Addressing global disparities in blood pressure control : perspectives of the International Society of Hypertension
- Authors: Schutte, Aletta , Jafar, Tazeen , Poulter, Neil , Damasceno, Albertino , Khan, Nadia , Nilsson, Peter , Alsaid, Jafar , Neupane, Dinesh , Kario, Kazuomi , Beheiry, Hind , Brouwers, Sofie , Burger, Dylan , Charchar, Fadi , Cho, Myeong-Chan , Guzik, Tomasz , Haji Al-Saedi, Ghazi , Ishaq, Muhammad , Itoh, Hiroshi , Jones, Erika , Khan, Taskeen , Kokubo, Yoshihiro , Kotruchin, Praew , Muxfeldt, Elizabeth , Odili, Augustine , Patil, Mansi , Ralapanawa, Udaya , Romero, Cesar , Schlaich, Markus , Shehab, Abdulla , Mooi, Ching
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Cardiovascular Research Vol. 119, no. 2 (2023), p. 381-409
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- Description: Raised blood pressure (BP) is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Yet, its global prevalence is increasing, and it remains poorly detected, treated, and controlled in both high- and low-resource settings. From the perspective of members of the International Society of Hypertension based in all regions, we reflect on the past, present, and future of hypertension care, highlighting key challenges and opportunities, which are often region-specific. We report that most countries failed to show sufficient improvements in BP control rates over the past three decades, with greater improvements mainly seen in some high-income countries, also reflected in substantial reductions in the burden of cardiovascular disease and deaths. Globally, there are significant inequities and disparities based on resources, sociodemographic environment, and race with subsequent disproportionate hypertension-related outcomes. Additional unique challenges in specific regions include conflict, wars, migration, unemployment, rapid urbanization, extremely limited funding, pollution, COVID-19-related restrictions and inequalities, obesity, and excessive salt and alcohol intake. Immediate action is needed to address suboptimal hypertension care and related disparities on a global scale. We propose a Global Hypertension Care Taskforce including multiple stakeholders and societies to identify and implement actions in reducing inequities, addressing social, commercial, and environmental determinants, and strengthening health systems implement a well-designed customized quality-of-care improvement framework. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 30 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Fadi Charchar” is provided in this record**
Targeting dietary restraint to reduce binge eating : a randomised controlled trial of a blended internet- and smartphone app-based intervention
- Authors: Linardon, Jake , Messer, Mariel , Shatte, Adrian , Skvarc, David , Rosato, John , Rathgen, April , Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Psychological Medicine Vol. 53, no. 4 (2023), p. 1277-1287
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- Description: Background Existing internet-based prevention and treatment programmes for binge eating are composed of multiple distinct modules that are designed to target a broad range of risk or maintaining factors. Such multi-modular programmes (1) may be unnecessarily long for those who do not require a full course of intervention and (2) make it difficult to distinguish those techniques that are effective from those that are redundant. Since dietary restraint is a well-replicated risk and maintaining factor for binge eating, we developed an internet- and app-based intervention composed solely of cognitive-behavioural techniques designed to modify dietary restraint as a mechanism to target binge eating. We tested the efficacy of this combined selective and indicated prevention programme in 403 participants, most of whom were highly symptomatic (90% reported binge eating once per week). Method Participants were randomly assigned to the internet intervention (n = 201) or an informational control group (n = 202). The primary outcome was objective binge-eating frequency. Secondary outcomes were indices of dietary restraint, shape, weight, and eating concerns, subjective binge eating, disinhibition, and psychological distress. Analyses were intention-to-treat. Results Intervention participants reported greater reductions in objective binge-eating episodes compared to the control group at post-test (small effect size). Significant effects were also observed on each of the secondary outcomes (small to large effect sizes). Improvements were sustained at 8 week follow-up. Conclusions Highly focused digital interventions that target one central risk/maintaining factor may be sufficient to induce meaningful change in core eating disorder symptoms. © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press.
