Which public health interventions are effective in reducing morbidity, mortality and health inequalities from infectious diseases amongst children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): An umbrella review.

Despite significant progress in the last few decades, infectious diseases remain a major threat to child health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)-particularly amongst more disadvantaged groups. It is imperative to understand the best available evidence concerning which public health interventions reduce morbidity, mortality and health inequalities in children aged under five years. To address this gap, we carried out an umbrella review (a systematic reviews of reviews) to identify evidence on the effects of public health interventions (promotion, protection, prevention) on morbidity, mortality and/or health inequalities due to infectious diseases amongst children in LMICs. Ten databases were searched for records published between 2014-2021 alongside a manual search of gray literature. Articles were quality-assessed using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews tool (AMSTAR 2). A narrative synthesis was conducted. We identified 60 systematic reviews synthesizing 453 individual primary studies. A majority of the reviews reported on preventive interventions (n = 48), with a minority on promotion (n = 17) and almost no reviews covering health protection interventions (n = 2). Effective interventions for improving child health across the whole population, as well as the most disadvantaged included communication, education and social mobilization for specific preventive services or tools, such as immunization or bed nets. For all other interventions, the effects were either unclear, unknown or detrimental, either at the overall population level or regarding health inequalities. We found few reviews reporting health inequalities information and the quality of the evidence base was generally low. Our umbrella review identified some prevention interventions that might be useful in reducing under five mortality from infectious diseases in LMICs, particularly amongst the most disadvantaged groups.

A literature review of survey instruments used to measure staff-to-resident elder abuse in residential care settings.

Aim: To review the literature of existing survey instruments used to measure the occurrence of staff-to-resident elder abuse in residential care settings. Methods: A comprehensive literature search during May 2017 produced 2,037 records. Two authors independently reviewed these records for inclusion, where a total of 17 studies met eligibility criteria. Descriptive information of all identified survey instruments is provided. Results: This literature review reveals a diversity of survey instruments used to measure staff-to-resident abuse in residential care settings. The survey instruments varied greatly, where most instruments were self-developed by the authors and provided none or limited information on psychometric properties. Most studies were conducted in high-income countries and many of them in the United States.

Which public health interventions are effective in reducing morbidity, mortality and health inequalities from infectious diseases amongst children in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs): protocol for an umbrella review.

INTRODUCTION: Despite significant progress in the last few decades, infectious diseases remain a significant threat to children's health in low-income and middle-income countries. Effective means of prevention and control for these diseases exist, making any differences in the burden of these diseases between population groups or countries inequitable. Yet, gaps remain in our knowledge of the effect these public health interventions have on health inequalities in children, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. This umbrella review aims to address some of these gaps by exploring which public health interventions are effective in reducing morbidity, mortality and health inequalities from infectious diseases among children in low-income and middle-income countries. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: An umbrella review will be conducted to identify systematic reviews or evidence synthesis of public health interventions that reduce morbidity, mortality and/or health inequalities due to infectious diseases among children (aged under 5 years) in low-income and middle-income countries. The interventions of interest are public health interventions targeting infectious diseases or associated risk factors in children. We will search for reviews reporting health and health inequalities outcomes in and between populations. The literature search will be undertaken using the Cochrane Library, Medline, EMBASE, the CAB Global Health database, Health Evidence, the Campbell Collaboration Library of Systematic Reviews, International Initiative for Impact Evaluation Systematic review repository, Scopus, the Social Sciences Citation Index and PROSPERO. Additionally, a manual search will be performed in Google Scholar and three international organisations websites (UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, UNICEF, WHO) to capture grey literature. Data from the records meeting our inclusion/exclusion criteria will be collated using a narrative synthesis approach. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This review will exclusively work with anonymous group-level information available from published reviews. No ethical approval was required.The results of the review will be submitted for publication in academic journals and presented at international public health conferences. Additionally, key findings will be summarised for dissemination to a wider policy and general public audience as part of the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research's policy work. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019141673.

Sexual Abuse of Older Residents in Nursing Homes: A Focus Group Interview of Nursing Home Staff.

The objective of this study was to increase knowledge of sexual abuse against older residents in nursing homes. A qualitative approach was used. Through a focus group interview with staff in nursing homes, the aim was to reveal employees' thoughts, experiences, and attitudes. Findings from the focus group interview show that sexual abuse of older residents is a taboo topic among health professionals. Acts of sexual abuse are difficult to imagine; it is hard to believe that it occurs. The fact that staff are not aware that it could happen, or have a hard time believing that it actually happens, can amplify the residents' vulnerable position as potential victims of abuse, and it makes it even more challenging to report or uncover such acts. The study highlights the need for education of all health care workers in Norway as well as more research on sexual abuse against older residents in nursing homes. Furthermore, there is a need for good policies and reporting systems, as an important step towards addressing sexual abuse of the aged in a more appropriate way. Further research must aim to reveal more about this taboo area.

Sexual abuse of older nursing home residents: a literature review.

Despite an increasing literature related to elder abuse, sexual abuse of older persons in general and of vulnerable adults living in nursing homes in particular is still sparsely described. The purpose of this study was to assess the state of knowledge on the subject of sexual abuse against older nursing home residents through a literature review. Systematic searches in reference databases including Cinahl, Medline, OVID Nursing Database, ISI Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and SveMed + were conducted. Through several phases of selection of the articles, using strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, six articles were chosen for a deeper examination. Findings from the review show that sexual abuse occurs in nursing homes and that both older women and men are victims of sexual abuse. Perpetrators appear mainly to be staff and other residents and mainly to be men, but also women abuse both older men and older women. Findings from the literature review show that there is a need for knowledge and further research on the topic of sexual abuse against older residents in nursing homes. Furthermore, there is a need for good policies and reporting systems, as an important step in seriously addressing sexual abuse against older persons.