Sedentary desk-based workers are at risk of adverse health. With hybrid working on the rise, interventions suitable for homeworkers are needed. Given the ageing working population, it is imperative to ensure older employees (≥ 50) can remain economically active in the years before retirement, without being exposed to additional health risks. This study aimed to use co-design methods, guided by the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), to develop an intervention to help interrupt prolonged bouts of sedentary behaviour (SB) for older homeworkers. Guided by Leask’s framework for participatory intervention development and informed by principles of participatory action research, four co-design workshops and two discussion groups were conducted with older employees from a local council in Greater Manchester between October 2024 and March 2025. The aims and activities of each session were informed by the BCW and sought to address previously identified barriers to interrupting SB when working from home. Data from each session were used to inform subsequent ones, ensuring an iterative and flexible approach to intervention design. Anonymous surveys were also circulated to evaluate the process. The BOOST-Home intervention (Breaking Out of Occupational Sedentary Time for Homeworkers) was developed, consisting of six intervention functions and 25 behaviour change techniques, across five components: a self-delivered online training module, a weekly online communications reinforcement package, computer prompts, management advocates, and an online meeting initiative. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use co-design approaches, alongside the BCW, to develop a SB intervention suitable for older homeworkers. The theory-driven approach and detailed reporting of the intervention and its mechanisms of action will allow for future testing and replication.

Physical activity is important for healthy ageing, yet participation is socially patterned and often lower among older adults experiencing disadvantage. This rapid systematic review updates and extends previous evidence by examining differential effectiveness of individual-level physical activity interventions in older adults at differing levels of advantage/disadvantage, and experiences of engaging in interventions. Rapid review followed Cochrane guidance and PRISMA-Equity reporting. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL Plus and grey literature were searched for studies published from 2015 to November 2024 in high-income countries. Eligible studies (randomised, non-randomised and qualitative designs) evaluated individual-level interventions to promote physical activity or reduce sedentary behaviour among adults aged ≥ 50 years. Disadvantage and marginalisation were operationalised using PROGRESS-Plus. Data were synthesised narratively by population group, disadvantage characteristic and intervention type. Where possible, random-effects meta-analyses were conducted using MET-minutes. Risk of bias was assessed using adapted Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, and certainty of evidence using GRADE. Forty-seven studies were included (n = 9071 participants). Only six studies examined differential effects between disadvantaged and more advantaged groups, and evidence was low or very low certainty. There was low-certainty evidence that behavioural interventions increase physical activity similarly for women and men, but evidence was insufficient for conclusions by education, marital status or race/ethnicity/culture. Evidence of moderate certainty suggests that physical activity, educational, and multicomponent interventions can increase physical activity in individuals from minoritised ethnic groups. Evidence on the effectiveness of multicomponent interventions in women is of moderate certainty, but findings are mixed. Evidence for interventions with individuals of low socioeconomic status or living in rural areas was of very low certainty. We found no studies with other disadvantaged/marginalised groups. Qualitative findings highlight that barriers and enablers to physical activity are similar across disadvantaged/marginalised groups. Evidence remains insufficient to determine whether individual-level physical activity interventions are equitable across disadvantaged and more advantaged older adults. Targeted community-based interventions for minoritised ethnic groups show promise, but broader evidence gaps persist. Future evaluations should routinely collect and report PROGRESS-Plus characteristics, assess differential effects, address intersectional disadvantage, and use standardised physical activity outcomes to inform equitable policy and practice.

Older adults from lower socioeconomic status (SES) groups have lower physical activity levels compared to those from higher SES groups. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these disparities in physical activity persisted, or even widened in the UK and other high-income countries. This qualitative study investigated the views of older adults residing in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, around the acceptability of engaging in physical activity in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews with 16 older adults living in areas with high levels of socioeconomic deprivation in Manchester, UK were conducted. Most participants (n = 12) were not meeting physical activity guidelines. An inductive reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken. Six themes were identified which related to the acceptability of engaging in physical activity amongst this group: (1) The COVID-19 pandemic - a teachable moment for physical activity, (2) Physical activity - for purpose or pleasure?, (3) Focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t do, (4) Opportunities to be physically active (which consisted of two sub-themes: Place and Time), (5) Importance of social environment, and (6) Physical activity messaging and perceptions. An increased motivation to do more physical activity post-pandemic was identified amongst this population, suggesting now is a good time to act for intervention development to capitalise on this. Better messaging is needed to communicate and improve the accessibility of physical activity guidelines amongst this population. To increase engagement in leisure-time physical activity amongst this population, future interventions and messaging should emphasise fun and enjoyment.

