Category: Public Health

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

WHO reviews effect of physical activity on enhancing academic achievement at school.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.

(Today children and adolescents aged 5–17 years spend nearly two thirds of their time at school in sedentary activities and only five percent of school time doing physical activities. According to the WHO/Europe review, increasing the amount of physical activity can have a positive impact not only on children’s health and well-being, but also on their performance in the classroom.)

New data show vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults Public Health England (PHE); 2021

(New data show both Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines significantly reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults.)

A window of opportunity for Public Health NHS Providers; 2021

(A new briefing by NHS Providers looks at the risks and opportunities which may arise from the dissolution of PHE and the creation of the National Institute for Health Protection. It outlines considerations for a new public health system, along with the role of Trusts and Integrated Care Systems.)

NHS entitlements: migrant health guide.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Advice and guidance for healthcare practitioners on the health needs of migrant patients. 17 February 2021: Updated links to COVID-19 migrant health guidance, dental health, and access to healthcare for migrant and/or undocumented children.)

Healthy weight environments: using the planning system.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

[How local authorities’ public health and planning teams can promote healthy weight environments.]

Physical activity: understanding and addressing inequalities.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Evidence-based guidance for addressing inequalities in physical activity locally. This guidance can be used by local level practitioners and commissioners to begin tackling inequalities in physical activity across and within protected characteristic groups. It presents the findings of a review, analysis and research aimed at understanding the enablers, barriers and opportunities for increasing physical activity across inequality groups.)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Keeping children safe from abuse and harm.
Home Office, Public Health England, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and Department for Education; 2021.

(Advice for parents and carers about the main risks children may be particularly vulnerable to at this time and information about available help and support.)

COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – first update.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC); 2020.

(The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures.)


Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

National Child Measurement Programme: childhood obesity.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Research by University College London (UCL) shares learning from local authorities that have a downward trend in childhood obesity, including practice examples. 15 February 2021: Added PHE Centres documents: North of England, Midlands, South of England, East of England and London.)

COVID-19 vaccination: British Sign Language resources.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(British Sign Language (BSL) videos on COVID-19 vaccination.)

County lines exploitation: applying All Our Health.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Guidance to help health professionals prevent child exploitation and protect vulnerable children that have been manipulated and coerced into crime.)

Changes over 15 years in the contribution of adiposity and smoking to deaths in England and Scotland.
BMC Public Health; 2021.

(Adiposity now accounts for more deaths in England and Scotland than smoking among people in middle- and old-age. National strategies to address adiposity should be a public health priority.)

Support for domestic abuse victims.
House of Commons Library; 2021.

(This briefing outlines support for victims of domestic violence and abuse. It considers social services, housing, social security benefits, health services and preventive actions in education settings.)

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Syphilis: Public Health England action plan.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Addressing the increase in syphilis in England.)

The obesity paradigm and the role of health services in obesity prevention: a grounded theory approach.[Abstract]
Pearce C. BMC Health Services Research 2021;21(1):111.

(The aim of this research was to examine whether and how hospital and community-based health services incorporate adult obesity prevention into policy and practice. An alternative systems-level approach is needed to align health service responses with contemporary approaches that address obesity prevention as a complex problem.)

The impact of household energy poverty on the mental health of parents of young children.
Journal of Public Health; 2021.

(Energy poverty increases the likelihood of depression in parents. These findings merit policy attention since a mental health burden is in itself important, and more widely, parental well-being can influence child development and outcomes.)

Raising awareness of funding for vulnerable two-year-old children.
Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE); 2021.

(SCIE is helping the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) to raise awareness about the 15 hours funded early years provision, particularly to more families who are vulnerable. This programme improves the health, learning and development of disadvantaged two-year-old children as well as being beneficial for the parent.)

‘Do No Harm’: Lived Experiences and Impacts of FGM Safeguarding Policies and Procedures, Bristol study.
FORWARD UK; 2021.

(The research reveals worrying evidence that FGM safeguarding policies are inadvertently causing a great deal of harm to families, communities and young girls, both in Bristol and potentially across the UK. Their targeted and heavy-handed approach have increased scrutiny, suspicion and stigmatisation of families in many areas of their lives, from schools, to healthcare, to overseas travel.)

