Group Health & Wellness Coaching: development and validation of the required competencies.

Background: As the popularity and demonstrated effectiveness of Health and Wellness Coaching (HWC) continue to grow to address chronic disease prevalence worldwide, delivery of this approach in a group format is gaining traction, particularly in healthcare. Nonetheless, very little empirical work exists on group coaching and there are currently no published competencies for Group Health and Wellness Coaching (GHWC).

Methods: We used a well-established two-phase (Development and Judgment) process to create and validate GHWC competencies with strong content validity.

"We're Going to Book This for You": Threats to Informed Decision-Making in the Down Syndrome Determination Experience.

Objectives: To identify and describe threats to informed decision-making at key junctures of the Down syndrome (DS) determination experience.

Methods: We conducted 32 narrative interviews with 42 participants (10 couples and 22 individuals). Participants relayed their stories of receiving their child's or a prospective child's DS determination.

Remotely and collaboratively evaluating a campus-based therapy dog program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected the wellbeing of university students and adults in general, emphasizing the need for mental health programming that was compliant with physical distancing mandates. The present evaluation investigated mental health and social connection within the context of COVID-19 by remotely evaluating a virtual animal-assisted activity at the University of Saskatchewan - PAWS Your Stress. The purpose of this article is to outline our evaluation methods and findings, while calling specific attention to the collaborative strategies that were implemented within a remote, time-sensitive context.

"": Experiences of LGBTQ+ With the Healthcare System in Saskatchewan, Canada.

This project aimed to explore the experiences of perceived mistrust and stigma by the LGBTQ+ members while accessing healthcare services in Saskatchewan, Canada. In partnership with local organization, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was employed and, semi structured descriptive interviews were conducted. Sixteen participants ranging from age 20-60 were recruited and interviewed.

"We're in the same book, but we're in different parts of the book": Dominant and sub-group narratives of life following a Down syndrome determination.

Parents of children with Down syndrome (DS) were interviewed about if their experiences raising their children matched their initial assumptions about parenting a child with DS. A dominant narrative was identified, wherein most parents described initially having negative assumptions, which did not come to fruition; parenting their child was not very different from parenting a typical child. There was also a sub-group of participants who disputed the dominant narrative; parenting their child was challenging and the dominant narrative marginalizes that experience.

The role of motherhood schemas and life transitions in reproductive intention formation.

Objective: This study provides a theory-based snapshot of the processes involved in women's fertility intention formation and decisions regarding the timing of motherhood.

Background: The trend to defer childbearing is linked with both empowering and challenging outcomes for women. The cognitive-social (C-S) model suggests that deliberative thinking regarding reproduction occurs following fertility-relevant life transitions, which results in fluctuations in motherhood schemas and fertility intentions.

Understanding the impact of a residential housing programme for people living with HIV/AIDS: a realist evaluation protocol.

Introduction: Housing instability and homelessness are significant barriers to medical treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. For these individuals, lack of stable housing and stigma is associated with insufficient access to care, poor adherence to medication and higher cost burdens to the healthcare system. This protocol reports on the efforts to evaluate Sanctum V.

Canadian Support for IVF Access and Use.

Objective: Apply Weiner's attribution-affect-action (AAA) model to the context of societal support for access to assisted reproductive technology (ART).

Methods: Five hundred and fifty-four Canadians were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 vignette conditions describing reproductively challenged women differentiated by the root cause of their need for ART. Following this, participants completed an online questionnaire measuring the components of the AAA model.

'Removed from humanity': a qualitative analysis of attitudes toward abortion providers in anti-abortion individuals in Canada.

Objective: The present study explores the content of abortion provider stigma.

Background: Abortion stigma extends beyond women who have abortions to abortion providers. Previous analyses of anti-abortion bills and rhetoric have revealed stereotypes of abortion providers as dangerous and less trustworthy than other health professionals.

A needs assessment on addressing environmental health issues within reproductive health service provision: Considerations for continuing education and support.

Background: This needs assessment was initially undertaken to explore the beliefs and knowledge of nurses and physicians about the impact of environmental toxicants on maternal and infant health, as well as to describe current practice and needs related to addressing environmental health issues (EHI).

Methods: One hundred and thirty-five nurses (n = 99) and physicians (n = 36) working in Saskatchewan completed an online survey. Survey questions were designed to determine how physicians and nurses think about and incorporate environmental health issues into their practice and means of increasing their capacity to do so.

Nutritional Assessment and Status of Hospitalized Infants.

Objectives: Malnutrition during infancy has long-term adverse consequences for both physical and psychological development. Early detection of malnutrition among hospitalized infants is essential to provide optimal nutrition support. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the nutritional status of hospitalized infants using 2 methods: the Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA) and anthropometric measurement.

"Not Brain-washed, but Heart-washed": A Qualitative Analysis of Benevolent Sexism in the Anti-Choice Stance.

Purpose: In recent years, anti-choice dialog has shifted from a focus on the fetus to a focus on the woman. This new movement constructs itself as positive and pro-woman, while perpetuating harmful stereotypes about women and the effects of abortion. Research has shown a relationship between benevolent sexism (beliefs that women are morally pure creatures in need of protection and nurturing) and restrictive attitudes towards abortion, although no research has qualitatively explored this relationship.

Advancing a new evidence-based professional in health care: job task analysis for health and wellness coaches.