A large proportion of older adults are pre-frail. Interventions aimed at this group provide opportunity to reduce progression of physical frailty. The aim of this overview of reviews is to evaluate evidence for non-pharmacological interventions for the prevention/reversal of physical frailty in community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 50 years. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google Scholar and Social Science Citation Index were searched for non-pharmacological interventions that used a validated frailty measurement tool. Review quality was assessed using AMSTAR-2 and a Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) approach was adopted. Twenty-three reviews were included, six of which were of high quality. This included 18,768 unique participants from 98 unique primary studies. Physical activity containing an aspect of resistance training, for a minimum of twice per week, was evidenced as being beneficial for reversing frailty (28 primary studies and 3,246 unique participants). However, one randomised controlled trial (RCT) showed resistance training by pre-frail adults (n = 66) for eight weeks was not effective at reversing frailty status. Nutrition interventions combined with physical activity that include resistance training (9 studies, 1,812 participants) were effective at reversing/preventing frailty. The evidence synthesised in this overview of reviews suggests physical activity containing an aspect of resistance training is beneficial at reversing frailty status and preventing frailty progression. Nutrition interventions alone were inconclusive. It is recommended that future studies include a validated tool to assess frailty status, report samples by frailty status and make recommendations based on dose (frequency/duration of minutes per session) and adherence to dose.

Background:Family carers provide crucial support to patients nearing end of life. This can affect carers' own mental health negatively. It is important to understand what factors may affect carers' mental health and convey this information to stakeholders who can effect change. We conducted reviews of the qualitative, observational and intervention carer literature and worked with carer advisors and other stakeholders to make findings useful and accessible. Aim of the synopsis:To provide a synopsis of (1) project methods, (2) findings and implications from the evidence syntheses, (3) outcomes of our carer Review Advisory Panel collaboration and (4) feedback from wider stakeholder consultation. Method:Searches of MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycInfo, Social Sciences Citation Index, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects 1 January 2009-24 November 2019. Studies included adult family carers for adult patients at the end of life cared for at home, considering any factor related to carer mental health. Collaboration with the Review Advisory Panel over nine meetings helped map review findings into a framework, shape their presentation and create Review Advisory Panel recommendations. Four workshops, two discussion groups and a survey with stakeholders (carers/patients, practitioners and policy-makers/commissioners) informed output formats and suggested actions. Results:Thirty-one qualitative, 60 observational, 12 intervention and 3 mixed-methods studies were identified. Factors associated with carer mental health were: (1) patient condition, mainly psychological symptoms and quality of life; (2) impact of caring responsibilities, mainly life changes, workload and carer burden; (3) relationships, particularly carer-patient; (4) finances, whether sufficient; (5) internal processes, particularly self-efficacy; (6) support, particularly adequacy and quality; and (7) contextual factors, mainly age and gender. The Review Advisory Panel comprised five carers and a carer chair. They created recommendations for supporting carers based on syntheses findings, including: awareness raising for carers and practitioners; a road map to help carers navigate caregiving; bespoke carer support through carer assessment; assessment of patient's actual rather than 'managed' needs; co-ordinated care through a single contact point; addressing basic practical needs. Other key recommendations included holistic, co-ordinated patient care and cover of basic carer financial needs. Thirty-six stakeholders participated in workshops and discussion groups and 43 in the survey, to review synthesis findings and Review Advisory Panel recommendations. Stakeholders generally valued the qualitative evidence and recommendations over the quantitative evidence, although all outputs resonated with them. There was little consensus regarding where responsibility for carers may lie, pointing to a need for bespoke carer support roles. Some issues may require systemic-level changes. Limitations:Findings are from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country English-language publications on adult carers and patients within home care, and carer advisors and stakeholders were based in the United Kingdom, which may limit the transferability of findings. Conclusions:Findings provide some clear indicators of factors affecting carer mental health and recommendations. Improvements may require investment in bespoke carer support roles (e.g. carer support nurses) and systemic change (e.g. improving carer identification and assessment, and financial security). Given the enormous contribution carers make to health and social care, they deserve such investment to support them in their work. Funding:This synopsis presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme as award number 18/01/01.