Still not safe: the public health response to youth violence.
The Children’s Commissioner; 2021.

(This report assesses how effectively existing infrastructure within local authorities is being used to deliver a public health approach to preventing gang involvement and youth violence. The Children’s Commissioner concludes that two years on from her last report into this issue and a year after the Prime Minister promised to ‘cut the head off the snake’ of county lines, thousands of children are still not being kept safe.)

Dementia profile: February 2021 update.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Updated statistics on dementia prevalence, hospital admissions, care and mortality, at the national and subnational geographical areas in England. The dementia profile is designed to improve the availability and accessibility of information on dementia. The data is presented in an interactive tool that allows users to view and analyse it in a user-friendly format.)

Health and Care of People with Learning Disabilities 2019-20.
NHS Digital; 2021.

(The most recent release of the 2019-20 Health and Care of Learning Disability Publication. These are aggregated data on key health issues for people who are recorded by their GP as having a learning disability, and comparative data about a control group who are not recorded by their GP as having a learning disability.)

Statistics on Drug Misuse, England 2020.
NHS Digital; 2021.

[This report presents newly published information on hospital admissions attributable to drug-related mental health and behavioural disorders and on hospital admissions attributable to poisoning by illicit drugs.

The report also provides links to information on drug misuse among both adults and children from a variety of sources, including the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System and the Crime Survey for England and Wales (date range:01 Apr 2019 to 31 Mar 2020)]


New Podcast

Sleeping rough during Covid-19 and beyond: a public health emergency?

Source: The King’s Fund

What can the NHS do to meet the health needs of people sleeping rough? What was the inside story of the Everyone In initiative during Covid-19? And will the government end rough sleeping by 2024? Helen McKenna sits down with Dame Louise Casey, recent Chair of the Prime Minister’s Rough Sleeping Taskforce, Dr Caroline Shulman, a GP working in inclusion health, and Paul Atherton (FRSA), who shares his lived experience of homelessness.

To listen to the podcast click on the image below.

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

How to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Advice for everyone to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).)

Shooting Up: infections among people who inject drugs in the UK.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(This Public Health England report describes the extent of infections among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the United Kingdom.
27 January 2021: Added December 2020 update report, data tables and links to the slide set and infographic.)

Young people’s mental and emotional health: Trajectories and drivers in childhood and adolescence.
Education Policy Institute; 2021.

(Based on data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this report reveals insights into the determinants of young people’s wellbeing, including how it is affected by their relationships, background, and use of social media. The research shows that while the wellbeing of all young people declines by the end of their teenage years, there is a strong gender divide within this: girls see far lower levels of wellbeing and self-esteem than boys – driven by a sharp fall of both during mid-adolescence.)

Engaging men earlier: a guide to service design.
Samaritans; 2021.

(This handbook aims to provide a set of principles upon which wellbeing initiatives for men should be based. It is aimed at anyone commissioning, designing, evaluating or delivering initiatives, services or activities aimed at improving the wellbeing of men.)

Child obesity: patterns and trends.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Slide sets presenting the latest data on child obesity in England and the 9 English regions. These slide sets present the latest data on child obesity from the National Child Measurement Programme. The national slide set also includes data from the Health Survey for England. Trends in child overweight and obesity are shown and patterns are examined by age, sex, ethnic group, and area deprivation.)

Public Health Outcomes Framework: February 2021 data update.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(The Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) examines indicators that help health and care professionals and the public to understand trends in public health. The data are presented in an interactive tool that allows users to view them in a user-friendly format. The data tool also provides links to further supporting information.)

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

The state of children’s mental health services 2020/21 Children’s Commissioner

(This report examines the progress that has been made over the past five years as well as looking at the impact the Covid crisis has had on children’s mental health. It finds that while there has been an expansion of children’s mental health services over the past four years, services are still nowhere near meeting the needs of many hundreds of thousands of children.)

Young people’s mental and emotional health: trajectories and drivers in childhood and adolescence Whitney Crenna-Jennings; January 2021

(Based on data from the Millennium Cohort Study, this report reveals insights into the determinants of young people’s wellbeing, including how it is affected by their relationships, background, and use of social media. The study examines the personal experiences of young people in England, at age 11, 14 and 17. The research shows that while the wellbeing of all young people declines by the end of their teenage years, there is a strong gender divide within this: girls see far lower levels of wellbeing and self-esteem than boys – driven by a sharp fall of both during mid-adolescence.)

