A qualitative study of young peoples’ thoughts and attitudes to follow a more plant-based diet
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: McInnes C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC10506079 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundDespite the known health and healthcare costs of untreated chlamydia infection and the efforts of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) to control chlamydia through early detection and treatment of asymptomatic infection, the rates of screening are well below the 2010-2011 target rate of 35%. General Practitioner (GP) surgeries are a key venue within the NCSP however; previous studies indicate that GP surgery staff are concerned that they may offend their patients by offering a screen. This study aimed to identify the attitudes to, and preferences for, chlamydia screening in 15-24 year old men and women attending GP surgeries (the target group).MethodsWe undertook 36 interviews in six surgeries of differing screening rates. Our participants were 15-24 year olds attending a consultation with a staff member. Data were analysed thematically.ResultsGP surgeries are acceptable to young people as a venue for opportunistic chlamydia screening and furthermore they think it is the duty of GP surgery staff to offer it. They felt strongly that it is important for surgery staff to have a non-judgmental attitude and they did not want to be singled out as 'needing' a chlamydia screen. Furthermore, our sample reported a strong preference for being offered a screen by staff and providing the sample immediately at the surgery rather than taking home a testing kit. The positive attitude and subjective norms demonstrated by interviewees suggest that young peoples' behaviour would be to accept a screen if it was offered to them.ConclusionYoung people attending GP surgeries have a positive attitude towards chlamydia screening and given the right environment are likely to take up the offer in this setting. The right environment involves normalising screening by offering a chlamydia screen to all 15-24 year olds at every interaction with staff, offering screening with a non-judgmental attitude and minimising barriers to screening such as embarrassment. The GP surgery is the ideal place to screen young people for chlamydia as it is not a threatening place for them and our study has shown that they think it is the normal place to go to discuss health matters.
| S-EPMC2965724 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate the longitudinal association between plant-based diet index (PDI) score and incident erectile dysfunction (ED).Materials and methodsWe conducted a prospective analysis of 21 942 men aged 40 to 75 years who were enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. ED was assessed with questionnaires every 4 years starting in 2000. Dietary data were collected via validated food frequency questionnaires completed every 4 years and were used to calculate total PDI scores, as well as healthy (hPDI) and unhealthy (uPDI) subscores. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) for incident ED. All models were stratified by age (<60, 60 to <70, ≥70 years).ResultsAmong men aged 60 to <70 years, hPDI was inversely associated with incident ED. Those in the highest quintile of hPDI in that age group had an 18% lower risk of ED (HR 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-0.91; P-trend <0.001) compared to those in the lowest quintile. Conversely, uPDI was positively associated with ED in men aged <60 years (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.01-1.60; P-trend = 0.02).ConclusionsEncouraging a healthy plant-based diet may be an environmentally sustainable intervention for men interested in maintaining erectile function.
| S-EPMC9474604 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPublic health measures are the main intervention to stop the spread of COVID-19. They rely on the adherence to everyday health behaviors, and depend on those at high and low personal risk of serious disease to comply. Young people are crucial to stemming community transmission, and are often living in shared housing and at a stage of their lives with more economic uncertainty than older groups. Public health messaging has relied on the mantra that we are 'in it together,' despite very diverse experiences of the pandemic across different groups. The central aim of this research is to understand and optimize young peoples' engagement with public health guidelines with the view to improve future adherence with public health initiatives.MethodTwelve young people were interviewed as part of this research, ranging from 18 to 24 years. Interviewees were chosen to ensure that there was a diverse range of opinions within the participant pool. Interviews were semi-structured with open questions and the flexibility to explore the topics of interest that arose. All interviews were fully transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsThis study found that participants deemed the consequences of lockdown a greater threat than infection with SARS-COV-2. Participants expressed concerns about the government's handling of the pandemic. Some felt young peoples' interests were not represented by authorities. There were concerns that messaging was inaccurate, difficult to understand, and filled with statistical and medical jargon. These perceptions underpinned a sense that the guidelines could be broken in good conscience as well as result in accidental breaches of the guidelines. Though wider community factors were often cited as having a positive influence on health behavior, differences and division were seen to inspire trust or adherence.ConclusionThese findings provide an insight into the psychological, financial and physical difficulties young people face as a consequence of pandemic public health measures and lockdowns in particular. They highlight the need for better communication with young people to support and embed trust in authorities and the scientific and political community.
