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Short-term Interventions (short-term + intervention)
Selected AbstractsA challenging intervention with maternal anxiety: Babies requiring surgical correction of a congenital anomaly after missed prenatal diagnosisINFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 6 2003Lucia Aite The objective of this study is to assess the impact on maternal anxiety of a short-term intervention in a particularly stressful situation, such as a surgical anomaly diagnosed only at birth after repeated negative prenatal ultrasounds. The patients were 30 mothers of babies requiring surgical correction of a congenital anomaly who were randomly assigned to an intervention (N = 16) or control (N = 14) group. The intervention group received standard care plus short-term intervention that included weekly meetings with the psychologist and weekly team meetings. The control group received only standard care available on the Neonatal Surgery Unit. The main outcome measure was maternal anxiety levels, assessed at birth and on discharge with the Spielberger State,Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI,S). Statistical comparisons were made, and no significant differences were found at birth in the STAI,S scores of the two groups. At discharge, the intervention group exhibited a much lower STAI,S score than the group without short-term intervention. The authors concluded that psychological counseling for parents of newborn babies has been shown to be helpful. However, the impact of such assistance was shown to be particularly beneficial for parents facing the emotional stress of their children requiring unexpected surgical corrections of congenital anomalies at birth. Therefore, the presence of a psychologist, as part of the standard care of newborns requiring surgical correction, is recommended. ©2003 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] Elites in Local Development in the PhilippinesDEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE, Issue 1 2010Andreas Lange ABSTRACT For many Philippine provinces, decentralization and more autonomous local development planning did not lead to the desired outcomes. This article examines the experiences of the two provinces of Cebu and Leyte. While Cebu became a centre of trade and industry, Leyte is still struggling with its local economy oriented to natural resources. A main reason for the divergent development paths of the two islands can be found in the emergence of different elite structures, which resulted in different path-dependent patterns of economic specialization. Despite this different historical experience, both provinces today suffer from similar institutional infirmities in their planning system for promoting local development. Local planning capacity constraints, such as regional and local co-ordination and co-operation patterns, local finances, human capital and knowledge are analysed. The Cebuano elites used the room for manoeuvre provided by decentralization reforms more successfully than elites in Leyte. This created pockets of efficiency in Cebu leading to more development-friendly investment policies. In order to increase local and regional planning capacity, short-term interventions and policy reforms at the local, regional and national level are discussed. [source] Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in polycystic ovary syndrome: what are the risks and can they be reduced?DIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010J. Tomlinson Diabet. Med. 27, 498,515 (2010) Abstract Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but these risks are poorly defined. This study aimed to evaluate the evidence for these risks and whether screening and risk reduction are feasible. Medline reviews and data quality analysis were used using standard tools. Results showed that (i) polycystic ovary syndrome is a risk factor forT2DM but the magnitude of risk is uncertain, (ii) fasting plasma glucose is an inadequate screening test forT2DM in this population and the oral glucose tolerance test is superior, (iii) the identification of women with PCOS for diabetes screening is constrained by current diagnostic criteria for PCOS; however, women with oligomenorrhoea and those with diagnosed PCOS and obesity or a family history of T2DM are at highest risk, (iv) risk factors for T2DM are improved by weight loss interventions and by metformin. However, no studies have determined whether T2DM incidence is reduced, (v) polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors but data on CVD incidence are weak, (vi) risk factors for CVD are improved by the same interventions and statins and (vi) no studies have evaluated whether CVD incidence is reduced. While PCOS has important metabolic associations, and short-term interventions reduce risk factors for T2DM and CVD, data on prevalence and incidence of T2DM and particularly CVD are poor. There is a need for a clear definition of PCOS, for diabetes screening protocols and for long-term studies to determine whether risks can be reduced. [source] The challenge of external validity in policy-relevant systematic reviews: a case study from the field of substance misuseADDICTION, Issue 1 2010Mark Pearson ABSTRACT Aim To critically evaluate the methods utilized in the conduct of a systematic review in the field of substance misuse Design Participant-observation in the