1
|
Kim M, Lovett JT, Doshi AM, Prabhu V. Immediate Access to Radiology Reports: Perspectives on X Before and After the Cures Act Information Blocking Provision. J Am Coll Radiol 2024; 21:1130-1140. [PMID: 38147904 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacr.2023.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The 21st Century Cures Act's information blocking provision mandates that patients have immediate access to their electronic health information, including radiology reports. We evaluated public opinions surrounding this policy on X, a microblogging platform with over 400 million users. METHODS We retrieved 27,522 posts related to radiology reports from October 5, 2020, through October 4, 2021. One reviewer performed initial screening for relevant posts. Two reviewers categorized user type and post theme(s) using a predefined coding system. Posts were grouped as "pre-Cures" (6 months before information blocking) and "post-Cures" (6 months after). Descriptive statistics and χ2 tests were performed. RESULTS Among 1,155 final posts, 1,028 unique users were identified (64% patients, 11% non-radiologist physicians, 4% radiologists). X activity increased, with 40% (n = 462) pre-Cures and 60% (n = 693) post-Cures. Early result notification before referring providers was the only theme that significantly increased post-Cures (+3%, P = .001). Common negative themes were frustration (33%), anxiety (27%), and delay (20%). Common positive themes were gratitude for radiologists (52%) and autonomy (21%). Of posts expressing opinions on early access, 84% favored and 16% opposed it, with decreased preference between study periods (P = .006). More patients than physicians preferred early access (92% versus 40%, P < .0001). DISCUSSION X activity increased after the information blocking provision, partly due to conversation about early notification. Despite negative experiences with reports, most users preferred early access. Although the Cures Act is a positive step toward open access, work remains to improve patients' engagement with their radiology results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Kim
- NYU Langone Health, Department of Radiology, New York, New York.
| | | | - Ankur M Doshi
- Associate Professor and Associate Clinical Director, Radiology Informatics, NYU Langone Health, Department of Radiology, New York, New York
| | - Vinay Prabhu
- Clinical Assistant Professor, Associate Program Director, and Body MRI Fellowship, NYU Langone Health, Department of Radiology, New York, New York
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Freytag A, Rosset M, Baumann E, Schomerus G. Media Coverage of Alcohol-Use Disorders in German Newspapers and Magazines: A Topic-Specific Frame Analysis. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023:1-14. [PMID: 37828895 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2023.2266621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorders (AUD) are pressing social problems. News media play a key role in setting the agenda for the public discourse and framing these problems. They provide people affected and unaffected with health-related information on different facets of the disease and present the topic in various contexts. In doing so, they shape the public opinion and influence behaviors. On the basis of an explorative quantitative content analysis of N = 402 articles published in 2019 in nine German newspapers and magazines, this study provides information on the topic-specific framing with regard to AUD. The results show only scant contextualization of the topic in the German media. This deficiency has particular regard to causal relationships and treatment opportunities, leaving room for interpretation from the audience. The topic-specific framing analysis showed that articles on AUD mostly appear either in the context of celebrities, endorsing favorable presentations of recovered people, or in the context of crime and violence, which goes hand in hand with portraying acutely affected people as perpetrators. Increased news coverage that includes the portrayal of non-famous people who have successfully engaged in alcohol treatment and recovery is necessary.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Freytag
- Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hanover University of Music
| | - Magdalena Rosset
- Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hanover University of Music
| | - Eva Baumann
- Department of Journalism and Communication Research, Hanover University of Music
| | - Georg Schomerus
