The participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents in Australian trials of parenting programs for improving children's health: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents in trials of parenting programs in Australia; the involvement of Indigenous fathers in such studies; and whether parenting programs are designed to be culturally appropriate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. STUDY DESIGN: Scoping review of peer-reviewed journal publications that report quantitative outcomes for Australian randomised control trials of parenting programs in which the participants were parents or caregivers of children under 18 years of age, and with at least one outcome related to children's health, health behaviour, or wellbeing. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus databases. DATA SYNTHESIS: Of 109 eligible publications, nine reported how many participants were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people; three specified whether they were Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, or both. Two publications described specific interventions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children; both reported consultation with Indigenous people regarding program design. Of the 15 559 participating parents in all included publications, 93 were identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. No publications noted as study limitations the absence of consultation with Indigenous people or the low participation rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. CONCLUSIONS: The specific needs and interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families have not generally been considered in Australian trials of parenting programs that aim to improve the mental and physical health of children. Further, Indigenous people are rarely involved in the planning and implementation of the interventions, few of which are designed to be culturally appropriate for Indigenous people. If parenting research in Australia is to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, it must include consultation with local communities, adapt interventions and research methods to the needs of the participating parents and their communities, and improve the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants.

Male involvement in randomised trials testing psychotherapy or behavioural interventions for depression: a scoping review.

The prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder in men is half that of women, yet depression affects approximately 109 million men worldwide. Alarmingly, men account for three quarters of suicides in Western countries but are unlikely to seek help for mental health concerns. It is possible that existing mental health treatments are not engaging or accessible to men. The aim of this review was to quantify the number of men involved in randomised trials of psychotherapy or lifestyle behaviour change targeting depression. Results found men represented 26% of participants in 110 eligible articles compared to 73% women. Men's representation was low across all intervention characteristics (e.g., delivery mode). No studies used a completely male sample, compared to 19 studies targeting women only. Men are substantially underrepresented in research trials targeting depression. Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-04017-7.

Integrating high-intensity interval training into the workplace: The Work-HIIT pilot RCT.

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) intervention integrated into the workplace on physical and mental health outcomes in a sample of adults. The Work-HIIT intervention was evaluated at the University of Newcastle (March-July 2019). University employees (18+ years) who self-identified as predominantly sedentary at work (n = 47, 43.0 ± 10.7 years; 41 female) were recruited, screened, and randomized after baseline assessments into Work-HIIT (n = 24) or wait-list control (n = 23) conditions. Participants were asked to attend 2-3 researcher-facilitated HIIT sessions/week (weeks 1-8). Sessions included a 2-minute gross-motor warm-up, followed by various combinations of aerobic and muscular fitness exercises lasting 8 minutes (using 30:30 second work: rest intervals). Program feasibility was assessed using measures of satisfaction, compliance, adherence, fidelity, and retention. Physiological and psychological outcomes were measured at baseline and 9 weeks. Feasibility data were investigated using descriptive statistics and efficacy outcomes determined using linear mixed models and Cohen's d effect sizes. Participant ratings showed high levels of satisfaction (4.6/5); 71% of participants attended ≥2 sessions/wk and averaged 85.9% HRmax across all sessions (including rest and work intervals). Small-to-medium positive effects resulted for cardiorespiratory fitness [+2.9 laps, 95% CI (-4.19-10.14); d = 0.34] and work productivity [+0.26, d = 0.47]. Large positive effects resulted for muscular fitness [push-ups +3.5, d = 0.95; standing jump +10.1 cm, d = 1.12]; HIIT self-efficacy [+16.53, d = 1.57]; sleep [weekday +0.76 hours, d = 1.05]; and autonomous motivation [+0.23, d = 0.76]. This study supports the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of facilitator-led Work-HIIT as a time-efficient, enjoyable, and convenient workplace exercise option for adults.