The effect of perinatal depression treatment for mothers on parenting and child development: A systematic review.

Antenatal and postpartum depression are very common and have significant consequences for mothers and their children. This review examines which antenatal depression (AD) and postpartum depression (PPD) treatment interventions are most efficacious in improving parenting and/or child development. CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Controlled Trials, Medline (OVID), Embase (OVID), PsychINFO, PsycARTICLES, AMED, and reference lists were searched. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies assessing the effect of AD, PPD, or both treatment interventions on parenting and/or child development were included. Meta-analysis was conducted using random effects when possible. Thirty-six trials (within 40 articles) met criteria for review. Interventions include interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), peer support, maternal-child interaction guidance, and other interventions, such as massage. For AD, IPT, CBT, and massage produced large effects on parenting (e.g. adjustment and attention toward infant) and child development (e.g. behaviour). For PPD, maternal-child interaction guidance and psychotherapeutic group support produced large effects on parenting (e.g. sense of competence) and child development (e.g. cortisol). However, meta-analysis revealed nonsignificant effects of IPT on maternal-child attachment and CBT on parenting stress. Promising findings exist for IPT, CBT, maternal-child interaction guidance, massage, and psychotherapeutic group support for specific parenting and/or child development outcomes. Additional RCTs using measures already employed in the literature are required to conduct necessary meta-analysis and fully elucidate treatment effects.

Incentives for improving human resource outcomes in health care: overview of reviews.

OBJECTIVES: To review the effectiveness of financial and nonfinancial incentives for improving the benefits (recruitment, retention, job satisfaction, absenteeism, turnover, intent to leave) of human resource strategies in health care. METHODS: Overview of 33 reviews published from 2000 to 2012 summarized the effectiveness of incentives for improving human resource outcomes in health care (such as job satisfaction, turnover rates, recruitment, and retention) that met the inclusion criteria and were assessed by at least two research members using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews quality assessment tool. Of those, 13 reviews met the quality criteria and were included in the overview. Information was extracted on a description of the review, the incentives considered, and their impact on human resource outcomes. The information on the relationship between incentives and outcomes was assessed and synthesized. RESULTS: While financial compensation is the best-recognized approach within an incentives package, there is evidence that health care practitioners respond positively to incentives linked to the quality of the working environments including opportunities for professional development, improved work life balance, interprofessional collaboration, and professional autonomy. There is less evidence that workload factors such as job demand, restructured staffing models, re-engineered work designs, ward practices, employment status, or staff skill mix have an impact on human resource outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, evidence of effective strategies for improving outcomes is mixed. While financial incentives play a key role in enhancing outcomes, they need to be considered as only one strategy within an incentives package. There is stronger evidence that improving the work place environment and instituting mechanisms for work-life balance need to be part of an overall strategy to improve outcomes for health care practitioners.

The epidemiology of weight perception: perceived versus self-reported actual weight status among Albertan adults.

BACKGROUND: To understand, prevent, and manage weight-related health issues, researchers and clinicians rely on the ability to identify those at risk. Prevention and management strategies may also rely on accurate self-perception of weight and body composition in the general population. METHODS: We analyzed data from The Tomorrow Project (n = 7,436), a prospective cohort study enrolling adults aged 35-69 years, in Alberta, Canada. Weight perception accuracy was defined based on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and a combined (BMI and WC) risk profile. RESULTS: The majority of participants correctly perceived themselves as overweight. Women were more accurate than men in identifying themselves as overweight. In terms of inaccuracy, more normal-weight women than men perceived themselves to be overweight, while more overweight men than women perceived themselves as about the right weight. When using the combined risk profile, all men with normal weight (BMI) but higher risk WC perceived their weight as about right whereas just under half of men who were overweight (BMI) but lower risk WC perceived their weight as about right. For women, a much higher proportion recognized their weight status as overweight when only BMI was elevated compared to when only WC indicated higher risk. DISCUSSION: Adults in our sample showed reasonable accuracy in weight perception. Gender differences reveal that women were more accurate than men in identifying themselves as overweight. Incongruence between weight status indicators was noted, indicating the importance of using both BMI and waist circumference as health status measures.