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Duan R, Li Y, Jing L, Zhang T, Yao Y, Gong Z, Shao Y, Song Y, Wang W, Zhang Y, Cheng J, Zhu X, Peng Y, Jia Y. The altered functional connectivity density related to cognitive impairment in alcoholics. Front Psychol 2022; 13:973654. [PMID: 36092050 PMCID: PMC9453650 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.973654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most common substance use disorders contributing to both behavioral and cognitive impairments in patients with AUD. Recent neuroimaging studies point out that AUD is a typical disorder featured by altered functional connectivity. However, the details about how voxel-wise functional coordination remain unknown. Here, we adopted a newly proposed method named functional connectivity density (FCD) to depict altered voxel-wise functional coordination in AUD. The novel functional imaging technique, FCD, provides a comprehensive analytical method for brain's “scale-free” networks. We applied resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) toward subjects to obtain their FCD, including global FCD (gFCD), local FCD (lFCD), and long-range FCD (lrFCD). Sixty-one patients with AUD and 29 healthy controls (HC) were recruited, and patients with AUD were further divided into alcohol-related cognitive impairment group (ARCI, n = 11) and non-cognitive impairment group (AUD-NCI, n = 50). All subjects were asked to stay stationary during the scan in order to calculate the resting-state gFCD, lFCD, and lrFCD values, and further investigate the abnormal connectivity alterations among AUD-NCI, ARCI, and HC. Compared to HC, both AUD groups exhibited significantly altered gFCD in the left inferior occipital lobe, left calcarine, altered lFCD in right lingual, and altered lrFCD in ventromedial frontal gyrus (VMPFC). It is notable that gFCD of the ARCI group was found to be significantly deviated from AUD-NCI and HC in left medial frontal gyrus, which changes probably contributed by the impairment in cognition. In addition, no significant differences in gFCD were found between ARCI and HC in left parahippocampal, while ARCI and HC were profoundly deviated from AUD-NCI, possibly reflecting a compensation of cognition impairment. Further analysis showed that within patients with AUD, gFCD values in left medial frontal gyrus are negatively correlated with MMSE scores, while lFCD values in left inferior occipital lobe are positively related to ADS scores. In conclusion, patients with AUD exhibited significantly altered functional connectivity patterns mainly in several left hemisphere brain regions, while patients with AUD with or without cognitive impairment also demonstrated intergroup FCD differences which correlated with symptom severity, and patients with AUD cognitive impairment would suffer less severe alcohol dependence. This difference in symptom severity probably served as a compensation for cognitive impairment, suggesting a difference in pathological pathways. These findings assisted future AUD studies by providing insight into possible pathological mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ranran Duan
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yanfei Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lijun Jing
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Tian Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yaobing Yao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhe Gong
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yingzhe Shao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yajun Song
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Weijian Wang
- Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Engineering Technology Research Center for Detection and Application of Brain Function of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Brain Function of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Cognitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Zhengzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Engineering Technology Research Center for Detection and Application of Brain Function of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Brain Function of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Cognitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Zhengzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jingliang Cheng
- Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Engineering Technology Research Center for Detection and Application of Brain Function of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Brain Function of Henan Province, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Cognitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Zhengzhou, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhu
- Mudanjiang Medical University, Mudanjiang, China
| | - Ying Peng
- Department of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yanjie Jia
