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To explore the perceptions and factors that influence intentions to prevent diabetes among at-risk individuals.
A descriptive qualitative study design was used. The Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist guided the presentation of findings.
Nine focus groups, including 47 individuals at risk of diabetes from the community in Singapore, were interviewed from April 2023 to January 2024. The semi-structured guide was developed on the basis of the theory of planned behaviour and validated by two content experts. Focus group interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using Hsieh and Shannon's content analysis.
Six main categories emerged from the data analysis. Individual's perceptions of diabetes were associated with excessive sugar, and prediabetes a warning sign of impending diabetes. Participants were knowledgeable about the risk factors of diabetes but needed more actionable information. They also perceived that more awareness of diabetes is necessary. Participants' attitudes towards diabetes were individualistic, dependent on their sense of vulnerability and individual personalities. The subjective norms that influenced their behaviours were socio-cultural in nature. The main barriers impeding diabetes prevention were their commitment and responsibilities to family and work, accessibility to healthier lifestyle practices and internal struggles with the tediousness of diabetes prevention behaviours.
To improve intentions to engage in diabetes prevention, a diabetes prevention programme needs to be hosted on a culturally appropriate mHealth platform for groups of like-minded individuals at risk of diabetes and their family and friends.
Nurses possess the necessary skills and experience to develop and deliver diabetes prevention programmes, create awareness of existing government initiatives and resources, and improve chronic disease management in the clinical setting.
Members of the public assisted in recruitment. They also engaged in focus group discussions and provided the insights necessary for this study.
To synthesise the effectiveness of massage therapy for cancer pain, quality of life and anxiety among patients with cancer.
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
This review was reported according to the PRISMA guidelines. Studies evaluating the effects of massage therapy on cancer pain, quality of life or anxiety in patients with cancer pain were eligible. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation were used to assess the quality of studies. Outcomes were pooled using standardised mean differences and narratively synthesised when meta-analysis was not possible.
Pubmed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, CENTRAL, Google Scholar, ProQuest Theses and Dissertations were searched for English peer-reviewed studies and grey literature published from inception to 8 January 2024.
Thirty-six RCTs involving 3671 participants were included. Massage therapy significantly improved pain (pooled SMD = −0.51, 95% CI −0.68 to −0.33), quality of life (pooled SMD = 0.48, 95% CI 0.19–0.78 when higher scores indicate better quality of life; pooled SMD = −0.52, 95% CI −0.88 to −0.16 when higher scores indicate poorer quality of life) and anxiety (pooled SMD = −0.38, 95% CI: −0.57 to −0.18) post-intervention. All outcomes had very low certainty of evidence. Most studies had unclear or high risk of bias.
This review found that massage therapy is beneficial to patients with cancer in improving pain, quality of life and anxiety. Healthcare institutions and healthcare professionals should recognise the value of massage therapy to enhance the care of patients with cancer pain.
PRISMA guidelines.
No Patient or Public Contribution.
PROSPERO CRD42023407311.
The clinical significance of cancer-related stigma on patients' well-being has been widely established. Stigma can be perceived and internalised by cancer patients or implemented by the general population and healthcare workers. Various interventions have been carried out to reduce cancer-related stigma, but their effectiveness is not well-understood. This review aims to synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to reduce cancer-related stigma.
An integrative review.
This integrative review combined both qualitative and quantitative studies and followed five steps to identify problems, search for the literature, appraise the literature quality, analyse data, and present data. Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (version 2018) was applied to evaluate the quality of the included studies.
Databases included Web of Science, MEDLINE, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Journals, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, OVID, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (from the inception of each database to 30 April 2021).
Eighteen quantitative, six qualitative, and five mixed-methods studies were included in this review. Cultural factors should be considered when conducting interventions to reduce cancer-related stigma. For cancer patients, multi-component interventions have demonstrated a positive effect on their perceived stigma. For general population, interactive interventions show promise to reduce their implemented stigma towards cancer patients. For healthcare workers, there is a paucity of studies to reduce their implemented stigma. Existing studies reported inconclusive evidence, partially due to the lack of a robust study design with an adequate sample size.
Multi-component and interactive interventions show promise to relieve cancer-related stigma. More methodologically robust studies should be conducted in different cultures to elucidate the most appropriate interventions for different populations to reduce cancer-related stigma.
These findings will facilitate healthcare workers to design and implement interventions to reduce cancer-related stigma, thus improving the quality of life for cancer patients.
No patient and public contribution.
FreshRSS 