The relative contribution of health promotion models (HPM) to improve health-related behaviours in intervention programmes is still limited. Here, we tested whether Pender’s HPM operationalised in the educational intervention was effective to modify nutrition and physical activity (PA) behaviours among Iranian women.

A randomised controlled field trial evaluating the efficacy of an educational intervention based on Pender’s HPM to improve PA and nutrition behaviours from August 2016 to October 2016. R version 3.0.2 and SPSS version 16 were used to conduct multiple statistical analyses.

Ten public healthcare centres in Bojnourd, Iran were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The experimental group received the full intervention programme, which included nine 4-h training sessions and consulting support via phone contact and social media group. The control group did not receive any intervention.

Women aged 4–6 years (n 202) were randomised to intervention (n 102) and control conditions (n 100) and completed baseline and 3-month follow-up.

In the experimental group, the intervention programme had a significant effect (P < 0·05) on all construct of Pender’s HPM and behaviour outcome, and the estimates for prior behaviours, self-efficacy, interpersonal influences, feeling, perceived benefits and barriers, commitment and behaviour outcomes in the intervention group were 0·72 (95 % CI 0·31, 0·98), 0·54 (95 % CI 0·27, 0·71), 0·74 (95 % CI 0·27, 0·91), 0·52 (95 % CI 0·19, 0·75), 0·62 (95 % CI 0·22, 0·91), 0·63 (95 % CI 0·30, 0·86) and 0·56 (95 % CI 0·37, 0·85), respectively.

Educational intervention based on Pender’s HPM was feasible and highly acceptable to modify PA and nutrition behaviours in the women population.

Lack of palliative care knowledge among caregivers may pose an access barrier for cognitively impaired older adults, who may benefit from the specialized care. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults.

Using a one-group, pre- and post-test intervention design, this study implemented an individual, face-to-face educational intervention with an informational brochure for 43 informal caregivers of chronically or seriously ill older adults (50+) with cognitive impairment, recruited from communities in West Alabama. Their level of knowledge about palliative care was assessed by the Palliative Care Knowledge Scale (PaCKS). The pre- and post-test scores were compared by the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, and the racial subgroup (Whites vs. Blacks) comparison was made by the Mann–Whitney U test.

There was a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-test scores (z = 5.38, p < 0.001), indicating a statistically significant effect of the educational intervention in improving palliative care knowledge among participants. There was a significant difference (U = 143, p < 0.05) between Whites and Blacks in the pre-test, which, however, disappeared in the post-test (U = 173.50, p > 0.05), suggesting that the amount of increased PaCKS scores were significantly greater for Blacks (Mdn = 9.50) than for Whites (Mdn = 4.00, U = 130.50, p < 0.05).

This study demonstrated that a one-time educational intervention can improve the level of palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of chronically or seriously ill older adults with cognitive impairment, particularly among Black caregivers. Therefore, further educational efforts can be made to promote palliative care knowledge and reduce racial disparities in palliative care knowledge and its use.

Pharmacological intervention is an important component of patient care. However, drugs are often inappropriately used. It is necessary for countries to implement strategies to improve the rational use of drugs, including independent information for healthcare professionals and the public, which must be supported by well-trained staff. The primary objectives of the EDU.RE.DRUG (Effectiveness of informative and/or educational interventions aimed at improving the appropriate use of drugs designed for general practitioners and their patients) study are the retrospective evaluation of rates of appropriate prescribing indicators (APIs) and the assessment of the effectiveness of informative and/or educational interventions addressed to general practitioners (GPs) and their patients, aimed at improving prescribing quality and promoting proper drug use.

This is a prospective, multicentre, open-label, parallel-arm, controlled, pragmatic trial directed to GPs and their patients in two Italian regions (Campania and Lombardy). The study data are retrieved from administrative databases (Demographic, Pharmacy-refill, and Hospitalization databases) containing healthcare information of all beneficiaries of the National Health Service in the Local Health Units (LHUs) involved. According to LHU, the GPs/patients will be assigned to one of the following four intervention arms: (1) intervention on GPs and patients; (2) intervention on GPs; (3) intervention on patients; and (4) no intervention (control). The intervention designed for GPs consists of reports regarding the status of their patients according to the APIs determined at baseline and in two on-line Continuous Medical Education (CME) courses. The intervention designed for patients consists in flyers and posters distributed in GPs ambulatories and community pharmacies, focusing on correct drug use.

A set of indicators (such as potential drug–drug interactions, unnecessary duplicate prescriptions, and inappropriate prescriptions in the elderly), adapted to the Italian setting, has been defined to determine inappropriate prescription at baseline and after the intervention phase. The primary outcome was a composite API.

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Milan on 7th June 2017 (code 15/17). The investigators will communicate trial results to stakeholders, collaborators, and participants via appropriate presentations and publications.

Registration details: NCT04030468. EudraCT number 2017-002622-21

Inappropriate complementary feeding is one of the major causes of malnutrition in young children in developing countries. We developed an educational intervention, delivered by local health-care providers, aimed at improving complementary feeding practices and child nutrition.

Eight townships in Laishui, a rural area in China, were randomly assigned to the educational intervention or control group. A total of 599 healthy infants were enrolled at age 2–4 months and followed up until 1 year of age. In the intervention group, educational messages and enhanced home-prepared recipes were disseminated to caregivers through group trainings and home visits. Questionnaire surveys and anthropometric measurements were taken at baseline and ages 6, 9 and 12 months. Analysis was by intention to treat.

It was found that food diversity, meal frequency and hygiene practices were improved in the intervention group. Infants in the intervention group gained 0·22 kg more weight (95 % CI 0·003, 0·45 kg, P = 0·047) and gained 0·66 cm more length (95 % CI 0·03, 1·29 cm, P = 0·04) than did controls over the study period.

Findings from the study suggest that an educational intervention delivered through local health-care providers can lead to substantial behavioural changes of caregivers and improve infant growth.