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Yanjie Jia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kersbergen I, Buykx P, Brennan A, Brown J, Michie S, Holmes J. Print and online textual news media coverage of UK low-risk drinking guidelines from 2014 to 2017: A review and thematic analysis. Drug Alcohol Rev 2022; 41:1161-1173. [PMID: 35266232 PMCID: PMC7612969 DOI: 10.1111/dar.13458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The UK low-risk drinking guidelines were revised in 2016. Drinkers were primarily informed about the guidelines via news media, but little is known about this coverage. This study investigated the scale and content of print and online textual news media coverage of drinking guidelines in England from February 2014 to October 2017. METHODS We searched the Nexis database and two leading broadcasters' websites (BBC and Sky) for articles mentioning the guidelines. We randomly selected 500 articles to code for reporting date, accuracy, tone, context and purpose of mentioning the guidelines, and among these, thematically analysed 200 randomly selected articles. RESULTS Articles mentioned the guidelines regularly. Reporting peaked when the guidelines revision was announced (7.4% of articles). The most common type of mention was within health- or alcohol-related articles and neutral in tone (70.8%). The second most common was in articles discussing the guidelines' strengths and weaknesses, which were typically negative (14.8%). Critics discredited the guidelines' scientific basis by highlighting conflicting evidence and arguing that guideline developers acted politically. They also questioned the ethics of limiting personal autonomy to improve public health. Criticisms were partially facilitated by announcing the guidelines alongside a 'no safe level of drinking' message, and wider discourse misrepresenting the guidelines as rules, and highlighting apparent inconsistencies with standalone scientific papers and international guidelines. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS News media generally covered drinking guidelines in a neutral and accurate manner, but in-depth coverage was often negative and sought to discredit the guidelines using scientific and ethical arguments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Inge Kersbergen
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Penny Buykx
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- School of Humanities and Social Science, The University of Newcastle, Australia
| | - Alan Brennan
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- SPECTRUM Consortium, London, UK
| | - Jamie Brown
- Department of Behavioural Science & Health, University College London, UK
- SPECTRUM Consortium, London, UK
| | - Susan Michie
- Department of Behavioural Science & Health, University College London, UK
- SPECTRUM Consortium, London, UK
| | - John Holmes
- School of Health and Related Research, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- SPECTRUM Consortium, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Ford K, Bellis MA, Hill R, Hughes K. An evaluation of a short film promoting kindness in Wales during COVID-19 restrictions #TimeToBeKind. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:583. [PMID: 35331188 PMCID: PMC8944183 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-12876-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In response to successive COVID-19 restrictions in Wales, the Welsh ACE Support Hub launched the #TimeToBeKind campaign in March 2021. The campaign used a short film broadcast on national television and promoted on social media to encourage behaviour change for kindness. We evaluated the #TimeToBeKind campaign film to identify whether watching the film would result in increased intention to act in ways that promote kindness to others and if intentions were associated with being emotionally affected by the film. METHODS A mixed methods evaluation was employed, using a short online survey and interaction with the film on the Twitter social media platform. The online survey measured public (n = 390) attitudes towards the film including feelings invoked, and behavioural intentions for acts of kindness as a result of viewing the film. Tweets which interacted with the film (n = 59; likes, re-tweets or comments), and tweet sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral) towards the film were also explored. RESULTS The majority of participants reported positive attitudes to the film and agreed that they understood the campaign message (91.8%). 67.9% reported that the film made them feel upset or sad and for 22.6% the film resonated with their lockdown experience. As a result of seeing the film, 63.6% reported intentions to be kinder to others, 65.6% intended to try and help other members of their community, and 70.5% were more likely to check in on friends, family and neighbours. A higher proportion of individuals who were emotionally affected by the film (e.g. upset or sad, hopeful or encouraged, gained something positive) and those for whom the film resonated with their lockdown experience reported increased kindness behavioural intentions as a result of seeing the film. CONCLUSIONS Film can be an effective tool to promote behaviour change for kindness. Films that provoke strong emotional reactions can still be perceived positively and lead to behaviour change. With the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating a move online for many, the findings of the present evaluation are relevant to how public health messaging can adapt and utilise this space to target individuals and promote behaviour change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kat Ford
- Public Health Collaborating Unit, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, LL13 7YP, Wrexham, UK.
