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Summary Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health Status - Selected Topics 2021, Australian Indigenous Healthinfonet

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

...The HealthInfoNet has prepared this Summary as part of our contribution to support those who work in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector. Key health topics are summarised in plain language and an infographic style to enable readers to absorb data easily and quickly...

Dual Contribution Of The Gut Microbiome To Immunotherapy Efficacy And Toxicity: Supportive Care Implications And Recommendations, Hannah R. Wardill, Raymond J. Chan, Alexandre Chan, Dorothy Keefe, Samuel P. Costello, Nicolas H. Hart

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (immunotherapy) is increasingly recognized to be linked to the composition the gut microbiome. Given the high rates of resistance, interventions targeting the gut microbiome are now being investigated for its ability to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy. In light of recently published data demonstrating a strong correlation between the efficacy and toxicity of immunotherapy, there is a risk that efforts to enhance immunotherapy efficacy may be undermined by increases in immune-related adverse events (IrAEs) This is particularly important for microbial interventions aimed at increasing immunotherapy efficacy, with many microbes implicated in tumour response also …

Exercise In Preventing Falls For Men With Prostate Cancer: A Modelled Cost-Utility Analysis, Kim Edmunds, Paul Scuffham, Robert U. Newton, Daniel A. Galvão, Haitham Tuffaha

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction:

Men who receive androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer (PCa) are a vulnerable falls population due to the side effects of treatment. The purpose of this paper is to determine the cost-effectiveness of exercise in preventing falls and fractures for this high-risk population in Australia.

Methods:

A decision analytic model was constructed to evaluate the cost utility of an exercise intervention compared to usual care from a health system perspective. The intervention comprised two 1-h sessions of supervised exercise per week over 1 year for men with non-metastatic PCa receiving curative radiation therapy and ADT. A Markov model …

Risk Factors For Child Stunting In Bangladesh: An Analysis Using Mics 2019 Data, Tuhinur R. Chowdhury, Sayan Chakrabarty, Muntaha Rakib, Stephen Winn, Jason Bennie

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background Malnutrition is considered a major public health challenge and is associated with a range of health issues, including childhood stunting. Stunting is a reliable and well-recognized indicator of chronic childhood malnutrition. The objective of this study is to determine the risk factors associated with stunting among 17,490 children below five years of age in Bangladesh. Methods Correlates of child stunting were examined using data generated by a cross-sectional cluster survey conducted in Bangladesh in 2019. The data includes a total of 17,490 children (aged < 5 years) from 64,400 households. Multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the risk factors associated with child stunting and severe stunting. Results The prevalence of stunting and severe stunting for children was 25.96% and 7.97%, respectively. Children aged 24 to < 36 months [Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.65, 95% CI: 2.30, 3.05] and aged 36 to < 48 months [OR = 2.33, 95% CI: 2.02, 2.69] had more risk of stunting compared to the children aged < 6 months. Children from Sylhet division had the greatest risk of stunting of all the eight divisions [OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.46]. Children of secondary complete or higher educated mothers were less likely to develop stunting [OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.79] compared with children of mothers having no education at all. Similarly, children of secondary complete or higher educated father [OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.63, 0.87] were found to have lower risk of stunting compared with children whose father hadn’t any education. Substantially lower risk of stunting was observed among children whose mother and father both completed secondary education or above [OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.52, 0.69]. Children from the richest households [OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.41, 0.58] had 51% lower odds of stunting compared to children from the poorest households. Conclusions After controlling for socioeconomic and demographic factors, parental education and household position in the wealth index were found to be the most important determinants of child stunting in Bangladesh.

Rapid Triage For Ischemic Stroke: A Machine Learning-Driven Approach In The Context Of Predictive, Preventive And Personalised Medicine, Yulu Zheng, Zheng Guo, Yanbo Zhang, Jianjing Shang, Leilei Yu, Ping Fu, Yizhi Liu, Xingang Li, Hao Wang, Ling Ren, Wei Zhang, Haifeng Hou, Xuerui Tan, Wei Wang, Global Health Epidemiology Reference Group (Gherg)

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background

Recognising the early signs of ischemic stroke (IS) in emergency settings has been challenging. Machine learning (ML), a robust tool for predictive, preventive and personalised medicine (PPPM/3PM), presents a possible solution for this issue and produces accurate predictions for real-time data processing.