| S-EPMC10523624 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although low school performance is related to attempted and completed suicide, its relationship with suicidal thoughts has been less clear. We conducted a population-based study including 10081 individuals aged 18-29 years in Stockholm, Sweden, and found a clear positive gradient in the risk of lifetime suicidal thoughts with decreasing levels of compulsory school leaving grades. This relationship was somewhat attenuated but remained significant in multivariate models accounting for family background, severe adult psychopathology and adult socioeconomic conditions. School failure is associated with an increased risk of experiencing suicidal thoughts and may also increase the tendency of acting upon them.
| S-EPMC4209973 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundTrans and gender diverse (TGD) young people are at high risk for mental health difficulties. Previous research has shown that three in four TGD young people have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and/or depression and almost one in two have attempted suicide. TGD young people experience barriers to traditional mental health services, commonly faced with inexperienced providers and discrimination. Video and computer games, as well as online spaces, are sources of resilience for TGD young people. Digital mental health interventions are a feasible, but understudied, approach to consider for this population.MethodsN = 14 TGD young people aged 11-18 years were recruited to take part in focus groups as part of a multistage project. The focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a general inductive thematic analysis approach. This paper reports on their attitudes towards digital games and game-based digital mental health interventions.DiscussionAspects of game-based digital mental health interventions should be inclusive of diverse genders and sexuality, moderated appropriately and include content such as storylines and characters who are of diverse sexualities and/or gender. Participants were of the opinion that games should be preventative rather than treatment-focused; however, considering the high rate of mental health difficulties in this population, interventions should ideally address symptoms along the continuum from sub-clinical to clinical.
| S-EPMC6926275 | biostudies-literature
Project description:An international research collaboration with researchers from northern Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and developed the ChatPal chatbot to explore the possibility of a multilingual chatbot to promote mental wellbeing in people of all ages. In Sweden the end users were young people. The aim of the current study was to explore and discuss Swedish young peoples' experiences of using a chatbot designed to promote their mental wellbeing. Young people aged 15-19 filled out an open-ended survey giving feedback on the ChatPal chatbot and their suggestions on improvements. A total of 122 survey responses were analysed. The qualitative content analysis of the survey responses resulted in three themes each containing two to three sub-themes. Theme 1, feeling as if someone is there when needed, which highlighted positive aspects regarding availability and accessibility. Theme 2, human-robot interaction has its limitations, which included aspects such as unnatural and impersonal conversations and limited content availability. Theme 3, usability can be improved, given technical errors due to lack of internet connection and difficulty navigating the chatbot were brought up as issues. The findings are discussed, and potential implications are offered for those designing and developing digital mental health technologies for young people.
| S-EPMC11198148 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To investigate young people's attitudes to, and understanding of, physical activity on glycaemic control in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.Four focus groups with 11-14 and 15-16 year olds were conducted with twelve young people with Type 1 Diabetes, from within a larger study investigating physical activity and fitness. Qualitative analysis of the focus group data was performed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.Four superordinate themes were identified: Benefits of Exercise, Knowledge and Understanding, Information and Training and "You can do anything". Young people felt that exercising helped them to manage their diabetes and had a beneficial psychological and physical impact on their bodies. They reported a lack of knowledge and understanding about diabetes among school staff and other young people. The overwhelming sense from young people was that although diabetes impacts upon their lives, with preparation, physical activity can take place as normal.Whilst young people had an awareness of the physical and psychological benefits of exercise in managing their diabetes, they experienced difficulties at school. Professional support and discussions with young people, giving tailored strategies for managing Type 1 Diabetes during exercise are needed. Healthcare teams should ensure that the support and educational needs of school staff are met. Providing more opportunities to empower young people to take on the responsibility for their Type 1 Diabetes care is merited. Young people felt diabetes did not stop them from participating in activities; it is simply a part of them that needs managing throughout life.
