Publications by authors named "Karen Lamb"

Importance: Patients with lung cancer have poor physical functioning and quality of life. Despite promising outcomes for those who undertake exercise programs, implementation into practice of previously tested hospital-based programs is rare.

Objective: To evaluate a home-based exercise and self-management program for patients after lung resection.

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Objective: This study develops successful ageing profiles across six low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and examines associations with fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake.

Design: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted in mid-aged and older adults from the WHO Study of Global Ageing. Participants without chronic disease, cognitive impairment, depression or disability and with good physical, cardiovascular and respiratory function were considered to have successfully aged.

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Adequate fruit and vegetable consumption is essential for healthy ageing and prevention and management of chronic disease. This study aimed to examine characteristics associated with fruit and vegetable consumption in Chinese men and women aged 50 years and over. Data from the first wave of the Chinese cohort (2008-2010) of the WHO's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) survey was used.

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Article Synopsis
  • Urinary incontinence (UI) significantly affects the quality of life in women after gynaecological cancer treatment, and pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training is the recommended first-line treatment.
  • This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a telehealth-delivered PFM training program, which includes a biofeedback device, compared to usual care in helping women with UI after cancer treatment.
  • The trial involves 72 participants who will be split into two groups: one receiving standard care and the other engaging in a comprehensive PFM training program with multiple telehealth consultations over 16 weeks, measuring outcomes through a standardized questionnaire.
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Background And Objectives: The burden of disease for Australian children from non-acute conditions is growing; however, little is known about how well prevocational training experiences prepare trainee doctors. This study examines the confidence of general practice registrars in managing paediatric consultations in primary care and whether confidence varies by prevocational training type.

Method: This was a cross-sectional national survey of Australian general practice registrars that measured confidence in managing paediatric primary care presentations.

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The HealthGap study aimed to understand cardiovascular risk among Indigenous Australians in Victoria using linked administrative data. A key challenge was differing spatial coverages of sources: state-level data for risk factors but cardiovascular outcomes for three hospitals. Catchments were defined based on hospital postcodes to estimate denominator populations for risk modelling: first- and second-order neighbours, and spatial distribution of outcomes ('spatial event distribution').

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Background: Music interventions provided by qualified therapists within residential aged care are effective at attenuating behavioural and psychological symptoms (BPSD) of people with dementia (PwD). The impact of music interventions on dementia symptom management when provided by family caregivers is unclear.

Methods: We implemented a community-based, large, pragmatic, international, superiority, single-masked randomised controlled trial to evaluate if caregiver-delivered music was superior to usual care alone (UC) on reducing BPSD of PwD measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire (NPI-Q).

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Background: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading global cause of chronic pain and disability. Given there is no cure for OA, patient self management is vital with education and exercise being core recommended treatments. However, there is under-utilisation of these treatments due to a range of clinician and patient factors.

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Introduction: Efficacious programmes require implementation at scale to maximise their public health impact. is an efficacious behavioural and environmental intervention for increasing primary (elementary) school children's (5-12 years) physical activity and reducing their sedentary behaviour within school and home settings. This paper describes the study protocol of a 5-year effectiveness-implementation trial to assess the scalability and effectiveness of the programme.

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To compare the effects of diagnostic labels and their explanations on people's beliefs about managing hip pain. Online randomized controlled trial involving 626 participants. Participants aged ≥45 years with and without hip pain considered a hypothetical scenario (initial doctor consultation for hip pain).

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The 20-min neighbourhood (20MN) concept aims to enable residents to meet daily needs using resources within a 20-min trip from home noting that there is no single definition of what services and amenities are required for daily needs nor what modes of transport constitute a 20 min trip. Whether 20MNs promote better health and whether associations differ by socio-economic status (SES) is unknown. Using cross-sectional data from adults randomly sampled in 2018-19 from Melbourne or Adelaide, Australia, we examined whether associations between neighbourhood type (20MN/non-20MN) and diet, physical activity or self-rated health vary according to individual- or area-level SES.

