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Animals are frequently used in the UK for film, television, and advertising, but numerous stakeholders, including charities and industry representatives, have significant concerns regarding their on- and off-set welfare. However, it is unclear to what extent the public can identify animal welfare issues on screen or whether they know where to report any incidents. This survey sought to answer three research questions: (1) What are the levels of awareness and concern around animals used in TV, film, and advertising among the general public? (2) Do people know where or how to report any concerns? (3) What would reassure people that animal welfare is safeguarded? We have analysed and presented the results from the 911 responses to paint a more detailed picture of where the public is on this issue and what mechanisms for improvement they would support. Overall, the results show a clear concern for the welfare of animals used in the media, especially once they had read the eight realistic scenarios of animal use in the survey. Yet the public feel disempowered to report these concerns and lack trust that positive change will result. There is clearly public appetite for better protection of animals used in the media, particularly stronger regulations, independent on-set monitoring of animals, qualified animal trainers, and an accreditation scheme.

Kenya's inland aquaculture sector is one of the most productive in Africa. Efforts are currently being made at the national level to expand and intensify the sector. Despite the drive to develop Kenyan inland aquaculture, the sector continues to encounter barriers to sustainability and economic profitability. Fish welfare is also highly neglected which has implications for fish health and overall sector productivity. This review documents the current state of inland aquaculture in Kenya, covering its considerable growth since 2009 to the current day and looking at both intensive and extensive forms of fish farming, paying special attention to the challenges faced in terms of animal welfare. Given that the inland aquaculture sector in Kenya has been earmarked for further rapid growth, with considerable economic and strategic support in place to foster this, some of the core issues of sustainability must be recognised and addressed. This review focuses on one of those, namely animal welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The farming of sturgeon to produce caviar is increasing globally, even though little is known about the welfare implications of aquaculture for these unique, long-living, and large animals. The use of non-lethal methods for egg harvesting is increasing, as these methods are thought to offer a more ethical alternative to traditional methods where the female is killed. However, these “non-lethal” methods raise significant welfare concerns including routine handling, surgical procedures, and painful procedures, and could potentially perpetuate suffering. Consequently, there is an urgent need for significant exploration and research into this field. This review presents and discusses some of the welfare concerns associated with producing caviar from sturgeon, including the traditional and non-lethal methods of egg harvesting and the concerns associated with rearing them in aquaculture systems. It concludes in stating that the welfare issues involved with non-lethal caviar production are too sizeable to warrant its description as an “ethical or humane” alternative to traditional caviar production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ongoing conflict between multiple armed groups, including pastoralist herders in the Central African Republic (CAR) causes frequent population displacements, food insecurity and scarcity of healthcare services. The inaccessibility and insecurity of many areas of CAR limit data collection and assessments from national nutritional surveys. Community health workers (CHWs) trained by an international non-governmental organisation, The MENTOR Initiative, deliver basic healthcare to children under 5 years old living in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected areas in eight subprefectures of north-west CAR. Their nutritional status and its associations with geography, malaria, season and conflict are unknown. Methods: CHW monthly records (October 2015–August 2021), Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project conflict data and The World Bank Group meteorological data for eight subprefectures of north-west CAR were analysed. Associations between counts of global acute malnutrition (GAM) assessed by mid-upper arm circumference and malaria, season and conflict were investigated using negative binomial regression. Results: Of the 457,325 consultations with children aged 6–59 months, 6.2% and 0.4% were classified as moderately or severely malnourished, respectively. The negative binomial model demonstrated differences in counts of GAM by subprefecture. Counts of GAM were positively associated with the case rate of severe malaria (IRR = 1.045; 95% CI: 1.04–1.06) and the rainy season (July–September) (IRR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.03–1.17). Conflict events coded as Battles in ACLED were associated with lower counts of GAM (IRR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62–0.97). Conclusions: This analysis shows geographical differences in levels of malnutrition in north-west CAR and demonstrates clear associations between malnutrition, season and malaria. It provides evidence that levels of GAM may be underestimated in north-west CAR in areas experiencing conflict. These findings highlight the need for targeted nutritional support to reach children most at risk of malnutrition. CHWs are a proven effective means of delivering essential primary healthcare services in hard-to-reach, conflict-affected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and discusses an action research collaboration between a multi-disciplinary team of practice educators, a practice development nurse and a university lecturer in order to explore, evaluate and improve a dementia care training package developed for a range of staff providing care for people with dementia. Whilst it is recognised that the findings of this small evaluation study are only of local interest, we believe the approach we took to be of general use for other teams of practice educators as a way of exploring and evaluating their own practice. This paper will therefore focus mostly on the philosophy, methodology and conduct of the study, including our own reflections and learning as novice action researchers.

What counts as "evidence" is a question that has been explored in many arenas, but it has been a particular focus of debate in the health sector, where the notion of systematically appraising data about the effectiveness of interventions in order to inform everyday practice was first promulgated. In its original form, "evidence-based medicine" (EBM) referred to the application of research findings from the study of populations to the clinical treatment of individuals and it was initially envisaged as a means to aid clinical decision making in biomedical practice.