A cross-sectional study of the association between food literacy and dietary intake among Danish adolescents.

Food literacy is theorized to be associated with healthy dietary intake. However, empirical knowledge on the association between adolescents' food literacy and dietary intake is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between food literacy and dietary intake among Danish schoolchildren aged 11-13 years. The study applied a cross-sectional design using baseline data from a cluster-based quasi-experimental controlled study in a sample (n = 377) of Danish school children. Mixed model analyses were performed to investigate the associations between overall food literacy as well as its five competencies ("to know", "to do", "to sense", "to care", and "to want") and dietary intake of vegetables, fruit, fish, meat, discretionary foods, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Positive associations were found between overall food literacy (E = 1.493, p = 0.002) as well as the competencies "to know" (E = 1.249, p = 0.027), "to do" (E = 1.236, p = 0.028), "to sense" (E = 1.183, p = 0.029), and "to care" (E = 1.249, p = 0.018) and intake of vegetables. The study also found a positive association between the competency "to want" and intake of fruit (E = 13.50, p = 0.037), "to care" and intake of fish (E = 2.050, p < 0.001), and a negative association between the competency "to want" and intake of meat (E = 0.748, p = 0.003) and sugar-sweetened beverages (E = 0.576, p = 0.0021). No associations were found between overall food literacy or any of its five competencies and intake of discretionary foods. These findings suggest that improving specific aspects of food literacy may have a potential to promote healthier dietary intake, though additional research is needed.

Copenhagen Diabetes Consensus (CODIAC) 2021: User involvement in diabetes care, prevention and research.

AIMS: User involvement is pivotal for health development, but there are significant gaps in our understanding of the concept. The Copenhagen Diabetes Consensus on User Involvement in Diabetes Care, Prevention and Research (CODIAC) was established to address these gaps, share knowledge and develop best practices. METHODS: A literature review of user involvement was undertaken in diabetes care, prevention and research. Moreover, a Group Concept Mapping (GCM) survey synthesized the knowledge and opinions of researchers, healthcare professionals and people with diabetes and their carers to identify gaps between what is important for user involvement and what is being done in practice. Finally, a consensus conference discussed the main gaps in knowledge and practice while developing plans to address the shortcomings. RESULTS: The literature review demonstrated that user involvement is an effective strategy for diabetes care, prevention and research, given the right support and conditions, but gaps and key challenges regarding the value and impact of user involvement approaches were found. The GCM process identified 11 major gaps, where important issues were not being sufficiently practised. The conference considered these gaps and opportunities to develop new collaborative initiatives under eight overall themes. CONCLUSIONS: User involvement is effective and adds value to diabetes care, prevention and research when used under the right circumstances. CODIAC developed new learning about the way in which academic and research knowledge can be transferred to more practice-oriented knowledge and concrete collaborative initiatives. This approach may be a potential new framework for initiatives in which coherence of process can lead to coherent outputs.

Co-creating active communities: processes and outcomes of linking public rehabilitation programs with civic engagement for active living in a Danish municipality.

BACKGROUND: Increased levels of physical activity are associated with beneficial health effects for people with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and/or severe obesity; however, transforming knowledge about these effects into action is challenging. The aim of this paper is to explore lessons learnt from a co-creation process in a partnership project involving local stakeholders, including citizens, and researchers. The purpose of the process was to link a public health care institution with civil society organisations in the local community to make it possible for citizens to continue to be physically active after ending their public rehabilitation. Secondarily, this paper aims to develop a conceptual model of the above process. METHODS: The study constitutes the first part of Project Active Communities and was based on a partnership between three research institutions and a Danish rural municipality, involving municipal and civil society stakeholders and citizens with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and/or severe obesity in co-creation of concrete interventions for implementation. The co-creation process was divided into two tracks, one involving citizens (two workshops) and one involving municipal and civil society stakeholders (two workshops). The two tracks were concluded with a final workshop involving all stakeholders, including local politicians. Data sources are focus groups and bilateral meetings, workshop observations, and questionnaires. RESULTS: Lessons learnt include the importance of having a flexible timeframe for the co-creation process; giving room for disagreements and matching of mutual expectations between stakeholders; the value of a coordinator in the municipality to achieve acceptance of the project; and the significance of engaging local politicians in the co-creation process to accommodate internal political agendas. We have developed a conceptual model for a co-creation process, where we outline and explain three distinct phases: stakeholder identification and description, co-creation, and prototyping. The model can be adapted and applied to other sectors and settings. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents lessons learnt in a co-creation process aiming to link a public health care institution with civil society organisations in the local community. Further, this study has specified productive co-creative processes and documented the various phases in a conceptual model.