review process, semi-structured interviews with review team members and management and structured observation of the process of guidance development. Setting An ,arm's-length' government body. Participants Review team members, management and the committee responsible for producing evidence-based guidance for policy and practice. Measurements Data from interviews and (participant-)observation were reflected upon critically in order to increase understanding of the systematic review process. Findings The application of systematic review methods produced an evidence base that did not inform the development of guidance to the extent that it could have done: (i) an emphasis upon internal research validity produced an evidence base with an emphasis on short-term interventions at the level of the individual; (ii) criteria for appraising the external validity of studies were not developed sufficiently; and (iii) the systematic review of evidence and development of guidance are strongly reliant upon the judgement of reviewers and committee members. Conclusions Prioritizing internal validity in a systematic review risks producing an evidence base that is not informed adequately by the wider determinants of health and which does not give sufficient consideration to external validity. The use of appropriate methods requires that commissioners of systematic reviews are clear at the outset how the review is proposed to be utilized. Review methods such as meta-ethnography and realist synthesis could contribute to making the frameworks within which judgements are made more explicit. [source] School-Based Obesity Interventions: A Literature ReviewJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 4 2008Fadia T. Shaya PhD ABSTRACT Background:, Childhood obesity is an impending epidemic. This article is an overview of different interventions conducted in school settings so as to guide efforts for an effective management of obesity in children, thus minimizing the risk of adult obesity and related cardiovascular risk. Methods:, PubMed and OVID Medline databases were searched for school-based obesity interventions with anthropometric measures in children and adolescents between the ages of 7 and 19 years from June 1986 to June 2006. Studies were reviewed by duration, type of intervention, and defined qualitative and quantitative measures, resulting in a yield of 51 intervention studies. Results:, The interventions ranged from 4 weeks in length to as long as 8 continuing years. In total, 15 of the intervention studies exclusively utilized physical activity programs, 16 studies exclusively utilized educational models and behavior modification strategies, and 20 studies utilized both. In addition, 31 studies utilized exclusively quantitative variables like body mass indices and waist-to-hip ratios to measure the efficacy of the intervention programs, and another 20 studies utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures that included self-reported physical activity and attitude toward physical activity and the tested knowledge of nutrition, cardiovascular health, and physical fitness. A total of 40 studies achieved positive statistically significant results between the baseline and the follow-up quantitative measurements. Conclusions:, No persistence of positive results in reducing obesity in school-age children has been observed. Studies employing long-term follow-up of quantitative and qualitative measurements of short-term interventions in particular are warranted. [source] Alcohol And Endothelial Function: A Brief ReviewCLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 12 2001IB Puddey SUMMARY 1. In spite of the dose-related effects of alcohol consumption to increase blood pressure, regular light to moderate alcohol intake appears to confer protection against both coronary artery disease and ischaemic stroke. In contrast, heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of coronary artery disease and the risk of both haemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke. 2. Effects of alcohol consumption on endothelial cell function may be relevant to these disparate effects on cardiovascular outcomes. In in vitro animal studies, low doses of alcohol have been demonstrated to increase release of nitric oxide and augment endothelium-mediated vasodilatation, whereas higher doses impair endothelium-dependent relaxation responses. In contrast, chronic administration of alcohol to rats has generally been associated with tolerance to the acute inhibitory effects of alcohol on endothelium-mediated vasodilatation and may even result in augmentation of such responses. 3. The few human studies to date that have examined the effects of alcohol on endothelial function have focused on postischaemic flow-mediated dilation of the brachial artery (FMD). Although blunted FMD responses have been reported in alcoholic subjects, acute administration of alcohol or short-term interventions to reduce alcohol intake have had no effect to either improve or impair FMD. 4. Further studies in humans assessing acute and longer term dose-related effects of alcohol on endothelial function in both conduit and resistance vessels will be necessary if the relevance of the findings from in vitro and in vivo animal studies are to be understood in the context of the complex interrelationships of alcohol with cardiovascular disease. [source] | |||||||||||||