Publications by authors named "Amanda Clifford"

Introduction: Loneliness and physical inactivity are issues that affect both young people and older adults. This can have negative health outcomes and well as high costs on health services. Physical activity can positively influence both physical and psychosocial health outcomes, however enjoyment is necessary for adherence.

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Background And Purpose: Arts-based interventions are an emerging area of interest in health research for older adults. Music and Movement for Health (MMH) is one such systematically developed interdisciplinary arts-based intervention designed to enhance health and wellbeing of older adults. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the opinions and experiences of participants, facilitators, and community stakeholders of the MMH intervention.

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Background: Knee replacement surgery can significantly improve the quality of life of patients with severe knee osteoarthritis. Equitable access to knee replacement surgery is important to ensure that everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status or geographical location, have fair and timely access.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to (1) describe the health equity profile and quality of life of patients awaiting knee replacement at a single academic hospital in South Africa and to (2) describe the association between these health equity factors and the waiting time.

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Background: Move for Life (MFL) is a theory-informed intervention that was developed to augment established physical activity (PA) programmes and enable inactive adults aged 50 years and older to be more active. This study examined the feasibility of MFL and sought to provide evidence of its potential for improving PA and associated health outcomes.

Methods: A 3-arm cluster randomised feasibility trial compared MFL intervention, usual provision (UP) and control (CON) groups at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1, at 8, 10 or 12- weeks) and 6-month follow up (T2).

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Dance programs for people living with Parkinson's disease (PwPD) offer participants an opportunity to exercise, engage in artistic self-expression, and form new relationships. While it is understood that the social dimension of dance programs for PwPD contributes to dancer satisfaction and program sustainability, the social mechanisms instrumental to program success are under-examined. Engaging with theory from wider disciplines, or "theory knitting" can help program designers and evaluators examine the mechanisms and contextual factors that make classes socially meaningful with greater detail and specificity.

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Introduction: Functional decline, chronic illness, reduced quality of life and increased healthcare utilisation are common in older adults. Evidence suggests music and dance can support healthy ageing in older adults. This study explored the feasibility, potential for effect and cost effectiveness of the Music and Movement for Health (MMH) programme among community-dwelling older adults using a pragmatic cluster-randomised, controlled feasibility trial design.

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Purpose: To identify and synthesize qualitative literature on the experiences of participants and key stakeholders in dance programs for people living with Parkinson's disease. Synthesizing the available literature can generate new insights into participant experience to inform current and future programs.

Materials And Methods: Qualitative and mixed methods studies were identified via a systematic search of six databases: CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, PsycInfo, and MEDLINE.

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In Aotearoa New Zealand, wāhine Māori (Māori women) are overrepresented in several negative post-natal outcomes, including negative outcomes related to caesarean deliveries. We aimed to understand the experiences of wāhine Māori who had experienced a caesarean delivery and to identify how healthcare systems can better meet the needs of wāhine Māori during pre- and post-natal care. Using kaupapa Māori principles, thematic analysis of one-on-one interviews identified eight themes covering a range of issues related to overall wellbeing.

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Introduction: Clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of falls prevention interventions for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's Disease (PD) and stroke measure heterogeneous outcomes, often omitting those meaningful to patients. A core outcome set (COS) is a standardised set of outcomes that should be assessed in all trials within a research area. The aim of this study was to develop a COS for evaluating mixed-diagnosis falls prevention interventions for people with MS, PD and stroke in non-acute and community settings, with input from relevant stakeholder groups.

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Introduction: Oral language skills are associated with children's later self-regulation and academic skills; in turn, self-regulation in early childhood predicts successful functioning later in life. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the separate and combined effectiveness of an oral language intervention (Enhancing Rich Conversations, ENRICH) and a self-regulation intervention (Enhancing Neurocognitive Growth with the Aid of Games and Exercise, ENGAGE) with early childhood teachers and parents for children's oral language, self-regulation and academic functioning.

Methods And Analysis: The Kia Tīmata Pai (Best Start) study is a cluster randomised controlled trial with teachers and children in approximately 140 early childhood centres in New Zealand.

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This research provides insight into current te reo Māori (the Indigenous language of Aotearoa, New Zealand) use in English-medium ECE settings. We videoed naturalistic conversations between (educators) and (aged 15-28 months) at 24 English-medium BestStart ECE centres. Te reo Māori was quantitatively assessed across five routines: (food) time, book time, group time, free play, and nappy change.

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There is a need for both feasible and enjoyable physical activity programmes for people on a cancer journey. Emerging evidence suggests that dance can have a positive effect on health and well-being in this cohort. We aimed to synthesize the quantitative and qualitative literature exploring the effectiveness and impact of community dance interventions in people with all types and stages of cancer.