| | - Mark A Bellis
- Public Health Collaborating Unit, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, LL13 7YP, Wrexham, UK
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Well-being, Policy and International Health, Public Health Wales, LL13 7YP, Wrexham, UK
| | - Rebecca Hill
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Well-being, Policy and International Health, Public Health Wales, CF10 4BZ, Cardiff, UK
| | - Karen Hughes
- Public Health Collaborating Unit, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, LL13 7YP, Wrexham, UK
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Well-being, Policy and International Health, Public Health Wales, LL13 7YP, Wrexham, UK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
A comparative assessment of action plans on antimicrobial resistance from OECD and G20 countries using natural language processing. Health Policy 2022; 126:522-533. [DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2022.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
|
7
|
Ford K, Bellis MA, Isherwood KR, Hughes KE. Perceptions of a short animated film on adverse childhood experiences: a mixed methods evaluation. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e050398. [PMID: 34404714 PMCID: PMC8372873 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES An evaluation of a short animated film on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to explore attitudes and sentiment towards the film including, for a subsample of professionals, associations between attitudes and personal experience of ACEs. DESIGN Mixed-method exploratory design. SETTING Professionals and the general public. PARTICIPANTS A short online survey with 239 professionals. Interaction and user sentiment towards with the film on social media (Twitter, YouTube). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES Survey: participants' attitudes towards the film including feelings invoked, learning gained and ACE count prevalence. Twitter user and YouTube viewer sentiment (positive, negative or neutral) and interaction (likes, retweets or comments) with the film. RESULTS Attitudes to the film were positive: 94.1% and 93.7%, respectively, agreed that it provided a helpful explanation of ACEs and trusted that the film was credible. Of those who reported ACE exposure, 88.9% agreed that those with ACEs would benefit from watching the film. Despite 50.6% reporting that the film had made them feel sad or upset, the majority (66.4%) reported they found the film hopeful or encouraging. Across 358 publicly available tweets from 313 users, 39.1% of tweets expressed positive sentiment, with only 1.4% negative (59.5% neutral). However, there was no association between tweet sentiment and interaction. Thirteen YouTube versions of the film received 171 812 views, 97.3% (n=889/914) ratings were positive (ie, 'thumbs up'). CONCLUSIONS Despite being emotionally arousing, many professionals reflected positive impacts of the film including a perceived increased ability to discuss ACEs. Public sentiment demonstrated a positive reaction to and acceptability of the film. Understanding the professional and public response to materials developed to increase ACE awareness, such as the film explored here, is important given the growing number of international movements which seek to increase ACE awareness, prevent ACEs and mitigate their lifelong negative effects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kat Ford
- Public Health Collaborating Unit, School of Health Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, Wrexham, UK
| | - Mark A Bellis
- Public Health Collaborating Unit, School of Health Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, Wrexham, UK
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Well-being, Policy and International Health, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, Wrexham, UK
| | - Kate R Isherwood
- Research and Evaluation Division, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, Cardiff, UK
| | - Karen E Hughes
- Public Health Collaborating Unit, School of Health Sciences, College of Human Sciences, Bangor University, Wrexham, UK
- World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Well-being, Policy and International Health, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, Wrexham, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Riordan BC, Winter DT, Haber PS, Day CA, Morley KC. What are people saying on social networking sites about the Australian alcohol consumption guidelines? Med J Aust 2021; 214:105-107.e1. [PMID: 33429457 DOI: 10.5694/mja2.50902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
|
9
|
