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Probiotics for preventing illness or improving health have become increasingly popular with consumers, researchers, and producers, both dairy companies and alternative medicine providers. They are widely available in foods such as yoghurt and as freeze dried capsules. They are used both for their general health effects on the gut including reducing travellers and antibiotic related diarrhoea. Their most important and best researched use is in the treatment of necrotising enterocolitis in premature babies where they reduce incidence, severity and mortality. The ultimate 'probiotic' mixture might be healthy human faeces which have been used for transplantation in patients with antibiotic resistant Clostridioides difficile infections with some success. Studies of allergy prevention using probiotics have shown mixed results. In New Zealand however, a specific strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (HN001) given from birth for two years has been shown to reduce the prevalence of allergic disease in infants throughout childhood. Further studies have shown a reduction in gestational diabetes amongst mothers who consume the probiotic during pregnancy. An important feature of the clinical use of probiotics is that different strains within the same species may have very different effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: In a randomized placebo‐controlled trial, we previously found that the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 (HN001) taken by mothers from 35 weeks of gestation until 6 months post‐partum if breastfeeding and their child from birth to age 2 years halved the risk of eczema during the first 2 years of life. We aimed to test whether maternal supplementation alone is sufficient to reduce eczema and compare this to our previous study when both the mother and their child were supplemented. Methods: In this 2‐centre, parallel double‐blind, randomized placebo‐controlled trial, the same probiotic as in our previous study (HN001, 6 × 109 colony‐forming units) was taken daily by mothers from 14‐16 weeks of gestation till 6 months post‐partum if breastfeeding, but was not given directly to the child. Women were recruited from the same study population as the first study, where they or their partner had a history of treated asthma, eczema or hay fever. Results: Women were randomized to HN001 (N = 212) or placebo (N = 211). Maternal‐only HN001 supplementation did not significantly reduce the prevalence of eczema, SCORAD ≥ 10, wheeze or atopic sensitization in the infant by 12 months. This contrasts with the mother and child intervention study, where HN001 was associated with reductions in eczema (hazard ratio (HR): 0.39, 95% CI 0.19‐0.79, P = .009) and SCORAD (HR = 0.61, 95% 0.37‐1.02). However, differences in the HN001 effect between studies were not significant. HN001 could not be detected in breastmilk from supplemented mothers, and breastmilk TGF‐β/IgA profiles were unchanged. Conclusion: Maternal probiotic supplementation without infant supplementation may not be effective for preventing infant eczema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AimTo describe the role, contribution and value of research nurses in New Zealand community-based or primary health care research.BackgroundResearch nurses are increasingly recognised as having a key role in undertaking successful research in hospitals and clinical trial units however only limited work has been undertaken to examine their role in community-based research. Undertaking health research in the community has unique challenges particularly in relation to research design and recruitment and retention of participants.MethodsWe describe four community-based research projects involving research nurses, each with particular recruitment, retention and logistical problems. Vignettes are used to illustrate the role, contribution and value of research nurses in a diverse range of community research projects.FindingsThe knowledge and skills used by research nurses in these projects included familiarity with communities, cultural competence, health care systems and practice philosophies and in particular with vulnerable populations. Their research actions and activities include competence with a broad range of research methodologies, organisational efficiency, family-centred approach, along with advocacy and flexibility. These are underpinned by nursing knowledge and clinical expertise contributing to an ability to work autonomously. These four projects demonstrate that research nurses in community-based research possess specific attributes which facilitate successful study development, implementation and outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusion PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY Coaching is proposed as a core enabling skill of occupational therapy and increasingly suggested for a diverse range of health populations. In recent years, research on coaching has proliferated, emerging from within and outside of occupational therapy. Yet, concern has been raised about the absence of theoretical underpinning and diversity of descriptions of coaching in occupational therapy, as well as low‐quality evidence supporting its effectiveness. The aim of this study is to map the use of coaching by occupational therapists from 2007 to 2022 to identify the populations, settings and outcomes it is applied to, differences between coaching interventions and evidence supporting its use.This systematic scoping review applied Arksey and O'Malley's five‐stage methodological framework with further methodological direction using the Levac framework. There was no consumer involvement in undertaking this review.Findings from 60 research publications on coaching indicate its use with populations across the lifespan in primarily community settings to improve occupational performance, participation and self‐efficacy. A wide