COVID-19: decision-making in public health.

Against a background of stalling UK life expectancy, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a different way of working for public health to respond quickly to new and many demands. At the same time, public health teams had to ensure they did not concentrate on the immediate crisis at the expense of mitigating longer-term impacts of the pandemic. This was, and is, a major challenge with additional demands on an already hard-pressed workforce.

Comparing apples and pears: misleading conclusions about the population mental health impact of a parenting programme, a commentary on Marryat, Thompson and Wilson (2017).

Background: The article by Marryat, Thompson and Wilson (2017) in BMC Pediatrics presents an evaluation of the implementation of the Triple P system as a public health intervention conducted by the Glasgow City Council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Discussion: Unfortunately, the conclusions drawn are questionable for multiple reasons. The lack of a controlled design precludes defensible conclusions about intervention effects free from routine threats to internal validity.

Planning and implementation of a FIGO postpartum intrauterine device initiative in six countries.

Objective: To describe the process of planning and implementing a program of counselling and delivery of postpartum intrauterine devices (PPIUD) in 48 hospitals across six countries in Africa and Asia.

Methods: The process of planning the FIGO PPIUD initiative, selection of countries and hospitals, model of implementation, and lessons for the future are described.

Results: Country-level and hospital-based leadership were essential and training-the-trainer models were successful.

Failures in reproductive health policy: overcoming the consequences and causes of inaction.

It is assumed that long-established research findings and internationally accepted evidence should, and will, be translated into policy and practice. Knowledge about what prevents harm and promotes health has, in fact, guided and resulted in numerous beneficial public health actions. However, such is not always the case.

Financial incentives for smoking cessation in pregnancy: randomised controlled trial.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a financial incentive added to routine specialist pregnancy stop smoking services versus routine care to help pregnant smokers quit.

Design: Phase II therapeutic exploratory single centre, individually randomised controlled parallel group superiority trial.

Setting: One large health board area with a materially deprived, inner city population in the west of Scotland, United Kingdom.