Holmes J, Beard E, Brown J, Brennan A, Meier PS, Michie S, Stevely AK, Webster L, Buykx PF. Effects on alcohol consumption of announcing and implementing revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines: findings from an interrupted time series analysis. J Epidemiol Community Health 2020; 74:942-949. [PMID: 32684524 PMCID: PMC7576577 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2020-213820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In January 2016, the UK announced and began implementing revised guidelines for low-risk drinking of 14 units (112 g) per week for men and women. This was a reduction from the previous guidelines for men of 3-4 units (24-32 g) per day. There was no large-scale promotion of the revised guidelines beyond the initial media announcement. This paper evaluates the effect of announcing the revised guidelines on alcohol consumption among adults in England. METHODS Data come from a monthly repeat cross-sectional survey of approximately 1700 adults living in private households in England collected between March 2014 and October 2017. The primary outcomes are change in level and time trend of participants' Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) scores. RESULTS In December 2015, the modelled average AUDIT-C score was 2.719 out of 12 and was decreasing by 0.003 each month. After January 2016, AUDIT-C scores increased immediately but non-significantly to 2.720 (β=0.001, CI -0.079 to 0.099) and the trend changed significantly such that scores subsequently increased by 0.005 each month (β=0.008, CI 0.001 to 0.015), equivalent to 0.5% of the population increasing their AUDIT-C score by 1 point each month. Secondary analyses indicated the change in trend began 7 months before the guideline announcement and that AUDIT-C scores reduced significantly but temporarily for 4 months after the announcement (β=-0.087, CI -0.167 to 0.007). CONCLUSIONS Announcing new UK drinking guidelines did not lead to a substantial or sustained reduction in drinking or a downturn in the long-term trend in alcohol consumption, but there was evidence of a temporary reduction in consumption.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Holmes
- ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emma Beard
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research center, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jamie Brown
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research center, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Susan Michie
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Penny F Buykx
- ScHARR, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle Medical Society, Newcastle, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Holmes J, Beard E, Brown J, Brennan A, Kersbergen I, Meier PS, Michie S, Stevely AK, Buykx P. The impact of promoting revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines on alcohol consumption: interrupted time series analysis. PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.3310/phr08140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
The UK’s Chief Medical Officers revised the UK alcohol drinking guidelines in 2016 to ≤ 14 units per week (1 unit = 10 ml/8 g ethanol) for men and women. Previously, the guideline stated that men should not regularly consume more than 3–4 units per day and women should not regularly consume more than 2–3 units per day.
Objective
To evaluate the impact of promoting revised UK drinking guidelines on alcohol consumption.
Design
Interrupted time series analysis of observational data.
Setting
England, March 2014 to October 2017.
Participants
A total of 74,388 adults aged ≥ 16 years living in private households in England.
Interventions
Promotion of revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines.
Main outcome measures
Primary outcome – alcohol consumption measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption score. Secondary outcomes – average weekly consumption measured using graduated frequency, monthly alcohol consumption per capita adult (aged ≥ 16 years) derived from taxation data, monthly number of hospitalisations for alcohol poisoning (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision: T51.0, T51.1 and T51.9) and assault (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision: X85–Y09), and further measures of influences on behaviour change.
Data sources
The Alcohol Toolkit Study, a monthly cross-sectional survey and NHS Digital’s Hospital Episode Statistics.
Results
The revised drinking guidelines were not subject to large-scale promotion after the initial January 2016 announcement. An analysis of news reports found that mentions of the guidelines were mostly factual, and spiked during January 2016. In December 2015, the modelled average Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption score was 2.719 out of 12.000 and was decreasing by 0.003 each month. After the January 2016 announcement, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption scores did not decrease significantly (β = 0.001, 95% confidence interval –0.079 to 0.099). However, the trend did change significantly such that scores subsequently increased by 0.005 each month (β = 0.008, 95% confidence interval 0.001 to 0.015). This change is equivalent to 0.5% of the population moving each month from drinking two or three times per week to drinking four or more times per week. Secondary analyses indicated that the change in trend began 6 months before the guideline announcement. The secondary outcome measures showed conflicting results, with no significant changes in consumption measures and no substantial changes in influences on behaviour change, but immediate reductions in hospitalisations of 7.3% for assaults and 15.4% for alcohol poisonings.
Limitations
The pre-intervention data collection period was only 2 months for influences on behaviour change and the graduated frequency measure. Our conclusions may be generalisable only to scenarios in which guidelines are announced but not promoted.
