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Transdisciplinary research (TDR) involves academics/scientists collaborating with stakeholders from diverse disciplinary and sectoral backgrounds. While TDR has been recognized as beneficial in generating innovative solutions to complex social problems, knowledge is limited about researchers' perceptions and experiences of TDR in the aging and technology field. We conducted a qualitative study to address this knowledge gap by exploring how members of a pan-Canadian research network on aging and technology perceived and experienced TDR. Thirty members participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview data were analyzed thematically. Participants identified benefits that can be gained from implementing TDR, including mutual learning, improved capacity to understand and solve problems, and community engagement and empowerment. Participants also identified challenges to implementing TDR: communication issues and conflicting priorities among team members; tensions between traditional and TDR approaches; and difficulties identifying partners and developing partnerships. In addition, contradictions between TDR principles and participants' understanding of them became apparent. Nevertheless, some participants described successful strategies for implementing transdisciplinary principles in their projects: stakeholder engagement; language and goal sharing; and open, respectful communication. We offer recommendations to support TDR in aging and technology that focus on education and reform of the culture and values that can constrain efforts to practice TDR., Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, Vol 21, No 1 (2020): Qualitative Content Analysis II

Additional file 1.

Current conceptualizations of resilience have overlooked the lived expertise of older people experiencing homelessness (OPEH) – individuals who have much insight to offer in terms of progressing notions on how people ‘stand up’ to adversity and ‘bounce back’ to a state of physical and psychological homeostasis across the life course. Drawing from extant literature and data from a community-engaged research project, which interviewed 40 participants and examined the health supports needed for individuals experiencing homelessness upon hospital discharge, we provide a comparison of resilience among homeless individuals generally and resilience among OPEH. Based on narratives of significant adversity experienced by OPEH in Vancouver, Canada, we offer a critical analysis of ‘resilience in ecological context’ that identifies unique characteristics of resilience at micro, meso, exo, and macro system levels. We discuss how our conceptual model of resilience pertinent to OPEH can be used to shape research, policy, and practice. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Environmental Gerontology Interest Group.

eHealth is one perceived mechanism to extend the range and reach of limited health-care resources for older adults. A decade-scoping review (2007–2017) was conducted to systematically search and synthesize evidence to understand the intended and unintended consequences of eHealth initiatives, informed by a health equity impact assessment framework. Scoping review sources included international academic and grey literature on eHealth initiatives (e.g., eHealth records, telemedicine/telecare, and mobile eHealth application) focused on the varying needs of older adults (aged 60+), particularly individuals experiencing sociocultural and economic difficulties. Findings suggest that eHealth has several potential benefits for older adults, but also the possibility of further excluding already marginalized groups, thereby exacerbating existing health disparities. Ongoing evaluation of eHealth initiatives for older adults is necessary and requires attention to unique individual-level, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics to heighten benefits and better capture both the intended and unintended outcomes of advanced eHealth systems. peerReviewed

Aims This study provides a systematic review of existing research that has empirically evaluated interventions designed to reduce stigma related to substance use disorders. Methods A comprehensive review of electronic databases was conducted to identify evaluations of substance use disorder related stigma interventions. Studies that met inclusion criteria were synthesized and assessed using systematic review methods. Results Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the studies was moderately strong. Interventions of three studies (23%) focused on people with substance use disorders (self-stigma), three studies (23%) targeted the general public (social stigma) and seven studies (54%) focused on medical students and other professional groups (structural stigma). Nine interventions (69%) used approaches that included education and/or direct contact with people who have substance use disorders. All but one study indicated their interventions produced positive effects on at least one stigma outcome measure. None of the interventions have been evaluated across different settings or populations. Conclusions A range of interventions demonstrate promise for achieving meaningful improvements in stigma related to substance use disorders. The limited evidence indicates that self-stigma can be reduced through therapeutic interventions such as group-based acceptance and commitment therapy. Effective strategies for addressing social stigma include motivational interviewing and communicating positive stories of people with substance use disorders. For changing stigma at a structural level, contact-based training and education programs targeting medical students and professionals (e.g. police, counsellors) are effective.

