Obesity in People with Learning Disabilities: the impact of nurse led health screenings and health promotion activities

Background. Obesity appears to be more common among people with intellectual disabilities, with few studies focusing on achieving weight reduction. Aim. Firstly, to follow up people identified as overweight and obese following special health screening clinics and to determine the actions taken. Secondly, to evaluate the impact of health promotion classes on participants' weight loss. Methods. A clinic led by two learning disbaility nurses was held for all people aged 10 years and over (n=464) who attended special services within the area of one Health and Social Services Trust in Northern Ireland. In a second study, the nurses organised health promotion classes for 20 people over a 6 - 8 week period. Findings. The health screen identified 64% of adults and 26% of 10 - 19 year olds as being overweight or obese. Moreover, those aged 40 - 49 years who were obese had significantly higher levels of blood pressure. However, information obtained from a follow up questionnaire sent after 3 months suggested that of the 122 people identified for wiehgt reduciton, action had been taken for only 34% of them and only three were reported to have lost weight. The health promotion classes, however, led to a significant reduction in weight and body mass index scores. Conclusion. Health screening per se has limited impact on reducing obesity levels in this client group. Rather, health personnel such as general practitioners, nurses and health promotion staff need to work in partnership with service staff, carers and people with intellectual disabiltieis to create more active lifestyles.

Using survey data to explore preschool children’s ethnic awareness and attitudes

This article presents the findings of a large-scale survey (n = 1049) of ethnic awareness and attitudes among three to four-year-old children in Northern Ireland. In drawing upon and applying Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, the article demonstrates how, even at this age, the children are already beginning to embody and internalize the cultural habits and dispositions of their respective ethnic groups; namely the Protestant and Catholic communities. This is illustrated in the present article in relation to the children’s attitudes towards particular national flags and awareness of specific sports associated with their respective communities. Informed by the work of Bourdieu, the article concludes by arguing for the need for greater use of quantitative methods in conjunction with in-depth qualitative and ethnographic research to help further our understanding of the influence of ethnicity in young children’s lives.

Nurse-mediated serum cholesterol reduction and health locus of control--a device for targeting health promotion?

Varying intensities of nurse-mediated health education advice were administered to subjects over a three-month period. Mean serum total cholesterol was calculated for each group at the outset and completion of the study. A multidimensional health locus of control (MHLC) scales questionnaire was self-completed by subjects at the outset. A highly significant association between internality and reduction in serum total cholesterol in the high-intensity intervention group was observed. The completion of a MHLC scale questionnaire may assist health professionals in identifying which subjects may most benefit from high-intensity health education advice when raised serum total cholesterol is prevalent.

Carotenoids and health in older people

As the proportion of older people increases, so will chronic disease incidence and the proportion of the population living with disability. Therefore, new approaches to maintain health for as long as possible in this age group are required. Carotenoids are a group of polyphenolic compounds found predominantly in fruit and vegetables that have been proposed to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Such properties may impact on the risk diseases which predominate in older people, and also ageing-related physiological changes. Working out the effect of carotenoid intake versus fruit and vegetable intake is difficult, and the strong correlation between individual carotenoid intakes also complicates any attempt to examine individual carotenoid health effects. Similarly, research to determine whether carotenoids consumed as supplements have similar benefits to increased dietary intake through whole foods, is still required. However, reviewing the recent evidence suggests that carotenoid intake and status are relatively consistently associated with reduced CVD risk, although β-carotene supplementation does not reduce CVD risk and increases lung cancer risk. Increased lycopene intake may reduce prostate cancer progression, with a potential role for carotenoids at other cancer sites. Lutein and zeaxanthin have a plausible role in the maintenance of eye health, whilst an association between carotenoid intake and cognitive and physical health appears possible, although research is limited to date. Given this accruing evidence base to support a specific role for certain carotenoids and ageing, current dietary advice to consume a diet rich in fruit and vegetables would appear prudent, and efforts maintained to encourage increased intake.

Combining environmental and medical datasets to explore potential associations between environmental factors and health: Policy implications for human health risk assessments

This review paper discusses the use of Tellus and Tellus Border soil and stream geochemistry data to investigate the relationship between medical data and naturally occurring background levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) such as heavy metals in soils and water. The research hypothesis is that long-term low level oral exposure of PTEs via soil and water may result in cumulative exposures that may act as risk factors for progressive diseases including cancer and chronic kidney disease. A number of public policy implications for regional human health risk assessments, public health policy and education are also explored alongside the argument for better integration of multiple data sets to enhance ongoing medical and social research. This work presents a partnership between the School of Geography, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Queen’s University Belfast, and the nephrology (kidney medicine) research group.

