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Prescribing Patterns Of Myopia Control Contact Lenses Among Optometrists In Ireland, Michael Moore, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, James Loughman

Articles

Purpose

This retrospective analysis of electronic medical record (EMR) data investigated the prescribing patterns of soft myopia control contact lens (MCCL) treatments since their introduction in Ireland in 2017.

Methods

Anonymised EMR data were sourced from 33 optometry practices in Ireland from 2017 to 2021 to determine the number of practices prescribing MCCLs to myopic children 5–18 years old. In MCCL-prescribing practices, the proportion of contact lens wearing children fitted with MCCLs and the proportion of progressive (≤−0.25 D/year) myopic children fitted with MCCLs were determined. Logistic regression was used to determine which factors influenced the likelihood of being prescribed …

Identifying Novel Data-Driven Dietary Patterns Via Dimensionality Reduction And Associations With Socioeconomic Profile And Health Outcomes In Ireland, Daniel Burke, Annemarie E. Bennett, Paul Hynds, Anushree Priyadarshini

Articles

Dietary patterns and body mass index (BMI) play a significant role in the development of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, including Ireland. A cross-sectional survey was conducted across Ireland to collate respondents’ socioeconomic profiles, health status, and dietary patterns with a representative sample size of 957 adult respondents. Principal component analysis (PCA) and statistical analyses were subsequently employed. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to use recent (2021) nationally representative data to characterise dietary patterns in Ireland via dimensionality reduction. Five distinct dietary patterns (“meat-focused”, “dairy/ovo-focused”, “vegetable-focused”, “seafood-focused”, and “potatofocused”) were …

An Evaluation Of A Health, Wellbeing And Lifestyle Promotion Intervention Among A Cohort Of Year 1 Male Gaelic Games Student Athletes In An Irish University Setting, Anthony Casey

Theses

Background: The current research investigated the health, wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of a cohort of 1st year male Gaelic Games student athletes (Study 1), and subsequently evaluated the impact of a bespoke intervention on these health, wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours in the same cohort (Study 2).

Methods: Participants were 1st year male Gaelic Games student athletes (mean age 18.6 ± 0.6 years, n=166) in a university in southern Ireland. Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach during the 2018/19 and the 2019/20 academic years. Data collection consisted of an online questionnaire (Bickerdike et al., 2018), which assessed health, wellbeing …

‘A Healthy Mtu’ A Mixed Methods Baseline Programme Of Research To Empirically Inform A Campus Health Promotion Initiative Within An Irish Higher Education Setting, Andrea Bickerdike

Theses

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been called to lead global health promotion actions, yet there remains a dearth of empirically informed ‘Healthy University’ (HU) initiatives. This thesis constituted a baseline mixed methods needs assessment to inform a settings-based health promotion (HP) initiative (‘A Healthy MTU’) within a multi-campus ‘case’ HEI in Ireland (Cork campuses of MTU, formerly CIT). Specific aims were to (i) investigate student and staff health metrics, and (ii) identify the cultural and environmental determinants of health and wellbeing within the case HEI setting. Using a phased, mixed methodology (QUAN-QUAL), five sequential empirical studies were undertaken. Quantitative data …

Anthelmintic Resistance In Sheep Across Ireland And The Uk: A Literature Review Of The In Vivo Versus In Vitro Methods, Megan Tumulty

SURE Journal: Science Undergraduate Research Experience Journal

Background: The animal welfare and production consequences of gastrointestinal nematode infections, namely Nematodirus battus, on sheep are compelling. The control of gastrointestinal infections has been heavily reliant on the administration of anthelmintics since their introduction into mainstream use in 1960. However, their frequent and often excessive use has resulted in anthelmintic resistance being reported extensively in several gastrointestinal nematode species. The prevalence of anthelmintic resistance as well as the increase in the number of cases of multiple-drug resistance in nematode populations now poses substantial hindrance on the viability of sheep production systems. However, despite the threat N. battus poses …

Using Electronic Medical Record Data To Establish And Monitor The Distribution Of Refractive Errors, Sean Longwill, Michael Moore, Daniel Ian Flitcroft, James Loughman

Articles

Objective

To establish the baseline distribution of refractive errors and associated factors amongst a population that attended primary care optometry clinics.

