Attitudes towards advance care planning amongst community-based older people in England.

Background: Advance care planning has been advocated as a way for people to have their wishes recorded and respected in relation to types of treatment and place of care. However, uptake in England remains low.

Aims: To examine the views of older, well, adults towards Advance Care Plans (ACPs) and planning for end-of-life care, in order to inform national policy decisions.

Effect of novel technology-enabled multidimensional physical activity feedback in primary care patients at risk of chronic disease - the MIPACT study: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Technological progress has enabled the provision of personalised feedback across multiple dimensions of physical activity that are important for health. Whether this multidimensional approach supports physical activity behaviour change has not yet been examined. Our objective was to examine the effectiveness of a novel digital system and app that provided multidimensional physical activity feedback combined with health trainer support in primary care patients identified as at risk of chronic disease.

Public responses to volunteer community care: Propositions for old age and end of life.

Background: Funding shortages and an ageing population have increased pressures on state or insurance funded end of life care for older people. Across the world, policy debate has arisen about the potential role volunteers can play, working alongside health and social care professionals in the community to support and care for the ageing and dying.

Aims: The authors examined self-reported levels of care for the elderly by the public in England, and public opinions of community volunteering concepts to care for the elderly at the end of life.

The effect of 'smart' financial incentives on driving behaviour of novice drivers.

Recent studies have demonstrated that financial incentives can improve driving behaviour but high-value incentives are unlikely to be cost-effective and attempts to amplify the impact of low-value incentives have so far proven disappointing. The present study provides experimental evidence to inform the design of 'smart' and potentially more cost-effective incentives for safe driving in novice drivers. Study participants (n = 78) were randomised to one of four financial incentives: high-value penalty; low-value penalty; high-value reward; low-value reward; allowing us to compare high-value versus low-value incentives, penalties versus rewards, and to test specific hypotheses regarding motivational crowding out and gain/loss asymmetry.

The effects of feedback and incentive-based insurance on driving behaviours: study approach and protocols.

Background: Road injury is the leading cause of death for young people, with human error a contributing factor in many crash events. This research is the first experimental study to examine the extent to which direct feedback and incentive-based insurance modifies a driver's behaviour. The study applies in-vehicle telematics and will link the information obtained from the technology directly to personalised safety messaging and personal injury and property damage insurance premiums.

Adolescent self-harm in the community: an update on prevalence using a self-report survey of adolescents aged 13-18 in England.

Background: To establish an estimate of prevalence in a nationally representative sample of community adolescents. To examine associations between self-harm and wellbeing.

Methods: An anonymous self-report survey completed by 2000 adolescents aged 13-18 years across England.

Multidimensional individualised Physical ACTivity (Mi-PACT)--a technology-enabled intervention to promote physical activity in primary care: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Low physical activity is a major public health problem. New cost-effective approaches that stimulate meaningful long-term changes in physical activity are required, especially within primary care settings. It is becoming clear that there are various dimensions to physical activity with independent health benefits.

Wheels, skills and thrills: a social marketing trial to reduce aggressive driving from young men in deprived areas.

Young men from poorer backgrounds are associated with high road traffic collision levels. However, solving this problem has proven very difficult. Hence this paper summarises the findings of a UK government funded two-year trial of a cross-discipline intervention to reduce aggressive driving amongst this group.