All the World's a Stage: Facilitating Discovery Science and Improved Cancer Care through the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health

The recent explosion of genetic and clinical data generated from tumor genome analysis presents an unparalleled opportunity to enhance our understanding of cancer, but this opportunity is compromised by the reluctance of many in the scientific community to share datasets and the lack of interoperability between different data platforms. The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health is addressing these barriers and challenges through a cooperative framework that encourages "team science" and responsible data sharing, complemented by the development of a series of application program interfaces that link different data platforms, thus breaking down traditional silos and liberating the data to enable new discoveries and ultimately benefit patients.

Racist harassment in the white hinterlands: minority ethnic children and parents' experiences in schools in Northern Ireland

This article explores the nature and extent of racist harassment in predominantly white areas. It is based upon a case study of Northern Ireland and draws upon data from indepth interviews with a total of 32 children and 43 parents drawn from the four largest minority ethnic groups in the region: Chinese, Irish Travellers, South Asians and Black Africans. The article demonstrates that racist harassment is a significant problem in schools in Northern Ireland and highlights the varied forms that it can take from overt acts of physical and verbal abuse to more covert and subtle forms of teasing and 'friendly' banter. Following a consideration of the differing responses that schools have made to racist incidents reported to them by children and/or parents, the article concludes by considering the implications of the findings and re-affirming the argument that anti-racist strategies are as relevant and necessary for schools in predominantly white regions as they are in multi-ethnic areas.

Ethnic Nationalism and Adaptation in Cyprus

Both ethnic communities in Cyprus have maintained strong political and cultural ties with Greece and Turkey, respectively, and at some point of their twentieth century history, each has aspired to become part of either the former or the latter. Yet the way this relationship has been imagined has differed across time, space, and class. Both communities have adapted their identities to prevailing ideological waves as well as political opportunities, domestic alliances, and interests. The article evaluates different responses to ethnic nationalism, highlighting important intra-ethnic differentiations within each Cypriot community usually expressed in the positions of political parties, intellectuals, and the press. While the current literature identifies two major poles of identity in the island, "motherland nationalism" and "Cypriotism," the article suggests that the major focus of identity of Cypriots is identification with their respective ethnic communities in the form of Greek Cypriotism or Turkish Cypriotism. In fact, contentious politics in Cyprus from the ENOSIS/TAKSIM struggle to the April 2004 referendum demonstrate the interplay of external constraints and collective self-identification processes leading to the formation of these identities. The article concludes by identifying the implications of identity shifts for deeply divided societies and conflict resolution in general.

Energy efficiency in gait, activity, participation, and health status in children with cerebral palsy

The aim of the study was to establish if a relationship exists between the energy efficiency of gait, and measures of activity limitation, participation restriction, and health status in a representative sample of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Secondary aims were to investigate potential differences between clinical subtypes and gross motor classification, and to explore other relationships between the measures under investigation. A longitudinal study of a representative sample of 184 children with ambulant CP was conducted (112 males, 72 females; 94 had unilateral spastic C P, 84 had bilateral spastic C P, and six had non-spastic forms; age range 4-17y; Gross Motor Function Classification System Level I, n=57; Level II, n=91; Level III, n=22; and Level IV, n=14); energy efficiency (oxygen cost) during gait, activity limitation, participation restriction, and health status were recorded. Energy efficiency during gait was shown to correlate significantly with activity limitations; no relationship between energy efficiency during gait was found with either participation restriction or health status. With the exception of psychosocial health, all other measures showed significant differences by clinical subtype and gross motor classification. The energy efficiency of walking is not reflective of participation restriction or health status. Thus, therapies leading to improved energy efficiency may not necessarily lead to improved participation or general health.

Ethnic habitus and young children: a case study of Northern Ireland

This article presents the findings of an exploratory survey of the ethnic attitudes and identities of a random sample (n=352) of three–six-year-old children in Northern Ireland. The survey represents one of the first of its kind to explore how young children's awareness of ethnic differences develops in contexts where ethnicity is not marked by visible, physical differences. In drawing upon the notion of an ‘ethnic habitus’, the article shows how young children from the two majority ethno-religious groups in the region – Catholic and Protestants – are already acquiring the cultural dispositions and habits of their respective groups even though, at the earlier ages, they have little awareness or understanding of what these dispositions represent. The article shows that young children are capable of developing ethnic identities and prejudices in the absence of physical cues and discusses the implications of these findings for practice as well as for understanding the effects of racial and ethnic divisions on young children in other social contexts.