It is well known that physical activity has health benefits for people with chronic diseases. In this study, our aim was to explore lessons learnt from a co-creation process and develop a model for others to apply. The study was based on a partnership between three research institutions and a Danish rural municipality, involving municipal and civil society stakeholders and citizens with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and/or severe obesity. During the study, the above-mentioned stakeholders were invited to five workshops, where interventions for linking a public health care institution and civil society organisations were co-created. The five co-creation workshops led to the identification of four interventions, linking public health care institutions and civil society organisations. Lessons learnt from this project, which can be used by others who wish to design and conduct a co-creative process with diverse stakeholders, include: the importance of having a flexible timeframe for the co-creation process, as delays can easily occur in the unpredictable process of co-creation giving room for disagreements and matching of mutual expectations between stakeholders, as a common understanding of each stakeholder's motives is important for the success of the project the importance and value of a coordinator in the municipality to achieve acceptance of the project the significance of engaging local politicians in the co-creation process to take internal political agendas into consideration. We conclude by identifying three phases­a stakeholder, a co-creation, and a prototyping phase­in a model for co-creation that may be adapted and used by others.

Involving supermarkets in health promotion interventions in the Danish Project SoL. A practice-oriented qualitative study on the engagement of supermarket staff and managers.

BACKGROUND: Supermarkets have been suggested as relevant settings for environmental and educational initiatives encouraging healthier shopping and eating decisions, but in the literature, limited attention has been paid to the context, perspectives, and everyday practices of supermarket staff. The aim of this study was to examine the engagement of supermarket staff in a health promotion project from a practice-oriented perspective. METHODS: The study was based on qualitative data collected in the supermarket setting of Project SoL; a community-based health promotion project in Denmark. We conducted 26 in-depth interviews with store managers and other key staff members in seven participating supermarkets. In addition, we collected data on planning, implementation, and perceptions of supermarket staff of in-store interventions and other project-related activities. These field data included short telephone interviews, observational notes, photos, and audiotapes of meetings. Data were analysed from the perspective of practice theory. RESULTS: Although supermarket staff found community-based health promotion meaningful to engage in, the study observed that their engagement was challenged by a business mindset, practical routines and structural requirements favouring sales promotion over health promotion. Nevertheless, there were also examples of how health promotion activities and ways of thinking were successfully incorporated in everyday staff practices during and after Project SoL. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings point to both potentials and challenges for using supermarkets as settings for health promotion. The voluntary engagement of supermarket staff in community-based health projects cannot stand alone but should be supplemented by more long-lasting strategies and policies regulating this and other food environments. Context-sensitive and practice-oriented analyses in local food environments could inform such strategies and policies to make sure they target unwanted elements and practices and not just individual behavior.

Our Healthy Community Conceptual Framework and Intervention Model for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Municipalities.

This paper introduces the conceptual framework and intervention model of Our Healthy Community (OHC), a new, coordinated, and integrated approach towards health promotion and disease prevention in municipalities. The model is inspired by systems-based approaches and employs a supersetting approach for engaging stakeholders across sectors in the development and implementation of interventions to increase health and well-being among citizens. The conceptual model includes a combination of a bottom-up approach emphasizing involvement of citizens and other community-based stakeholders combined with a top-down approach emphasizing political, legal, administrative, and technical support from a variety of councils and departments in local municipality government. The model operates bidirectionally: (1) by pushing political and administrative processes to promote the establishment of conducive structural environments for making healthy choices, and (2) by involving citizens and professional stakeholders at all levels in co-creating processes of shaping their own community and municipality. An operational intervention model was further developed by the OHC project while working with the OHC in two Danish municipalities. The operational intervention model of OHC comprises three main phases and key actions to be implemented at the levels of local government and community: (1) Local government: Situational analysis, dialogue, and political priorities; (2) Community: Thematic co-creation among professional stakeholders; and (3) Target area: Intervention development and implementation. The OHC model will provide municipalities with new tools to improve the citizens' health and well-being with available resources. Health promotion and disease prevention interventions are developed, implemented, and anchored in the local community by citizens and local stakeholders at municipal and local community levels using collaboration and partnerships as leverage points.

