Behavioural insights: public health

An overview of how behavioural insights are used to improve public health in England. Read government collection here

Brains of young people with severe behavioral problems are 'wired differently'

Psychologists and neuroscientists point to subtle differences in brain connectivity impacting young people with conduct disorder.  Click here for further details.

Artificial intelligence could help NHS physios with exercise compliance

New research published by the think tank Reform, Thinking on its own, suggests that Artificial intelligence (AI) can analyse data collected on wearable technology and help NHS clinicians support changes in patients’ behaviour.

• Chartered Society of Physiotherapy news item
• Thinking on its own: AI in the NHS

Behavioural design teams: the next frontier in clinical delivery innovation?

This briefing from the Commonwealth Fund examines how embedded behavioural design teams could help providers rethinking the delivery of care in their organisations. Using interviews with experts in clinical delivery innovation and members of behavioural design teams, it highlights best practice in embedded behavioural design teams within health care organisations.

Children born prematurely have greater risk of cognitive, motor and behavioural difficulties

Babies born preterm – at any degree – have a greater risk of developing cognitive, motor and behavioural difficulties and these problems persist throughout school years, finds a new study published online in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists.

The authors call for “organisations delivering healthcare, policy makers and educational institutions to take into account the additional academic, emotional and behavioural needs of children born preterm.”

In the UK, around 60,000 babies are born prematurely each year. Short term complications of preterm for the child include higher risk of respiratory complications, sepsis, and bleeding into brain. In addition, these children are at risk of cognitive, motor, and behavioural difficulties in the long-term.

However, there is little evidence on the effects of being born preterm at various points in subsequent years after birth. Therefore, UK based researchers carried out a systematic review to analyse the effect of preterm birth at various stages on the cognitive, motor, behavioural and academic performance of children born preterm versus those born at term.

Funding available for research applying behavioural insights to health care

The Health Foundation has £1.8m available in its behavioural insights research programme.

This researcher-led open call aims to support up to eight multidisciplinary research teams to generate new knowledge of what can motivate people to act in more efficient and less wasteful ways in UK health care services.

The deadline for applications is noon on Friday 20 October 2017.

Psychosocial pathways and health outcomes

This report highlights the current evidence that exists about the relationships between social determinants, psychosocial factors and health outcomes.

It also provides a conceptual framework that focuses on the psychosocial pathways between factors associated with social, economic and environmental conditions, psychological and psychobiological processes, health behaviours and mental and physical health outcomes.

Now and Zen: Lower prenatal stress reduces risk of behavioral issues in kids

Expectant mothers may want to consider adopting today's trend towards stress management, in light of new research pointing to its ability to lower the risk of problematic behavior in their offspring. Researchers found that mothers who are exposed to high levels of stress during pregnancy have kids who are more than twice as likely to have chronic symptoms of hyperactivity and conduct disorder.

NHS Health Check 40-64 dementia pilot research findings

This report summarises the findings from a pilot project into the effectiveness of dementia risk reduction messaging in NHS Health Checks. It found that the pilot project showed promise in shifting public awareness and understanding of dementia risk with 75 per cent of the 164 participants recalling the advice on dementia risk and 80 per cent reporting that the advice would impact on their behaviour.

• Report

Athletic identity, compulsive exercise and eating psychopathology in long-distance runners

Eating Behaviors (EAT BEHAV), Aug2017; 26: 129-132

Having a high athletic identity is thought to increase vulnerability for compulsive exercise and Eating Disorder (ED) psychopathology. This study examined whether there is an association between athletic identity and levels of compulsive exercise and ED psychopathology in long-distance runners. A sample of 501 long-distance runners completed the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) and Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ). There was a significant positive association between participants' AIMS and total CET scores (moderate effect size; r=0.34 for males and 0.33 for females). BMI did not influence the relationship between AIMS and CET scores in males. However, for females, AIMS scores were positively associated with levels of Weight Control Exercise when covarying for BMI (small to moderate effect size, r=0.22). No significant associations with EDEQ scores were found (negligible to small effect sizes; r=0.06 for males and r=0.14 for females). Following replication, coaches might need to be vigilant to the welfare of endurance runners that have a strong athletic identity, since this could be linked to them exercising compulsively. Future work should examine whether having a strong athletic identity predicts ED psychopathology when this identity is challenged (e.g., due to injury).