A frailty index (FI) is a frailty assessment tool calculated as the proportion of the number of health-related deficits an individual has to the total number of variables in the index. Routinely collected clinical and administrative data can be used as sources of deficits to automatically calculate FIs. This scoping review aimed to evaluate the current research landscape on routine data-based FIs. We searched seven databases to find literature published in 2013-2023. Main inclusion criteria were original research articles on FIs constructed from routine data, with deficits in at least two of the following categories: "symptoms/signs", "laboratory values", "diseases", "disabilities", and "others". From 7526 publications screened, 218 were included. Studies were primarily from North America (47.7 %), conducted in the community (35.3 %), and used routine data-based FIs for risk stratification (51.4 %). FIs were calculated using various routine data sources; however, most were initially developed and validated using hospital records. We noted geographical differences in study settings and routine data sources. We identified 611 unique deficits comprising these FIs. Most were either "diseases" (34.4 %) or "symptoms/signs" (32.1 %). Routine data-based FIs are feasible and valid risk stratification tools, but research is confined to high-income countries, their routine adoption is slow, and deficits comprising these FIs emphasise a reactive and overtly medical approach in addressing frailty. Future directions include exploring the feasibility and applicability of using routine databases for frailty assessment in lower- and middle-income countries, and leveraging non-clinical routine data through data linkages to proactively identify and manage frailty.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift toward the digital provision of many public services, including health and social care, public administration, and financial and leisure services. COVID-19 services including test appointments, results, vaccination appointments and more were primarily delivered through digital channels to the public. Many social, cultural, and economic activities (appointments, ticket bookings, tax and utility payments, shopping, etc) have transitioned to web-based platforms. To use web-based public services, individuals must be digitally included. This is influenced by 3 main factors: access (whether individuals have access to the internet), ability (having the requisite skills and confidence to participate over the web), and affordability (ability to pay for infrastructure [equipment] and data packages). Many older adults, especially those aged >75 years, are still digitally excluded. ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the views of adults aged >75 years on accessing public services digitally. MethodsWe conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with a variety of adults aged ≥75 years residing in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. We also interviewed community support workers. Thematic analysis was used to identify the key themes from the data. ResultsOverall, 24 older adults (mean age 81, SD 4.54 y; 14/24, 58% female; 23/24, 96% White British; and 18/24, 75% digitally engaged to some extent) and 2 support workers participated. A total of five themes were identified as key in understanding issues around motivation, engagement, and participation: (1) “initial motivation to participate digitally”—for example, maintaining social connections and gaining skills to be able to connect with family and friends; (2) “narrow use and restricted activity on the web”—undertaking limited tasks on the web and in a modified manner, for example, limited use of web-based public services and selected use of specific services, such as checking but never transferring funds during web-based banking; (3) “impact of digital participation on well-being”—choosing to go to the shops or general practitioner’s surgery to get out of the house and get some exercise; (4) “the last generation?”—respondents feeling that there were generational barriers to adapting to new technology and change; and (5) “making digital accessible”—understanding the support needed to keep those engaged on the web. ConclusionsAs we transition toward greater digitalization of public services, it is crucial to incorporate the perspectives of older people. Failing to do so risks excluding them from accessing services they greatly rely on and need.