Methods

This investigation evaluated 4999 IS patients among a total of 10,476 adults included in the initial dataset, and 1076 IS subjects among 3935 participants in the external validation dataset. Six ML-based models for the prediction of IS were trained on the initial dataset of 10,476 participants (split participants into a training set [80%] and an internal …

A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Cross-Trait Analysis Reveals Shared Genetic Architecture Between Alzheimer’S Disease And Gastrointestinal Tract Disorders, Emmanuel O. Adewuyi, Eleanor K. O'Brien, Dale R. Nyholt, Tenielle Porter, Simon Laws

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Consistent with the concept of the gut-brain phenomenon, observational studies suggest a relationship between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) disorders; however, their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we analyse several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics (N = 34,652–456,327), to assess the relationship of AD with GIT disorders. Findings reveal a positive significant genetic overlap and correlation between AD and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), gastritis-duodenitis, irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis, but not inflammatory bowel disease. Cross-trait meta-analysis identifies several loci (P_{meta-analysis} < 5 × 10⁻⁸) shared by AD and GIT disorders (GERD and PUD) including …

Epidemiology Of ∆8thc-Related Carcinogenesis In Usa: A Panel Regression And Causal Inferential Study, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The use of ∆8THC is increasing at present across the USA in association with widespread cannabis legalization and the common notion that it is “legal weed”. As genotoxic actions have been described for many cannabinoids, we studied the cancer epidemiology of ∆8THC. Data on 34 cancer types was from the Centers for Disease Control Atlanta Georgia, substance abuse data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, ethnicity and income data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and cannabinoid concentration data from the Drug Enforcement Agency, were combined and processed in R. Eight cancers (corpus uteri, liver, gastric cardia, breast …

The Development Of The Western Australian Haemodialysis Vascular Access Complexity Instrument, Linda L. Coventry, Jon Hosking, Evelyn Coral, Mark Jenkins, Chandra P. Salgado Kent, Doris Chan, Wai Lim, Diane E. Twigg, Claire M. Rickard

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background The Western Australian Haemodialysis Vascular Access Classification instrument was developed to classify the cannulation complexity of the arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft as simple, challenging, or complex. Although the instrument was developed by experts in haemodialysis nursing, the instrument had not undergone formal validity or reliability testing. Objectives Evaluate the Western Australian Haemodialysis Vascular Access Classification instrument for content validity, interrater and test–retest reliability. Design Prospective cohort study. Participants Content validity was assessed by haemodialysis nursing experts (n = 8). The reliability testing occurred in one in-centre and one satellite haemodialysis unit in Western Australia from September to November …

Psychological Distress And Quality Of Life In Asymptomatic Adults Following Provision Of Imaging Results For Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease Events: A Scoping Review, Reindolf Anokye, Ben Jackson, James Dimmock, Joanne M. Dickson, Lauren C. Blekkenhorst, Jonathan M. Hodgson, Joshua R. Lewis, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Aims Psychological distress and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) may occur after screening for disease. Reporting outcomes related to potential benefits and harms of screening is a key recommendation in the guidelines for reporting high-quality trials or interventions. However, no reviews have directly investigated outcomes related to psychological distress and/or changes in HRQoL following imaging assessment of cardiovascular risk and communication of cardiovascular findings to asymptomatic adults. A scoping review was conducted to map research on psychological distress and/or HRQoL following screening. Methods and results

Six electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Social Work Abstracts, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, …

Nurse-Led Volunteer Support Care Plan, Rosemary Saunders, Kate Crookes, Karen Gullick, Olivia Gallagher, Karla Seaman, Debra Scaini, Seng Giap Marcus Ang, Caroline Bulsara, Bev Ewens, Jeff Hughes, Bev O'Connell, Christopher Etherton-Beer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The Nurse-Led Volunteer Support Care Plan described in “Nurses leading volunteer support for older adults in hospital: A discussion paper” is made available. This care plan is designed for nurses to develop a plan to direct volunteer support to better meet the individual needs of patients.