Spaces of participation: Exploring the characteristics of conducive environments for citizen participation in a community-based health promotion initiative in a disadvantaged neighborhood.

Research has shown that community participation in health programmes is vital to ensure positive health outcomes and sustainable solutions. This is often challenged by difficulties to engage socially disadvantaged population groups. Through ethnographic fieldwork in a community initiative in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark, we explored which factors contributed to a conducive environment for participation. Data material consists of observation notes taken during fieldwork in a community hub from January 2020 until August 2021 and 19 semi-structured interviews with professional stakeholders and participants. We applied the analytical concept of space to elucidate how the organizational, social, and physical environments played important roles in ensuring possibilities for participation. We termed these environments Spaces of Participation. Our results highlight the importance of ensuring spaces that are flexible, informal, and responsive when engaging those who are hard to reach.

A Community-Based, Participatory, Multi-Component Intervention Increased Sales of Healthy Foods in Local Supermarkets-The Health and Local Community Project (SoL).

Project SoL was a 19-month (September 2012 to April 2014) community-based multi-component intervention based on the supersetting approach that was designed to promote healthier eating and physical activity among children and their families. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a multi-component intervention (level 1) and a mass media intervention alone (level 2) compared to a control area (level 3) on food sales. The design was quasi-experimental. Weekly sales data for all Coop supermarkets in the intervention and control areas were analysed via longitudinal linear mixed-effects analyses. Significant increases in the sales of fish (total) (29%; p = 0.003), canned fish (31%; p = 0.025) and oatmeal (31%; p = 0.003) were found for the level 1 intervention area compared to the control area. In the level 2 intervention area, significant increases in the sales of vegetables (total) (17%; p = 0.038), fresh vegetables (20%; p = 0.01), dried fruit (51%; p = 0.022), oatmeal (19%; p = 0.008) and wholegrain pasta (58%; p = 0.0007) were found compared to the control area. The sales of canned fish increased by 30% in the level 1 area compared to the level 2 area (p = 0.025). This study demonstrated significant increases in the sales of healthy foods, both in the areas with multi-component and mass media interventions alone compared to the control area.

Tingbjerg Changing Diabetes: experiencing and navigating complexity in a community-based health promotion initiative in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark.

As a response to the complexity of reducing health inequity there has been a rise in community-based health promotion interventions adhering to the principles of complexity thinking. Such interventions often work with adaptive practice and constitute themselves in complex webs of collaborations between multiple stakeholders. However, few efforts have been made to articulate how complexity can be navigated and addressed by stakeholders in practice. This study explores how partners experience and navigate complexity in the partnership behind Tingbjerg Changing Diabetes (TCD), a community-based intervention addressing health and social development in the disadvantaged neighborhood of Tingbjerg in urban Copenhagen. The study provides important insights on the role of context and how it contributes complexity in community-based health promotion.The study is based on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in the local community including participant observations and 9 in-depth interviews with key partner representatives. Findings show that complexity in TCD can be characterized by unpredictability in actions and outcomes, undefined purpose and direction, and differing organizational logics. Factors that support partners' navigation in complexity include connectivity, embracing a flexible intervention framework, autonomy, and quick responsiveness. The study showcases the interdependency between the intervention and the context of the disadvantaged neighborhood of Tingbjerg and encourages stakeholders and researchers to embrace the messiness of complexity, and to pay attention to ways through which messiness and unpredictability can be handled.

Three-year follow-up of a multi-component community-driven health promotion intervention in Denmark.