Transforming global approaches to chronic disease prevention and management across the lifespan : integrating genomics, behavior change, and digital health solutions
- Authors: Thomas, Shane , Browning, Collette , Charchar, Fadi , Klein, Britt , Ory, Marcia , Bowden-Jones, Henrietta , Chamberlain, Samuel
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 11, no. (2023), p.
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- Description: Chronic illnesses are a major threat to global population health through the lifespan into older age. Despite world-wide public health goals, there has been a steady increase in chronic and non-communicable diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders) and strong growth in mental health disorders. In 2010, 67% of deaths worldwide were due to chronic diseases and this increased to 74% in 2019, with accelerated growth in the COVID-19 era and its aftermath. Aging and wellbeing across the lifespan are positively impacted by the presence of effective prevention and management of chronic illness that can enhance population health. This paper provides a short overview of the journey to this current situation followed by discussion of how we may better address what the World Health Organization has termed the “tsunami of chronic diseases.” In this paper we advocate for the development, validation, and subsequent deployment of integrated: 1. Polygenic and multifactorial risk prediction tools to screen for those at future risk of chronic disease and those with undiagnosed chronic disease. 2. Advanced preventive, behavior change and chronic disease management to maximize population health and wellbeing. 3. Digital health systems to support greater efficiencies in population-scale health prevention and intervention programs. It is argued that each of these actions individually has an emerging evidence base. However, there has been limited research to date concerning the combined population-level health effects of their integration. We outline the conceptual framework within which we are planning and currently conducting studies to investigate the effects of their integration. Copyright © 2023 Thomas, Browning, Charchar, Klein, Ory, Bowden-Jones and Chamberlain.
A scoping review of community-based adult suicide prevention initiatives in rural and regional australia
- Authors: Dabkowski, Elissa , Porter, Joanne , Barbagallo, Michael , Prokopiv, Valerie , Jackson, Megan
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Vol. 19, no. 12 (2022), p.
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- Description: The need for continued research into suicide prevention strategies is undeniable, with high global statistics demonstrating the urgency of this public health issue. In Australia, approximately 3000 people end their lives each year, with those living in rural and regional areas identified as having a higher risk of dying by suicide. Due to decreased access and support services in these areas, community-based suicide prevention initiatives provide opportunities to educate and support local communities. A scoping review was conducted to explore the literature pertaining to such programs in rural and/or regional communities in Australia. This review follows the five-stage Arksey and O’Malley (2005) framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Nine databases were searched, from which studies were considered eligible if suicide prevention programs were community-based and catered for adults (aged
Aboriginal social work academics: failure to thrive due to having to fight to survive?
- Authors: Bennett, Bindi
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian social work Vol. 75, no. 3 (2022), p. 344-357
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- Description: The Behrendt report (2012) highlighted the significant lack of representation of Aboriginal people in higher education. It called for a collaborative approach by governments, universities, and professional bodies to drive systemic changes. In the last decade, this has resulted in an increase of Aboriginal students, staff, and researchers. This article presents a qualitative research study in which Aboriginal social work academic participants described their experiences of curriculum changes, workload, and research in the academy. Implications for universities, and social work programs, in particular, show where more is needed in the form of antiracist action plans and follow-through with these to address failure to thrive due to having to fight to survive in the academy. IMPLICATIONS Aboriginal social work academics are continuing to find academia to be socially and politically unsafe and unfairly competitive. Universities are experienced by Aboriginal social work academics as being often unsupportive and untrustworthy workplaces. Non-Aboriginal social work academics need to increase their commitment to, and actions regarding, antiracist practice with their Aboriginal colleagues.