A Retrospective Cohort Study Of Factors Associated With Severity Of Falls In Hospital Patients, Manonita Ghosh, Beverly O’Connell, Ebenezer Afrifa-Yamoah, Sue Kitchen, Linda Coventry

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Severity of falls in hospital patients are threat to patient safety which can result in a financial burden on the patient’s family and health care services. Both patient specific and environmental and organisational factors are associated with severity of falls in hospital. It is important to continuously analyse the factors associated with severity of fall which can inform the implementation of any fall preventive strategies. This study aims to identify factors associated with the severity of falls in hospitalised adult patients in Western Australia. This study involved a retrospective cohort analysis of inpatient falls records extracted from the hospital’s Clinical …

Assessment And Monitoring Of Achilles Tendinopathy In Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Descriptive Exploration Of The Barriers Clinicians Face, Myles Calder Murphy, James Debenham, Caroline Bulsara, Paola Chivers, Ebonie Kendra Rio, Sean Docking, Mervyn Travers, William Gibson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Our primary objective was to explore the barriers preventing clinicians from implementing what they think is ideal practice as it relates to using tools to aid diagnosis and monitor progress in mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. Our secondary objectives were to describe the assessments employed by clinicians in their own practice to aid with (a) diagnosis and (b) monitoring progress in Achilles tendinopathy and explore the outcome measure domains clinicians believe to be the most and least important when managing patients with Achilles tendinopathy. We employed a qualitative descriptive study design. Thirteen participants (eight female, five male) from across Australia, consisting of …

Association Of Immunoglobulin G N-Glycosylation With Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque Phenotypes And Actual Clinical Cardiovascular Events: A Study Protocol For A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study, Cuihong Tian, Gehendra Mahara, Hongxia Zhang, Xuerui Tan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction Immune-inflammatory response plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. IgG N-glycosylation is reported to be associated with the 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score and subclinical atherosclerosis. However, the relationship of IgG glycosylation with actual clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and plaque phenotypes has rarely been investigated. Therefore, this study aims to understand whether IgG glycosylation traits are correlated with actual clinical CVD events and plaque phenotypes. Methods and analysis Designed to verify the efficacy of IgG glycosylation as a risk for CVD events and screen potential biomarkers of CVD to prevent atherosclerosis occurrence, this longitudinal prospective …

Bridging The Gap Between Clinical Service And Academic Education Of Hand-Splinting Practice: Perspectives And Experiences Of Thai Occupational Therapists, Anuchart Kaunnil, Veerawat Sansri, Surachart Thongchoomsin, Kannika Permpoonputtana, Mandy Stanley, Piyawat Trevittaya, Chirathip Thawisuk, Peeradech Thichanpiang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A gap in knowledge about current splinting practice exists between the educational program and clinical service. To bridge this gap, we investigated the perspectives and experiences of Thai occupational therapists regarding contemporary hand splinting practices in clinical use. A mixed-method study was designed. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used. In the first quantitative phase, a survey questionnaire was mailed to occupational therapists. The questions were regarding contemporary hand splinting practices in clinical use at seven hospitals in the capital city of Bangkok and outskirt areas. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were completed to explore expert occupational therapists' …

Changes To The Gut Microbiome In Young Children Showing Early Behavioral Signs Of Autism, Jacquelyn Jones, Stacey N. Reinke, Mahsa Mousavi-Derazmahalleh, Debra J. Palmer, Claus T. Christophersen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The human gut microbiome has increasingly been associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is a neurological developmental disorder, characterized by impairments to social interaction. The ability of the gut microbiota to signal across the gut-brain-microbiota axis with metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, impacts brain health and has been identified to play a role in the gastrointestinal and developmental symptoms affecting autistic children. The fecal microbiome of older children with ASD has repeatedly shown particular shifts in the bacterial and fungal microbial community, which are significantly different from age-matched neurotypical controls, but it is still unclear whether these characteristic shifts …

Congenital Anomaly Epidemiological Correlates Of Δ8thc Across Usa 2003–16: Panel Regression And Causal Inferential Study, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Δ8-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8THC) is marketed in many US states as ‘legal weed’. Concerns exist relating to class-wide genotoxic cannabinoid effects. We conducted an epidemiological investigation of Δ8THC-related genotoxicity expressed as 57 congenital anomaly (CA) rates (CARs) in the USA. CARs were taken from the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia. Drug exposure data were taken from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, with a response rate of 74.1%. Ethnicity and income data were taken from the US Census Bureau. National cannabinoid exposure was taken from Drug Enforcement Agency publications and multiplied by state cannabis use data to derive state-based …

Environmental Health Responses To Covid 19 In Western Australia: Lessons For The Future, Jacques Oosthuizen, Melissa Stoneham, Toni Hannelly, Edmore Masaka, Giverny Dodds, Victor Andrich

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic tested the health system of Western Australia (WA) and the relatively new overarching legislative framework that guided the state-wide public health response to the pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the experiences and roles of environmental health officers (EHOs) in WA during the management of COVID-19 and to identify any policy changes that are needed to facilitate the rapid deployment of EHOs during a future public health crisis. An online survey with 78 respondents was administered and analysis was both qualitative and quantitative. It was found that participants believed there was inadequate resourcing, workforce shortages, increased workloads, …

