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Current Interventions (current + intervention)
Selected AbstractsHealth outcomes associated with methamphetamine use among young people: a systematic reviewADDICTION, Issue 6 2010Brandon D. L. Marshall ABSTRACT Objectives Methamphetamine (MA) use among young people is of significant social, economic and public health concern to affected communities and policy makers. While responses have focused upon various perceived severe harms of MA use, effective public health interventions require a strong scientific evidence base. Methods We conducted a systematic review to identify scientific studies investigating health outcomes associated with MA use among young people aged 10,24 years. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) was used to categorize outcomes and determine the level of evidence for each series of harms. Results We identified 47 eligible studies for review. Consistent associations were observed between MA use and several mental health outcomes, including depression, suicidal ideation and psychosis. Suicide and overdose appear to be significant sources of morbidity and mortality among young MA users. Evidence for a strong association between MA use and increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections is equivocal. Finally, we identified only weak evidence of an association between MA use and dental diseases among young people. Conclusions Available evidence indicates a consistent relationship between MA use and mental health outcomes (e.g. depression, psychosis) and an increased risk of mortality due to suicide and overdose. We found insufficient evidence of an association between MA use and other previously cited harms, including infectious diseases and dental outcomes. As such, future research of higher methodological quality is required to further investigate possible associations. Current interventions should focus attention upon MA-related health outcomes for which sound scientific evidence is available. [source] Prevention of dog bites: Evaluation of a brief educational intervention program for preschool childrenJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2003Fiona Wilson Dog bites are an underestimated societal problem. Victims suffer injuries, both physical and emotional, that sometimes end in death, and the economic cost to the community is high. The most frequent victims are children, many of whom are bitten at home. Current interventions, primarily aimed at the control of dogs in public areas, appear unlikely to reduce the incidence of dog bites within this group. In this study, parents' beliefs about their children's behavior around familiar and strange dogs were investigated using a questionnaire. The impact of a brief educational dog safety program on 192 kindergarten children (M = 4.68 years of age) was then evaluated. The questionnaire data revealed that many children engage in unsafe behaviors around dogs, and that parents are largely unaware of the dangers associated with such behaviors. The dog safety program resulted in a significant increase in the ability of children to identify high risk situations for up to 4 weeks, with the benefits being even greater in those children whose parents were also given information regarding safe behaviors around dogs. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Empirically evaluated treatments for body image disturbance: a reviewEUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW, Issue 5 2006Clare Farrell Abstract Body image disturbance is both a risk factor for the development of disturbed eating and a central feature of clinical eating disorders. This review examines empirically tested interventions for people with high levels of body image disturbance. The most commonly used therapies with the most empirical support are cognitive-behavioural. The specificity of the body image interventions and the importance of individual components have not yet been established. Prevention programmes to address body image disturbance appear promising, although further research evidence is required. It is concluded that treatments for addressing body image disturbance are hindered by the lack of a clearly specified theoretical model of the maintenance of body image disturbance and that such an analysis is needed to increase the effectiveness of current interventions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. [source] Buprenorphine and methadone in the treatment of opioid dependence: methods and design of the COBRA studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005Prof Dr Hans-Ulrich Wittchen Abstract Buprenorphine and methadone are the two established substitution drugs licensed in many countries for the treatment of opioid dependence. Little is known, however, about how these two drugs are applied and how they work in clinical practice. In this paper we present the aims, methods, design and sampling issues of a collaborative multi-stage epidemiological study (COBRA) to address these issues. Based on a nationally representative sample of substitution physicians, the study is designed as an observational, naturalistic study, consisting of three major parts. The first part was a national survey of substitution doctors (prestudy, n = 379 doctors). The second part was a cross-sectional study (n = 223 doctors), which consisted of a target-week assessment of 2,694 consecutive patients to determine (a) the severity and problem profiles and treatment targets; (b) the choice and dosage scheme of the substitution drug; (c) past and current interventions, including treatment of comorbid hepatitis C; and (d) cross-sectional differences between the two drugs with regard to comorbidity, clinical course, acceptance/compliance and social integration. The third part consists of a prospective-longitudinal cohort study of 48 methadone-treated and 48 buprenorphine-treated patients. The cohort is followed up over a period of 12 months to investigate whether course and outcome of the patients differ by type or treatment received in terms of clinical, psychosocial, pharmaco-economic and other related measures. The response rate among substitution doctors was 57.1%; that among eligible patients was 71.7%. Comparisons with the federal registers reveal that the final samples of doctors and patients may be considered nationally representative with regard to regional distribution, training, type of setting as well as the frequency of patients treated with buprenorphine or methadone. The COBRA study provides a unique comprehensive database, informing about the natural allocation and intervention processes in routine care and about the course and outcome of patients treated with buprenorphine or methadone. Copyright © 2005 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Current legal responses to elder abuseINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OLDER PEOPLE NURSING, Issue 4 2006LL.B HONS, Paul Buka MSC Abstract., In this paper, legal provisions for dealing with elder abuse in social or healthcare settings will be considered. The need for such measures for detection and management of elder abuse will be highlighted. Interventions should take into account elderly victims' vulnerability, which may be due to physical and/or psychological dependence. The effectiveness of current interventions is limited due to a lack of cohesion and the absence of a specific legal framework. The term ,vulnerable adults' is broader than ,elder abuse'. It is difficult to estimate the extent of the problem of elder abuse because of the usually intimate settings within which it takes place , this may affect the strength of the evidence. The purpose of this paper is to encourage a debate on the effectiveness of current legal responses to elder abuse. The true figures of the incidence of abuse may never be known. Consequently, in criminal law trials, providing evidence on abuse can be very traumatic and intimidating for a victim because of the circumstances in which it generally takes place. The irony is that the likelihood of a criminal prosecution may be higher in more serious types of abuse where the evidence is overwhelming, on the basis of the res ipsa loquitor (facts speak for themselves) principle. The abuse in question may be domestic or institutional; the effects nevertheless are the same. [source] Postpartum Smoking Relapse and Becoming a MotherJOURNAL OF NURSING SCHOLARSHIP, Issue 1 2006Kathleen F. Gaffney Purpose: To propose an innovative, theoretically-derived conceptual framework for studies of postpartum smoking relapse including concepts of smoking abstinence self-efficacy and becoming a mother. Methods: Presentation of an existing research paradigm followed by evidence from intervention research and studies of factors associated with postpartum smoking behavior, leading to a new approach to postpartum smoking relapse. Findings: Effectiveness of current interventions to prevent relapse is limited. Variables associated with becoming a mother are missing from studies of postpartum smoking relapse. Conclusions: Context-specific variables that influence a woman's progression through the stages of becoming a mother might include protective or risk factors that should be incorporated into the design of postpartum smoking relapse studies. [source] | |||||||||||||