Abstract Purpose Socioeconomically deprived older adults are less active compared to older adults who experience less socioeconomic deprivation. However, there is a paucity of evidence as to whether existing physical activity interventions are appropriate for older adults from lower socioeconomic groups. This review explores: (1) How effective are interventions aimed at increasing physical activity for older adults from socioeconomically deprived groups?; (2) What factors are associated with the acceptability of physical activity interventions amongst older adults from socioeconomically deprived groups?; (3) What are the implications for developing physical activity interventions for older adults from socioeconomically deprived groups? Methods Nine databases were searched up to May 2023, to identify quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods primary studies measuring the effectiveness and/or acceptability of physical activity interventions amongst older adults (aged 65 years and over) from socioeconomically deprived groups. Study authors’ definitions of socioeconomic deprivation were accepted; studies which described participants as socioeconomically deprived/disadvantaged or lower socioeconomic status were included. Included studies were assessed for quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. This review follows a convergent segregated data synthesis approach. Results Thirty studies (18 quantitative, 6 qualitative and 6 mixed methods) with 6,414 total participants were included. Mixed effects were found for effectiveness of interventions on physical activity levels amongst older adults from socioeconomically deprived groups. Effective interventions were informed by behaviour change frameworks, most commonly Social Cognitive Theory, utilised behaviour change techniques including goal-setting and self-monitoring and delivered in community settings, mainly via supervised group sessions. Conclusions The findings from this review will increase understanding around what makes physical activity interventions effective and acceptable to older adults from lower socioeconomic groups to inform future development of targeted, appropriate interventions. Support/Funding Source This presentation presents independent research funded under the Dunhill Medical Trust (PDM2202\9), National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration-Greater Manchester (NIHR20017405156), National Institute for Health and Care Research Policy Research Unit in Older People and Frailty (PR-PRU-1217-21502) / Healthy Ageing (NIHR206119) and the University of Manchester. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or Department of Health and Social Care.

Abstract Background Older adults with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to be physically active than those with higher socioeconomic status. To inform future intervention development, this review explored: [i] how effective are physical activity interventions at increasing levels of physical activity amongst older adults with lower socioeconomic status?; [ii] what factors are associated with the acceptability of physical activity interventions amongst older adults with lower socioeconomic status?; [iii] what are the implications for developing physical activity interventions for older adults with lower socioeconomic status? Methods This mixed methods systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ASSIA and Sports Medicine and Education Index were searched up to May 2023, to identify quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods primary research studies measuring the effectiveness of and/or experiences of physical activity interventions for older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) with lower socioeconomic status. No limits on country were applied. Included studies were assessed for methodological quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results were synthesised using a results-based convergent synthesis approach with narrative synthesis of quantitative findings and thematic synthesis of qualitative findings. Results Thirty studies were included. Mixed effects were found for the effectiveness of physical activity interventions, with positive effects for increases in utilitarian walking (i.e. for transport) but not for leisure, mixed effects for objectively measured physical activity and no effects for self-reported total physical activity or muscle strengthening and flexibility activities. Engaging in physical activity interventions was perceived as offering many benefits, social familiarity was important to intervention acceptability and interventions were seen as more acceptable when they were compatible with the lifestyles of older adults with lower socioeconomic status. Conclusions Future development of physical activity interventions for older adults with lower socioeconomic status should foster social connections, emphasise health benefits of physical activity, hold interventions in locations that are accessible and familiar to older adults with lower socioeconomic status, minimise costs to participants, employ individuals who share participant characteristics to lead interventions, and combine physical activity with other activities older adults with lower socioeconomic status already do to make more efficient use of time. Trial registration PROSPERO CRD42023417312; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=417312.

BackgroundWomen experiencing problematic menopausal symptoms report lower health-related quality of life and greater healthcare use than women without symptoms. Not all women want to or are able to take hormone replacement therapy. Strengthening the evidence for menopause symptom-management options, including physical activity, improves agency for women.AimThis overview assesses effectiveness of physical activity and exercise interventions targeting women experiencing menopause symptoms.MethodsMedline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Social Science Citation Index were searched (June 2023) for systematic reviews of physical activity and exercise interventions targeting women experiencing menopause. Reviews were assessed using AMSTAR-2 and a best-evidence approach to synthesis without meta-analysis (SWIM) was adopted. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022298908).ResultsSeventeen reviews included 80 unique relevant primary studies with 8983 participants. There is evidence showing improvement of physical, urogenital, and total symptoms following yoga interventions. Evidence for vasomotor and psychological symptoms was inconclusive. Findings for aerobic exercise were inconclusive although there were some examples of beneficial effects on total and vasomotor symptoms. Evidence was very limited for other types of physical activity and impact on physical, sexual and urogenital symptoms.ConclusionThere is some evidence that yoga, and to lesser extent, aerobic exercise may be beneficial for some menopause symptoms, but there is insufficient evidence to recommend a particular form of exercise. Current reviews categorise women on menopause status; broadening this to include ethnicity, income status, employment and other factors will allow better understanding of context for successful interventions.

