Public Health Institute Journal (LJMU)
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To understand how the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme in England impacts on consumers choice of food venues
No full textThe Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) was launched in 2010 by the Food Standards Authority and is used by local authorities in England to identify food safety and hygiene standards in food establishments. The scheme provides visible food hygiene rating scores, allowing consumers to easily review ratings and make informed decisions (Food Standards Agency, 2020). The Chartered Institute for Environmental Health (CIEH) are in favour of introducing mandatory display of FHRS scores, commonly referred to as “scores on the doors” in England-this is already the case in Wales and Northern Ireland. Food businesses in England are currently exempt from displaying their food hygiene score rating (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, 2018). This study aimed to understand how the FHRS in England impacts on consumer choices, specifically to understand consumer behaviour in regard to the scheme, whether the COVID-19 pandemic changed this behaviour and finally to gather consensus on whether or not the scheme should be made mandatory in England. A quantitative questionnaire was created to cover the aims of the study and was circulated via social media, approached by a hybrid of snowball and convenience sampling. In total, 52 responses were returned, analysed and presented. The study found that a substantial 98% of people believe that displaying food hygiene ratings as part of FHRS should be made mandatory, and that food hygiene ratings do influence consumer behaviour to varying degree with 67% of respondents believing it is to be an important factor when deciding where to eat. In general, the impact of COVID-19 was unclear from the result. An evident shift in opinion of consumers is not truly reflected in their behaviours. Of those surveyed, 59% believed that perceptions of food safety have changed since the pandemic, but 65% of individuals have not checked food safety ratings any more frequently than before. This study can firmly recommend that the display of food hygiene rating should become mandatory in England. However, there needs to be more investigation into how COVID-19 has impacted consumer behaviour in the context of food safety
What can stop vapers from quitting a vape? A systematic review of motivators and barriers for vaping cessation in young people and adults in the USA
No full textBackground: Vaping seems to be an emerging public health issue in the USA. The growing popularity of e-cigarettes that provide large quantities of nicotine has prompted healthcare professionals to express their worry about the possibility that current adults and the generations of young people who will follow them could develop an addiction to nicotine. The aim of this systematic review lies in identifying the factors that motivate young people and adults in the USA to quit vaping and those factors that deter them from quitting vaping. This review was conducted to combine the best qualitative evidence to understand these factors that influence the decision-making process.
Methods: The electronic databases, PubMed, Scopus, and CINHAL, were used to perform the literature search and to retrieve relevant literature records that met the search criteria. PICo framework was used to develop the search strategy. From the 963 records that have been identified, 5 studies have been selected. Utilizing the CASP (2018) Qualitative Checklist, the included studies were assessed for their quality. Thematic synthesis was used in the analysis of these studies.
Results: This systematic review has identified the motivators and the deterrents of quitting the use of e-cigarettes among young people and adults in the USA. While health concerns, academic and other performance, and financial cost have been identified as motivators, social influence, cravings to use, unsuccessful attempts to quit, ease of accessibility and lack of restrictions, and no support for quitting, are the factors that deter quitting e-cigarettes.
Conclusion: To make preventative and treatment interventions relevant and interesting for the population they intended to serve, the experiences of the target population should be considered. The primary insights from the target population, which include monetary costs, a loss of autonomy, strained relationships, poorer academic performance, and other performance, should be considered while accounting for public health risks associated with e-cigarettes
The impact of Covid-19 on the mental health of University students at LJMU during lockdown
No full textBackground: Coronavirus (COVID-19) has a profound impact on the well-being of all groups of people in every country globally. The lockdown and social restrictions which started early in 2020 have subsequently increased and worsened individuals’ mental health and well-being. Mental well-being is a global concern and crucial to quality of life according to an individuals’ ability to deal with life\u27s ups and downs. Mental issues like anxiety and depression are part of students’ lives which could negatively impact their quality of life. This may lead to serious public health risks such as physical illness, increased substance usage and sleep deprivation. A key challenge for the public health workforce is to promote and improve the overall health and wellbeing of the nation. Major efforts and various public health campaigns have already been initiated targeting the risk factors due to mental health illness. This study aims to assess the levels of anxiety and depression during the first COVID-19 lockdown in a sample of students studying at Liverpool John Moores University.
Methods: This study was granted full ethical approval by Liverpool John Moore University ethical committee in May 2021. A quantitative study was conducted based on a previously validated online survey through the JISC platform. Survey participants were recruited using convenience sampling. A total of 90 undergraduate and postgraduate university students took part in the survey and the data was analysed using SPSS software. Participants were asked for demographic information such as age, gender. Levels of anxiety and depression were measured using GAD and PHQ scales and coping mechanisms were analysed using the Brief COPE Likert scale.