range of coaching interventions are designed or used by occupational therapists, with Occupational Performance Coaching being the most researched (16/27, 59% of named interventions). Common elements of coaching interventions included collaborative goal setting and problem‐solving; however, a lack of described theory or coaching methods persists. High‐quality study designs indicate its effectiveness; however, an absence of fidelity definition or monitoring limits interpretation of many studies.The language of coaching is becoming common practice within occupational therapy, and evidence indicates effectiveness of some coaching interventions. Advances in coaching research and use by occupational therapists will be aided by an explicit statement of the theoretical basis for coaching interventions, with congruent coaching methods, mechanisms and outcomes stated.This scoping review maps the use of coaching by occupational therapists in current published research. Key aspects of coaching examined include how coaching is defined, who it is used with and how effective it is. The kinds of outcomes that coaching is intended to improve are also reported. From 633 publications, 60 research publications were fully analysed. The use of coaching by occupational therapists has grown rapidly over the past 10 years. Strong evidence of its effectiveness exists for achieving the personal goals of people receiving occupational therapy when goals describe changes in everyday life activities. Coaching is being used with people across the lifespan with a variety of disabilities and chronic conditions and their caregivers/parents, most commonly parents of children with developmental issues. The key features of coaching interventions used by occupational therapists include collaborative goal setting, shared problem‐solving and client‐led action planning. Some elements of coaching are also used within other interventions with a wider range of methods. Coaching is believed to work by supporting an individual's self‐belief that they can make changes. Theories that underpin coaching vary but commonly focus on self‐determination, behaviour change and occupational therapy theory. However, many of the coaching interventions do not describe any theoretical basis nor coaching methods in detail. Future research on coaching in occupational therapy should ensure a clear explanation of the theory that underpins it, coaching methods and monitoring of how well coaching is applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Māori, the Indigenous population of Aotearoa New Zealand, face a substantial burden of nutrition-related diseases, especially obesity and type 2 diabetes. Weight loss, through dietary change, is a central component of obesity and diabetes prevention and management; however, most approaches have not been designed with or evaluated specifically for Māori. The aim of this study was to review literature on the enablers and barriers to dietary change, for Māori., Design: Relevant literature published from January 2000 to May 2024 was identified by searches in Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, Indigenous health (informit), CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science and NZResearch. Studies included Māori and reflected enablers and barriers to dietary change for individuals/whānau (families). Data identifying the aims, methods, interventions, location, population studied and identified enablers and barriers to dietary change and responsiveness to Māori were extracted. Enablers and barriers to dietary change were mapped to a New Zealand indigenous health framework, the Meihana model., Setting: Settings included studies based in Aotearoa New Zealand, where participants were free living and able to determine their dietary intake., Participants: Studies included at least 30% Māori participants., Results: Twenty two of 77 identified records met the inclusion criteria. Records included a diverse range of research approaches., Conclusions: Using a relevant Indigenous model, this study highlights that multiple and diverse enablers and barriers to dietary change exist for Māori and the critical importance of developing interventions, in close partnership with Indigenous communities, grounded in Indigenous understandings of health.

Introduction Prediabetes is the asymptomatic precursor to type two diabetes mellitus, a significant and growing public health problem in New Zealand (NZ). Little is known about how general practitioners (GPs) and nurses view prediabetes care, and similarly little is known about how people with prediabetes view their condition and care. Aim This study aimed to investigate the views of NZ GPs and nurses, and people with prediabetes about prediabetes and its management. Methods This was a mixed qualitative methods study that is part of a randomised control trial of a prediabetes intervention. Results Three key themes emerged from the health professional data (GPs and nurses) and another three themes emerged from people with prediabetes data. GPs and nurses were uncertain about the progression of prediabetes; they felt prediabetes was not a priority and they were unsure about what to advise. People with prediabetes were uncertain about the diagnosis and information given to them; they were unsure about what to do about prediabetes and they found lifestyle change hard. Discussion GPs, nurses and people with prediabetes, expressed much uncertainty, but also some certainty about prediabetes. All were certain that prediabetes is common and increasing and that sustained lifestyle change was very difficult. But uncertainty prevailed about whether, in reality, prediabetes could be stopped, who would be most likely to benefit from lifestyle interventions and how best to achieve these. Older Māori and Pacific women were keen to promote lifestyle change and this appeared best done through Māori and Pacific peoples' organisations by means of co-designed interventions.