The Menzies Institute for Medical Research is an Australian medical research institute of the University of Tasmania based in Hobart, Tasmania. Formerly known as the Menzies Centre for Population Health Research, the institute was established in 1988 and conducts innovative, world-class medical research to improve human health and well-being.
The current climate in schools is increasingly polarized, mirroring the social and political tensions at the meso- and macro-levels of society. This relatively recent phenomenon calls for school-based interventions, yet the existing empirical evidence is still scant. This scoping literature review aimed to provide an overview of existing studies that critically and/or empirically appraise interventions implemented at the intersection of social polarization and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the school setting. It examined interventions both for students of all grade levels and ages and for pre- and in-service school professionals. A total of 60 studies were eligible for inclusion in this review. While student interventions involving arts-based methods, simulation approaches, and skill training appeared to be particularly promising, policy-oriented and didactic interventions yielded mixed results. These preliminary results suggest that school interventions facilitating expression and agency may have fewer adverse outcomes than more prescriptive approaches.
BACKGROUND:Inadequate dietary intake among pregnant women is a major public health challenge in Ethiopia. Although nutrition interventions exist, they often overlook dietary diversity and face sustainability issues. This study evaluated a community-based intervention designed to improve dietary diversity for pregnant women in Southern Ethiopia by leveraging the women's development army (WDA) platform. METHODS:A non-randomized, cluster-controlled study with two parallel arms was conducted across North and South kebeles (clusters), which were assigned to either an intervention or control group. The intervention group received a program delivered through the existing WDA network, which provided modest monthly financial support (400 ETB) and targeted nutrition education. The control group received standard care. The primary outcome was the proportion of women meeting the minimum dietary diversity for women. RESULTS:A total of 372 pregnant women were enrolled (intervention: 179; control: 193). Cluster-level analysis showed that women in the intervention group had a 60% higher odds of achieving minimum adequate dietary diversity (odds ratio: 1.60; 95% confidence interval: 1.32, 1.93). This improvement was primarily driven by increased consumption of pulses, dairy, and other vegetables. CONCLUSIONS:The findings demonstrate that a community-centered intervention using the WDA as a delivery platform to combine financial support and nutrition education improved dietary diversity among pregnant women. This model effectively addresses key barriers to affordability and knowledge, offering a sustainable, community-owned approach to enhancing maternal nutrition.
Objective Good Life with OsteoArthritis in Denmark (GLA:D®) is an evidence-based education and exercise program for people with hip or knee osteoarthritis. The program largely operates in private healthcare settings around the world. This study evaluated its implementation and delivery in public outpatient settings in Tasmania, Australia. Design A process and outcome evaluation was conducted to evaluate the implementation and delivery of GLA:D® within the publicly funded Tasmanian Health Service. The evaluation was conducted using the RE-AIM QuEST Framework, including health system and service-level metrics, patient-level data and program fidelity. Semi-structured focus groups and qualitative interviews were conducted with staff and patients who participated in the program, with thematic analysis of the outputs. Results Implementation and Adoption: GLA:D® was implemented at three outpatient clinics. Successful implementation factors included GLA:D® being a recognisable evidence-based program that was straightforward to deliver, executive support and buy-in, local physiotherapist champions, and the establishment of an eReferral pathway which improved efficiency. Reach: Twelve physiotherapists were trained in GLA:D®, while 89 patients enrolled in the program (21 cohorts), of which 63 participated in the GLA:D® registry at baseline. Effectiveness: Most patients noted improvements in symptoms; however, some patients with co-morbidities or complex pain did not benefit. Maintenance. All three centres have elected to continue the program. Conclusions GLA:D® can be effectively, efficiently and sustainably implemented in public outpatient settings. Operational and administrative considerations have been identified and provide a foundation for broader implementation of the program in public and regional settings.
Abstract A ubiquitously available and accurate non-invasive ventilatory threshold assessment (NIVA) would substantially improve real-world performance assessment evaluation in both clinical and elite sports settings. We hypothesised that ECG-derived ventilatory phase analysis achieves reference-standard accuracy for second ventilatory threshold (VT2) determination. 74 healthy adults performed stepwise cardiopulmonary exercise testing with simultaneous lactate sampling to retrieve VT2 and lactate-based (Dmax; LT2) thresholds. Threshold agreement was evaluated for heart rate (HR) and exercise load (W) between VT2, LT2, age-estimated HR (HR-Est) and NIVA. In 66 assessable datasets, NIVA and VT2 yielded equivalent threshold estimates for HR (− 0.46 bpm; 90% CI [− 2.10;1.17]) and exercise load (0.46 W; 90% CI [− 2.35; 3.27]). VT2 and HR-Est diverged (HR − 7.22 bpm, p < 0.001; load − 6.26 W; p < 0.001). LT2 was available in 58 subjects and differed from both VT2 (p < 0.001) and NIVA (p < 0.001). Correlations supported these findings, with close associations between VT2 and NIVA (HR r = 0.84; load r = 0.96). NIVA derived a high-intensity performance threshold from ECG signals with reference-standard fidelity and showed close agreement with CPET-derived VT2. Its performance and accessibility make it attractive for frequent reassessment of a VT2-aligned threshold without the need for spiroergometry or lactate measurements. Validation across devices, protocols, populations, and real-world signal conditions is warranted.
Observational studies have reported alteration of circulating metabolites across several psychiatric conditions, but these studies cannot resolve causal relationships. Emerging evidence suggests a genetic relationship exists between these traits requiring further investigation to identify clinically actionable biology. Here, we used the largest genome-wide association studies available to investigate genetic correlation and causal relationships between 10 psychiatric conditions and 249 circulating metabolites. This revealed 1,100 significantly correlated trait pairings, involving fatty acids, lipoproteins and other metabolites, with evidence for causal effects on the liability for major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and anorexia nervosa. Notably, the most robust association was a putative causal effect of high-density lipoprotein properties on anorexia nervosa. We also observed significant relationships between metabolic traits and cortical thickness and surface area, as well as evidence of shared gene-level common variant associations amongst 23 metabolite-psychiatric pairings, converging in pathways with metabolic and neuronal function. These findings highlight specific metabolites as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the clinical management of psychiatric disorders.