Results: The responses from participants show that COVID-19 had a substantially negative impact on their mental health Although no statistically significant results on the mental health of university students in the UK were found, with the exception of emotional support and participants’ focusing on their work to deviate their mind from going into a depressive state, which had strong statistical differences.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on educational sectors around the world. Mental health has received recognition as a sizable public health issue and expanding portion of all disease burdens worldwide is caused by mental health issues. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of university students at LJMU during the first lockdown. This study concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on students in the UK; as a result, they were trying to adapt positive coping strategies to deal with the difficulties during pandemic including more emotional support and using other means to focus their minds. This shows that implementing motivational strategies within a university environment can have a clear impact on the students’ mental health state
Knowledge Attitude and Practice (KAP) study on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) among youths in Kano State, North-West Nigeria
No full textBackground: Sexually Transmitted Infections are known to be one of the notorious infections that are caused by bacteria or virus organisms, and contracted via unprotected intercourse such as anal, oral, and vaginal sex from one partner to the other. About 376 million new cases of STIs are reported annually across the globe with the African region being a huge contributor to this burden (WHO, 2021). Adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 years were noted to constitute almost half of the reported cases (CDC, 2017). In northern Nigeria, an alarming rate of STIs practice has been recorded without proper documentation on the knowledge, attitude, and practice among the youths. The objectives of this study are to examine the knowledge, attitude, and practice of youths in Kano state, in addition to examining the relationship between their knowledge of STI risk behaviour and their attitude/practice towards STI treatment.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Kano state using an online self-administrated questionnaire which was distributed to non-adolescent youths aged 20–24 years. An online survey was created using the JISC platform to collect quantitative data from 300 young people, with each section of the questionnaire made up of validated questions that included mostly closed-ended questions to assess young people’s knowledge of STIs, their attitudes towards STIs, and common practices around STIs. SPSS version 20 was used to analyse the data collection.
Results: Among the 300 participants in Kano state who are between the age of 20-24 years, 45% of them were female and 55% of them were male. The majority of them had higher educational qualifications (80%) and marital status as single (86%). Their major source of information on STIs varies from television (48%), family members (45.3%), hospital/health workers (42%), and radio (36%), while the most known STIs are HIV/AIDs (86%), gonorrhoea (75.7%), hepatitis B (70.7%), syphilis (59%). The overall knowledge of the youth was categorized into three, which are: poor knowledge (40.3%), fair knowledge (41.7%), and good knowledge (18%). The relationship between knowledge and attitude toward not telling someone about their condition was found to be non-significant at p-value = 0.352, and the relationship between the level of knowledge and the attitude toward going to the hospital was not significant each other at p-value = 0.425. The practices noticed to be prevalent among youths were found to be unprotected sex (92%) and having multiple sex partners (84%). The practice was checked to see if there was a relationship with the knowledge of youths. The relationship between the two variables (practice and knowledge level) revealed that it was statistically significant for both unprotected sex and having multiple partners at p=0.02 and p < 0.001 respectively.
Conclusion: Educational qualification was seen to be one of the key predictors of knowledge on STIs among youths in Kano using binary logistic regression. Other demographic characteristics like age, marital status, and gender were shown not to have an effect on the level of knowledge of STIs among youths in Kano. This implies that if the educational sector is improved, especially in the school curriculum by incorporating STIs topics in some of their courses, there is a high tendency for youth to know about STIs and the necessary preventive measures.
 
Exploring the food Habits and dietary experience of International students at Liverpool John Moores University - A qualitative study
No full textBackground: International students are enrolling in greater numbers in the UK, and many of them intend to remain there for an extended period of time after completing their studies. Many students initially experience a range of difficulties with their new food culture and nutritional changes as a result of adapting to the UK culture. Moreover, several previous research studies have stated that the health and well-being of the international students is affected by the new food environment. There are several factors that affect the dietary practices of the international students. This study uses a qualitative approach which aims to get a deeper understanding of how international students see their eating behaviours before and after moving to the UK, how they overcome challenges, and how they work to maintain a balanced diet for their general health and wellness.
Methods: Semi-structured online interviews were used in the research as part of a generic qualitative methodology. An 8-person sample was collected using purposeful sampling approaches. The interview transcripts were subjected to a thematic analysis to produce themes.