Design

Retrospective cross sectional cohort study of electronic medical records (EMR).

Methods

Electronic medical record data was extracted from forty optometry clinics, representing a mix of urban and rural areas in Ireland. The analysis was confined to demographic and clinical data gathered over a sixty-month period between 2015 and 2019. Distribution rates were calculated using the absolute and relative frequencies of refractive error in the dataset, stratified for age and gender using the following definitions: high myopia ≤ -6.00 …

Tailoring The Rehabilitative Environment For People With Sensory Overload, Jennifer Cotter

Theses

Sensory overload is a complex sensory processing disorder which can develop post Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). The condition can be extremely debilitating and people who develop it are further hampered by lack of informational resources, sensory overload is currently under researched in the Acquired Brain Injury rehabilitation sector. This qualitative study documents participants first hand experiences of sensory overload post ABI and includes insights and observations from professionals working in the Acquired Brain Injury rehabilitation sector in Ireland. In this study, sensory overload is the focal point and a new rehabilitation tool in the form of a sensory menu is …

Exploring Dating As An Occupation For Young Heterosexual Women In Ireland, Karen Mccarthy, Jeanne Jackson

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

Purpose – Dating is a meaningful occupation for many single people. The occupation of dating has transformed considerably in Ireland due to recent changes in Irish culture and the advent of online dating technology. The purpose of this study was to explore the complexities and intricacies of dating in an Irish context.

Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach was used and data were collected using semi-structured interviews with ten heterosexual women (age 24-34) living in urban areas of Ireland. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006).

Findings – Dating did not fully resonate with their experience, …

Childminding Professionalism And Professionalisation In Ireland: A Different Story, Miriam O'Regan, Ann Marie Halpenny, Noirin Hayes

Articles

This research focussed on documenting the praxis and paedagogy of paid, professional childminding (family childcare/day care) in Ireland. It explored professionalism and professionalisation among childminders in the context of the evolving understanding of professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) nationally and internationally. The research was conducted within the framework of Ecocultural Theory (ECT) on the eve of mandatory regulation of childminding against the backdrop of Irish ECEC policy. A mixed method approach was adopted, using the Ecocultural Family Interview for Childminders (EFICh), including participants’ photographs, case study surveys, researcher field notes and holistic ratings. We present findings related …

Will Treating Progressive Myopia Overwhelm The Eye Care Workforce? A Workforce Modelling Study, Gareth Lingham, James Loughman, Stella Kuzmenko, Matilda Biba, Daniel Ian Flitcroft

Articles

Purpose

Treatments for myopia progression are now available, but implementing these into clinical practice will place a burden on the eye care workforce. This study estimated the full-time equivalent (FTE) workforce required to implement myopia control treatments in the UK and Ireland.

Methods

To estimate the number of 6- to 21-year-olds with myopia, two models utilising separate data sources were developed. The examination-based model used: (1) the number of primary care eye examinations conducted annually and (2) the proportion of these that are for myopic young people. The prevalence-based model used epidemiological data on the age-specific prevalence of myopia. The …

Vitamin D Status And Mortality From Sars Cov-2: A Prospective Study Of Unvaccinated Caucasian Adults, Robert Barrett, Modar Youssef, Irfan Shah, Julia Ioana, Abdullah Al Lawati, Abdullah Bukhari, Suzanne Hegarty, Liam J. Cormican, Eoin Judge, Conor M. Burke, Catriona Cody, Joseph Feely, Katrina Hutchinson, William Tormey, Eoghan O’ Neill, Aoife O'Shea, Meabh Connolly, Daniel Mccartney, John L. Faul

Articles

COVID-19 and a low vitamin D state share common risk factors, which might explain why vitamin D deficiency has been linked with higher COVID-19 mortality. Moreover, measures of serum vitamin D may become lower during systemic inflammatory responses, further confounding the association via reverse causality. In this prospective study (recruited over 12 months), we examined whether the association between a low vitamin D state and in-hospital mortality due to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in unvaccinated subjects is explained by (i) the presence of shared risk factors (e.g., obesity, advanced age) or (ii) a reduction in serum 25(OH)D due to COVID-19 (i.e., reverse …

Elucidation Of Novel And Established Campylobacter Species With Clinical And Agricultural Significance Through Phenotypic, Genotypic, And Taxonomic Investigation, Caoimhe Lynch

