What are the mechanisms of effect of group antenatal care? A systematic realist review and synthesis of the literature.

Background: There is growing interest in the benefits of group models of antenatal care. Although clinical reviews exist, there have been few reviews that focus on the mechanisms of effect of this model.

Methods: We conducted a realist review using a systematic approach incorporating all data types (including non-research and audiovisual media), with synthesis along Context-Intervention-Mechanism-Outcome (CIMO) configurations.

Involving women with limited English proficiency in group antenatal care: Findings from the integrated process evaluation of the Pregnancy Circles pilot trial.

Unlabelled: Problem In the United Kingdom, poor experiences and outcomes of antenatal care among women with limited English proficiency (LEP) are widely documented.

Background: Group antenatal care aims to address some limitations of traditional care by combining health assessment, information sharing and peer support, but the inclusion of women with LEP in mixed-language groups has not been explored.

Aim: This qualitative study used observations and interviews to explore whether linguistic diversity could be incorporated into group antenatal care (Pregnancy Circles).

Group antenatal care: findings from a pilot randomised controlled trial of REACH Pregnancy Circles.

Background: Antenatal care has the potential to impact positively on maternal and child outcomes, but traditional models of care in the UK have been shown to have limitations and particularly for those from deprived populations. Group antenatal care is an alternative model to traditional individual care. It combines conventional aspects of antenatal assessment with group discussion and support.

Evaluating the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the 'strengthening families, strengthening communities' group-based parenting programme: study protocol and initial insights.

Background: Up to 20% of UK children experience socio-emotional difficulties which can have serious implications for themselves, their families and society. Stark socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in children's well-being exist. Supporting parents to develop effective parenting skills is an important preventive strategy in reducing inequalities.

Physical punishment and child outcomes: a narrative review of prospective studies.

Physical punishment is increasingly viewed as a form of violence that harms children. This narrative review summarises the findings of 69 prospective longitudinal studies to inform practitioners and policy makers about physical punishment's outcomes. Our review identified seven key themes.

Group antenatal care (Pregnancy Circles) for diverse and disadvantaged women: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial with integral process and economic evaluations.

Background: Group antenatal care has been successfully implemented around the world with suggestions of improved outcomes, including for disadvantaged groups, but it has not been formally tested in the UK in the context of the NHS. To address this the REACH Pregnancy Circles intervention was developed and a randomised controlled trial (RCT), based on a pilot study, is in progress.

Methods: The RCT is a pragmatic, two-arm, individually randomised, parallel group RCT designed to test clinical and cost-effectiveness of REACH Pregnancy Circles compared with standard care.

"I try and make my cell a positive place": Tactics for mitigating risks to health and wellbeing in a young offender institution.

Prisons provide an important public health opportunity to improve the health of a hard-to-reach population. However, the prison as a place for health promotion requires greater attention. Using De Certeau's concept of tactics, semi-structured interviews with 35 young men who had screened as low on an anxiety and depression scale, illustrate how they stitch together discrete tactics to navigate the prison system and mitigate the risks to their health and wellbeing.

An audit of tuberculosis health services in prisons and immigration removal centres.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of death worldwide due to a single infectious agent. Rates of active TB in places of prescribed detention (PPD), which include Prisons, Young Offender Institutions and Immigration Removal Centres, are high compared with the general population. PPD therefore present an opportunity to develop targeted health programmes for TB control.

Lifetime risk of being diagnosed with, or dying from, prostate cancer by major ethnic group in England 2008-2010.

Background: In the UK, a man's lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is 1 in 8. We calculated both the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with and dying from prostate cancer by major ethnic group.

Methods: Public Health England provided prostate cancer incidence and mortality data for England (2008-2010) by major ethnic group.

Characteristics of people with low health literacy on coronary heart disease GP registers in South London: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To explore characteristics associated with, and prevalence of, low health literacy in patients recruited to investigate the role of depression in patients on General Practice (GP) Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) registers (the Up-Beat UK study).

Design: Cross-sectional cohort. The health literacy measure was the Rapid Estimate of Health Literacy in Medicine (REALM).

Up-beat UK: a programme of research into the relationship between coronary heart disease and depression in primary care patients.

Background: Coronary heart disease and depression are both common health problems and by 2020 will be the two leading causes of disability worldwide. Depression has been found to be more common in patients with coronary heart disease but the nature of this relationship is uncertain. In the United Kingdom general practitioners are now being remunerated for case-finding for depression in patients with coronary heart disease, however it is unclear how general practitioners should manage these patients.