The article presents a follow-up study of a multi-component community-driven health promotion intervention in Denmark. The study examines the perceptions and actions of professional stakeholders 3 years after completion of a 19 months intervention period addressing healthy living, well-being and social engagement among families with young children living in three rural communities on the Danish island of Bornholm. The intervention was implemented within the framework of Project Health and Local Community, also referred to as Project SoL. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with diverse professional stakeholders of the project. They represented local government, public institutions, private enterprises, civil society organizations and local mass media. The interviews addressed the extent to which the project had sustained its influence on professional stakeholders' perceptions and actions following project completion. Efforts were made to understand if persisting influences were value-based and/or manifested as concrete community-driven actions. The study showed that the project had succeeded in sustaining a positive long-term post-intervention influence among informants regarding the values and principles of the project. Despite their sustained motivation and preparedness to continue implementing coordinated community-driven actions this was severely hampered by lack of coordination after project completion. Instead, some of the stakeholders continued developing and implementing actions based on the values and principles of the project within the framework of their own professional networks. The article discusses the structural factors that are required to sustain complex community-driven interventions and the need to reconsider the nature of external support to community development from being project-based to integrated, strategic and long term.

Settings, populations, and time: a conceptual framework for public health interventions.

This paper presents a conceptual framework displaying how combinations of settings and populations seen in a long-term perspective may guide public health and health promotion planning and research. The notion of settings constitutes a key element of health promotion as stipulated by the Ottawa Charter from 1986. The setting approach highlights the individual, social and structural dimensions of health promotion. Likewise, the notion of populations and how they are selected forms a center pillar of public health. By joining the two perspectives, four combinations of intervention strategies appear by addressing: (1) a single population segment within a single setting, (2) multiple population segments within a single setting, (3) a single population segment within multiple settings or (4) multiple population segments within multiple settings. Furthermore, the addition of a time dimension inspired by the life-course perspective illustrates how trajectories of individuals and projects change settings and population segments as time goes by. The conceptual framework displays how systematic awareness of long-term, multi-setting, multi-population trajectories allow health promotion planners and researchers to systematically develop, plan and analyze their projects.

Tingbjerg Changing Diabetes: a protocol for a long-term Supersetting initiative to promote health and prevent type 2 diabetes among people living in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark.

INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes is an escalating public health problem closely related to socioeconomic position. There is increased risk of type 2 diabetes in disadvantaged neighbourhoods where education, occupation and income levels are low. Meanwhile, studies show positive health outcomes of participatory community interventions pointing towards the need for increased health promotion and prevention of type 2 diabetes in local communities. This study protocol describes Tingbjerg Changing Diabetes (TCD), a community-based health promotion and type 2 diabetes prevention initiative in Tingbjerg, a disadvantaged neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: TCD is a long-term, complex intervention, implemented in three phases from 2014 to 2032, focusing on partnership formation (phase 1, 2014-2019), developing and implementing action for health (phase 2, 2019-2030) and diffusion of knowledge (phase 3, 2022-2032). The Supersetting principles act as guidelines for development and implementation of all intervention activities of TCD, involving several population groups in a variety of everyday life settings. The implementation of TCD draws on Community Action Research design and methodologies. TCD's evaluation and research strategy is interdisciplinary, pragmatic and multimethod, unfolding at three levels of operation: (A) evaluating activities, (B) researching cross-cutting topics, and (C) researching methods and approaches. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: TCD has been approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency. Accordingly, the initiative is carried out in adherence to rules and regulations of the Danish Data Protection Agency. As data contain no personal identifiable or sensitive data, no clearance from the Danish National Ethical Review Board can be obtained according to Danish regulations. Citizen, local agents and stakeholders are engaged in the design and execution of TCD to ensure usefulness, reflexive interpretation of data, relevance and iterative progression of interventions. Results will be published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, presented at conferences and through public media including TCD home page, podcasts and videos.

The Danish SoL Project: Effects of a Multi-Component Community-Based Health Promotion Intervention on Prevention of Overweight among 3-8-Year-Old Children.

The aim of the study was to determine the effects of a multi-component community-based health promotion intervention on body mass index (BMI) z-scores and waist circumference (WC) in three- to eight-year-old children. A quasi-experimental design was adopted to evaluate the effects of the SoL intervention involving three intervention and three control communities. The 19-month intervention was based on the supersetting approach and was designed to promote healthier eating and physical activity among children and their families. BMI z-scores and WC were measured at baseline and follow-up. At baseline, 238 (54%) and 214 (51%) of all eligible children were measured from intervention and control, respectively. The change over time in the BMI z-scores of children from the intervention group was significantly different from that of the control group (p = 0.001). BMI z-scores increased over time in the intervention group in contrast to the control group, whose BMI z-scores decreased (difference in change between groups 0.19 z-scores 95% CI 0.08, 0.30). No significant differences were observed for WC. The results showed no favourable effects of the intervention of Project SoL on BMI z-scores and WC in children. Further studies based on a larger sample size and a longer intervention duration are needed.