| S-EPMC4605788 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundeHealth may help closing gaps in the long-term follow-up care of former young age cancer patients. While its introduction to medical aftercare appears promising, it also faces obstacles in the course of its implementation. This study explored what prospective eHealth applications have to achieve and what facilitating and hindering factors are associated with the implementation of them.MethodsA qualitative, explorative-descriptive design involving semi-structured interviews was used in this study. General practitioners (GPs) from urban and rural areas as well as former cancer patients were recruited and interviewed. The interview guide focused on expectations of telemedical care services for the patient group of children and adolescents as well as potential facilitating and hindering factors of the implementation of telemedical care services for former cancer patients. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed on the basis of qualitative content analysis as described by Kuckartz.ResultsEmpiric saturation was reached after 25 interviews, respectively. The age of the physicians surveyed at the time of the interviews ranged from 27 to 71 years, with an average of 42 years. The former patients ranged in age from 21 to 43 at the time of participation, with an average age of 34. The age at diagnosis ranged from 3 to 31 years. eHealth services were considered an effective way to maintain continuity of care and improve the health literacy of cancer survivors. Cooperation with health insurance companies and gamification-elements were regarded as beneficial for the introduction of eHealth structures. Poor interface compatibility, insufficient network coverage and lack of digital literacy were valued as potential barriers.ConclusionsIf properly introduced, eHealth shows the potential to provide stakeholders with tools that increase their self-efficacy and ability to act. As the technology continues to advance, our data provides application-oriented factors for tailored implementation strategies to bring eHealth into the field.
| S-EPMC11411906 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionYoung people aged 18-24 years old are a key demographic target for eliminating HIV transmission globally. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a prevention medication, reduces HIV transmission. Despite good uptake by gay and bisexual men who have sex with men, hesitancy to use PrEP has been observed in other groups, such as young people and people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The aim of this study was to explore young people's perceptions and attitudes to using PrEP.DesignA qualitative transcendental phenomenological design was used.Participants and settingA convenience sample of 24 young people aged between 18 and 24 years was recruited from England.MethodsSemistructured interviews and graphical elicitation were used to collect data including questions about current experiences of HIV care, awareness of using PrEP and decision-making about accessing PrEP. Thematic and visual analyses were used to identify findings.ResultsYoung people had good levels of knowledge about HIV but poor understanding of using PrEP. In this information vacuum, negative stigma and stereotypes about HIV and homosexuality were transferred to using PrEP, which were reinforced by cultural norms portrayed on social media, television and film-such as an association between using PrEP and being a promiscuous, white, gay male. In addition, young people from ethnic minority communities appeared to have negative attitudes to PrEP use, compared with ethnic majority counterparts. This meant these young people in our study were unable to make decisions about when and how to use PrEP.ConclusionFindings indicate an information vacuum for young people regarding PrEP. A strength of the study is that theoretical data saturation was reached. A limitation of the study is participants were largely from Northern England, which has low prevalence of HIV. Further work is required to explore the information needs of young people in relation to PrEP.
| S-EPMC10953311 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceIt remains controversial whether adhering to a vegan diet may be associated with a higher prevalence of disordered eating. Also, main food choice motives and their association with disordered eating in this population are still unknown.ObjectiveTo determine the association between disordered eating attitudes and food choice motives of individuals who follow a vegan diet.Design, setting, and participantsThis is a cross-sectional online survey conducted between September 2021 and January 2023. Individuals of both sexes, aged 18 years or older, following a vegan diet for at least 6 months, currently living in Brazil were recruited through advertisements on social media.ExposureAdherence to a vegan diet and food choice motives.Main outcomes and measuresDisordered eating attitudes and food choice motives.ResultsNine hundred seventy-one participants completed the online survey. Median (IQR) age and BMI of participants was 29 (24-36) years and 22.6 (20.3-24.9), respectively, and 800 participants (82.4%) were female. Most participants (908 respondents [94%]) were categorized with the lowest level of disturbed eating attitudes. "Need and hunger," "liking," "health," "habits," and "natural concerns" were the most important food choice motives in this population, while "affect regulation," "social norms," and "social image" were the less important ones. Adjusted models showed that "liking," "need and hunger," and "health" were associated with lower levels of disordered eating attitudes, while "price," "pleasure," "sociability," "traditional eating," "visual appeal," "social norms," "social image," "weight control," and "affect regulation" were associated with higher levels of disordered eating attitudes.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study, as opposed to previous suggestions, levels of disordered eating were very low among vegans, although certain food choice motives were associated with disordered eating attitudes. Understanding the motivations of adhering to diets that may impose restrictions, which include vegan diets, may help tailor interventions focused on promoting healthy eating and preventing or treating disordered eating.
| S-EPMC10311387 | biostudies-literature