SARS-CoV-2 vaccine advice for adults living with HIV.
British HIV Association (BHIVA) & Terrence Higgins Trust (THT); 2021.

(The British HIV Association (BHIVA) & Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) have issued guidance on COVID vaccines for people living with HIV. The COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be protective in people with HIV and are recommended. The Department of Health and Social Care recommends that all adults living with HIV should have the vaccines currently on offer, regardless of their CD4 count.)

Advice for women seeking contraception, abortion and other sexual and reproductive healthcare during the COVID-19 second wave.
Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH); 2020.

(The updated advice includes new information on menopause services as well as updates on contraception, abortion, and emergency removals of long-acting reversible contraception. It also contains useful links for women in all regions of the UK, to help them access further advice and care. The advice can be shared with patients and local communities.)

Building public trust: a response to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy predicament.
Journal of Public Health; 2021.

(This study suggests that a more ‘localized’ public education and role-modelling from public officials and health authorities can help a lot in building public trust. The study aims to contribute to the further development of public health mechanisms in the rolling-out and distribution of vaccines against COVID-19.)

Health charities and the NHS: a vital partnership in peril?
National Garden Scheme; 2021.

(This report highlights the crucial services and leadership that health care charities provide for the NHS, both of which have been shown to be critical throughout the current pandemic. It sets out the pressing need for better recognition of and healthy engagement with health care charities by policy-makers, and the benefits that this would bring.)

Stronger Together: A Co-production Webinar series Ambition for ageing

(Between 9th February – 25th March, Ageing Better programme partners are coming together to showcase their learning through a webinar series on Co-Production, coordinated by Ageing Better Sheffield. The webinars aim to inspire others to use the principles of co-production to work collaboratively to achieve a collective aim.)

Library Bulletin

Making Every Contact Count

The new edition of ‘Making Every Contact Count’ bulletin is now available to view and download.

MECC-Bulletin-Jan-2021Download

This edition features current awareness for the following topics (with relevant articles related to the Covid 19 pandemic):

Smoking Cessation

Healthy Weight

Healthy Eating

Alcohol

Physical activity

Please remember to contact katie.roper@lscft.nhs.uk with any topics you would like to see in future bulletins.

Covid 19

Current awareness updates

Ethnic inequalities in Covid-19 mortality: a consequence of persistent racism Runnymede Trust

(This briefing (published in collaboration with the Centre of Dynamics of Ethnicity) discusses the reasons for ethnic minority people experiencing a much higher risk of Covid-19-related death. Ethnic inequalities in relation to Covid-19 mirror longstanding ethnic inequalities in health. A large body of evidence has shown that these inequalities are driven by social and economic inequalities, many of which are the result of racial discrimination.)

PPE portal: how to order COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) – Public Health England; Updated 26th January 2021

(Eligible health and social care providers can order PPE through the portal to meet the increased need that has arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic)

COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers Public Health England; Updated 28th January 2021

(Genomically confirmed case numbers for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation.)

Risk related to the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the EU/EEA – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(This risk assessment presents the latest available information on the recent emergence of three variants of concern, VOC 202012/01 identified in the United Kingdom (UK), 501Y.V2 identified in South Africa, and P.1 identified in Brazil and Japan)

COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – first update European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

(The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures. This document draws upon and updates evidence presented in the previous report from ECDC on this topic, which was published on August 6, 2020 [4]. This report does not consider educational settings related to young adults or adults, such as universities or vocational schools or any school with overnight stays, such as boarding schools. This report does not consider the epidemiology of COVID-19 in relation to new variants of SARS-CoV-2, for which robust evidence on the potential impact in school settings is not yet available, such as one recently observed in the United Kingdom [2].)

COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Sarilumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that sarilumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting. Sarilumab was given within about 24 hours of starting organ support.)


COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: Tocilizumab for COVID-19.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2021.

(Unpublished preliminary evidence from the REMAP‑CAP study has suggested that tocilizumab is beneficial in adults with severe COVID‑19 who are critically ill and receiving respiratory or cardiovascular organ support in an intensive care setting (all randomised within 24 hours of starting organ support).)