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Background And Hypothesis: Māori, the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, experience increased rates of psychotic disorders and first-episode psychosis. However, it is unclear whether they also present with increased psychosis risk symptoms, such as subclinical psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). Measurement of risk symptoms is key for early intervention.

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Falls are a major issue for people with neurological conditions, and the evaluation of falls prevention interventions is of high priority. To date, the views of patient groups regarding outcomes of importance have been largely overlooked. The purpose of this study was to explore outcomes of interest among people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD) and stroke upon completion of falls prevention interventions to inform the development of a core outcome set (COS).

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Arts-based health programmes (ABHP) can enhance the physical and psychosocial health and wellbeing of older people. However, the feasibility and usefulness of such programmes in Ireland are currently unknown. The primary aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of the study design, its application to a music and movement for health programme and associated costs.

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Unlabelled: Introduction (including aim): There is a lack of community-based programmes for older adults in Ireland. Such activities are vital to enable older people to (re)connect after COVID-19 measures, which had a detrimental effect on physical function, mental health and socialisation. The aims of the preliminary phases of the Music and Movement for Health study were to refine stakeholder informed eligibility criteria, recruitment pathways and obtain preliminary measures for feasibility of the study design and programme, which incorporates research evidence, practice expertise and participant involvement.

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The biodegradation rate of Mg alloy medical devices, such as screws and plates for temporary bone fracture fixation or coronary angioplasty stents, is an increasingly important area of study.models of the corrosion behavior of these devices use revised simulated body fluid (m-SBF) based on a healthy individual's blood chemistry. Therefore, model outputs have limited application to patients with altered blood plasma glucose or protein concentrations.

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Background: Dancing is an attractive form of exercise among older adults and may positively influence physical and psychosocial health. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the evidence examining the dance prescription and effectiveness of dance in community dwelling older adults.

Methods: Eight databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of dance programs on community-dwelling older adults from 2007 to December 2020.

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Objective Implementing the routine collection of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) is key to improving healthcare quality and patient satisfaction. The implementation process can be strengthened through staff and patient co-design. The aim of this project was to develop a set of Australian PROM implementation recommendations ('AusPROM') to guide rapid translation into practice.

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Background: Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) engage patients in co-evaluation of their health and wellbeing outcomes. This study aimed to determine the feasibility, response rate, degree of recovery and patient acceptability of a PROM survey for elective surgery.

Methods: We sampled patients with a broad range of elective surgeries from four major Australian hospitals to evaluate (1) feasibility of the technology used to implement the PROMs across geographically dispersed sites, (2) response rates for automated short message service (SMS) versus email survey delivery formats, (3) the degree of recovery at one and four weeks post-surgery as measured by the Quality of Recovery 15 Item PROM (QoR-15), and (4) patient acceptability of PROMS based on survey and focus group results.

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Obtaining pre-surgery PROM measures is not always feasible. The aim of this study was to examine if self-reports of change following elective surgery correlate with change scores from a validated PROM (15-item Quality of Recovery (QoR-15)). This cross-sectional study across 29 hospitals enrolled elective surgery patients.

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Given the high incidence of falls and their associated negative effects, the development of effective falls prevention interventions for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's Disease (PD) and stroke is a priority. Currently the implementation of condition-specific falls prevention interventions is challenging in the community due to lack of participants and resources. Given the similarities in falls risk factors across stroke, PD and MS, the design of mixed-diagnosis interventions for groups comprising of people with these three neurological conditions may solve these implementation challenges.

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Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogenous degenerative disorder often causing destructive joint changes with severe pain and functional disability. Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors, social context and psychological factors influence the development and progression of the disease. Total knee replacement (TKR) aims at reducing pain and improving function and is more successful with pre-operative and post-operative rehabilitation.

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As both the average life expectancy and incidence of bone tissue reconstruction increases, development of load-bearing implantable materials that simultaneously enhance osseointegration while preventing postoperative infection is crucial. To address this need, significant research efforts have been dedicated to developing surface modification strategies for metallic load-bearing implants and scaffolds. Despite the abundance of strategies reported, many address only one factor, for example, surface chemistry or topography.

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Most adults do not meet physical activity guidelines with negative implications for health. The aim of this study was to profile adults using multiple physical activity behaviours and to investigate associations with chronic conditions, multi-morbidity and healthcare utilisation. The study used data generated from a sample of adults aged 45 years and older (N = 485), recruited to the Move for Life randomised control trial.

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