Evidence For Global Health Care Interventions For Preterm Or Low Birth Weight Infants: An Overview Of Systematic Reviews, Karen Edmond, Natalie Strobel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Contex: Twenty-four research questions (framed as population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes) for global health care interventions for preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants were identified at a World Health Organization guideline development group expert meeting in December 2020. Objective: To describe which systematic reviews had addressed these research questions in the last 3 years. Data sources: Medline (Ovid); the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review Protocols; and the PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews databases from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2021 were used.Randomized controlled trials or observational studies. Two reviewers independently …

Flavonoid Intakes Inversely Associate With Copd In Smokers, Nicola P. Bondonno, Benjamin H. Parmenter, Frederik Dalgaard, Kevin Murray, Daniel Bech Rasmussen, Cecilie Kyrø, Aedin Cassidy, Catherine P. Bondonno, Joshua R. Lewis, Kevin D. Croft, Gunnar Gislason, Augustin Scalbert, Anne Tjønneland, Kim Overvad, Anja Olsen, Jonathan M. Hodgson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Higher flavonoid intakes are beneficially associated with pulmonary function parameters; however, their association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown. This study aimed to examine associations between intakes of 1) total flavonoids, 2) flavonoid subclasses and 3) major flavonoid compounds with incident COPD in participants from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study. Methods: This prospective cohort included 55 413 men and women without COPD, aged 50-65 years at recruitment. Habitual flavonoid intakes at baseline were estimated from a food frequency questionnaire using Phenol-Explorer. Danish nationwide registers were used to identify incident cases of COPD. Associations were modelled …

Effects Of Cannabis On Congenital Limb Anomalies In 14 European Nations: A Geospatiotemporal And Causal Inferential Study, Albert Stuart Reece, Gary Kenneth Hulse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Cannabinoid exposure is increasing in some European nations. Europe therefore provides an interesting test environment for the recently reported link between cannabis exposure and congenital limb anomaly (CLA) rates (CLARs). Exponential genotoxic dose–response relationships make this investigation both intriguing and imperative. Annual CLAR in 14 nations were from Epidemiological Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies. Drug use rates were from European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Dependency. Median household income was from the World Bank. E-values provide a quantitative measure of robustness of results to confounding by extraneous covariates. Inverse probability weighting is an important technique for equalizing exposures across countries …

Identification Of Leukocyte Surface P2x7 As A Biomarker Associated With Alzheimer's Disease, Yihan Li, Xin Huang, Christopher Fowler, Yen Y. Lim, Simon M. Laws, Noel Faux, James D. Doecke, Brett Trounson, Kelly Pertile, Rebecca Rumble, Vincent Doré, Victor L. Villemagne, Christopher C. Rowe, James S. Wiley, Paul Maruff, Colin L. Masters, Ben J. Gu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Alzheimer's disease (AD) has shown altered immune responses in the periphery. We studied P2X7 (a proinflammatory receptor and a scavenger receptor) and two integrins, CD11b and CD11c, on the surface of circulating leukocytes and analysed their associations with Aβ-PET, brain atrophy, neuropsychological assessments, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. Total 287 age-matched, sex-balanced participants were recruited in a discovery cohort and two validation cohorts through the AIBL study and studied using tri-colour flow cytometry. Our results demonstrated reduced expressions of P2X7, CD11b, and CD11c on leukocytes, particularly monocytes, in Aβ +ve cases compared with Aβ -ve controls. P2X7 and integrin downregulation …

Lacking Clarity Or Strategic Ambiguity? Comment On “Competing Frames In Global Health Governance: An Analysis Of Stakeholder Influence On The Political Declaration On Non-Communicable Diseases”, Angela Carriedo, Kathrin Lauber, Margaret M. Miller, Rob Ralston

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This commentary engages with Suzuki and colleagues’ analysis about the ambiguity of multi-stakeholder discourses in the United Nations (UN) Political Declaration of the 3rd High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (HLM-NCDs), suggesting that blurring between public and private sector in this declaration reflects broader debates about multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs) and public-private partnerships (PPPs) in health governance. We argue that the ambiguity between the roles and responsibilities of public and private actors involved may downplay the role (and regulation) of conflicts of interest (COI) between unhealthy commodity industries and public health. We argue …