Perspectives from the front line: The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BME communities.
NHS Confederation BME Leadership Network; 2020.

(A report into the disproportionate impact of coronavirus on BAME communities based on interviews with BME NHS leaders, clinicians, community organisations and service users, as well as a survey of more than 100 members of the BME Leadership Network. Overwhelmingly, participants point to long-standing inequalities and institutional racism as root causes.)

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Health on the high street: Embedding healthy living into urban regeneration after the pandemic Social Market Foundation; January 2021

(This report argues that town centres where shops and offices fall vacant should be used to establish new ‘health hubs’ combining GP surgeries, health and social care services and gyms. The report profiles examples where local authorities and health care bodies are already developing such hubs, which it suggests could be a model for other areas in future)

New Every Mind Matters campaign Public Health England; 18th January 2021

(The new campaign launches to support the nation’s mental health, as half of adults say they are more worried during this current lockdown than in March 2020.)

SACN statement on nutrition and older adults living in the community Public Health England; 20th January 2021

(This position statement by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) provides an overview of the currently available evidence on nutrition in older adults and its impact on healthy ageing. It considers evidence relating to adults aged 65 years and over living in the community.)

Memory aids in parks and gardens for people with dementia.
Carried out by Frankie Marcelline from Brighton and Sussex on 8/1/2021
https://www.knowledgeshare.nhs.uk/index.php?PageID=literature_search_request_download&RequestID=26876
(This search report contains evidence on the use of memory aids of garden flora in the outdoor setting. Results include a study on Enrico Sassi’s conception of a garden where patients can wander around safely and has memory aids in the shape of vertical structures with fragrant plants and herbs for patients to freely touch, smell and taste. Results include reviews on the effectiveness and more general benefits of gardens as memory aids for those with neurodegenerative conditions.)

National Diabetes Audit – Care Processes and Treatment Targets, Quarterly Data Release, January to September 2020.
NHS Digital; 2021.

(This is the quarterly release of data from the National Diabetes Audit (NDA). It is the mid-year data release for the second extraction of NDA 2020-21 data. It shows progress to date covering the period 1 January to 30 September 2020. It shows partial year progress against care processes and treatment targets. It also provides the latest position on structured education. It therefore can be used as an operational planning tool to assess progress to date.)

Multidisciplinary care of diabetes.
Carried out by Kevin Burgoyne from Brighton and Sussex on 9/1/2021
https://www.knowledgeshare.nhs.uk/index.php?PageID=literature_search_request_download&RequestID=26607
(Some qualitative and mixed methods research is available on this question, including 3 systematic reviews looking at various aspects related to the question. Case studies from UK networks looking at aspects of wider integrated care have also been found and included in case they can be useful. Foot care seems to be a big driver in diabetes care in the UK at the moment, and there are more publications focused on multidisciplinary care around this which can be retrieved if necessary.)

Effects of Pfizer mRNA vaccine on female fertility.
Carried out by Frankie Marcelline from Brighton and Sussex on 11/1/2021
https://www.knowledgeshare.nhs.uk/index.php?PageID=literature_search_request_download&RequestID=26845
(It is early days and currently there is no evidence to suggest fertility is affected by the Pfizer vaccine (or any other COVID-19 vaccine). There is guidance and advice on being vaccinated while pregnant, but nothing on long/short term female fertility.)

Daily contact testing in schools: statement from PHE and NHS TT about next steps.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.

(Position statement regarding daily contact testing for coronavirus (COVID-19) in schools from Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace.)

Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the UK Household Longitudinal Study.
Robertson E. medRxiv 2020;:doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.27.20248899.
(Herd immunity may be achievable through vaccination in the UK but a focus on specific ethnic minority and socioeconomic groups is needed to ensure an equitable vaccination programme. This article is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.)

Learning from the first wave of COVID-19.
South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System; 2020.

(A new research-led report details how health and care partners across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw were able to continue delivering non-essential patient care and services during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic through digital innovation, reconfiguring services and enhanced partnership collaboration.)

Please contact Academic.Library@lscft.nhs.uk if you are struggling to access any research articles.