Theses

Campylobacter spp. are well-established human, veterinary and economic pathogens, with a broad host range spanning from terrestrial and marine mammalian, avian and reptilian hosts. The scope of the study includes novel and notorious species within the genus, with reference to zoonotic agents Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli - the leading cause of human bacterial gastroenteritis in the EU and Ireland, Campylobacter fetus that represents the most common campylobacter causing bacteraemia and two novel species isolated from pigs not described in the literature previously. C. jejuni and C. coli isolates (n = 350) recovered from broiler caecal and neck skin samples, …

Friends And Family Matter Most: A Trend Analysis Of Increasing E-Cigarette Use Among Irish Teenagers And Sociodemographic, Personal, Peer And Familial Associations, Joan Hanafin, Salome Sunday, Luke Clancy

Articles

Background

E-cigarette ever-use and current-use among teenagers has increased worldwide, including in Ireland.

Methods

We use data from two Irish waves (2015, 2019) of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD) to investigate gender and teenage e-cigarette use (n = 3421 16-year-olds). Using chi-square analyses, we report changes in e-cigarette ever-use, current-use, and associated variables. Using multivariable logistic regression, we analyse the increase in e-cigarette use and socio-demographic, personal, peer and familial associations, focusing on gender differences.

Results

E-cigarette ever-use increased from 23% in 2015 to 37% in 2019, and current-use from 10 to …

An Investigation On The Irish Population’S Attitudes And Knowledge Towards Genetic Screening For Cancer, Emer Mccarthy, Ada Fleming, Dawn Hannah Cronin

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Genetic mutations are alterations in DNA that may result in the development of a disease later in life. A BRCA gene is a tumour suppressor gene that helps to prevent the development of some cancers, particularly breast cancer. If a mutation occurs, this gene no longer functions at preventing these cancers. Genetic screening is when a population is tested for a mutation in an attempt to identify a group of people that are positive for the mutation. This can help identify cancer in different populations as well as track their inheritance. This study was conducted online, questioning the Irish populations …

An Investigation Of Healthcare Supports For Those With Food Allergy In Ireland, Joseph Bolger, Nicola Blake, Sneha Vinod

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Introduction: In Ireland, around 5% of children and 3% adults have food allergy (134,000 people). This current paper describes a survey that was carried out on a subset of service-users with the aim of identifying whether there is a need for increased specialist medical services and/or for a funded charity such as Anaphylaxis Ireland, defunct since 2015.

Materials & Methods: These needs were assessed via an online survey using Google Forms. The survey was conducted from 17-27th February 2020. There were 31 questions in total, relating to topics such as symptoms, clinical wait times, satisfaction with care provided and demand …

Full Issue: The International Undergraduate Journal Of Health Sciences, Volume 1, Issue 1, June 2021

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

The full June 2021 issue (Volume 1, Issue 1) of the International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Prenatal Dietary Education, Using The Midwifery Model, In Ireland Vs The United States, Allison Erby

The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses

Prenatal dietary education is a very important component of care in healthy pregnancies, but more than that, dietary education can be an indicator of the value a healthcare provider places on holistic care or preventive medicine. The United States and Ireland are compared in this study because they represent high intervention vs. low intervention approaches, respectively, to obstetric care. Healthcare professionals from the United States and Ireland perceive the most important nutrients and method of receiving those differently. Maybe the most telling contrast, healthcare professionals in Ireland perceive food as the way pregnant women should receive vital nutrients, but healthcare …

Sport And Physical Activity During The First 10 Years Of Life In Ireland And The Uk, Kristy Howells, Tara Coppinger

Pre-prints

This chapter considers the many similarities within the educational experiences of the young children in sport and physical activity (PA) in Ireland and the United Kingdom (UK). PA has, in both countries, had an increased focus on its value and importance within children’s lives, a time of habit development. Public Health England (2014) reported that one in six deaths in the UK are due to lack of PA in adults, making it as dangerous as smoking. Healthy Ireland is the national framework for action to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Ireland. The national guidelines for 2- …

Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Sporadic Shiga Toxin–Producing Escherichia Coli Enteritis, Ireland, 2013–2017, Eiimear Cleary, Patricia Garvey, Paul Mckeown, Jean O'Dwyer, Coilin Oh Aiseadha, Paul Mckeown, Paul Hynds

Articles

The Republic of Ireland regularly reports the highest annual crude incidence rates of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) enteritis in the European Union, ≈10 times the average. We investigated spatiotemporal patterns of STEC enteritis in Ireland using multiple statistical tools. Overall, we georeferenced 2,755 cases of infection during January 2013–December 2017; we found >1 case notified in 2,340 (12.6%) of 18,641 Census Small Areas. We encountered the highest case numbers in children 0–5 years of age (n = 1,101, 39.6%) and associated with serogroups O26 (n = 800, 29%) and O157 (n = 638, 23.2%). Overall, we identified 17 space-time …

How To Promote Exclusive Breastfeeding In Ireland: A Qualitative Study On Views Of Chinese Immigrant Mothers, Haoyue Chen, Qianling Zhou, Tanya M. Cassidy, Katherine Younger, Siao Shen, John M. Kearney

Articles

Background The exclusive breastfeeding rate in Ireland is very low with extremely slow annual growth.The population of immigrants in Ireland is increasing. Improving exclusive breastfeeding practice amongimmigrants may contribute to the overall improvement of exclusive breastfeeding rates in Ireland. Thisstudy was conducted to elicit recommendations on improving exclusive breastfeeding rate for six monthsamong Chinese immigrants in Ireland. Methods Fourteen semi-structured in-depth individual interviewswere conducted with Chinese immigrant mothers resident in Ireland, who breastfed exclusively for four to six months.

What’S In A Name? Applying The Syndemic Perspective To Covid-19 In Ireland, Chris O'Ralaigh

Articles

The term pandemic, pro-offers a vision of COVID-19 abstracted from its social, economic, and political context, suggesting a socially neutral phenomena framed within a medicalised discourse. An etymological and theoretical re-conceptualisation of COVID-19 as a syndemic re-situates the virus within these contexts, allowing an interrogation of the oft-stated claim, discussed in this journal (Nolan, 2020) that ‘we are all in this together’ and a deeper analysis of the viruses impact on particular social groupings. Several recent articles have posited that the syndemic label applies to COVID-19 at an international level (Bambra et al., 2020; Hill et al., 2020; Horton, 2020) …

Teachers’ Perceptions And Understanding Of Children’S Fluid Intake, Kristy Howells, Tara Coppinger

Publications

No public health data exists on elementary teachers’ perceptions of both their own fluid intake and of their elementary school aged children’s fluid intake. A total of 271 (20 males, 251 females) teachers in developed areas of Australia, Belgium, England, Ireland, United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America completed an online questionnaire (Feb–Mar 2019) on: (i) their fluid intake, (ii) their perception and understanding of children’s fluid intake and (iii) barriers in the school day that they felt prevented school children consuming fluids. Overall, the data indicated that teachers consume considerably lower amounts than recommended themselves, but have …

Optimisation Of Vitamin D Status For Enhanced Immuno-Protection Against Covid-19, Daniel Mccartney, Declan G. Byrne

Articles

Abstract

Background

Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D<50nmol/l) is common in Ireland, particularly amongst older adults, hospital inpatients and nursing home residents. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risk of acute viral respiratory infection and community acquired pneumonia, with several molecular mechanisms proposed to explain this association. Vitamin D supplementation has also been shown to reduce the risk of respiratory infection.

Vitamin D and Covid-19

Correction of vitamin D deficiency is thought to suppress CD26, a putative adhesion molecule for Covid-19 host cell invasion. Vitamin D may also attenuate interferon gamma (IFNγ) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) inflammatory responses, both potent predictors of poorer outcome in critically-ill ventilated patients including those with Covid-19.

Vitamin D Requirements

Irish adults require 25-30μg/d of vitamin D3, an intake not achievable by diet alone, to reliably maintain serum 25(OH)D levels >50nmol/l. Supplementation with doses up to 100μg/d has been shown to be safe for adults, and many agencies and expert …

Does Smoke-Free Legislation Work For Teens Too?: A Logistic Regression Analysis Of Smoking Prevalence And Gender Among Sixteen Years Old In Ireland Using The 1995-2015 Espad School Surveys, Shasha Li, Sheila Keogan, Luke Clancy

Articles

Objectives: To assess the role of tobacco control legislation (TCL) in youth smoking in Ireland. To examine the effects of smoke-free legislation in youth. To consider whether TCL contributed to the gender equalisation in prevalence in 16 years old seen between 2003 and 2015.

