STORRE Collection: Electronic copies of Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport journal articles.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of volitional help sheet interventions for health behaviour change

2026-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of volitional help sheet interventions for health behaviour change Author(s): Stewart, Ross J; Presseau, Justin; Dombrowski, Stephan U Abstract: This systematic review aimed to synthesise studies evaluating the effectiveness of volitional help sheet (VHS) interventions in changing health behaviours, behavioural outcomes and behaviour-related cognitions. Controlled or uncontrolled VHS-based intervention studies targeting health behaviour change were included. Effect sizes were estimated using random effects meta-analyses as standardised mean differences (SMD), mean differences (MD) and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Twenty-seven studies met inclusion criteria; including 25 randomised trials. Interventions targeted health risk behaviours (e.g., alcohol consumption), health promoting behaviours (e.g., physical activity), and behaviour-related outcomes (i.e., weight). Overall, VHS interventions led to significant changes in health behaviours (SMD 0.22, 95% CI, 0.13, 0.30), and non-significant effects on cancer screening OR 0.93 (95% CI, 0.81, 1.07) and weight change (MD – 1.20 kg, 95% CI, – 2.79–0.38). The VHS led to significant changes in intentions (SMD 0.29, 95% CI, 0.08, 0.49; 6 comparisons, n = 770); self-efficacy (SMD 0.31, 95% CI, 0.15, 0.46) and self-regulatory effort (SMD 0.27, 95% CI, 0.03–0.51). Subgroup analysis found no difference for in-person vs remote delivery (P = 0.06) or behavioural categories (P = 0.23). The VHS is a scalable intervention for behaviour change with the potential to support small changes in some health-related behaviours.

Developing Digital Platforms to Help Older Adults Stay Physically and Socially Active: Codesign Study to Develop a Toolkit and Evaluate its Impact

2026-08-27T00:00:00Z

Title: Developing Digital Platforms to Help Older Adults Stay Physically and Socially Active: Codesign Study to Develop a Toolkit and Evaluate its Impact Author(s): Cooper, Leonie; Bradwell, Hannah; Shore, Colin B; Tomaz, Simone A; Baxter, Rory; Ryde, Gemma C; Gaudl, Swen E; Haynes, Richard; Hennessy, Catherine; Jones, Ray B; Whittaker, Anna; The GOALD Project, Abstract: Background: Digital technologies have the potential to support physical, cognitive, and social activity among older adults, but many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lack the resources to conduct meaningful co-design with older adults. Toolkits derived from rigorous co-design processes may offer a scalable mechanism for translating end-user priorities into real-world product development. Objective: The Generating Older Active Lives Digitally study aimed primarily to engage older adults in a co-design process to identify priorities for digital technologies that support physical activity and reminiscence. Secondary objectives were to (1) translate these findings into a practical developer-facing toolkit, and (2) evaluate the toolkit’s perceived utility and influence among digital technology SMEs. Methods: A total of 157 participants (121 older, 7 younger, and 29 staff) across 15 community and care settings in England and Scotland engaged in 106 technology interaction sessions, 22 evaluation focus groups, and 10 co-design workshops. These involved more than 20 digital technologies. Thematic analysis and structured card-ranking tasks were used to derive their priorities. Preliminary toolkits were co-designed and used by 10 UK-based SMEs who received small grants to apply the toolkit to active development projects. Their reports and follow-up interviews were analyzed thematically to identify perceived impacts on design decisions, product adaptations, and business outcomes. Results: Co-design activities generated 7 cross-cutting themes: motivation, content, barriers, design and inclusivity, suitability, acceptability, and motivations to use. These were organized into 3 toolkit sections: general design principles, online physical-activity platforms, and virtual reality. SMEs reported that the toolkits enhanced understanding of older adults’ needs, validated design decisions, and inspired some new features. Perceived impacts included improved usability, expanded accessibility options, increased content variety, clearer instructional design, enhanced social components, and reduced operational costs. SMEs also reported some business benefits, including strengthened cases for investment and increased product uptake. Conclusions: Co-designed toolkits may offer a useful and cost-effective mechanism for translating older adults’ priorities into digital product development. SMEs perceived this toolkit as practical, relevant, and impactful for informing design choices. This approach may complement, but does not replace, direct user involvement. It may help accelerate inclusive digital-health innovation for aging populations.

