A psychological and educational intervention program for incarcerated youth

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the results of a deliberate psychological and educational intervention with at-risk youth (placed in a detention center) that have been identified as having the potential to benefit from a behavioral program. Design/methodology/approach The program provided systemic behavioral health assessments using trauma-informed care guidelines and then linked the participants to mental health and substance services to increase the children’s access to key health services and reduce the risk of recidivism. The program also provided psychoeducational resources to stakeholders including parents, judges and corrections officers. Comparisons were made between participants receiving the intervention to determine pre and post results. Findings Recidivism rates were also examined. Study participants included 395 at-risk youth between the ages of 13 and 17. In summary, the findings supported the use of this multi-pronged program with juveniles residing in detention centers. Originality/value All work on this research project was completed by the listed authors.

The effect of educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior on improving physical and nutrition status of obese and overweight women

Background Regarding the high rate of obesity and overweight among women, develop a comprehensive and effective program it seems necessary to improve their nutritional behaviors and physical activity. This study aims to survey the effect of educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on improving physical and nutritional activities of obese and overweight women. Methods This experimental study was performed on 400 obese and overweight women over the age of 20. The sampling method was A simple random sampling. The data collection was valid and reliable self-reports measure, questionnaires. This tools was including demographic information, questionnaire based on the constructs of the theory of planned behavior, physical activity performance questionnaire and nutritional performance questionnaire that individuals completed before and 6 months after the educational intervention. The training intervention for the experimental group consisted of 12 sessions of 50–55 min. Data analyzed by SPSS22 and by using chi-square test, independent t-test and paired t-test. Results Findings showed that before the educational intervention, was no significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of education, household monthly income, occupation, mean age, marital status, awareness, attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, physical activity and nutritional behavioral intentions, and physical activity and nutritional performance, weight and BMI. However, six months after the training intervention, there was a significant increase in each of the TPB contracts, weight and BMI in the experimental group, while no significant difference was observed in the control group. The meaningful level was considered 0.05. Conclusion Our findings partially support of applying theory of planned behavior in reducing the weight, BMI and improved nutritional performance and physical activity of the study subjects. TPB could be an important strategy for effective future educational interventions.

Effectiveness of a School‐Based Educational Intervention to Improve Hypertension Control Among Schoolteachers: A Cluster‐Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The control of hypertension is low in low‐ and middle‐income countries like India. We evaluated the effects of a nurse‐facilitated educational intervention in improving the control rate of hypertension among school teachers in India. Methods and Results This was a cluster‐randomized controlled trial involving 92 schools in Kerala, which were randomly assigned equally into a usual care group and an intervention group. Participants were 402 school teachers (mean age, 47 years; men, 29%) identified with hypertension. Participants in both study groups received a leaflet containing details of a healthy lifestyle and the importance of regular intake of antihypertensive medication. In addition, the intervention participants received a nurse‐facilitated educational intervention on hypertension control for 3 months. The primary outcome was hypertension control. Key secondary outcomes included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and the proportion of participants taking antihypertensive medications. For the primary outcome, we used mixed‐effects logistic regression models. Two months after a 3‐month educational intervention, a greater proportion of intervention participants (49.0%) achieved hypertension control than the usual care participants (38.2%), with an odds ratio of 1.89 (95% CI, 1.06–3.35), after adjusting for baseline hypertension control. The odds of taking antihypertensive medications were 1.6 times higher in the intervention group compared with the usual care group (odds ratio, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.08–2.45). The reduction in mean systolic blood pressure was significantly greater in the intervention group by 4.2 mm Hg (95% CI, −7.2 to −1.1) than in the usual care group. Conclusions A nurse‐facilitated educational intervention was effective in improving the control and treatment rates of hypertension as well as reducing systolic blood pressure among schoolteachers with hypertension. Registration URL: https://www.ctri.nic.in ; Unique Identifier: CTRI/2018/01/011402.

Effectiveness of the “Person First – Please” educational intervention for nurses in older people long-term care –protocol for a cluster RCT v1

Aim. To evaluate effectiveness of “Person First –Please” (PFP) intervention in supporting nurses’ collective competence in Person-centred Care (PCC) in Long-Term Care (LTC) of older people. Design. Cluster randomised controlled trial. Methods. Intervention group comprising nurses working on older people LTC will receive PFP Continuing Education (CE) intervention; control group will work as usual. The primary outcomes are nurses’ individual PCC competence and intervention’s effectiveness for collective competence. Secondary outcomes are PCC climate as perceived by nurses, residents and their families. Measurements are conducted three times (baseline, after PFP intervention and after 6-week follow-up) in both groups. Results. The study will provide evidence of PFP’s effectiveness and its influence on PCC climate of older people LTC. If effective, the educational intervention can be used to improve PCC and quality care for older people. Keywords Person-centred care, older people, long-term care, intervention, continuing education, collective competence

Effectiveness of individualized inhaler technique training on low adherence (LowAd) in ambulatory patients with COPD and asthma

To analyze whether there is improvement in adherence to inhaled treatment in patients with COPD and asthma after an educational intervention based on the teach-to-goal method. This is a prospective, non-randomized, single-group study, with intervention and before-after evaluation. The study population included 120 patients (67 females and 53 males) diagnosed with asthma (70.8%) and COPD (29.1%). The level of adherence (low and optimal) and the noncompliance behavior pattern (erratic, deliberate and unwitting) were determined by the Test of the adherence to Inhalers (TAI). This questionnaire allows you to determine the level of adherence and the types of noncompliance. Low Adherence (LowAd) was defined as a score less than 49 points. All patients received individualized educational inhaler technique intervention (IEITI). Before the IEITI, 67.5% of the patients had LowAd. Following IEITI, on week 24, LowAd was 55% (p = 0.024). Each patient can present one or more types of noncompliance. The most frequent type was forgetting to use the inhaler (erratic), 65.8%. The other types were deliberate: 43.3%, and unwitting: 57.5%. All of them had decreased on the final visit: 51.7% (p = 0.009), 25.8% (p = 0.002), 39.2% (p = 0.002). There were no significant differences in adherence between asthma and COPD patients at the start of the study. The only predicting factor of LowAd was the female gender. An individualized educational intervention, in ambulatory patients with COPD and asthma, in real-world clinical practice conditions, improves adherence to the inhaled treatment.