UHCW Research: Caroline Meyer

Causes of severe antisocial behavior may differ for boys and girls

The causes of severe antisocial behaviour may differ between boys and girls, which could pave the way for new sex-specific treatments, according to a major new study published today (Friday 21 July).

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-techniques to map the brains of over 200 teenagers aged 14 -- 18 years, researchers from the University of Bath (UK) and several other European universities conducted the most comprehensive study ever to analyse differences in brain development between children with conduct disorder (CD) and a group of typically-developing children (the control group).

Using inherent and elective behavior to improve hand hygiene monitoring in health care

Am J Infect Control. 2017 Jun 16. pii: S0196-6553(17)30288-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2017.03.032. [Epub ahead of print]

This study established a method for collecting hand hygiene (HH) performance data based on behavioral drivers (inherent or elective) that can be used by infection preventionists (IPs) to improve practice. Further, we explored the influence that task and setting has on HH behavior. A significant effect was found between task and setting that has implications for improving the usefulness of HH measurement, with positive feedback reported regarding the new measurement method.

UHCW Research: Dawson C, Wells F and, Prevc K

Risky Behaviors May Worsen PTSD Symptoms

Emerging research suggest that engaging in risky behavior — itself a symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder— could in turn lead to worse PTSD symptoms.

The discovery of evidence for a link between risky behavior and PTSD has led to the inclusion of “reckless and self-destructive behavior” as a symptom of PTSD in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the handbook used to diagnose psychiatric conditions.

Reckless behavior fuels ongoing stress for some with PTSD

For those with posttraumatic stress disorder, risky and harmful behaviors could lead to more trauma and, in turn, worse PSTD symptoms over time, research concludes.

Joanna D. Lusk, Naomi Sadeh, Erika J. Wolf, Mark W. Miller.Reckless Self-Destructive Behavior and PTSD in Veterans: The Mediating Role of New Adverse Events.Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/jts.22182

The importance of mealtime structure for reducing child food fussiness

Maternal and Child Nutrition, 13(2) April 2017. DOI: 10.1111/mcn.12296

The aim of this study was to explore how the structure of mealtimes within the family setting is related to children's fussy eating behaviours. Seventy-five mothers of children aged between 2 and 4 years were observed during a typical mealtime at home. The mealtimes were coded to rate mealtime structure and environment as well as the child's eating behaviours (food refusal, difficulty to feed, eating speed, positive and negative vocalisations). Mealtime structure emerged as an important factor which significantly distinguished children with higher compared with lower levels of food fussiness. Children whose mothers ate with their child and ate the same food as their child were observed to refuse fewer foods and were easier to feed compared with children whose mothers did not. During mealtimes where no distractors were used (e.g. no TV, magazines or toys), or where children were allowed some input into food choice and portioning, children were also observed to demonstrate fewer fussy eating behaviours. Findings of this study suggest that it may be important for parents to strike a balance between structured mealtimes, where the family eats together and distractions are minimal, alongside allowing children some autonomy in terms of food choice and intake.

UHCW Research: Caroline Meyer

Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour report 2017

British Heart Foundation - 
This report finds that more than 20 million adults in the UK are physically inactive and estimates that this increase risk of heart disease may cost the NHS £1.2 billion annually. The report provides an overview of the levels of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour in adults across the UK.

• Report

Inclusive leadership in the NHS part two

Second podcast on inclusive leadership.  Jackie Daniel, Chief Executive at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), talks frankly about the practical steps they are taking to tackle behaviours that are not aligned with the organisations values.

Voted 11th in the 2016 inclusive top 50 UK employers and the most inclusive employer in the NHS, Jackie talks about the importance of being courageous enough to have difficult conversations, and her team at UHMBT tell us what being part of an inclusive workforce means to them.

Health psychologists now treating functional heartburn, Crohn's Disease, IBS and other GI disorders

Health psychologists have begun treating gastrointestinal disorders that are strongly affected by stress, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, functional heartburn, functional dyspepsia and ulcerative colitis. Read more HERE.

Aggression disorder linked to greater risk of substance abuse

People with intermittent explosive disorder (IED) -- a condition marked by frequent physical or verbal outbursts -- are at five times greater risk for abusing substances such as alcohol, tobacco and marijuana than those who don't display frequent aggressive behavior, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Chicago.

Evaluation of behaviour change interventions: school nurse toolkit

Public Health England (PHE) - 
This toolkit aims to guide school nurses through evaluations and provides guidance on how to implement results to promote learning, make improvements and demonstrate the impact of interventions.

• Toolkit
• PHE publications