Preventing excessive gestational weight gain : a systematic review of interventions

Women who gain excessive weight during pregnancy have an increased risk of post-partum obesity, and retention of gestational weight gain (GWG) post birth is a strong predictor of maternal overweight/obesity a decade or more after the birth. The aim of the current review was to identify, and evaluate the effect of key variables designed to modify risk factors for excessive weight gain in pregnant
women that have been targeted in interventions over the last decade. The 10 interventions focused primarily on behavioural changes in relation to physical activity and/or to eating. While six studies reported significantly less weight gain in the intervention women, only three showed that women in the intervention were significantly more likely to gain within recommended guidelines. GWG was reduced in only normal-weight, low-income, obese, or overweight women, or not at all. Only one study reported a reduction in GWG in women with body mass indexes spanning the normal, overweight and obese categories. The findings were inconsistent in relation to what factors need to be targeted in intervention programmes to reduce GWG. Consideration of psychological factors relevant to pregnancy, in addition to behavioural changes in relation to eating and physical activity, is suggested for future intervention studies.

Interventions to prevent obesity in 0-5 year olds : an updated systematic review of the literature

The small number and recency of the early childhood obesity-prevention literature identified in a previous review of interventions to prevent obesity, promote healthy eating, physical activity, and/or reduce sedentary behaviors in 0-5 year olds suggests this is a new and developing research area. The current review was conducted to provide an update of the rapidly emerging evidence in this area and to assess the quality of studies reported. Ten electronic databases were searched to identify literature published from January 1995 to August 2008. Inclusion criteria: interventions reporting child anthropometric, diet, physical activity, or sedentary behavior outcomes and focusing on children aged 0-5 years of age. Exclusion criteria: focusing on breastfeeding, eating disorders, obesity treatment, malnutrition, or school-based interventions. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study quality. Twenty-three studies met all criteria. Most were conducted in preschool/childcare (n = 9) or home settings (n = 8). Approximately half targeted socioeconomically disadvantaged children (n = 12) and three quarters were published from 2003 onward (n = 17). The interventions varied widely although most were multifaceted in their approach. While study design and quality varied most studies reported their interventions were feasible and acceptable, although impact on behaviors that contribute to obesity were not achieved by all. Early childhood obesity-prevention interventions represent a rapidly growing research area. Current evidence suggests that behaviors that contribute to obesity can be positively impacted in a range of settings and provides important insights into the most effective strategies for promoting healthy weight from early childhood.

The effect of the introduction of teaching interventions and assessment strategies in first year management units

This Scholarship of Teaching research aimed to ultimately become a report and a series of recommendations on the teaching of first year Management units in universities. Many of the Australian universities benchmark themselves against the leaders in the Course Experience Questionnaires (CEQ) (Ramsden 1991) of graduating students in Australia. Most Australian universities have their own student satisfaction evaluation method. In this study the subject university uses the Student Evaluation of Teachers and Units (SETU) as their internal method of measuring the effectiveness of teaching on units on a cohort by cohort basis. This project, using one of the largest units in a Business and Law Faculty had specific measurable objectives; the results of the unit teams' interventions demonstrate that it is possible to increase student satisfaction during their transition year by as much as 11.5%. The ten recommendations ranging from changes to unit objectives, assessment methods and updated methods of marking, communication and student support, if acted upon, should have ongoing benefits for teaching and learning of first year management units.

Do indicated preventive interventions for depression represent good value for money?

The prevention of depression is of growing interest to researchers and policy makers. However, the question of whether interventions designed to prevent depression provide value for money at a population level remains largely unanswered. The current study assesses the cost-effectiveness of two indicated interventions designed to prevent depression: a brief psychological intervention based on bibliotherapy and a more comprehensive group-based psychological intervention following opportunistic screening for sub-syndromal depression in general practice. Method: Economic modelling using a cost utility framework was used to assess the incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of the two interventions within the Australian population context, modelled as add-ons to current practice. The perspective was the health sector and outcomes were measured using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Uncertainty was measured using probabilistic uncertainty testing and important model assumptions were tested using univariate sensitivity testing. Results: The brief bibliotherapy intervention had an ICER of AU$8600 per DALY and the group-based psychological intervention had an ICER of AU$20 000 per DALY. The majority of the uncertainty simulations for both interventions fell below the cost-effectiveness threshold value of $50 000 per DALY. Extensive sensitivity testing showed that the results were robust to the assumptions made in the analyses. Conclusions: Following screening in general practice, both psychological interventions, particularly brief bibliotherapy, appear to be good value for money and worthy of further evaluation under routine care circumstances. Acceptability issues associated with such interventions, particularly to primary care practitioners as providers of the interventions and health system administrators, also need to be considered before wide-scale adoption is contemplated.

Domestic and sexual violence and abuse : findings from a Delphi expert consultation on therapeutic and treatment interventions with victims, survivors and abusers, children adolescents, and adults

This report presents the results of one piece of research conducted as a part of the Victims of Violence and Abuse Prevention Programme (VVAPP) in the UK, namely a three round Delphi consultation. This Delphi consultation was undertaken to identify where there is and is not consensus among experts about what is known and what works in the treatment and care of people affected by child sexual abuse, domestic violence and abuse, and rape and sexual assault. It enables the identification of areas of agreement and disagreement about effective mental health service responses, and thereby contributes to the evidence base in this area.

Community level interventions to improve food security in developed countries (Protocol)

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows:

To systematically review the effects of community level interventions in improving food security in developed countries, both across whole communities and for disadvantaged or at-risk individuals or groups within a community. We also aim to identify features of community food security interventions that enable or impede the effective implementation of these interventions.

Methodology pursuit for complex KM project : applying structured-case with action interventions

Complex qualitative research projects often require not only adjustments during project implemellfation, but also
adaptation of the methodology and research design. The paper discusses the enhancement of the structured-case
approach to include action research style interventions within structured-case cycles. An application of this approach is presented based on a study of a Community of Practice (CoP) ill the information .lystems domain conducted in four research cycles over several years. The major benefits of the evolved method in elude the flexibility of the resulting research process, and the capacity to capture diverse project outcomes, at the same time making themy building more transparent

UN-consistent : a comparison of Australia's military interventions in Somalia and Rwanda

This article seeks to compare Australia's involvement in two key 1990s peace missions: those to Somalia in 1992-93 and Rwanda in 1994-95. While there are many similarities between the two missions in terms of time, scale and theatre, the differences are more important. Both missions are usually recalled as failures despite the Australian troops having been extremely successful in their roles during both deployments. Moreover the experiences with intervention in Africa seem to have forever blighted Australian participation in peace missions on that continent.