Setting Data are from the 4 yearly European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs from 1995 to 2015. Total sample size was 12.394. A logistic regression model on grouped data was used. Dependent variable is whether a student was a smoker in last 30 days. Independent variables are time, gender and the policy indicators, …

Prevalence Of Colour Vision Deficiency In The Republic Of Ireland Schoolchildren And Associated Socio-Demographic Factors, Síofra Harrington, Peter Davison, Veronica O'Dwyer

Articles

Clinical relevance: Early screening is essential to counsel schoolchildren with congenital colour vision deficiency (CVD) in determining their future career path and to advise teachers of the impact of CVD on classroom difficulties.

Background: Congenital CVD is an X-linked genetic abnormality relatively commonplace in humans. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of congenital CVD in the Republic of Ireland schoolchildren and associated socio-demographic factors.

Methods: A total of 1,626 schoolchildren (882 boys and 744 girls), in two age groups (728 aged 6–7 years and 898 aged 12–13 years) were examined from randomly selected schools. Colour vision …

I Was Determined To Breastfeed, And I Always Found A Solution: Successful Experiences Of Exclusive Breastfeeding Among Chinese Mothers In Ireland, John Kearney, Qianling Zhou, Haoyue Chen, Katherine Younger, Tanya M. Cassidy

Articles

Background: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding for at least 4 months was previously found to be very low among Chinese immigrants in Ireland, at 5.8% (Zhou et al., Front Public Health 6:351, 2018). This study investigates the successful experiences of Chinese mothers living in Ireland who exclusively breastfeed for between four and 6 months.

Methods: Participants were recruited from the sample of the Ireland Chinese Mother Survey. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen participants in their homes or public places.

Results: A content analysis revealed that various factors contributed to a successful experience of exclusive breastfeeding among the group …

Living With Pku: The Lived Experience Of Irish Adults With Early Diagnosed Phenylketonuria On Long Term Dietary Therapy, Mary-Ellen O'Shea

Theses

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic condition affecting the body’s ability to metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine (PHE). A build-up of PHE in the blood and brain can result in irreversible intellectual disability and developmental delays. Ireland has one of the highest prevalence rates of PKU in Europe and some of the earliest treated patients with PKU in the world. However, little is known about their lived experience with PKU. Furthermore, cost-benefit analysis of treatments for rare diseases in Ireland is principally based on quantitative data. More qualitative data is needed to highlight the quality of life experienced by people …

Law Library Blog (December 2019): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Ocular Biometry, Refraction And Time Spent Outdoors During Daylight In Irish Schoolchildren, Síofra Harrington, Veronica O'Dwyer

Articles

Background: Previous studies have investigated the relationship between ocular biometry and spherical equivalent refraction in children. This is the first such study in Ireland. The effect of time spent outdoors was also investigated.

Methods: Examination included cycloplegic autorefraction and non-contact ocular biometric measures of axial length, corneal radius and anterior chamber depth from 1,626 children in two age groups: six to seven years and 12 to 13 years, from 37 schools. Parents/guardians completed a participant questionnaire detailing time spent outdoors during daylight in summer and winter.

Results: Ocular biometric data were correlated with spherical equivalent refraction (axial …

Risk Factors Associated With Myopia In Schoolchildren In Ireland, Síofra Harrington, Jim Stack, Veronica O'Dwyer

Articles

Aim To examine the demographic and social factors associated with myopia in schoolchildren in Ireland.

Methods Thirty-seven schools participated, representing a mix of urban and rural schools and schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged areas in Ireland. Examination included cyclopleged autorefraction (1% cyclopentolate hydrochloride). Height and weight of participants were measured. Parents filled in a participant’s lifestyle questionnaire, including questions on daily screen time use and daylight exposure. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent ≤−0.50 D.

Results Data from 1626 participants (881 boys, 745 girls) in two age groups, 6–7 years (728) and 12–13 years (898), were examined. Myopia prevalence …