Background: The pressing need to manage burgeoning chronic disease has led to the emergence of job roles such as health and wellness coaches (HWCs). As use of this title has increased dramatically, so has the need to ensure consistency, quality and safety for health and wellness coaching (HWC) provided in both practice and research. Clear and uniform role definitions and competencies are required to ensure appropriate scope of practice, to allow best practices to emerge, and to support the implementation of well-designed, large scale studies to accumulate a rigorous evidence base.

Is Any Press Good Press? The Impact of Media Portrayals of Infertility on Young Adults' Perceptions of Infertility.

Objective: Infertility is an issue of current concern across North America. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada advocates for public education regarding infertility issues. Public education is supposed to be a fundamental objective of news media.

National training and education standards for health and wellness coaching: the path to national certification.

The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to announce the findings of the job task analysis as well as national training and education standards for health and wellness coaching (HWC) that have been developed by the large-scale, collaborative efforts of the National Consortium for Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches (NCCHWC) and (2) to invite commentary from the public. The rapid proliferation of individuals and organizations using the terms of health and/or wellness coaches and the propagation of private industry and academic coach training and education programs endeavoring to prepare these coaches has created an urgent and pressing need for national standards for use of the term health and wellness coach, as well as minimal requirements for training, education, and certification. Professionalizing the field with national standards brings a clear and consistent definition of health and wellness coaching and accepted practice standards that are uniform across the field.

How effective is health coaching in reducing health services expenditures?

Background: Health coaching interventions aim to identify high-risk enrollees and encourage them to play a more proactive role in improving their health, improve their ability to navigate the health care system, and reduce costs.

Objectives: Evaluate the effect of health coaching on inpatient, emergency room, outpatient, and prescription drug expenditures.

Research Design: Quasiexperimental pre-post design.

Simple Nutrition Screening Tool for Pediatric Inpatients.

Background: Pediatric nutrition risk screening tools are not routinely implemented throughout many hospitals, despite prevalence studies demonstrating malnutrition is common in hospitalized children. Existing tools lack the simplicity of those used to assess nutrition risk in the adult population. This study reports the accuracy of a new, quick, and simple pediatric nutrition screening tool (PNST) designed to be used for pediatric inpatients.

Informed reproductive decision-making: the impact of providing fertility information on fertility knowledge and intentions to delay childbearing.

Objective: To examine the impact of providing fertility information on personal levels of fertility knowledge and intentions to delay childbearing.

Methods: Participants (n=69 young childless women) were randomly assigned to either an experimental (fertility-related) or control (alcohol-related) informational intervention group. Subsequent to the exposure to information, participants completed a questionnaire measuring fertility knowledge and intentions for reproduction.

Group health coaching: strengths, challenges, and next steps.

There is great need for cost effective approaches to increase patient engagement and improve health and well-being. Health and wellness coaching has recently demonstrated great promise, but the majority of studies to date have focused on individual coaching (ie, one coach with one client). Newer initiatives are bringing a group coaching model from corporate leadership development and educational settings into the healthcare arena.

The impact of Telephonic Health Coaching on Health Outcomes in a High-risk Population.

Background: Health coaching is a client-centric process to increase motivation and self-efficacy that supports sustainable lifestyle behavior changes and active management of health conditions. This study describes an intervention offered as a benefit to health plan members and examines health and behavioral outcomes of participants.

Methods: High-risk health plan enrollees were invited to participate in a telephonic health coaching intervention addressing the whole person and focusing on motivating health behavior changes.

The four pillars of health coaching: preserving the heart of a movement.

In this special themed issue of Global Advances in Health and Medicine and in articles published on the journal's website (www.gahmj.com), you will read all about this new and maturing approach to health behavior change and the social and cultural conditions in modern medicine that have called this practice into being.

Judgements regarding the acceptability of childbearing and parental fitness made towards women living with HIV.

This study examines the societal perceptions and judgements made towards HIV-positive pregnant women when compared with those targeting pregnant women with other medical conditions. One hundred and sixty participants (124 female) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions defined by specific medical condition of the pregnant woman in the vignette (HIV/AIDS, obesity, lung cancer or diabetes). Participants were asked to respond to a variety of items gauging their reaction to the woman and her pregnancy subsequent to reading the scenario.

The portrayal of Down syndrome in prenatal screening information pamphlets.

Objective: To examine the information about Down syndrome (DS) provided to pregnant women in Canada through a content analysis of prenatal screening information pamphlets.

Methods: Prenatal screening information pamphlets were requested from Canadian prenatal testing centres. In total, 17 pamphlets were received (response rate = 65%).

Demystifying mindfulness.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is an approach to health and wellness that an increasing number of health care providers are practicing and recommending to their patients. This article describes MBSR, its use in health care, and its benefits for patients with conditions such as anxiety, depression, chronic pain syndromes, and insomnia. It also offers advice about how physicians can incorporate elements of MBSR into their daily practices in order to reduce stress in their lives and prevent burnout.

Women's perceptions of polycystic ovary syndrome following participation in a clinical research study: implications for knowledge, feelings, and daily health practices.

Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder that affects 6% to 10% of reproductive aged women. It is a poorly understood and often undiagnosed condition that has implications for the health of affected women. We assessed changes in knowledge, feelings, and daily health practices related to PCOS in clinical research study participants.