Limbal Bcam Expression Identifies A Proliferative Progenitor Population Capable Of Holoclone Formation And Corneal Differentiation, Yuzuru Sasamoto, Catherine A. A. Lee, Brian J. Wilson, Florian Buerger, Gabrielle Martin, Ananda Mishra, Shoko Kiritoshi, Johnathan Tran, Gabriel Gonzalez, Friedhelm Hildebrandt, Vickie Y. Jo, Christine G. Lian, George F. Murphy, Bruce R. Ksander, Markus H. Frank, Natasha Y. Frank

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The corneal epithelium is renowned for high regenerative potential, which is dependent on the coordinated function of its diverse progenitor subpopulations. However, the molecular pathways governing corneal epithelial progenitor differentiation are incompletely understood. Here, we identify a highly proliferative limbal epithelial progenitor subpopulation characterized by expression of basal cell adhesion molecule (BCAM) that is capable of holocone formation and corneal epithelial sheet generation. BCAM-positive cells can be found among ABCB5-positive limbal stem cells (LSCs) as well as among ABCB5-negative limbal epithelial cell populations. Mechanistically, we show that BCAM is functionally required for cellular migration and differentiation and that its expression …

Polygenic Resilience Scores Capture Protective Genetic Effects For Alzheimer’S Disease, Jiahui Hou, Jonathan L. Hess, Nicola Armstrong, Joshua C. Bis, Benjamin Grenier-Boley, Ida K. Karlsson, Ganna Leonenko, Katya Numbers, Eleanor K. O’Brien, Alexey Shadrin, Anbupalam Thalamuthu, Qiong Yang, Ole A. Andreassen, Henry Brodaty, Margaret Gatz, Nicole A. Kochan, Jean Charles Lambert, Simon M. Laws, Colin L. Masters, Karen A. Mather, Nancy L. Pedersen, Danielle Posthuma, Perminder S. Sachdev, Julie Williams, Alzheimer’S Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Chun Chieh Fan, Stephen V. Faraone, Christine Fennema-Notestine, Shu-Ju Lin, Valentina Escott-Price, Peter Holmans, Sudha Seshadri, Ming T. Tsuang, William S. Kremen, Stephen J. Glatt

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) can boost risk prediction in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) beyond apolipoprotein E (APOE) but have not been leveraged to identify genetic resilience factors. Here, we sought to identify resilience-conferring common genetic variants in (1) unaffected individuals having high PRSs for LOAD, and (2) unaffected APOE-ε4 carriers also having high PRSs for LOAD. We used genome-wide association study (GWAS) to contrast “resilient” unaffected individuals at the highest genetic risk for LOAD with LOAD cases at comparable risk. From GWAS results, we constructed polygenic resilience scores to aggregate the addictive contributions of risk-orthogonal common variants that promote resilience …

Relationships Between Intrauterine Fetal Growth Trajectories And Markers Of Adiposity And Inflammation In Young Adults, Ashish Yadav, Lawrence J. Beilin, Rae Chi Huang, Phil Vlaskovsky, John P. Newnham, Scott W. White, Trevor A. Mori

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: There is now good evidence that events during gestation significantly influence the developmental well-being of an individual in later life. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between intrauterine growth trajectories determined by serial ultrasound and subsequent markers of adiposity and inflammation in the 27-year-old adult offspring from the Raine Study, an Australian longitudinal pregnancy cohort. Methods: Ultrasound fetal biometric measurements including abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), and head circumference (HC) from 1333 mother-fetal pairs (Gen1–Gen2) in the Raine Study were used to develop fetal growth trajectories using group-based trajectory modeling. Linear mixed modeling investigated the relationship between …

Why Do Men With Prostate Cancer Discontinue Active Surveillance For Definitive Treatment? A Mixed Methods Investigation, Megan Mcintosh, Melissa J. Opozda, Michael O’Callaghan, Andrew D. Vincent, Daniel A. Galvão, Camille E. Short

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: To explore the personal and/or medical reasons patients on active surveillance (AS) have, or consider having, further definitive treatment for their prostate cancer. Research suggests up to 50% of patients on AS will discontinue within 5 years, though reasons for discontinuation from the patient's perspective is under-explored. Methods: Prostate cancer patients who were or had been on AS for at least 6 months were recruited. A questionnaire assessed reasons for receiving/considering definitive treatment and the extent to which reasons were personal or medical. Clinical information was extracted from a state-level population registry. A subset of participants were interviewed to …