Conclusions
The announcement of revised UK low-risk drinking guidelines was not associated with clearly detectable changes in drinking behaviour. Observed reductions in alcohol-related hospitalisations are unlikely to be attributable to the revised guidelines. Promotion of the guidelines may have been prevented by opposition to the revised guidelines from the government's alcohol industry partners or because reduction in alcohol consumption was not a government priority or because practical obstacles prevented independent public health organisations from promoting the guidelines. Additional barriers to the effectiveness of guidelines may include low public understanding and a need for guidelines to engage more with how drinkers respond to and use them in practice.
Trial registration
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15189062.
Funding
This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme and will be published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 8, No. 14. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John Holmes
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Emma Beard
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jamie Brown
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alan Brennan
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Inge Kersbergen
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Petra S Meier
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Susan Michie
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Abigail K Stevely
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Penny Buykx
- School of Health and Related Research, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- School of Humanities and Social Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Mendoza-Herrera K, Valero-Morales I, Ocampo-Granados ME, Reyes-Morales H, Arce-Amaré F, Barquera S. An Overview of Social Media Use in the Field of Public Health Nutrition: Benefits, Scope, Limitations, and a Latin American Experience. Prev Chronic Dis 2020; 17:E76. [PMID: 32762809 PMCID: PMC7417023 DOI: 10.5888/pcd17.200047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Social media platforms are low-cost tools that can be used to address issues in public health nutrition, especially in countries where health-related institutions experience economic limitations. We aimed to emphasize the benefits of using social media to promote health that have been documented to date. To show social media’s positive impact on population health literacy, we briefly describe an inexpensive systematic communication strategy implemented in our research center through 2 social media platforms, the lessons learned, and the strategy’s short-term results. Because social media use in public health is a new field of study, this perspective also focuses on the current limitations and gaps in evidence that need to be addressed to translate the best practices into policy recommendations. In conclusion, the perspective highlights the role that health actors and governments should take to maximize the benefits of social media use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kenny Mendoza-Herrera
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Isabel Valero-Morales
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | | | - Hortensia Reyes-Morales
- Center for Information on Public Health Decisions, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | | | - Simón Barquera
- Center for Nutrition and Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.,Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Avenida Universidad 655, Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México 62100.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Albalawi Y, Nikolov NS, Buckley J. Trustworthy Health-Related Tweets on Social Media in Saudi Arabia: Tweet Metadata Analysis. J Med Internet Res 2019; 21:e14731. [PMID: 31596242 PMCID: PMC6914129 DOI: 10.2196/14731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Social media platforms play a vital role in the dissemination of health information. However, evidence suggests that a high proportion of Twitter posts (ie, tweets) are not necessarily accurate, and many studies suggest that tweets do not need to be accurate, or at least evidence based, to receive traction. This is a dangerous combination in the sphere of health information. Objective The first objective of this study is to examine health-related tweets originating from Saudi Arabia in terms of their accuracy. The second objective is to find factors that relate to the accuracy and dissemination of these tweets, thereby enabling the identification of ways to enhance the dissemination of accurate tweets. The initial findings from this study and methodological improvements will then be employed in a larger-scale study that will address these issues in more detail. Methods A health lexicon was used to extract health-related tweets using the Twitter application programming interface and the results were further filtered manually. A total of 300 tweets were each labeled by two medical doctors; the doctors agreed that 109 tweets were either accurate or inaccurate. Other measures were taken from these tweets’ metadata to see if there was any relationship between the measures and either the accuracy or the dissemination of the tweets. The entire range of this metadata was analyzed using Python, version 3.6.5 (Python Software Foundation), to answer the research questions posed. Results A total of 34 out of 109 tweets (31.2%) in the dataset used in this study were classified as untrustworthy health information. These came mainly from users with a non-health care background and social media accounts that had no corresponding physical (ie, organization) manifestation. Unsurprisingly, we found that