Suicide and intimate partner violence risk assessment and decision-making
- Authors: Kellie, Grant , Louisa, Whitwam , Jennifer, Martin , Jennifer, White , Terry, Haines
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Advances in social work and welfare education Vol. 23, no. 1 (2021), p. 134-147
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- Description: This research explores the question: 'How do social workers and multidisciplinary mental health professionals perceive and understand risk and how does this inform decision-making and service provision?' In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with health and mental health workers employed at a major health service based in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were employed in hospitals, community health centres, and residential care facilities including specialist mental health services. Theoretic thematic analysis was used to identify seven dominant themes reported by study participants. These were: (1) establishing risk ownership (2) a hierarchy of fears (3) self-doubt and self-blame (4) organisational incident reviews (5) blame from client, family and society (6) the protective shield and (7) evaluating safety and meaning. The study findings have implications for further research and social work education on risk assessment, decision-making and appropriate social work responses. [Author abstract]
The kids are alright : outcome of a safety programme for addressing childhood injury in Australia
- Authors: Peck, Blake , Terry, Daniel
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education Vol. 11, no. 2 (Jun 2021), p. 546-556
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- Description: Globally, injuries are the leading cause of death and represent the highest burden of ongoing disease amongst children 1–16 years of age. Increasingly, prevention programmes are recognising a growing need for intervention strategies that target children. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of the SeeMore Safety Programme, designed to teach children (4–6 years of age) how to make conscious decisions about their own capabilities related to safety and how to manage risk. This retrospective study examined de-identified pre- and post-programme data from a sample of 1027 4 to 6-year-old pre-school children over the four-year period who participated in the SeeMore Safety Programme. Results show a significant improvement in each of the post-test scores and when compared to the pre-test scores (p < 0.001). Children from rural areas, as well as those from areas of greater disadvantage, also showed significant improvement in their pre- and post-test scores (p < 0.001). Overall, the findings highlight that the SeeMore Safety Programme over the four-year period demonstrates an increase in the children’s capacity to recognise and identify danger and safety amongst all children, offering great promise for reducing the burden of injury on children, their families and society.
A survey study of attitudes toward, and preferences for, e-therapy interventions for eating disorder psychopathology
- Authors: Linardon, Jake , Shatte, Adrian , Tepper, Hannah , Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Eating Disorders Vol. 53, no. 6 (2020), p. 907-916
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- Description: Objective: E-therapy shows promise as a solution to the barriers that stand in the way of people receiving eating disorder (ED) treatment. Despite the potential for e-therapy to reduce the well-known treatment gap, little is known about public views and perspectives on this mode of intervention delivery. This study explored attitudes toward, and preferences for, e-therapy among individuals spanning the spectrum of eating pathology. Method: Survey data assessing e-therapy attitudes and preferences were analyzed from 713 participants recruited from the public. Participants were categorized into one of five subgroups based on the type of self-reported ED symptoms and severity/risk level, ranging from high risk to a probable threshold or subthreshold ED. Results: Attitudes toward e-therapies appeared to be relatively positive; participants largely supported health care insurance coverage of costs for e-therapies, and were optimistic about the wide-ranging benefits of e-therapy. Although three-quarters of participants expressed a preference for face-to-face therapy, a significant percentage of participants (
E-mental health interventions for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders : an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
- Authors: Linardon, Jake , Shatte, Adrian , Messer, Mariel , Firth, Joseph , Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Matthew
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Vol. 88, no. 11 (2020), p. 994-1007
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- Description: Objectives: E-mental health (digital) interventions can help overcome existing barriers that stand in the way of people receiving help for an eating disorder (ED). Although e-mental health interventions for treating and preventing EDs have been met with enthusiasm, earlier reviews brought attention to poor quality of evidence, and offered solutions to enhance their evidence base. To assess developments in the field, we conducted an updated meta-analysis on the efficacy of e-mental health interventions for treating and preventing EDs, paying attention to whether trial quality and outcomes have improved in recent trials. We also assessed whether user-centered design principles have been implemented in existing digital interventions. Method: Four databases were searched for RCTs of digital interventions for treating and preventing EDs. Thirty-six RCTs (28 prevention- and 8 treatment-focused) were included. Results: Some evidence that study quality improved in recent prevention-focused trials was found. Few trials involved the end-user in the design or development stage of the intervention. Issues with intervention engagement were noted, and 1 in 4 participants dropped out from prevention- and treatment-focused trials. Digital interventions were more effective than control conditions in reducing established risk factors and symptoms in prevention- (g’s = 0.19 to 0.43) and treatment-focused trials (g’s = 0.29 to 0.69), respectively. Effect sizes have not increased in recent trials. Few trials compared a digital intervention with a face-to-face intervention. Whether digital interventions can prevent ED onset is unclear. Conclusion: Digital interventions are a promising approach to ED treatment and prevention, but improvements are still needed. Three key recommendations are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)What is the public health significance of this article?: E-mental health interventions show promise in addressing eating disorder symptoms and risk factors. However, issues with study quality, drop-out, and engagement are noted, and researchers are encouraged to involve the end-user in all stages of the intervention development and implementation to optimize outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) © 2020 American Psychological Association