Results: This research demonstrates that after arriving in the UK, international students had a variety of problems and challenges with their dietary practices. The study identified five primary themes through the analysis of online semi-structured interviews: eating patterns, dietary changes, new dietary experiences, factors influencing dietary changes, and participant future suggestions.
Conclusion: This study shows how attitudes among international students have changed over time because they are more determined to discover and better things despite the obstacles than to criticize and worry. In order to support evidence-based, culturally relevant nutrition interventions, further study in this area will be beneficial for researchers, policymakers, beneficiaries, and dietitians. Therefore, university organizations should recognize this development and support initiatives to raise the quality of life for international students in accordance with their need
An exploration of paternal postpartum depression and its effects on their children and spouses: A scoping review
No full textBackground: Postpartum depression (PPD) is one of the common mental health issues among new parents. Many studies have researched PPD in women, however, the condition is not so well understood in men. There is mounting evidence that men experience symptoms of depression after the birth of a child. It is important that healthcare professionals understand this condition in order to promote the health and wellbeing of fathers. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the psychological experience of fatherhood and risk factors for paternal postpartum depression (PPD) and its effect on their children and spouses through the following objectives: exploring the prevalence of paternal postpartum depression (PPD), identifying the associated or causative risk factors, identifying symptoms or behaviours of fathers that may indicate postpartum depression and understanding the adverse effect of PPD on children and their families.
Methods: A scoping review of literature published between 2011 - 2021 was conducted in April 2022 in three key databases to identify eligible papers. Papers were screened by titles and abstract and subsequently by full text research articles. Arskey and O’Malley’s five stage methodological framework for scoping reviews was employed. Extracted data was charted, classified and summarised.
Results: Eight studies were selected for analysis after duplicates were removed. Three qualitative and five quantitative studies. Five key themes were developed from the literature: risk and behavioural patterns; experiences of fatherhood; risk factor or predictors of paternal postpartum depression; out of control and helplessness and effects of paternal postpartum depression.
Conclusion: The review established that postpartum depression in fathers has a significant impact on their wellbeing, the wellbeing of their children and their spouses. Recommendations include: increasing awareness, recognition, and knowledge of paternal postpartum depression for healthcare professionals and parents; promoting mental health among new parents, encouraging healthcare professionals to engage parents in maternity and perinatal healthcare services, and offer screening. Additional research is needed into the experiences of men during the first year of their offspring’s life
Continuity of opioid substitution treatment (OST) within reinsertion from prison to community in Southeast Asia: a scoping review
No full textBackground: The ‘war against drugs’ in Southeast Asia (SEA) to eradicate illicit drug use including opioids, wages on. Criminalisation of drug use and compulsory detention has largely characterised the region’s response to people who use drugs (PWUD) for over a decade. Recent welcomed shifts towards voluntary-, community- and evidence-based drug dependence treatments have emerged. Provision of healthcare of people living in prison (PLP) are mandated by international standards of human rights. However, many in detention with opioid dependence continue to lack access to treatment. Those who do receive opioid substitution treatment (OST) during incarceration often face uncertainties of continuity of care beyond the prison gate.
Methods: This scoping review mapped what is currently known about the continuity of OST within reinsertion from prison to community in SEA, with a focus on three countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam) which currently have OST available in at least one prison. A multi-lingual systematic search (English, Malay, Indonesian, Vietnamese) collected and reviewed all available and relevant published and grey literature between 2011 and 2021. Of 293 records found, 18 were eligible for inclusion following removal of duplicates and application of exclusion measures. These records were charted and thematically analysed.
Results: Three main themes were generated: facilitators of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in prison and continuity of care; barriers of MMT in prison and continuity of care; and MMT initiation, dosage and retention post-release. Themes demonstrated how individual and structural elements through partnership, training, guidelines and motivation are foundational to drive the provision of OST for opioid dependent PLP within detention settings and post-release. When gaps exist, disruptions to the delivery and continuity of OST ensued. Importantly, adequate dosage of >80mg/day was significantly associated with retention in post-release treatment.
Conclusion: This review highlights the urgent need to initiate and scale up voluntary, evidence- and human-rights based OST while incarcerated and during reinsertion, with a gender-sensitive approach for all PLP with opioid dependence. An accurate understanding of addictions and the will to engage in systemic reforms are key to dismantling the societal stigma towards PWUD in SEA, to ensure parity, quality and continuity of care for those often left invisible and forgotten in prison and community settings
Exploring the perspectives of health visitors and school nurses who have had experience supporting families affected by parental imprisonment A qualitative study
No full textBackground: The research aimed to explore a gap in the literature relating to the perspectives of Health Visitors and School Nurses who have had experience supporting families affected by parental imprisonment to establish if there are any specific barriers experienced when working with this distinct group.
