Evaluation of Very Integrated Program: Health Promotion for Patients With Alcohol and Drug Addiction-A Randomized Trial

STRONG for Surgery & Strong for Life - against all odds: intensive prehabilitation including smoking, nutrition, alcohol and physical activity for risk reduction in cancer surgery - a protocol for an RCT with nested interview study (STRONG-Cancer)

Background

There is a large unused potential for risk reduction in the preoperative period via effective lifestyle intervention targeting co-existing risky lifestyles: Smoking, malNutrition, obesity, risky Alcohol intake and insufficient Physical activity (SNAP).

This trial compares the efficacy of the integrated STRONG programme with standard care on preoperative risk reduction and secondly on SNAP factor improvement and frailty, postoperative complications and quality of life. A nested interview study explores the patient preferences and the multi-perspective view of patients, relatives and health professionals.

Methods

In total, 42 surgical patients with ≥1 SNAP factor are allocated to individually tailored STRONG programme or usual care during adjuvant chemotherapy prior to radical bladder cancer surgery. The STRONG programme has ≥6 weekly sessions with patient education, motivational and pharmaceutical support. It is based on intensive smoking and alcohol cessation interventions reporting perioperative quit rates > 50%.

Surgical risk reduction is measured as ≥1 step for 1 or more risky lifestyles on the ASA-score, secondly as having no risky SNAP factors, and as any SNAP improvement. The outcomes are validated by measurements and biomarkers. Postoperative complications are categorised according to the Clavien-Dindo classification. Health-related quality of life is measured by EQ-5D.

The patients are followed up after 6 weeks at surgery and 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively.

A representative sample of the participants, their relatives and the clinical staff are interviewed until data saturation. Transcription, triangulated analyses and data management are conducted using NVivo computer software.

Discussion

The surgical agenda is characterised by fixed dates for surgery focusing on clear risk reduction within a short time. This requires a clinical useful lifestyle intervention programme with a high effect and coverage as well as containing all SNAP factors and tailored to individual needs.

The STRONG programme seems to meet these requirements. After development in multi-professional collaboration, STRONG is delivered by a specially trained nurse as part of the surgical patient journey.

Overall, this study will bring important new knowledge about risk reduction in a frail patient group undergoing major cancer surgery.

Trial registration

Registration at www.clintrials.gov (NCT04088968)

The manuscript form from https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/bmc/journal and the SPIRIT guidelines are followed.

Behavioral Interventions to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk Among People with Severe Mental Disorder

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among people with severe mental disorder (SMD). CVD risk factors occur at the individual, health system, and socio-environmental levels and contribute not only to high rates of CVD but also to worsening mental health. While acknowledging this wider context, this review focuses on behavioral interventions for seven CVD risk behaviors-smoking, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, low fruit and vegetable intake, inadequate sleep, poor social participation, and poor medication adherence-that are common among people with SMD. We survey recent meta-reviews of the literature and then review additional key studies to provide clinical recommendations for behavioral interventions to reduce CVD risk among people with SMD. A transdiagnostic psychological approach from the start of mental health treatment, drawing upon multidisciplinary expertise to address multiple risk behaviors, is recommended. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Volume 18 is May 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Effectiveness of tobacco cessation interventions for different groups of tobacco users in Sweden: a study protocol for a national prospective cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Tobacco is still one of the single most important risk factors among the lifestyle habits that cause morbidity and mortality in humans. Furthermore, tobacco has a heavy social gradient, as the consequences are even worse among disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. To reduce tobacco-related inequity in health, those most in need should be offered the most effective tobacco cessation intervention. The aim of this study is to facilitate and improve the evaluation of already implemented national tobacco cessation efforts, focusing on 10 disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of tobacco users.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is a prospective cohort study. Data will be collected by established tobacco cessation counsellors in Sweden. The study includes adult tobacco or e-cigarette users, including disadvantaged and vulnerable patients, receiving in-person interventions for tobacco or e-cigarette cessation (smoking, snus and/or e-cigarettes). Patient inclusion was initiated in April 2020. For data analyses patients will be sorted into vulnerable groups based on risk factors and compared with tobacco users without the risk factor in question.The primary outcome is continuous successful quitting after 6 months, measured by self-reporting. Secondary outcomes include abstinence at the end of the treatment programme, which could be from minutes over days to weeks, 14-day point prevalence after 6 months, and patient satisfaction with the intervention. Effectiveness of successful quitting will be examined by comparing vulnerable with non-vulnerable patients using a mixed-effect logistic regression model adjusting for potential prognostic factors and known confounders.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The project will follow the guidelines from the Swedish Data Protection Authority and have been approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority before patient inclusion (Dnr: 2019-02221). Only patients providing written informed consent will be included. Both positive and negative results will be published in scientific peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Information will be provided through media available to the public, politicians, healthcare providers and planners as these are all important stakeholders.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04819152.

Characteristics of Patients in Treatment for Alcohol and Drug Addiction Who Succeed in Changing Smoking, Weight, and Physical Activity: A Secondary Analysis of an RCT on Combined Lifestyle Interventions

INTRODUCTION

Patients addicted to alcohol or drug often have additional unhealthy lifestyles, adding to the high mortality and morbidity in this patient group. Therefore, it is important to consider lifestyle interventions as part of the usual addiction treatment.

OBJECTIVE

The aim was to identify predictors of successful changes in lifestyle risk factors among patients in treatment for alcohol or drug addiction.

METHODS

We conducted a secondary analysis of a trial using a 6-week intensive integrated lifestyle intervention: The very integrated program (VIP). Patients were recruited in Addiction Centres Malmö and Psychiatry Skåne, Sweden. The primary outcome was successful changes in lifestyle, measured as quitting tobacco, exercising 30 min per day, and not being over- or underweight after 6 weeks and 12 months.

RESULTS

A total of 212 patients were included in the RCT, and 128 were included in this secondary analysis: 108 at 6 weeks and 89 at 12 months of follow-up. A total of 69 patients were respondents at both follow-ups. The follow-up rates were 51 and 42%, respectively. More education, having at least 2 lifestyle risk factors and having a high quality of life were predictors of a successful change in lifestyle after 6 weeks. After 12 months, the predictors for a successful outcome were having 3 or more risk factors, while an education level up to 3 years was a negative predictor.

CONCLUSIONS

Having several unhealthy lifestyles in addition to alcohol and drug addiction was a significant predictor of successful lifestyle changes in the short- and long term after the VIP for lifestyle interventions. Likewise, education was significant. The results should be considered in future development and research among this vulnerable group of patients.