Designing security intelligent agent for petrol theft prevention
- Authors: Bakkar, Mahmoud , Alazab, Ammar
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Relation: 2019 Cybersecurity and Cyberforensics Conference CCC 2019; Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 8-9 May 2019 p. 123-128
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- Description: Automotive industry has increased exponentially in recent years, and the number of car drivers has increased in the street as well, that lead to the increasing demand for using fuel stations. The increasing demand causes an increase of theft cases in the fuel stations particularly customers filling their cars and not paying for it. Although, there are several anti-petrol theft initiatives which include the use of Closed-Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) to recognize vehicle number plates or people's faces. However, the record shows that existing methods for detecting petrol theft are less ineffective and time-consuming as it has been delayed in detecting the offenders and it is not a good measure to deter offenders as it is weak to be precise on evidence/mapping features. In this paper, Media Access Control (MAC) address detection of mobile devices used for preventing the petrol theft. Mac addresses are extracted from the customer mobile devices to develop a framework that can prevent and detect petrol theft. Also, car plate number is captured as well to develop this framework.
Community empowerment and trust: Social media use during the Hazelwood mine fire
- Authors: Susan, Yell , Michelle, Duffy
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian journal of emergency management Vol. 33, no. 2 (2018), p. 66-70
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- Description: During and after a disaster, affected communities grapple with how to respond and make sense of the experience. The physical and mental health of individuals is often adversely affected, as is the well being of the community. In early 2014, a fire in the Morwell open cut coalmine adjacent to the Hazelwood power station in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria burned for approximately 45 days, shrouding surrounding communities in smoke. As authorities struggled to put out the fire, the nearby communities became increasingly concerned about the perceived health risks of exposure to the smoke, particulate matter and gas emissions from the burning coal. The Hazelwood mine fire, initially treated as a fire emergency, 'evolved into a chronic technological disaster and a significant and lengthy environmental and health crisis' (Government of Victoria 2014, p. 28). In response to the crisis, people turned to social media as an alternative space in which to share information, tell their stories and organise for the purpose of activism. This paper takes the Hazelwood mine fire as a case study to examine how a community used social media (specifically Facebook) during a complex technological crisis involving health effects. It examines the issues facing emergency organisations and communities in relation to information and trust, and identifies the strengths and pitfalls of social media use in relation to community empowerment and engagement.
Systematic development of a tennis injury prevention programme
- Authors: Pas, Haiko , Bodde, Stefan , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Pluim, Babette , Tiemessen, Ivo , Tol, Johannes , Verhagen, Evert , Gouttebarge, Vincent
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine Vol. 4, no. 1 (2018), p. 1-7
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- Description: Introduction Despite an injury incidence of up to 3.0/1000 hours of play, there are no published tennis injury prevention programmes. This article aims to describe the developmental process of TennisReady, an e-health tennis-specific injury programme for adult recreational tennis players. Five-step approach A bottom-up, five-step approach was used with the Knowledge Transfer Scheme as a guideline. During the first step, a problem statement among targeted users was carried out. 475 (partially) completed surveys and group interviews (n=8) revealed a preference for an app-based prevention intervention of 10-15 min. As a second step, a systematic review was performed to identify prevention strategies in tennis. None were found. In step 3, during two expert group meetings (n=18), the findings of the first two steps were discussed and goals were formulated. Relevant and potential exercises for the programme were discussed. A subgroup of a total of six physical therapists, physicians and trainers developed the content of the programme in step 4. Step 5 included an evaluation of the exercises in 33 recreational tennis players. Participants evaluated the exercises during training sessions with trainers involved in the programme's development or their colleagues. Participants evaluated the programme through standardised surveys or group interviews. Based on this evaluation, the programme was adjusted by altering exercises and frequencies, and it was evaluated in a second target group (n=27). The second evaluation did not result in any major changes to the final prevention programme. Conclusion Through a five-step approach guided by the Knowledge Transfer Scheme, we developed an e-health tennis-specific prevention programme for adult tennis players. This 10 min intervention will require testing in a randomised controlled setting.