Background Informal carers are central in supporting patients at the end of life, but this has substantial negative impacts on carers' own mental health. When carers are unable to cope, this may affect their ability to support the patient and increase the likelihood of patient hospital admissions. Further, demographic changes mean demands for care at and before end of life are increasing and existing services will struggle to meet these demands. It is important to recognise carers as a vital resource and prevent adverse health outcomes from caregiving (and thereby limit their consequences). Large individual variation in the level of psychological morbidity from end-of-life caregiving suggests there is scope for interventions to improve carer mental health if we can understand the underlying factors. Objectives This meta-synthesis of qualitative studies aims to identify factors reported by carers as important to their mental health. Data sources Searches of MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Social Science Citation Index, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and Cochrane Qualitative Reviews 1 January 2009 to 24 November 2019 for empirical publications from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries in English/Scandinavian on factors affecting adult carer mental health during end-of-life caregiving in home settings. Review methods Systematic qualitative meta-synthesis in collaboration with a Public Patient Involvement carer Review Advisory Panel, included thematic synthesis, followed by a best-fit framework synthesis, informed by principles of meta-ethnography. Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Studies Checklist was used. Results Thirty-three eligible studies identified six themes encompassing factors perceived by carers to affect their mental health during end-of-life caregiving. These were: (1) the patient condition (including patient decline); (2) impact of caring responsibilities (including exhaustion, lack of time for own needs, isolation); (3) relationships (including quality of the patient-carer relationship); (4) finances (including financial concerns, impact on work); (5) carers' internal processes (including loss of autonomy, lack of confidence, coping strategies); and (6) support (including lack of informal support, inadequacies in formal support information and care provision, limited collaboration, disjointed care). Reported strategies to improve mental health were linked to the final two themes, with suggestions on how to manage carers' internal processes and build appropriate support. Findings correspond with literature 1998-2008, indicating consistency in factors affecting carers and adding validity to findings. Limitations The review was limited to caregiving in the home setting and studies from Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries published in English and Scandinavian. Identified papers predominantly considered carers of people with cancer, with little research into ethnic-minority perspectives. The review may therefore not fully encompass factors affecting carers of people with longer-term conditions, or those within other care settings, countries and population groups. Conclusions and future work A wide range of both internal and contextual factors may lead to psychological morbidity when caring for someone at the end of life. Future work within practice therefore requires a broad-based rather than narrow approach to sustaining and improving carer mental health. Future work within research requires collaboration between researchers and stakeholders within policy, commissioning, practice and carer organisations to develop solutions and assess their effectiveness. Further, researchers need to develop better models for factors affecting carer mental health and their interaction, to build a stronger evidence base and better guide interventions. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019130279. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme as award number HSDR 18/01/01 and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Background Family carers play a central role in supporting people at the end of life, but often suffer detrimental impacts on their own mental health as a result. This project conducted evidence synthesis of research into factors that may affect carers’ mental health to help identify ways of maintaining their mental health. It worked closely with a carer Review Advisory Panel to help ensure the findings made sense and were communicated meaningfully from the carers’ perspective. Aim To present: (1) principles and components that facilitated successful patient and public involvement in an evidence synthesis project to help inform patient and public involvement in similar projects; (2) recommendations for carer support