Long-Term Follow-Up of a Lifestyle Intervention for Late-Midlife, Rural-Dwelling Latinos in Primary Care

Delivery of telehealth nutrition and physical activity interventions to adults living in rural areas: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Lifestyle behaviours related to smoking, alcohol, nutrition, and physical activity are leading risk factors for the development of chronic disease. For people in rural areas, access to individualised lifestyle services targeting behaviour change may be improved by using telehealth. However, the scope of literature investigating telehealth lifestyle behaviour change interventions for rural populations is unknown, making it difficult to ascertain whether telehealth interventions require adaptation for rural context via a systematic review. This scoping review aimed to address this gap, by mapping existing literature describing telehealth lifestyle interventions delivered to rural populations to determine if there is scope for systematic review of intervention effectiveness in this research topic.

METHODS

The PRISMA extension for scoping review checklist guided the processes of this scoping review. A search of eight electronic databases reported in English language until June 2023 was conducted. Eligible studies included adults (18 years and over), who lived in rural areas of high-income countries and undertook at least one synchronous (video or phone consultation) telehealth intervention that addressed either addictive (smoking or alcohol), or non-addictive lifestyle behaviours (nutrition or physical activity). Studies targeting addictive and non-addictive behaviours were separated after full text screening to account for the involvement of addictive substances in smoking and alcohol studies that may impact behaviour change interventions described. Studies targeting nutrition and/or physical activity interventions are presented here.

RESULTS

The search strategy identified 17179 citations across eight databases, with 7440 unique citations once duplicates were removed. Full texts for 492 citations were retrieved and screened for inclusion with 85 publications reporting on 73 studies eligible for data extraction and analysis. Of this, addictive behaviours were comprised of 15 publications from 13 studies. Non-addictive behaviours included 70 publications from 58 studies and are reported here. Most interventions were delivered within the United States of America (n = 43, 74.1%). The most common study design reported was Randomised Control Trial (n = 27, 46.6%). Included studies involved synchronous telehealth interventions targeting nutrition (11, 18.9%), physical activity (5, 8.6%) or nutrition and physical activity (41, 70.7%) and were delivered predominately via videoconference (n = 17, 29.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite differences in intervention characteristics, the number of randomised control trials published suggests sufficient scope for future systematic reviews to determine intervention effectiveness related to nutrition and physical activity telehealth interventions for rural populations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The scoping review protocol was not pre-registered.

Occupational therapy services in primary care: a scoping review

AIM

To examine and describe the current evidence about occupational therapy services in primary care.

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional primary care teams have been introduced to support the changing demographics and provide more comprehensive and coordinated care. Occupational therapists have the opportunity to play an important role in this expanding area of practice. To do so, occupational therapists must develop roles built on evidence and a clear understanding of the care delivery context.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted based on the scientific and grey literature. Studies that described or examined the occupational therapy role with clients (individuals, groups, communities, populations) of all ages, conditions or occupational issues in a primary care context and that presented or referred to an occupational therapist working in a primary care setting were included. Studies were excluded if they were not in English or French. The Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement was used to chart the data.

FINDINGS

129 articles were identified, with 62 non-research and 67 research-focussed articles. A total of 268 assessments and 868 interventions were identified. The top interventions offered by occupational therapists were referring to/advocating for/coordinating/linking to and navigating community services (n = 36 articles), chronic disease management (n = 34 articles)/self-management education (n = 28 articles), health promotion (n = 30 articles) and falls prevention (n = 27 articles). The predominant focus in the literature is on adult and older adult populations.