Supporting Positive Parenting and Promoting Healthy Living through Family Cooking Classes.

BACKGROUND: The family is an important setting in the promotion of child health. The parent-child relationship affects the social and health development of children, and children's healthy behaviors are associated with positive parenting strategies. The parent-child relationship is bi-directional and the connection between parenting and child health is complex. However, few parenting interventions work with parents and children together, and more knowledge is needed on how to develop and implement interventions promoting healthy parent-child relationships. Focusing on a family cooking class program, this study addresses how community initiatives engaging parents and children together can contribute to integrating parenting support with local health promotion. METHODS: Participant-driven photo-elicited interviews (nine families), focus group evaluations (nine parents/14 children) and observations during cooking classes (10 classes) were applied to analyze the tools and mechanisms that can support positive parenting. RESULTS: The study found that visual, practical and sensory learning techniques, applied in a context-sensitive learning environment that ensured guidance, safety and a friendly social atmosphere, contributed to positive parent-child interaction and bonding. CONCLUSION: The cooking program facilitated parenting practices that support child involvement and autonomy. Thus, the program constituted an effective intervention to strengthen parent-child relationships and positive parenting.

Outcomes of carotid endarterectomy in the Vascular Quality Initiative based on patch type.

OBJECTIVE: The Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) is the largest registry of vascular surgical procedures and as such is capable of distinguishing small but important differences in outcomes. The goal of this study was to determine the outcomes of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) based on patch type, including bovine pericardium, autogenous vein, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and Dacron. METHODS: All primary CEAs performed with primary repair and patching (n = 70,987) within the VQI were retrospectively analyzed. Reoperative CEA and combined CEA and coronary artery bypass were excluded. Rates of any postoperative neurologic event, return to the operating room (bleeding, neurologic event, or wound complication), and restenosis (>50% and >80%) at 1-year follow-up were primary outcomes. Rates were compared by patch type using χ2 and Bonferroni analysis. Multivariate hierarchical logistic regression models were used to predict end points of postoperative neurologic event, return to the operating room, and 1-year restenosis. RESULTS: During the period of study, 2003 to 2017, there were 70,987 CEAs entered into the VQI registry. Bovine pericardium was the patch material with the highest frequency of use (n = 51,480), followed by Dacron (n = 12,356), vein (n = 1460), and PTFE (n = 1638). Bovine pericardium, vein, and Dacron had lower rates of postoperative neurologic events compared with PTFE or primary repair. Bovine pericardium had the lowest rate of restenosis at 1 year. By multivariate analysis, bovine pericardium (odds ratio [OR], 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-0.89) and protamine use (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.60-0.91) were associated with a lower incidence of return to the operating room. The use of Dacron, vein, and PTFE patches was not significantly different from the reference of primary closure. Multivariate analysis of postoperative neurologic events revealed that bovine pericardium (OR, 0.59; CI, 0.48-0.72) and Dacron (OR, 0.56; CI, 0.43-0.72) were associated with lower incidence of stroke or transient ischemic attack, whereas vein and PTFE were no different from primary closure. Bovine pericardium (OR, 0.57; CI, 0.44-0.75), Dacron (OR, 0.70; CI, 0.50-0.98), vein (OR, 0.72; CI, 0.53-0.98), and never smoking (OR, 0.87; CI, 0.78-0.96) were associated with a lower incidence of restenosis at 1 year by multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Bovine pericardium has superior outcomes both postoperatively and at 1 year compared with other patch materials. The large volume of patient data contained in the VQI makes it possible to compare outcomes that have small but meaningful differences.

A systems perspective on the importance of global health strategy developments for accomplishing today's Sustainable Development Goals.

