Community interventions improving mental health in minority ethnic adults in the UK: a scoping review

Background

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups in the UK are disproportionately affected by poor mental health. This scoping review sought to determine the effectiveness of community interventions designed to improve the metal health and wellbeing of adults from BAME groups in the UK.

Methods

We searched six electronic academic databases for studies published between 1990- 2019. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist and the Template for Intervention description and replication (TIDieR) guide was used for data extraction and intervention descriptions. Quality was assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias tools. Grey literature results were deemed beyond the scope of this review; numerous (>50) small scale community interventions were found without available outcomes data.

Results

Of 4,501 studies, seven met the inclusion criteria: four randomised control trials, one pre and post pilot study, one cross sectional study and one ethnographic study. Interventions included therapy-style sessions, peer-support groups, educational materials, gym access, and a family services programme. Common components included a focus on tackling social isolation, using lay health workers from within the community, signposting, and cultural adaptation. Only three studies reported a statistically significant positive outcome on mental health and six were appraised as having a high risk of bias. Knowledge gaps emerged around effective interventions for men, some BAME groups, and tackling the wider determinants of mental health.

Conclusions

There is a paucity of high-quality evidence on community interventions focussed on improving public mental health among BAME groups. Decision makers need scientific evidence to inform effective approaches to mitigating health disparities. Our next steps are to map promising community activities and interventions that are currently being provided to help identify emerging evidence.

Key messages

Evidence is limited and weak on community interventions that reduce mental health burden among minority ethnic people. Evaluation of promising interventions at scale can close the evidence gap.

Multicenter follow-up study of the transmandibular implant

The purpose of this multicenter study was to review the results of treatment and identify complications in edentulous patients who were treated with the transmandibular implant. A total of 190 patients were treated in four university departments. These patients presented for treatment with mandibular bone heights that ranged from 4 to 18 mm (mean, 10 mm). After postoperative periods that ranged from 3 months to 5 years, 182 of the 190 implants (95.8%) were stable and functional. Three implants were removed due to perioperative fractures in mandibles with 4 to 6 mm of bone height. Five were removed due to infection which occurred within the first 3 months after surgery. Reversible complications that developed in 22.2% of the patients were treated successfully. The 182 implants in function demonstrated no mobility and no infrabony pockets around any of the transmucosal posts. The results of this study demonstrate that the transmandibular implant has acceptable predictability and reliability for reconstruction of patients with severe atrophy of the mandibular alveolar process.

Sialography with continuous measurement of pressure outside and inside the gland

In almost any method of sialography the results depend on a sign given by the patient. In order to eliminate this very uncertain factor or to limit its effect, a procedure was established to determine the pressure in the gland after the injection of contrast medium, as well as the injection pressure during injection. The difference between injection pressure and gland pressure was minimized through the use of special cannulas. A special syringe was used. Pressure was recorded by a membrane transducer connected to electronic equipment. It appears that the pressures are below or about the same as the diastolic blood pressure. Pressure values do not correlate with the volumes injected. The standard deviation of the pressure is too large to make entirely superfluous the sign given by the patient; nevertheless, the method improves the quality and reliability of sialogram readings and extends the field of application to patients unable to give reliable subjective information.