End-of-life care requires attention to mental health, religious practices and beliefs, and health care systems and supports to help individuals cope with the process of aging, coming to terms with death and dying and to help family members and loved ones cope with bereavement. To date, there is limited research examining end of life care and the needs of Chinese people in the UK. Understanding end-of-life care expectations in relation to this population is important for informing the development of new health policy and service initiatives, given that there are currently over 1 million Chinese people living in the UK. The purpose of this study is to explore the mental health, religious practices and beliefs, and services and support systems required by this community to cope with end-of-life and bereavement. In July 2011, Wai Yin Chinese Women’s Society in Manchester, UK conducted fourteen semi-structured in-depth interviews with a group of Chinese migrants (primarily women working within the margins of UK’s formal economy) to explore end-of-life care issues. The current study performed a secondary analysis of these transcripts focusing only on the stories of the eleven Chinese women. The women participants were recruited as a part of Wai Yin’s Sunshine Project, which aimed to assist Chinese migrants in improving their knowledge and understandings of their employment and immigration rights (in the UK) and to help them learn the English language. Main findings are presented in eleven broad-based themes: acculturation, culturally specific services, death and dying, Eastern practices and beliefs, gendered effects, health and health care, hereafter, language and communication, obligations versus duties and responsibilities, personal choices, and Western practices and beliefs.

Smoking is understood as the primary cause of preventable morbidity and premature death in the UK. In Northamptonshire, UK, the rate of smoking among adults was 20.9% (approximately 144,607 people) in 2011/12. Among pregnant women, compared to the national average (13.2%), the rate of smoking at time of delivery was higher in Northamptonshire (16%) in 2011/12. In terms of smoking cessation programs during pregnancy, incentivised smoking cessation schemes have been more frequently utilised when attempting to reduce rates of smoking among pregnant women. While smoking cessation interventions broadly accounted for a 6% increase in late-pregnancy abstinence rates compared to control interventions, only those that contained an incentivised component showed a significantly larger effect (RR 0.76, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.81). This paper presents preliminary findings of an incentivised smoking cessation pilot intervention in Northamptonshire which aimed to recruit 50 pregnant women who smoke and evaluate the feasibility of the incentive programme in terms of its: uptake of stop smoking services; numbers of those setting a quit date; effectiveness to reduce smoking following referral to stop smoking services (i.e. 4 weeks after quit date); effectiveness to reduce smoking status at delivery and the psychosocial outcomes of incentivised smoking cessation programs for pre- and post-natal women. This research applied a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach to assess the aggregated effectiveness of the program (through cross-sectional analysis) and understand individual-level positive and negative experiences of the program (through storytelling and in-depth interviews). We will report initial results (data collection currently underway) that will include baseline profile data and uptake of the incentive programme. It is important to note that gendered roles and experiences may make it more difficult for some women to access treatment and support for smoking cessation, given the heightened stigma surrounding smoking during pregnancy and mothers who smoke. This presentation will, therefore, also emphasize findings that report gendered influences on smoking such as partner influence, socioeconomic impact of lone-motherhood and individual, societal and structural stigma surrounding mothers that smoke.

Older people face a high risk of nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition, which increases risk of sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass and strength) and other health- related problems. Avoiding late-life malnutrition is dependent on a number of factors including physical, mental, and cognitive health. Monitoring all of these factors and the interactions between them is challenging, especially for people living at home. Dietary intake, for example, has traditionally used pen and paper recall and recording of what people eat (e.g., food log, food diary), which relies heavily on memory. In addition, gold standard measures of cognition are designed for one-off assessment, administered by a trained clinician or researcher. Developing an accessible tool that older people can use at home on a daily basis to monitor what they eat and drink, their mood, cognition, and physical activity could reassure them how they are doing and provide early detection of emerging problems.

Successful health innovation requires more than the creation of a new treatment, service, or technology. It also involves gaining an understanding of the needs of the intended recipients or users of the innovation and the environment in which the innovation is going to be introduced. Innovating with the intended users or recipi- ents of new health products is crucial for maximizing the chances of adoption and uptake of new ideas and technologies. Such co-production requires careful planning and facilitation to ensure productive partnerships and involvement of all parties affected by the health innovation. This chapter contains key ideas to help research- ers co-produce health innovations with intended recipients or users of new products or services:\ud • Prerequisites for co-production.\ud • Determining appropriate user-centered methods.\ud • Collecting and analyzing the data.\ud • Integrating results into design.