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Author

Sheena McHugh

Other affiliations: National University of Ireland
Bio: Sheena McHugh is an academic researcher from University College Cork. The author has contributed to research in topics: Psychological intervention & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 77 publications receiving 810 citations. Previous affiliations of Sheena McHugh include National University of Ireland.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The need to enhance methods for designing and tailoring implementation strategies, and conduct more effectiveness research on discrete, multi-faceted, and tailored implementation strategies is suggested, to advance implementation science.
Abstract: The field of implementation science was developed to better understand the factors that facilitate or impede implementation and generate evidence for implementation strategies. In this article, we briefly review progress in implementation science, and suggest five priorities for enhancing the impact of implementation strategies. Specifically, we suggest the need to: (1) enhance methods for designing and tailoring implementation strategies; (2) specify and test mechanisms of change; (3) conduct more effectiveness research on discrete, multi-faceted, and tailored implementation strategies; (4) increase economic evaluations of implementation strategies; and (5) improve the tracking and reporting of implementation strategies. We believe that pursuing these priorities will advance implementation science by helping us to understand when, where, why, and how implementation strategies improve implementation effectiveness and subsequent health outcomes.

298 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A wide range of barriers and enablers were identified which influenced women’s capability, motivation and opportunity to engage in physical activity with “knowledge” as the most commonly reported barrier.
Abstract: Obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and other complications. Physical activity is a modifiable lifestyle factor that may help to prevent these complications but many women reduce their physical activity levels during pregnancy. Interventions targeting physical activity in pregnancy are on-going but few identify the underlying behaviour change mechanisms by which the intervention is expected to work. To enhance intervention effectiveness, recent tools in behavioural science such as the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and COM-B model (capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour) have been employed to understand behaviours for intervention development. Using these behaviour change methods, this study aimed to identify the enablers and barriers to physical activity in overweight and obese pregnant women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of overweight and obese women at different stages of pregnancy attending a public antenatal clinic in a large academic maternity hospital in Cork, Ireland. Interviews were recorded and transcribed into NVivo V.10 software. Data analysis followed the framework approach, drawing on the TDF and the COM-B model. Twenty one themes were identified and these mapped directly on to the COM-B model of behaviour change and ten of the TDF domains. Having the social opportunity to engage in physical activity was identified as an enabler; pregnant women suggested being active was easier when supported by their partners. Knowledge was a commonly reported barrier with women lacking information on safe activities during pregnancy and describing the information received from their midwife as ‘limited’. Having the physical capability and physical opportunity to carry out physical activity were also identified as barriers; experiencing pain, a lack of time, having other children, and working prevented women from being active. A wide range of barriers and enablers were identified which influenced women’s capability, motivation and opportunity to engage in physical activity with “knowledge” as the most commonly reported barrier. This study is a theoretical starting point in making a ‘behavioural diagnoses’ and the results will be used to inform the development of an intervention to increase physical activity levels among overweight and obese pregnant women.

85 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Factors influencing attendance at community‐based lifestyle programmes among families of overweight or obese children are investigated to provide practical recommendations to guide future policy makers, programme delivery teams and researchers in developing strategies to boost recruitment and minimise attrition.
Abstract: The success of childhood weight management programmes relies on family engagement. While attendance offers many benefits including the support to make positive lifestyle changes, the majority of families referred to treatment decline. Moreover, for those who do attend, benefits are often compromised by high programme attrition. This systematic review investigated factors influencing attendance at community-based lifestyle programmes among families of overweight or obese children. A narrative synthesis approach was used to allow for the inclusion of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method study designs. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Results suggest that parents provided the impetus for programme initiation, and this was driven largely by a concern for their child's psychological health and wellbeing. More often than not, children went along without any real reason or interest in attending. Over the course of the programme, however, children's positive social experiences such as having fun and making friends fostered the desire to continue. The stigma surrounding excess weight and the denial of the issue amongst some parents presented barriers to enrolment and warrant further study. This study provides practical recommendations to guide future policy makers, programme delivery teams and researchers in developing strategies to boost recruitment and minimise attrition.

81 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There was a significant increase in the prevalence of doctor diagnosed diabetes among adults in Ireland between 1998 and 2015 and trends in prevalence over time were examined.
Abstract: Accurate estimates of the burden of diabetes are essential for future planning and evaluation of services. In Ireland, there is no diabetes register and prevalence estimates vary. The aim of this review was to systematically identify and review studies reporting the prevalence of diabetes and complications among adults in Ireland between 1998 and 2015 and to examine trends in prevalence over time.