Priority setting within health systems has not led to accountable, fair and sustainable solutions to improving population health. Providers, users and other stakeholders each have their own health and service priorities based on selected evidence, own values, expertise and preferences. Based on a historical account, this article analyses if contemporary health systems are appropriate to optimize population health within the framework of cross cutting targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We applied a scoping review approach to identify and review literature of scientific databases and other programmatic web and library-based documents on historical and contemporary health systems policies and strategies at the global level. Early literature supported the 1977 launching of the global target of Health for All by the year 2000. Reviewed literature was used to provide a historical overview of systems components of global health strategies through describing the conceptualizations of health determinants, user involvement and mechanisms of priority setting over time, and analysing the importance of historical developments on barriers and opportunities to accomplish the SDGs. Definitions, scope and application of health systems-associated priority setting fluctuated and main health determinants and user influence on global health systems and priority setting remained limited. In exploring reasons for the identified lack of SDG-associated health systems and priority setting processes, we discuss issues of accountability, vested interests, ethics and democratic legitimacy as conditional for future sustainability of population health. To accomplish the SDGs health systems must engage beyond their own sector boundary. New approaches to Health in All Policies and One Health may be conducive for scaling up more democratic and inclusive priority setting processes based on proper process guidelines from successful pilots. Sustainable development depends on population preferences supported by technical and managerial expertise.

Strengthening primary health care at district-level in Malawi - determining the coverage, costs and benefits of community-directed interventions.

BACKGROUND: Community-Directed Interventions (CDI) is a participatory approach for delivery of essential healthcare services at community level. It is based on the values and principles of Primary Health Care (PHC). The CDI approach has been used to improve the delivery of services in areas that have previously applied Community-Directed Treatment with ivermectin (CDTi). Limited knowledge is available about its added value for strengthening PHC services in areas without experience in CDTi. This study aimed to assess how best to use the CDI approach to strengthen locally identified PHC services at district level. METHODS: This was a comparative intervention study carried out over a period of 12 months and involving four health centres and 16 villages assigned to 1) a conventional Essential Health Package (EHP)/PHC approach at health centre level or 2) an EHP/PHC/CDI approach at community level in addition to EHP/PHC at health centre level. Communities decided which intervention components to be included in the intervention. These were home management of malaria (HMM), long lasting insecticide treated nets (LLIN), vitamin A and treatment against schistosomiasis. The outcomes of the two strategies were compared quantitatively after the intervention was completed with regard to intervention component coverage and costs. Qualitative in-depth interviews with involved health professionals, implementers and beneficiaries were carried out to determine the benefits and challenges of applied intervention components. RESULTS: Implementation of the EHP/PHC/CDI approach at community level as an add-on to EHP/PHC services is feasible and acceptable to health professionals, implementers and beneficiaries. Statistically significant increases were observed in intervention components coverage for LLIN among children under 5 years of age and pregnant women. Increases were also observed for HMM, vitamin A among children under 5 years of age and treatment against schistosomiasis but these increases were not statistically significant. Implementation was more costly in EHP/PHC/CDI areas than in EHP/PHC areas. Highest costs were accrued at health centre level while transport was the most expensive cost driver. The study identified certain critical factors that need to be considered and adapted to local contexts for successful implementation. CONCLUSION: The CDI approach is an effective means to increase accessibility of certain vital services at community level thereby strengthening delivery of EHP/PHC services. The approach can therefore complement regular EHP/PHC efforts. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was retrospectively registered with the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry TRN: PACTR201903883154921 .

Long-term impact of the Vascular Study Group of New England carotid patch quality initiative.