that were instigated and produced by the Review Advisory Panel. Process and principles Nine Review Advisory Panel meetings including four to five carers, a lay Chair and three researchers were held. Solid ‘groundwork’ was invested in recruitment and relationship-building prior to meetings, and it was ensured that there was agreement of how to work together and clarification of expectations at the first meeting. Key meeting principles were: having a majority of carers, and a Chair with both carer and patient and public involvement experience, to ensure carer voices remained at the fore substantial researcher representation, including the project lead, to highlight the value placed on Review Advisory Panel meetings flexibility to follow carers’ agendas, enabling ‘space to talk’ and ‘space to change’ appropriate and prompt carer payment, again emphasising patient and public involvement value to the project. Added general principles were: ongoing training, ample funded time for Review Advisory Panel preparation and ongoing communication outside meetings. COVID moved all meetings online after the first meeting, but the principles were maintained. Outputs The project saw an evolution from patient and public involvement consultation to co-production. The main patient and public involvement output was recommendations for supporting carers based on project findings, instigated and produced by the Review Advisory Panel. Reflection on successful components and challenges Five carers (including the Chair) and six researchers responded to questions by e-mail. Analysis by one researcher, aided by two other researchers, was then reviewed by all participants and revised. Both carers and researchers felt the components that made the patient and public involvement work were: (1) a shared sense of purpose of and gains from the Review Advisory Panel; (2) personal gains; (3) mutual commitment and respect; and (4) bridging between academic and lay perspectives, through investment in training, ensuring carers were able to meaningfully comment, and continuous negotiation and compromise. Challenges were that the COVID-induced move from face-to-face to online meetings reduced informality, flexibility, personal connection and non-verbal communication. However, earlier groundwork facilitated group resilience to these challenges. Patient and public involvement representation on the wider Research Management Group proved less successful, flagging the importance of negotiating and defining patient and public involvement roles at all project levels. Conclusion The patient and public involvement principles employed, including meeting composition and chairing, and flexibility to follow carers’ agendas, appeared to facilitate the evolution from consultation to co-production of carer recommendations, but require further testing. Preconditions for successful remote working should be further investigated, as the different advantages of face-to-face and virtual meetings may be combined through hybrid working. The iterative and responsive working required for genuine co-production may require more flexible patient and public involvement funding models. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO registration 2019 CRD42019130279 at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (grant 18/01/01) and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Frailty is a medical condition common in older adults characterised by diminished strength and reduced physiologic function in which individuals are more vulnerable to multiple adverse health outcomes. Pre-frailty is an intermediate stage associated with some minor health outcomes. However, the main risk is progression toward moderate/severe frailty. Evidence shows physical activity interventions to be effective in slowing or modifying the progression of frailty. Researchers at the University of Manchester are developing a behaviour change intervention targeting pre-frail older adults, signposting them to group-based physical activity classes known to be effective for delaying/slowing frailty. This paper reports on the initial intervention development work with key stakeholders exploring the practicality of taking forward this intervention and identifying uncertainties to be explored in the feasibility stage. These included issues around physical activity messaging, the use of the term ‘frail’, identification/recruitment of pre-frail older adults, and the acceptability of behaviour change techniques. There was overwhelming support for a proactive approach to addressing pre-frailty issues. Given that a large proportion of older adults are estimated to be pre-frail, interventions aimed at this group have the potential to support healthy ageing, positively impacting on frailty outcomes and providing wider population health benefits.