62 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: To investigate the prevalence of diagnosed Type 2 diabetes and its related complications in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the Republic of Ireland, a cohort study of over-65s was conducted.
Abstract: Aim To investigate the prevalence of diagnosed Type 2 diabetes and its related complications in a nationally representative sample of older adults in the Republic of Ireland. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of a population-based sample of adults aged ≥ 50 years from the first wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), (2009–2011). Diagnosed Type 2 diabetes prevalence was estimated by self-report or the use of oral hypoglycaemic agents. The prevalence of microvascular and macrovascular complications was determined by self-report. Results Diagnosed Type 2 diabetes prevalence was 8.4% [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.8–9.0%] and was higher among men [10.3% (95% CI: 9.4–11.2%)] than women [6.6% (95% CI: 5.9–7.5%)]; P ≤ 0.001. Among participants with diagnosed Type 2 diabetes, the overall prevalence of microvascular complications was 26.0% (95% CI: 22.4–30.0%) with no evidence of gender-specific differences (P = 0.7). The overall prevalence of macrovascular complications was 15.1% (95% CI: 12.2–18.4%) and was higher among men [17.8% (95% CI: 14.3–23.1%)] than women [11.4% (95% CI: 7.7–16.4%)]; P ≤ 0.001. Conclusions In the absence of a national diabetes register, these findings provide a robust estimate of the national prevalence of diagnosed Type 2 diabetes and level of complications among adults aged 50 years and over in Ireland.

51 citations


Cited by
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01 Jan 2014
TL;DR: These standards of care are intended to provide clinicians, patients, researchers, payors, and other interested individuals with the components of diabetes care, treatment goals, and tools to evaluate the quality of care.
Abstract: XI. STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING DIABETES CARE D iabetes is a chronic illness that requires continuing medical care and patient self-management education to prevent acute complications and to reduce the risk of long-term complications. Diabetes care is complex and requires that many issues, beyond glycemic control, be addressed. A large body of evidence exists that supports a range of interventions to improve diabetes outcomes. These standards of care are intended to provide clinicians, patients, researchers, payors, and other interested individuals with the components of diabetes care, treatment goals, and tools to evaluate the quality of care. While individual preferences, comorbidities, and other patient factors may require modification of goals, targets that are desirable for most patients with diabetes are provided. These standards are not intended to preclude more extensive evaluation and management of the patient by other specialists as needed. For more detailed information, refer to Bode (Ed.): Medical Management of Type 1 Diabetes (1), Burant (Ed): Medical Management of Type 2 Diabetes (2), and Klingensmith (Ed): Intensive Diabetes Management (3). The recommendations included are diagnostic and therapeutic actions that are known or believed to favorably affect health outcomes of patients with diabetes. A grading system (Table 1), developed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and modeled after existing methods, was utilized to clarify and codify the evidence that forms the basis for the recommendations. The level of evidence that supports each recommendation is listed after each recommendation using the letters A, B, C, or E.

9,618 citations

Book
01 Jan 1997
TL;DR: This new edition of Ann Bowling's well-known and highly respected text is a comprehensive, easy to read, guide to the range of methods used to study and evaluate health and health services.
Abstract: This new edition of Ann Bowling's well-known and highly respected text has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect key methodological developments in health research. It is a comprehensive, easy to read, guide to the range of methods used to study and evaluate health and health services. It describes the concepts and methods used by the main disciplines involved in health research, including: demography, epidemiology, health economics, psychology and sociology.The research methods described cover the assessment of health needs, morbidity and mortality trends and rates, costing health services, sampling for survey research, cross-sectional and longitudinal survey design, experimental methods and techniques of group assignment, questionnaire design, interviewing techniques, coding and analysis of quantitative data, methods and analysis of qualitative observational studies, and types of unstructured interviewing. With new material on topics such as cluster randomization, utility analyses, patients' preferences, and perception of risk, the text is aimed at students and researchers of health and health services. It has also been designed for health professionals and policy makers who have responsibility for applying research findings in practice, and who need to know how to judge the value of that research.

2,602 citations

01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: The study concludes that understanding lags first requires agreeing models, definitions and measures, which can be applied in practice, and a second task would be to develop a process by which to gather these data.
Abstract: This study aimed to review the literature describing and quantifying time lags in the health research translation process. Papers were included in the review if they quantified time lags in the development of health interventions. The study identified 23 papers. Few were comparable as different studies use different measures, of different things, at different time points. We concluded that the current state of knowledge of time lags is of limited use to those responsible for R&D and knowledge transfer who face difficulties in knowing what they should or can do to reduce time lags. This effectively ‘blindfolds’ investment decisions and risks wasting effort. The study concludes that understanding lags first requires agreeing models, definitions and measures, which can be applied in practice. A second task would be to develop a process by which to gather these data.

1,429 citations

Journal Article

1,347 citations

01 Jan 2016

950 citations