Using principles of motor learning to enhance ACL injury prevention programs
- Authors: Gokeler, Alli , Benjaminse, Anne , Seil, Romain , Kerkhoffs, Gino , Verhagen, Evert
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology Vol. 34, no. 1 (2018), p. 23-30
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- Description: Findings from efficacy studies have shown decreased in ACL injury rates in (predominantly female) athletes participating in prevention programs. Given the inherent higher ACL injury risk for females, the majority of intervention studies, have focused on female athletes. Subsequently, the content of exercises in ACL prevention programs is directed to target the modifiable ACL injury risk factors for female athletes. The literature is generally scarce regarding the efficacy of prevention programs to reduce ACL injuries in male athletes. In general, reduction of ACL injury rates seem to be limited to (young) female athletes and male athletes playing at low level of sports. Typically, ACL injury prevention programs entail a combination of plyometrics, strength training, agility and balance exercises. A problem is that improvements of movement patterns are not sustained over time. The reason may be related to the type of instructions given during training. Encouraging athletes to consciously control knee movements during exercises may not be optimal for the acquisition of complex motor skills. In the motor learning domain, these type of instructions are defined as an internal attentional focus. An internal focus, on one's own movements results in a more conscious type of control that may hamper motor learning. It has been established in numerous studies that an external focus of attention facilitates motor learning more effectively due to the utilization of automatic motor control. Subsequently, the athlete has more recourses available to anticipate on situations on the field and take appropriate feed forward directed actions. The purpose of this manuscript was to present methods to optimize motor skill acquisition of athletes and elaborate on athletes’ behavior.
A multifactorial evaluation of illness risk factors in athletes preparing for the Summer Olympic Games
- Authors: Drew, Michael , Vlahovich, Nicole , Hughes, David , Appaneal, Renee , Peterson, Kirsten , Burke, Louise , Lundy, Bronwen , Toomey, Mary , Watts, David , Lovell, Gregory , Praet, Stephan , Halson, Shona , Colbey, Candice , Manzanero, Silvia , Welvaert, Marijke , West, Nic , Pyne, David , Waddington, Gordon
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 20, no. 8 (2017), p. 745-750
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- Description: Objectives Illness can disrupt training and competition performance of athletes. Few studies have quantified the relative contribution of the known medical, behavioural and lifestyle risk factors. Design Cross-sectional. Methods Olympic athletes from 11 sports (n = 221) were invited to complete questionnaires administered nine months before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. These included the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Questionnaire (DASS-21), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Dispositional Resilience Scale (DRS), Recovery-Stress Questionnaire (REST-Q-52 item), Low Energy in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q), a modified Personal and Household Hygiene questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and custom-made questionnaires on probiotic usage and travel. An illness (case) was defined as an event which limited training or competition for greater hours in the prior month. Odds ratios and attributable fractions in the population (AFP) were utilised for categorical variables with independent t-tests or Wilcoxon rank-sum for continuous variables. Results Eighty-one athletes responded (male, n = 26; female, n = 55). There were 16 illness cases and 65 controls. Female athletes were at higher odds of illness (OR = 9.4, 95%CI 1.3–410, p = 0.01, AFP = 0.84). Low energy availability (LEAF-Q score ≥8: OR = 7.4, 95%CI 0.78–352, p = 0.04, AFP = 0.76), depression symptoms (DASS-21: depression score >4, OR = 8.4, 95%CI 1.1–59, p < 0.01; AFP = 0.39) and higher perceived stress (PSS: 10-item, p = 0.04) were significantly associated with illness. Conclusions Female sex, low energy availability, and mental health are associated with sports incapacity (time loss) due to illness. Low energy availability had high attributable fractions in the population and stands out as a primary association with illness. © 2017