Background Family carers are central in supporting patients nearing end of life. As a consequence, they often suffer detrimental impacts on their own mental health. Understanding what factors may affect carers' mental health is important in developing strategies to maintain their psychological well-being during caregiving. Aim To conduct a systematic review and thematic evidence synthesis of factors related to carers' mental health during end-of-life caregiving. Method Searches of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects 1 January 2009-24 November 2019. We included observational quantitative studies focusing on adult informal/family carers for adult patients at end of life cared for at home considering any factor related to carer mental health (anxiety, depression, distress and quality of life) pre-bereavement. Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale was used. Thematic analysis with box score presentation, and meta-analysis were done where data permitted. Results Findings from 63 included studies underpinned seven emergent themes. Patient condition (31 studies): worse patient psychological symptoms and quality of life were generally associated with worse carer mental health. Patient depression was associated with higher depression in carers (standardised mean difference = 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.32 to 0.87, I2 = 77%). Patients' other symptoms and functional impairment may relate to carer mental health, but findings were unclear. Impact of caring responsibilities (14 studies): impact on carers' lives, task difficulty and general burden had clear associations with worse carer mental health. Relationships (8 studies): family dynamics and the quality of the carer-patient relationship may be important for carer mental health and are worthy of further investigation. Finance (6 studies): insufficient resources may relate to carers' mental health and warrant further study. Carers' psychological processes (13 studies): self-efficacy and preparedness were related to better mental health. However, findings regarding coping strategies were mixed. Support (18 studies): informal support given by family and friends may relate to better carer mental health, but evidence on formal support is limited. Having unmet needs was related to worse mental health, while satisfaction with care was related to better mental health. Contextual factors (16 studies): older age was generally associated with better carer mental health and being female was associated with worse mental health. Limitations Studies were mainly cross-sectional (56) rather than longitudinal (7) which raises questions about the likely causal direction of relationships. One-third of studies had samples < 100, so many had limited statistical power to identify existing relationships. Conclusions and future work Future work must adopt a comprehensive approach to improving carers' mental health because factors relating to carer mental health cover a broad spectrum. The literature on this topic is diverse and difficult to summarise, and the field would benefit from a clearer direction of enquiry guided by explanatory models. Future research should (1) further investigate quality of relationships and finances; (2) better define factors under investigation; (3) establish, through quantitative causal analyses, why factors might relate to mental health; and (4) utilise longitudinal designs more to aid understanding of likely causal direction of associations. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO registration 2019 CRD42019130279 at https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/. Funding This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme HSDR 18/01/01 and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Background Family carers are central in supporting patients nearing the end of life, but this often has an impact on their own mental health. Understanding what factors may affect carers’ mental health is important in developing strategies to maintain mental health, through identifying carers at risk who may need added monitoring and support or developing interventions to change modifiable factors. Reviews of the qualitative, observational and intervention literature were conducted to address this. Aims (1) to review trials of carer interventions to improve our understanding of factors related to carer mental health identified in earlier qualitative and observational reviews; (2) to synthesise the evidence from our qualitative, observational and intervention reviews on factors related to carers’ mental health during end-of-life caregiving. Method We carried out searches of MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO® (American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, USA), Social Sciences Citation Index, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) from 1 January 2009 to 24 November 2019. We included studies into adult informal/family carers for adult patients at the end of life cared for at home that considered any factor related to carer mental health (anxiety, depression, distress, quality of life) pre bereavement. The quality appraisal used Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists and the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. The qualitative review analysis developed themes that then provided a framework for the quantitative review analyses. Findings from all three reviews were mapped onto a single framework, informed by a carer Review Advisory Panel. Results A total of 31 qualitative, 60 observational, 12 intervention and 3 mixed-methods studies were identified. Factors associated with carer mental health were as follows: (1) patient condition, particularly psychological symptoms and quality of life; (2) impact of caring responsibilities, particularly life changes, workload and carer burden; (3) relationships, particularly with the patient; (4) finances, whether sufficient or not; (5) internal processes, particularly self-efficacy; (6) support, particularly adequacy and quality of support; (7) contextual factors, particularly age and gender. The three types of literature were reflected in most themes and yielded similar or complementary results, adding validity to findings. Only observational studies investigated contextual factors. Intervention studies focused on modifiable factors, but added little evidence on the causal direction between factors and mental health owing to design and analysis limitations. Relationships and finance received little attention overall. There was limited research into ethnicity, race or culture. Quantitative research missed some factors highlighted by carers in qualitative studies (e.g. quality aspects of formal support), and focused more on ‘self-management’ within internal processes (emphasised less by carers). Limitations Findings are from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country English-language publications on adult carers and patients in the home setting and limited to these contexts. Literature heterogeneity (study focus, objectives, methods, variables, measures) hindered meta-synthesis. Conclusions Future work requires broad stakeholder engagement to address the diverse range of factors associated with carers’ mental health. Project findings will be disseminated accordingly. Future research needs more (1) work on defining and measuring concepts; (2) longitudinal design, repeated measurement and path analysis, to move beyond evidence of association towards an understanding of causal relationships; (3) focus on factors that matter to carers rather than what is easily measured or manipulated; and (4) investigation of relationships, finance, ethnicity, race and culture. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019130279. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme and will be published in Health and Social Care Delivery Research. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.