Life Domains and Lifestyle of Older Adults Living in a Nursing Home: A Pilot Study

Although the preventive occupational therapy intervention program Lifestyle Redesign® has proven to be effective in maintaining and improving the health and quality of life of older adults, a similar program has not yet been culturally adapted to the Spanish population. As a preliminary step in developing a lifestyle intervention tailored to healthy Spanish older adults living in a nursing home (Lifestyle Choice; originally in Spanish "Elección de Estilo de Vida"), we aimed to identify and describe the life domains of this population and determine overlap with content areas addressed in the Lifestyle Redesign® program. An observational cross-sectional study was carried out using quantitative methods, including 30 healthy older adult residents in the "Virgen del Prado" nursing home in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo), based on the development of a questionnaire and a survey. Six life domains were identified: self-care, sleep and rest, mobility, personal safety, health maintenance, spirituality, and free time usage. The results of this study reveal important overlaps with content areas of Lifestyle Redesign®, suggesting that it may be feasible to develop a lifestyle intervention ("Elección de Estilo de Vida") tailored to the sociocultural features of the healthy Spanish population over 65 years old living in nursing homes.

Lifestyle Redesign® with independent living older adults in countries other than the USA

BACKGROUND

Health promotion services need to be developed to respond to the needs of an ageing population. Lifestyle Redesign^® (LR^®) is an occupational therapy intervention that has been addressed as cost-effective in the USA.

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

This scoping review aimed to identify how the LR^® has been implemented and what the results have been with older adults living independently in countries other than the USA.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Sixteen studies were included. Quantitative results were interpreted through the numeric data and qualitative results through inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The delivery of the LR^® shared both similarities and differences with the original LR^®, and the variations concerned interventions length, facilitators, and the outcome measures used. In the quantitative results, there was often a positive trend in intervention groups' health-related quality of life, mental health, and occupational performance; in qualitative results, there was improvement in self-esteem and possibilities in building new communities.

CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE

The original LR^® was often transferrable into cultural settings other than the USA and many positive outcomes in the health and well-being of older adults were addressed. However, to understand the feasibility and effectiveness of the LR^®, scientific research and publications need to be enhanced.

Describing Occupational Therapy Services in Primary Care Settings: A Qualitative Study

As occupational therapists gain recognition for their work in primary care, it is important to explore the services they provide within these settings. A qualitative study was employed whereby six licensed occupational therapists within the United States were invited via email to engage in semi-structured interviews. Interview transcripts were analyzed individually by six researchers and as a team using consensus coding. Four themes emerged: "Primary Care Benefits", "Occupational Therapy Process and Distinct Value", "Primary Care Interventions", and "Complexities of Primary Care: Patient Conditions and Challenges." Occupational therapists described a range of benefits to being positioned within primary care. Problem solving around patient barriers, funding and logistical challenges are important considerations. Emphasizing 'occupation-based practice' and 'doing' within therapy are vital for occupational therapists who wish to advocate for their services and apply their distinct skill set within primary care settings.

Occupational therapists’ perceptions of the need to enact health promotion in community development through occupational justice

Abstract Introduction Social determinants of health underlie and contribute to health inequalities. Stigma, poverty, and unequal access to health care are examples of social determinants that affect people’s well-being and participation in society. Although occupational therapists use occupation to promote health and well-being, they rarely consider how to address the reduction of health inequalities in their practice. Objective The study aimed to explore how occupational therapists perceive the need to enact health promotion in community development through occupational justice. Method Following critical participatory action research principles, group discussions were conducted by six professionals from across France. Occupational justice frameworks and public health reports were used to prompt a group dialogue over four months. A content analysis of the discussion was conducted, guided by the theory of practice architectures to understand how the therapists’ practices were shaped by discursive, economic, and socio-political circumstances. Results Four themes reflected the professional needs to undertake community development: ‘the professional skills needed to enact the community’s own know-how and self-expertise’, ‘the importance of seeing the ‘whole’ picture and reaching out to other sectors’, ‘the need for occupational justice to understand the complexity of community development’, and ‘the need to move beyond body functions in education’. Conclusion Community development offers unique opportunities to work in the complex context of everyday living. Reasoning informed by occupational justice concepts enables occupational therapists to consider health outcomes caused by social determinants. Occupational therapy education must train students for complex reasoning on how occupational injustices are rooted in everyday social contexts.