Online news media reporting of football-related fatalities in Australia : A matter of life and death
- Authors: Fortington, Lauren , Bekker, Sheree , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Vol. 21, no. 3 (2017), p. 245-249
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- Description: Objectives: While deaths in sports settings are rare, they do occur. To develop an understanding of the sports and people most at risk, and to identify opportunities for prevention, routine and systematic data detailing the occurrence of these fatalities is required. There is currently no routine reporting of data of this nature in Australia. As there is often strong community interest in these incidents, the media offers an opportunity for surveillance. However before this can occur, understanding of the terminology used by the media is required. The aim of this study was to identify the terminology most frequently used in online Australian news media coverage of football-related deaths. Design: Retrospective review of online news media. Methods: Three databases were searched for online news media reports of people who died while participating in football (all football codes) in Australia. A descriptive analysis of terminology was undertaken to identify the common language applied. Results: Thirty-four football-related fatalities in Australia were identified between 2010-2016, via 149 separate articles. The most frequent terms identified in the media items were: Family; Club; Rugby; Football; Player; League; Died; Game; Death; Life; Loved; Hospital; Match; Young; Community; Playing; Friends; Sport; Heart; AFL [Australian Football League]. Conclusions: This study identified terminology used in reporting football-related fatalities in Australia, identifying common reference to terms relating to 'death' as metaphors and the frequent celebration of 'life.' The findings suggest that a reliance on researcher-generated terminology will be insufficient to reflect media discourse in prospective monitoring of sports deaths for surveillance.
Preventing musculoskeletal injuries among recreational adult volleyball players : Design of a randomised prospective controlled trial
- Authors: Gouttebarge, Vincent , Zwerver, Johannes , Verhagen, Evert
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders Vol. 18, no. 1 (2017), p. 1-6
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- Description: Background: Both acute and overuse injuries are common among recreational volleyball players, especially finger/wrist, ankle, shoulder and knee injuries. Consequently, an intervention ('VolleyVeilig') was developed to prevent or reduce the occurrence of finger/wrist, shoulder, knee and ankle injuries among recreational volleyball players. This article describes the design of a study evaluating the effectiveness of the developed intervention on the one-season occurrence of finger/wrist, shoulder, knee and ankle injuries among recreational adult volleyball players. Methods: A randomized prospective controlled trial with a follow-up period of one volleyball season will be conducted. Participants will be healthy recreational adult volleyball players (18 years of age or older) practicing volleyball (training and/or match) at least twice a week. The intervention ('VolleyVeilig') consists of a warm-up program based on more than 50 distinct exercises (with different variations and levels). The effect of the intervention programme on the occurrence of injuries will be compared to volleyball as usual. Outcome measures will be incidence of acute injury (expressed as number of injuries per 1000 h of play) and prevalence of overuse injuries (expressed as percentage). Discussion: This study will be one of the first randomized prospective controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention on the occurrence of both acute and overuse injuries among recreational adult volleyball players. Outcome of this study could possibly lead to the nationwide implementation of the intervention in all volleyball clubs in The Netherlands, ultimately resulting in less injuries. Trial registration: Dutch Trial Registration NTR6202, registered February 1st 2017. Protocol: Version 3, February 2017. © 2017 The Author(s).