traditionally trusted health sources were more likely to tweet accurate health information than other users. Likewise, these provisional results suggest that tweets posted in the morning are more trustworthy than tweets posted at night, possibly corresponding to official and casual posts, respectively. Our results also suggest that the crowd was quite good at identifying trustworthy information sources, as evidenced by the number of times a tweet’s author was tagged as favorited by the community. Conclusions The results indicate some initially surprising factors that might correlate with the accuracy of tweets and their dissemination. For example, the time a tweet was posted correlated with its accuracy, which may reflect a difference between professional (ie, morning) and hobbyist (ie, evening) tweets. More surprisingly, tweets containing a kashida—a decorative element in Arabic writing used to justify the text within lines—were more likely to be disseminated through retweets. These findings will be further assessed using data analysis techniques on a much larger dataset in future work.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yahya Albalawi
- Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,Department of Computer and Information Sciences, College of Arts and Science, University of Taibah, Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia.,The Irish Software Research Centre, Lero, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Nikola S Nikolov
- Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,The Irish Software Research Centre, Lero, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Jim Buckley
- Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.,The Irish Software Research Centre, Lero, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Astill Wright L, Golder S, Balkham A, McCambridge J. Understanding public opinion to the introduction of minimum unit pricing in Scotland: a qualitative study using Twitter. BMJ Open 2019; 9:e029690. [PMID: 31201194 PMCID: PMC6576115 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-029690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES On 1 May 2018 minimum unit pricing (MUP) of alcohol was introduced in Scotland. This study used Twitter posts to quantify sentiment expressed online during the introduction of MUP, conducted a thematic analysis of these perceptions and analysed which Twitter users were associated with which particular sentiments. DESIGN AND SETTING This qualitative social media analysis captured all tweets relating to MUP during the 2 weeks after the introduction of the policy. These tweets were assessed using a mixture of human and machine coding for relevance, sentiment and source. A thematic analysis was conducted. PARTICIPANTS 74 639 tweets were collected over 14 days. Of these 53 574 were relevant to MUP. RESULTS Study findings demonstrate that opinion on the introduction of MUP in Scotland was somewhat divided, as far as is discernible on Twitter, with a slightly higher proportion of positive posts (35%) than negative posts (28%), with positive sentiment stronger in Scotland itself. Furthermore, 55% of positive tweets/retweets were originally made by health or alcohol policy-related individuals or organisations. Thematic analysis of tweets showed some evidence of misunderstanding around policy issues. CONCLUSIONS It is possible to appreciate the divided nature of public opinion on the introduction of MUP in Scotland using Twitter, the nature of the sentiment around it and the key actors involved. It will be possible to later study how this changes when the policy becomes more established.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Su Golder
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK
| | - Adam Balkham
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK
| | - J McCambridge
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Otto AR, Eichstaedt JC. Real-world unexpected outcomes predict city-level mood states and risk-taking behavior. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206923. [PMID: 30485304 PMCID: PMC6261541 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Fluctuations in mood states are driven by unpredictable outcomes in daily life but also appear to drive consequential behaviors such as risk-taking. However, our understanding of the relationships between unexpected outcomes, mood, and risk-taking behavior has relied primarily upon constrained and artificial laboratory settings. Here we examine, using naturalistic datasets, how real-world unexpected outcomes predict mood state changes observable at the level of a city, in turn predicting changes in gambling behavior. By analyzing day-to-day mood language extracted from 5.2 million location-specific and public Twitter posts or 'tweets', we examine how real-world 'prediction errors'-local outcomes that deviate positively from expectations-predict day-to-day mood states observable at the level of a city. These mood states in turn predicted increased per-person lottery gambling rates, revealing how interplay between prediction errors, moods, and risky decision-making unfolds in the real world. Our results underscore how social media and naturalistic datasets can uniquely allow us to understand consequential psychological phenomena.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A. Ross Otto
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Johannes C. Eichstaedt
- Positive Psychology Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Astill Wright L, Golder S, Balkham A, McCambridge J. Understanding public opinion to the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland: a qualitative study using Twitter. (Preprint). JMIR Public Health Surveill 2018. [DOI: 10.2196/12063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|