Methods: The research adopted a qualitative design, utilising an online focus group discussion board format. ‘Collabito ’cloud software was used to record and transcribe the data. Thematic analysis was employed to identify, analyse, and report patterns within the data. The study used a homogenous sample of 6 Health Visitors, 8 School Nurses and 1 Registered Nurse undertaking the School Nursing Specialist Community Public Health Nursing course. Gatekeepers were used to generate an appropriate sample who were recruited via professional social media pages and via Liverpool John Moores University course lecturers
Results: All participants had some understanding on children of offenders although failed in identify them as a distinct group. There were differing opinions on how best to identify these families with some believing parental imprisonment should trigger children’s social care involvement. Interestingly, the effects of parental imprisonment could be identified, however no participants had acknowledged or addressed these needs in practice. Awareness on support provisions was extremely limited, with only one participant being able to identify any provision for this group. A considerable barrier discussed was the lack of training provided to School Nurses and Health Visitors to enable them to adequately support children of offenders and their families, however all felt with the right support they were ideally placed to provide this service.
Conclusion: Health Visiting and School Nursing services should ask families about parental imprisonment at all core contacts. Training on children of offenders should be included within all Specialist Community Public Health Nursing university courses thereby ensuring that all School Nurses and Health Visitors have knowledge on his cohort before entry into this field of public health nursing. Furthermore, children of offenders training should become mandated across the School Nursing and Health Visiting services to ensure all professionals have sound, up to date knowledge on how to support this distinct group. Further research is needed to explore the impact that the Covid-19 Pandemic had on this cohort of children and their families and to ascertain families’ perspectives of being supported by School Nurses and Health Visitors following the imprisonment of a family member
Public attitudes and understanding of allergens and food labelling
No full textThe world of food allergens is forever changing and so laws, information and questions are being constantly developed. In recent years this has related to food labelling of pre-packaged foods for direct sale. There are few studies showing the attitudes and understanding of the United Kingdom (UK) public following the introduction of Natasha’s Law (one of the newest pieces of legislation in relation to labelling of allergens). This caused the researcher to organise a study in attempt to gain an insight of public attitudes and understanding of allergens and food labelling. Forty-one participants responded to invitation using the researcher’s personal Facebook and LinkedIn account. Data was analysed by the researcher. Data was compared to existing literature in attempt to find similarities and differences and develop new study questions. Results were analysed and cross tabulated to see if attitudes or understanding differed depending on the demographic. Whilst different responses and different conclusions could be drawn from the data, the researcher was satisfied that the attitudes and levels of understanding was positive, except for anomalies. Some demographics had more negative attitudes towards certain aspects of the survey. For example, the views held by those who had a background in catering were much more negative towards the question asking how much trust they have in food business allergen labelling. From examining the data of the understandings and attitudes of the UK public it was clear, when comparing it with the data from the literature, that understanding has slightly improved. However, it was also clear that positive attitudes and good understanding did not transfer into good practice. One recommendation is to review and reflect upon current employee training and risk assessment legislation. This study has shown that there is a need for further research within this field. Hopefully, this study can be used in the future as a platform for further research
A survey investigating students’ concerns, attitudes and perceptions of working while studying at university
No full textWorking while studying is a common experience among students today. This is because students have different motivations to work while studying. The aim of this study is to investigate the concerns, perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate and postgraduate students as they work while studying at university. The study is important because it will highlight various challenges and benefits experienced by students who work while studying and this will inform the development of programs to support students to overcome the challenges. The objectives of the study included identifying the reasons why Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) students work while studying, to determine the positive benefits gained by the LJMU students who are working and to ascertain any obstacles experienced by LJMU students who work while studying. The study adopted the use of questionnaires which had both open ended and closed ended questionnaires and consisted of 31 questions. The total sample involved 41 participants. The findings of the study agreed with the contents of the literature review: 42.5% found it challenging to balance work and studies and 5% worked to raise fees. In comparison, 27.5% wanted some work experience; 45% indicated average performance at work; 52.5% indicated that they enjoyed work and did not intend to quit; 30.8% participants indicated that they successfully balanced work and education. Therefore, the researcher recommends programs that assist students who work while studying to overcome their stressors and challenges to have better academic performance. Working while studying could be beneficial. Despite this, it is also likely to generate significant drawbacks to the learner\u27s academic performance, like reduced time to study, higher levels of stress, and reduced academic performance. The survey also highlights areas that need further studies, like the effects of working while studying on mental health and the students\u27 academic performance
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