Objective: Studies suggest that healthcare professionals often feel unprepared to deal with mental health issues in refugees and asylum seekers. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers in relation to mental health and healthcare, to inform cultural competency training for undergraduate…

Objective: The utilisation of evidence-based health interventions remains a challenge in educational settings. Although driving forward the scientific evidence-base may contribute to the diffusion of such approaches, abstract notions of population-level impact may not be seen as priorities in local. This paper considers the alternative forms of…

Objective: In the light of the shortcomings of curriculum-based health promotion in secondary schools, group motivational interviewing provides a potential alternative approach. This two-phase study set out to establish the key components, feasibility and acceptability of a group motivational interviewing intervention, focused on alcohol…

Background and objectives: Referring clinicians' experiences of exercise referral schemes (ERS) can provide valuable insights into their uptake. However, most qualitative studies focus on patient views only. This paper explores health professionals' perceptions of their role in promoting physical activity and experiences of a National Exercise…

Aim: For the first time, this article presents a cost-effectiveness comparison of a breast cancer screening programme with a possible health education programme with aspirin for vascular event primary prevention. Background: Breast cancer screening is a well established part of cancer control programmes yet recent evidence on this intervention has…

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate secular trends in selected cardiovascular disease risk factors (namely adiposity, physical activity, physical fitness and diet) in a sample of Welsh 12-13 year olds between 2002 and 2007. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: A secondary school based in South West Wales. Method: Two studies in…

Objective: This paper presents comparative observations between schools/colleges, youth centres, and specialist youth provision, in relation to delivery of the 2tuff2puff six-week smoking cessation and awareness programme to young people in Cardiff. Design: A six-week smoking cessation programme was delivered to 12-23 year olds in various youth…

Objective: The complexity and scale of health promotion interventions present challenges for the standardization of delivery. Furthermore, health promotion practice favours adapting interventions according to perceived client need. This paper examines the fidelity of intervention delivery within A Stop Smoking in Schools Trial (ASSIST),…

Aspirin has far-reaching public health potential in reducing the risk of heart attacks, ischemic strokes and possibly cancer. Balanced against this potential are undesirable effects of the drug. It seems reasonable to allow every individual over the age of 50 years to make an informed choice about whether or not to take aspirin. A health education…

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether it was necessary, cost effective and practical to investigate Welsh children's fitness levels in order to promote active, healthy lifestyles. Design: A multi-method study comprising a comprehensive review of literature, a questionnaire survey and interviews. Setting: This was a feasibility study…

Objective: The aim of this paper was to investigate drinking patterns, attitudes towards drinking and predictors of binge drinking as well as negative consequences of binge drinking in students. Design & Method: Data was collected by questionnaire from 261 students living on campus at one Welsh university. Results: The results showed that…

Objective: This study considers the physical activity (PA) and dietary habits of British young people according to socio-economic status (SES). Methods: The PA and dietary habits of 98 boys and 101 girls (12.9 0.3 years) from two Welsh secondary schools (school 1 and school 2) were examined. Free school meal eligibility and Census 2001 data were…

Objective: To examine young people's requirements and perceptions of sexual health services and education in the context of their experience of sexual relationships and knowledge of sexual health. Design: A questionnaire based cohort study. Setting: Three hundred and sixty Year 11 students (aged 15-16 years) surveyed in three Secondary Schools.…

Objective: To design, implement and evaluate a peer-led intervention to reduce smoking amongst secondary school students. Design: A health promotion intervention combining peer education with diffusion of innovation theory, to be rigorously evaluated by means of a cluster randomised controlled trial with concurrent process and economic…

With the advent of devolution, policies and programmes are being developed and delivered to meet the particular needs of the people of Wales. It is recognized that such policies and programmes need to be informed by the best available evidence to identify key issues, assess what has worked elsewhere to address them, and to have monitoring and…