Pilot Randomized Trial of a Family Management Efficacy Intervention for Caregivers of African American Adolescents with Disruptive Behaviors

Background

Caregivers of adolescents diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and/or Conduct Disorder (ODD/CD) experience unique challenges when interacting with child service systems involved in their adolescents’ care. Absent from the literature are interventions to improve these interactions, which in the long term may improve adolescent behavioral health outcomes.

Objective

To examine feasibility/acceptability of Family Management Efficacy (FAME) intervention content, structure, delivery, and appropriateness of selected measures for caregivers of African American adolescents with ODD/CD. Secondary aim was to explore changes in FAME caregivers’ interaction self-efficacy, stress, quality of life, and family functioning scores relative to caregivers receiving treatment as usual (TAU).

Method

A pilot two-group randomized trial was conducted with caregivers of African American adolescents (ages 12–18 years) diagnosed with ODD/CD receiving FAME (n?=?11) or TAU (n?=?9). Feasibility outcomes of enrollment/attrition, measurement completion, session attendance, and homework completion were assessed using tracking logs and field notes, and acceptability through caregiver satisfaction scores and interviews. Preliminary outcomes were assessed at baseline, post- and 2-months post intervention.

Results

FAME was highly acceptable and met a priori thresholds for feasibility in enrollment (56%), attrition (35%), caregiver attendance (55%), and homework completion (50%), with lower than anticipated kin attendance (42%) and measurement completion (55%). Preliminary outcomes suggest FAME may benefit caregivers in areas of family communication, cohesion, and quality of life, but lacked observed benefit for self-efficacy and problem solving indicating need for refinement.

Conclusion

Results inform changes to FAME content, measurement, and delivery schedule in preparation for a fully powered randomized controlled trial.

     

Branding a School-Based Campaign Combining Healthy Eating and Eco-friendliness

Objective

To develop a branding strategy for a campaign to improve the quality of foods children bring from home to school, using a combined healthy eating and eco-friendly approach and for a control campaign focusing solely on nutrition.

Impact of immunization against SpyCEP during invasive disease with two streptococcal species: Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus equi

Currently there is no licensed vaccine against the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes. The highly conserved IL-8 cleaving S. pyogenes cell envelope proteinase SpyCEP is surface expressed and is a potential vaccine candidate. A recombinant N-terminal part of SpyCEP (CEP) was expressed and purified. AntiCEP antibodies were found to neutralize the IL-8 cleaving activity of SpyCEP. CEP-immunized mice had reduced bacterial dissemination from focal S. pyogenes intramuscular infection and intranasal infection. We also identified a functional SpyCEP-homolog protease SeCEP, expressed by the equine pathogen Streptococcus equi, which was able to cleave both human and equine IL-8. CEP-immunized mice also demonstrated reduced bacterial dissemination from S. equi intramuscular infection. Therefore immunization against SpyCEP may provide protection against other streptococci species with homologous proteases.     

Concordance of cancer patients’ function, symptoms, and supportive care needs

Purpose  

Although patients’ function, symptoms, and supportive care needs are obviously related, a better understanding of these relationships could improve patient management.     

University students’ drinking as a social practice and the challenge for public health

In this paper, we explore the relational dynamics of alcohol consumption by university students, drawing on qualitative interviews with fifty undergraduates in Victoria, Australia. We argue that university drinking is a social practice comprised of a bundle of activities that operate together to reinforce excessive consumption. Drawing on a distinct version of social practice theory, we conceptualise drinking as an organising principle of university social life with interacting elements – meanings, materials and competences. The meanings of drinking include cultural conventions, expectations and socially shared meanings that alcohol is central to student life. Materials of drinking include objects and infrastructures such as, beverage choice, drinking venues and mobile phones. Drinking competences include managing bodily effects of alcohol but also social relationships while consuming alcohol. The distinct social practice perspective we utilise can assist public health to address the interrelated dynamics of alcohol consumption as a social practice, with its own trajectory into which students are recruited and become carriers of the practice while at university.     

20-Year prevalence projections for dementia and impact of preventive policy about risk factors

Incidence of dementia increases sharply with age and, because of the increase in life expectancy, the number of dementia cases is expected to rise dramatically over time. Some studies suggest that controlling some modifiable risk factors for dementia like diabetes or hypertension could lower its incidence. However, as treating these vascular factors would also reduce mortality risk, the actual impact of such public-health intervention on dementia prevalence is not known. Accounting for the impact of dementia and risk factors on mortality, the aim of this work was (1) to compute projections of age- and-sex specific prevalence of dementia in France from 2010 to 2030, (2) to evaluate how public-health interventions targeting risk factors for dementia could change these projections. Age-and-sex specific incidence of dementia and mortality of demented subjects were estimated from the Paquid population-based cohort using a semi-parametric illness-death model. Future global mortality rates and population sizes were obtained from national demographic projections. Under the assumption that life expectancy will increase by 3.5 years for men and 2.8 years for women by 2030, the number of subjects with dementia was estimated to increase by about 75 % from 2010 to 2030 with a 200 % increase after 90 years of age. Therapeutic intervention on the whole population reducing high blood pressure prevalence would lead to a decrease in both dementia incidence rates and mortality and would have a modest impact on the number of dementia cases. On the other hand, a preventive dementia treatment targeting ApoE4 carriers would probably not improve survival and hence would decrease dementia prevalence by 15–25 %.     

Consumption pattern,biochemical composition and nutritional value of fermented pearl millet gruels in Burkina Faso

Ben-kida and ben-saalga are popular pearl-millet-based fermented gruels in Burkina Faso. A survey of 318 households in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) showed that they are often used as complementary food for young children. Pearl millet and gruels, sampled in 48 production units, were analysed for proximate composition, factors reducing nutrient bioavailability (phytate, insoluble fibres and iron-binding phenolic compounds), α-galactosides, sugars, total lactic acid and d-lactic acid, zinc and iron contents. The effects of processing of pearl millet into fermented gruel are discussed. Both positive effects (e.g. a decrease in factors reducing nutrient bioavailability or α-galactosides) and undesirable effects (e.g. considerable lipid, protein, iron and zinc losses) were observed. Lactic acid was produced during processing and d(?)-lactate was detected in all samples. The gruels had very low energy density, even after addition of sugar, and low lipid, protein and mineral contents, well below recommendations for complementary foods.