Tracking the Track-and-Trace: two waves of cigarette pack surveys on tax administration in Pakistan

2026-04-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Tracking the Track-and-Trace: two waves of cigarette pack surveys on tax administration in Pakistan Author(s): Abdullah, S M; Farzeen, Midhat; Ansaari, Saeed; Khan, Amina; Khan, Tehseen; Siddiqui, Faraz; Kanaan, Mona; Moodie, Crawford; Ross, Hana; Sheikh, Aziz; Siddiqi, Kamran Abstract: Introduction: Pakistan implemented the Track and Trace System (TTS) to administer cigarette tax in July 2022. We assessed its implementation by examining the presence and validity of tax stamps (evidence of tax collection) on cigarette packs and how these varied by manufacturer and over time. Methods: We collected cigarette packs from points-of-sale (POS) in two waves: August 2023 (POS=648) and October 2024 (POS=718). POS were located within a stratified random sample of 72 enumeration blocks (EBs) within purposively selected nine districts of Pakistan. Within each EB, we collected one cigarette pack per brand variant. These were examined for the presence and validity of digital tax stamps using the TransAct mobile app. Results: We collected 1617 and 2278 cigarette packs in waves I and II, respectively. The presence of tax stamps was higher on the cigarette packs manufactured by the local subsidiary of British American Tobacco, Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC) (2023: 89.9% (295/328) and 2024: 97.7% (428/438)) and Philip Morris International (PMI) (2023: 79.0% (207/262) and 2024: 83.7% (302/361)) than those manufactured by local companies (2023: 1.9% (17/893) and 2024: 3.9% (56/1440)). Between 2023 and 2024, the proportion of packs bearing valid tax stamps increased from 53.2% (157/295) to 77.6% (332/428) (p<0.001) for PTC and from 56.0% (116/207) to 79.1% (239/302) (p<0.001) for PMI; for local manufacturers, the increase from 52.9% (9/17) to 80.4% (45/56) was non-significant (p=0.10). Conclusion: Within 2 years of TTS implementation, cigarette tax administration improved significantly for the two leading multinational manufacturers, but not for local manufacturers.

Prevalence and risk factors for suicidal intent in pregnancy and after birth

2026-08-03T00:00:00Z

Title: Prevalence and risk factors for suicidal intent in pregnancy and after birth Author(s): Meades, Rose; Dudeney, Elizabeth; Sinesi, Andrea; Cheyne, Helen; Maxwell, Margaret; Best, Catherine; McNicol, Stacey; Shakespeare, Judy; Walker, James; Alderdice, Fiona; Jomeen, Julie; Williams, Louise R; Ayers, Susan; the MAP Study Team, Abstract: Background Suicide is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in high-income countries. Suicide prevention policy calls for maternity care providers to actively explore potential risk factors and self-reported suicidal intent with perinatal women. However, longitudinal research establishing the prevalence of suicidal intent and associated risk factors with representative cohorts of perinatal women in the UK is lacking. Aims This secondary analysis aimed to determine the prevalence of suicidal intent in pregnancy and postpartum, and examine factors associated with suicidal intent. Method A total of 2210 women completed self-report assessments in early, mid- and late pregnancy and early postpartum. Suicidal intent was measured with the item ‘I have made plans to end my life’ (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-10). Other variables included anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7, Stirling Antenatal Anxiety Scale), depression (Whooley Questions), health status (EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L), mental health history, and sociodemographic and pregnancy variables. Results Suicidal intent was indicated by 72 participants (3.26%, 95% CI 2.56–4.09) on at least one occasion. Suicidal intent was significantly associated with having negative feelings about pregnancy (odds ratio 3.63, 95% CI 1.99–6.63), unplanned pregnancy (odds ratio 2.03, 95% CI 1.25–3.30), previous and current mental health problems (odds ratio 3.70 95% CI 2.19–6.25), symptoms causing daily difficulties (odds ratio 5.94 95% CI 3.32–10.66) and being of Asian (odds ratio 2.62, 95% CI 1.44–4.77) or mixed ethnicity (odds ratio 3.43, 95% CI 1.49–7.93). Poor physical health in early pregnancy was also associated with suicidal intent ( t = 6.37, d.f. = 2108, p < 0.001). Conclusions These findings indicate that daily difficulties associated with mental health, and negative feelings about pregnancy are important and underexplored risk factors for experiencing suicidal intent. The findings also corroborate previous research indicating that previous and existing mental health problems and ethnicity are significant risk factors.