Heterodox and Orthodox Discourses in the Case of Lyme Disease: A Synthesis of Arguments.

In this article, we examine the arguments made by authors of published academic articles concerning the debates surrounding chronic Lyme disease (CLD). CLD is an example of a contested condition and shares problems of legitimacy with other medically unexplained conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome. We use a critical discourse analysis (CDA) approach to understand the arguments of the authors to establish the legitimacy, or not, of a CLD diagnosis.

How Do Contextual Factors Influence Implementation and Receipt of Positive Youth Development Programs Addressing Substance Use and Violence? A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis of Process Evaluations.

Objective: Positive youth development (PYD) often aims to prevent tobacco, alcohol, and drugs use and violence. We systematically reviewed PYD interventions, synthesizing process, and outcomes evidence. Synthesis of outcomes, published elsewhere, found no overall evidence of reducing substance use or violence but notable variability of fidelity.

Effectiveness of Mass Media Campaigns to Reduce Alcohol Consumption and Harm: A Systematic Review.

Aims: To assess the effectiveness of mass media messages to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms using a systematic literature review.

Methods: Eight databases were searched along with reference lists of eligible studies. Studies of any design in any country were included, provided that they evaluated a mass media intervention targeting alcohol consumption or related behavioural, social cognitive or clinical outcomes.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of community-delivered positive youth development interventions on violence outcomes.

Background: We systematically reviewed and meta-analysed evaluations testing the effectiveness of positive youth development (PYD) interventions for reducing violence in young people.

Methods: Two reviewers working independently screened records, assessed full-text studies for inclusion and extracted data. Outcomes were transformed to Cohen's d.

Systematic review of reviews of observational studies of school-level effects on sexual health, violence and substance use.

For three decades there have been reports that the quality of schools affects student health. The literature is diverse and reviews have addressed different aspects of how the school environment may affect health. This paper is the first to synthesise this evidence using a review of reviews focusing on substance-use, violence and sexual-health.

Positive youth development programmes to reduce substance use in young people: Systematic review.

Background: Substance use has detrimental short-term and long-term consequences for young people. Positive youth development (PYD) interventions, which favour promotion of positive assets over traditional risk reduction, have received attention recently as a possible intervention to prevent adolescent substance use. We aimed to synthesise the evidence on PYD interventions for reduction in substance use in young people.

What is positive youth development and how might it reduce substance use and violence? A systematic review and synthesis of theoretical literature.

Background: Preventing adolescent substance use and youth violence are public health priorities. Positive youth development interventions are widely deployed often with the aim of preventing both. However, the theorised mechanisms by which PYD is intended to reduce substance use and violence are not clear and existing evaluated interventions are under-theorised.

Intervention Component Analysis (ICA): a pragmatic approach for identifying the critical features of complex interventions.

Background: In order to enable replication of effective complex interventions, systematic reviews need to provide evidence about their critical features and clear procedural details for their implementation. Currently, few systematic reviews provide sufficient guidance of this sort.

Methods: Through a worked example, this paper reports on a methodological approach, Intervention Component Analysis (ICA), specifically developed to bridge the gap between evidence of effectiveness and practical implementation of interventions.

Is consumer response to plain/standardised tobacco packaging consistent with framework convention on tobacco control guidelines? A systematic review of quantitative studies.

Background And Objectives: Standardised or 'plain' tobacco packaging was introduced in Australia in December 2012 and is currently being considered in other countries. The primary objective of this systematic review was to locate, assess and synthesise published and grey literature relating to the potential impacts of standardised tobacco packaging as proposed by the guidelines for the international Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: reduced appeal, increased salience and effectiveness of health warnings, and more accurate perceptions of product strength and harm.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched and researchers in the field were contacted to identify studies.