Prevention of sport related facial injuries
- Authors: Black, Amanda , Patton, Declan , Eliason, Paul , Emery, Carolyn
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Clinics in Sports Medicine Vol. 36, no. 2 (2017), p. 257-278
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- Description: There is evidence that eye protection, mouth guards, helmets, and face guards are effective in reducing the risk of facial injury; however, such safety practices are not adopted universally by all athletes playing high risk sports. Underlying beliefs about risk perception, comfort, ineffectiveness, utility, and a lack of awareness or enforcement have been identified as reasons people may not adopt preventive measures. There are several high-risk sports that have not mandated or do not enforce use of protective equipment. Valid evidence can assist with addressing the resistance caused by prevailing beliefs and could be essential in influencing rule changes.
Increasing compliance with neuromuscular training to prevent ankle sprain in sport : Does the 'Strengthen your ankle' mobile App make a difference? A randomised controlled trial
- Authors: van Reijen, Miriam , Vriend, Ingrid , Zuidema, Victor , van Mechelen, Willem , Verhagen, Evert
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: British Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 50, no. 19 (2016), p. 1200-1205
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- Description: Background: E-health has the potential to facilitate implementation of effective measures to prevent sports injuries. Aim: We evaluated whether an interactive mobile application containing a proven effective exercise programme to prevent recurrent ankle sprains resulted in higher compliance as compared with regular written exercise materials. Methods: 220 athletes participated in this randomised controlled trial with a follow-up of 8 weeks; 110 athletes received a booklet explaining an 8-week neuromuscular training programme; 110 athletes participated in the same programme in an interactive mobile App (Strengthen your ankle). The primary outcome was compliance with the exercise programme. Secondary outcome measure was the incidence density of self-reported recurrent ankle sprains. Results: The mean compliance to the exercise scheme was 73.3% (95% CI 67.7% to 78.1%) in the App group, compared with 76.7% (95% CI 71.9% to 82.3%) in the Booklet group. No significant difference in compliance was found between groups. The incidence densities of self-reported time-loss recurrences were not significantly different between both groups (HR 3.07; 95% CI 0.62 to 15.20). Summary: This study shows that the method of implementing the exercises by using an App or a Booklet does not lead to different compliance rates. New findings: The use of a mobile App or a Booklet lead to similar compliance and injury rates in the short term. Trial registration number: The Netherlands National Trial Register NTR 4027. The NTR is part of the WHO Primary Registries. © 2016, BMJ Publishing Group. All rights reserved.
Sport injuries sustained by athletes with disability : A systematic review
- Authors: Weiler, Richard , van Mechelen, Willem , Fuller, Colin , Verhagen, Evert
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 8 (2016), p. 1141-1153
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- Description: Background Fifteen percent of the world's population live with disability, and many of these individuals choose to play sport. There are barriers to sport participation for athletes with disability and sports injury can greatly impact on daily life, which makes sports injury prevention additionally important. Objective The purpose of this review is to systematically review the definitions, methodologies and injury rates in disability sport, which should assist future identification of risk factors and development of injury prevention strategies. A secondary aim is to highlight the most pressing issues for improvement of the quality of injury epidemiology research for disability sport. Methods A search of NICE, AMED, British Nursing Index, CINAHL, EMBASE and Medline was conducted to identify all publications up to 16 June 2015. Of 489 potentially relevant articles and reference searching, a total of 15 studies were included. Wide study sample heterogeneity prevented data pooling and meta-analysis. Results Results demonstrated an evolving field of epidemiology, but with wide differences in sports injury definition and with studies focused on short competitions. Background data were generally sparse; there was minimal exposure analysis, and no analysis of injury severity, all of which made comparison of injury risk and injury severity difficult. Conclusion There is an urgent need for consensus on sports injury definition and methodology in disability sports. The quality of studies is variable, with inconsistent sports injury definitions, methodologies and injury rates, which prevents comparison, conclusions and development of injury prevention strategies. The authors highlight the most pressing issues for improvement of the quality in injury epidemiology research for disability sport.
The epistemic basis of distance running injury research : A historical perspective
- Authors: Hulme, Adam , Finch, Caroline
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article , Editorial
- Relation: Journal of Sport and Health Science Vol. 5, no. 2 (2016), p. 172-175
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1058737
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