OBJECTIVE: Patch angioplasty has been shown to decrease rates of restenosis after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). In 2003, the Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE) implemented its first quality initiative aimed at increasing the rates of patch closure after CEA. This study reports the effects of that initiative on the rate of patch closure in the VSGNE and also postoperative and 1-year CEA outcomes. METHODS: Patients undergoing CEA (N = 14,636) within the VSGNE between 2003 and 2014 were studied. Rates of in-hospital postoperative events (death, ipsilateral stroke or transient ischemic attack [TIA], and return to the operating room for bleeding) and events during 1 year of follow-up (stroke or TIA and restenosis >70% or occlusion) were compared by repair type-patch closure, primary closure, or eversion. One-year follow-up events were also compared over time and by annualized surgeon volume. RESULTS: During the 12 years studied, patch use increased from 71% to 91% (P < .001). There was no difference in postoperative death or ipsilateral stroke or TIA between the repair types. However, there was a statistically lower rate of return to the operating room for bleeding (P < .001), 1-year stroke or TIA (P < .003), and 1-year restenosis or occlusion (P < .001) with patch closure. Overall, the rates of 1-year stroke or TIA and restenosis decreased over time in the VSGNE. The initiative affected patch closure rates and outcomes of high-volume surgeons (>47 CEAs/y) the most. High-volume surgeons increased patch use from 50% to 90% and decreased their restenosis rates from 9.0% to 1.2% and 1-year stroke or TIA from 4.9% to 1.9% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The VSGNE carotid patch quality initiative successfully increased the rates of CEA patch closure. During the same time, there has been a decrease in postoperative bleeding requiring reoperation and 1-year ipsilateral neurologic events and restenosis or occlusion.

Comparison of major adverse event rates after elective endovascular aneurysm repair in New England using a novel measure of complication severity.

OBJECTIVE: Major adverse event (MAE) rates are used as an outcome measure after surgical procedures. Although MAE rates summarize the occurrences of adverse events, they do not reflect differences in severity of these events. We propose that a measure of complication severity could provide a more accurate assessment about the quality of care. We aimed to analyze and to describe the regional variation in elective endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) MAE rates across centers in the Vascular Study Group of New England and to create an index for describing complication severity. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective EVAR (n = 4731) at 30 Vascular Study Group of New England centers between 2003 and 2016 were studied. The MAE composite end point was defined as the occurrence of any of the following postoperative events: myocardial infarction, dysrhythmia, congestive heart failure, leg ischemia, renal insufficiency, bowel complication, reoperation, surgical site infection, stroke, respiratory complication, and no home discharge. An adjustment factor (complication severity index) was calculated as a ratio of length of stay for complicated to uncomplicated cases. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate predicted MAE rates. The observed and predicted MAE rates as well as complication severity index rates were compared among centers and across quintiles of center volume. RESULTS: Observed MAE rates varied widely, ranging from 0% to 39%. Multivariate predictors of MAE included abdominal aortic aneurysm diameter >6 cm (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-2.3), female sex (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.8-2.2), chronic renal insufficiency (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.7-2.1), age >75 years (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.8-2.1), congestive heart failure (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.5-1.9), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.4-1.6), diabetes (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7), positive stress test result (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4), preoperative beta blocker (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.3), and no preoperative statin (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.1-1.3). Predicted MAE rates had little variation (range, 21%-29%). In comparing observed MAE rates and complication severity, there was an inverse relation between the two, suggesting that although certain centers had a greater number of MAEs, the complications were less severe. CONCLUSIONS: MAE rates after elective EVAR vary widely. However, centers with higher MAE rates tended to have less severe complications, suggesting that observed MAE rates may not be a good measure of outcomes assessment after elective EVARs.

Health in All local Policies: Lessons learned on intersectoral collaboration in a community-based health promotion network in Denmark.

Health promotion increasingly involves collaboration with civil society organisations and the private sector rather than being implemented exclusively by public sector stakeholders. Health in All Policies (HiAP) is an approach that promotes health in policy-making across public sectors. This study explored intersectoral integration and collaboration for health promotion at a local community level through a qualitative single case study of a local community network in Denmark: the Husum Health Network. The paper describes and discusses strengths, weaknesses, and challenges of HiAP-inspired local efforts to build alliances and supportive environments for health within an inter-organisational community-based network. The data were generated from participant observations made at 11 meetings and events organised by the network partners and nine qualitative, semi-structured interviews with Husum Health Network partners conducted from August 2014 to February 2015. The data were analysed using a theoretical framework introduced by Axelsson and Axelsson (2006) to characterise aspects of integration and differentiation between organisations. With high levels of structural and functional differentiation between the partners, the network provided an opportunity to exercise inter-organisational integration at the local level. Integration was fostered by knowledge sharing, face-to-face interaction, and communal events. However, the loose structure of the network was a challenge to its sustainability and achievement. We argue that Health in All local Policies is a meaningful concept in the context of local community development only when referring to the polices and strategies of all stakeholder organisations involved in decision-making and agenda setting, and not just local government institutions.