation. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to assess the impacts of demographic variables and PMT constructs on behaviour frequency. Perceived severity and vulnerability were not significant predictors of behaviour frequency. Behaviour specific response efficacy and self-efficacy were significant predictors of 11/12 (odds ratios: 2.70–6.22) and 10/12 (odds ratios: 2.59–4.64) behaviours, respectively. Age, gender, education, political ideology, perceived severity, and perceived vulnerability were generally unimportant predictors. Beliefs about the effectiveness of the behaviour and one's ability to carry out that behaviour consistently seem to be more important in predicting how often someone engages in that behaviour than the perceived dangerousness of COVID-19 and one's believed susceptibility to infection. These results suggest that interventions trying to modulate the likelihood of engaging in preventive behaviours should focus on the effectiveness of these behaviours in reducing risk of spread and the individual's ability to engage in these behaviours frequently rather than the dangerousness of the COVID-19 pandemic and the individual's risk of becoming infected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effects of physical, psychological, and sexual violence on the health status of women attending antenatal clinics at two tertiary hospitals in rural Thailand. We asked 421 pregnant women at 32 weeks gestation or later to complete a survey questionnaire. Participants reported high rates of psychological abuse (53.7%); threats, acts of physical abuse, or both (26.6%); and sexual violence (19.2%). Women abused during pregnancy had poorer health compared with nonabused women, in role emotional functioning, vitality, bodily pain, mental health, and social functioning. Given the high prevalence of violence and poor health status, routine screenings by maternity services is urgently required. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objectives:This Australian study examined individual experiences of the implementation of the Capabilities Model of Dementia Care (CMDC) and subsequent outcomes for the care of residents with dementia living in long-term care. Furthermore, this study aimed to explore those factors that facilitated and inhibited the implementation of the new model of care. Methods:The CMDC was developed and then tested in a non-randomised clinical trial. Staff, residents and family experiences of their involvement and perceptions of the model were captured at the end of 12 months. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with the 25 participants (12 nursing staff, 6 residents with dementia, 7 family members). Questions varied depending on the participant group but were designed to assess experiences of and changes to care during the intervention. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify the experiences of the implementation of the CMDC. Results:Five themes included: general reflections on nursing care, implementation of the CMDC intervention, positive outcomes of the CMDC intervention, challenges in the implementation of the CMDC, difficulty sustaining care and tensions between participants’ perspectives of care. Conclusion:Positive change resulted from implementation of the CMDC, however, staff mentorship was identified as a key to sustaining changes in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study evaluated the influence of annual-age category, relative age, playing position, anthropometry and fitness on the career attainment outcomes of junior rugby league players originally selected for a talent identification and development (TID) programme. Junior rugby league players (N = 580) were grouped retrospectively according to their career attainment level (i.e., amateur, academy and professional). Anthropometric (height, sitting height, body mass, sum of four skinfolds), maturational (age at peak height velocity; PHV) and fitness (power, speed, change of direction speed, estimated) characteristics were assessed at the Under 13s, 14s and 15s annual-age categories. Relative age (Q2 = 8.5% vs. Q4 = 25.5%) and playing position (Pivots = 19.5% vs. Props = 5.8%) influenced the percentage of players attaining professional status. Anthropometry and fitness had a significant effect on career attainment at the Under 14 (P = 0.002,η2 = 0.16) and 15 (P = 0.01,η2 = 0.12) annual-age categories. Findings at the Under 14s showed future professional players were significantly later maturing compared to academy and amateur players. Findings suggest that relative age, playing position, anthropometry and fitness can influence the career attainment of junior rugby league players. TID programmes within rugby league, and other related team sports, should be aware and acknowledge the factors influencing long-term career attainment, and not delimit development opportunities during early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The present study tested the efficacy of a group treatment model for compulsive buying disorder, the Stopping Overshopping model, which includes aspects of cognitive-behavioral and dialectical behavior therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, psychoeducation, motivational interviewing, acceptance and commitment therapy, and mindfulness. A randomized controlled trial with 11 participants compared the efficacy of this model with a waiting-list control group, which received the treatment after a 12-week waiting period. Results showed significant improvement on (a) all compulsive buying measures, (b) amount of money and time spent, and (c) number of compulsive shopping episodes, all of which were well maintained at 6-month follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Up to 33% of HIV-infected adults in the UK remain undiagnosed and efforts to increase HIV testing are underway. HIV testing was conducted amongst individuals presenting to a polyclinic at a central London hospital using a point of care test. Demographic and HIV risk data was collected along with a patient feedback questionnaire exploring acceptability of the HIV testing experience. Seventy-one out of 93 (76%) individuals accepted HIV testing. Of those accepting HIV testing, 53/71 (75%) had never previously tested for HIV despite, 45/53 (85%) of these being registered with a GP. Twenty-seven out of 71 (38%) of individuals testing had at least one risk factor associated with HIV acquisition, and of these 17/27 (63%) had never previously tested for HIV infection. There were no new HIV positive diagnoses during the period of testing. Respondents indicated a high level of satisfaction with the service and more than 85% found the service to be helpful, educational and convenient. This small proof of concept pilot showed uptake of HIV testing in this setting to be high and acceptable to patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]