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Article Synopsis
  • Women experience poorer quality of postoperative recovery from general anesthesia compared to men, especially in the days following surgery; this effect is more significant in premenopausal women.
  • The study aimed to investigate whether the menstrual cycle phase (luteal vs. non-luteal) affects the quality of recovery in premenopausal women after procedures like wisdom teeth extraction or laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
  • Results showed no significant differences in postoperative recovery scores or related outcomes between women in different menstrual cycle phases, indicating that menstrual cycle phase does not impact recovery quality after minor surgeries.
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Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate existing evidence on the relationship between diagnostic and treatment intervals and outcomes for colorectal cancer.

Methods: Four databases were searched for English language articles assessing the role of time before initial treatment in colorectal cancer on any outcome, including stage and survival. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion and data were synthesised narratively.

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Background: Music therapy is increasingly recognized as an effective support for people living with dementia. However, with incidences of dementia increasing, and limited availability of music therapists, there is a need for affordable and accessible ways that caregivers can learn to use music-therapy based strategies to support the people they care for. The MATCH project aims to address this by creating a mobile application that can train family caregivers in the use of music to support people living with dementia.

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Background: Most people with dementia live in the community, not in residential care. Therefore, quality informal care for them is critical for managing behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Music therapy has been shown to reduce BPSD.

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Article Synopsis
  • People in Australia were studied to see how the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns affected their mental health.
  • The study involved 875 participants and looked at depression and anxiety symptoms over time from May to December 2020.
  • Results showed that most people's mental health got better during and after lockdowns, but those with past health issues or younger people had more problems and might need extra support.
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Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent, chronic joint condition that commonly affects the knee and hip causing pain, impaired function, and reduced quality of life. As there is no cure, the main goal of treatment is to alleviate symptoms via ongoing self-management predominantly consisting of exercise and weight loss (if indicated). However, many people with OA do not feel adequately informed about their condition and management options to self-manage effectively.

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Background: Inference using standard linear regression models (LMs) relies on assumptions that are rarely satisfied in practice. Substantial departures, if not addressed, have serious impacts on any inference and conclusions; potentially rendering them invalid and misleading. Count, bounded and skewed outcomes, common in physical activity research, can substantially violate LM assumptions.

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Objective: To explore the mediators of effects of two 6-month telehealth-delivered exercise programs, including exercise with and without weight-loss diet, on pain and function improvements in knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Secondary analysis of 345 participants from a 3-arm randomized controlled trial of exercise (Exercise program) and exercise plus diet (Diet + Exercise program) versus information (Control program) was conducted. Outcomes were changes in pain (11-point numeric rating scale) and function (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [score range 0-68]) at 12 months.

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Objective: To examine associations between work and commute hours with food consumption and test whether neighbourhood type (20-minute neighbourhood (20MN)/non-20MN) moderate associations.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of the Places and Locations for Activity and Nutrition study (ProjectPLAN). Exposures were work hours (not working (0 h), working up to full-time (1-38 h/week), working overtime (> 38 h/week)), and among those employed, combined weekly work and commute hours (continuous).

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Background: Chronic hip pain is common and disabling and is largely due to osteoarthritis (OA). Self-management is recommended by international OA clinical guidelines yet there are few effective treatment options. Footwear has been suggested as a self-management approach, given that foot motion influences hip forces.

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Research focusing on timely diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer is necessary to improve outcomes for people with cancer. Previous attempts to consolidate research on time to diagnosis and treatment have noted varied methodological approaches and quality, limiting the comparability of findings. This systematic review was conducted to comprehensively assess the scope of methodological issues in this field and provide recommendations for future research.

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Background: Problem anger is common after experiencing a traumatic event. Current evidence-driven treatment options are limited, and problem anger negatively affects an individual's capacity to engage with traditional psychological treatments. Smartphone interventions hold significant potential in mental health because of their ability to deliver low-intensity, precision support for individuals at the time and place they need it most.

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Compare the effects of osteoarthritis information, with or without pathoanatomical content, on people's beliefs about managing osteoarthritis. Online randomized controlled trial involving 556 participants. Participants considered a hypothetical scenario where their doctor informed them that they had knee osteoarthritis.

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