Luís Moreira

Immediate effects of Tuina techniques on working-related musculoskeletal disorder of professional orchestra musicians

BACKGROUND Musicians are a prone group to suffer from working-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMD). Conventional solutions to control musculoskeletal pain include pharmacological treatment and rehabilitation programs but their efficiency is sometimes disappointing. OBJECTIVE The aim of this research is to study the immediate effects of Tuina techniques on WRMD of professional orchestra musicians from the north of Portugal. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS We performed a prospective, controlled, single-blinded, randomized study. Professional orchestra musicians with a diagnosis of WRMD were randomly distributed into the experimental group (n=39) and the control group (n=30). During an individual interview, Chinese diagnosis took place and treatment points were chosen. Real acupoints were treated by Tuina techniques into the experimental group and non-specific skin points were treated into the control group. Pain was measured by verbal numerical scale before and immediately after intervention. RESULTS After one treatment session, pain was reduced in 91.8% of the cases for the experimental group and 7.9% for the control group. CONCLUSION Although results showed that Tuina techniques are effectively reducing WRMD in professional orchestra musicians of the north of Portugal, further investigations with stronger measurements, double-blinding designs and bigger simple sizes are needed.

Correction to: The Cancer, Educate to Prevent Model—the Potential of School Environment for Primary Prevention of Cancer

The affiliation address of Dr. Helena Santos should be Faculty of Economics, University of Porto, Portugal and Dr. Luís Moreira’s should be Research Unit in Education and Community Intervention – RECI & Health School of Vila Nova de Gaia – Piaget Institute.

Can Smartphones Promote Cancer Prevention Behaviours in Healthy Young Adults? A Prospective Study

Cancer prevention should start as early as possible. Young adults would benefit largely from the use of a smartphone app aiming at promoting cancer prevention behaviours. The aims of the study described in this paper are to (1) examine the user participation and engagement with a cancer prevention app in real-life settings and (2) assess changes in the users’ cancer prevention behaviours. A cancer prevention smartphone app called Happy was developed and released to the general population. Data from registered app users’ (N = 3326) demographics and baseline cancer prevention behaviours was analysed. App engagement was measured and all behaviour data logged through the app was analysed to assess the effectiveness of the app in the promotion of cancer prevention behaviours. User demographics and baseline behaviour assessment show that the app reached its intended target population: young adults that generally do not comply with cancer prevention guidelines. Logged behavioural data showed an increased frequency in several cancer prevention behaviours and a significant increase in the overall putative cancer prevention level (p < 0.001). However, user engagement with the app was limited and might condition the long-term impact of such changes. Happy reached its intended population and seems to be an effective tool to promote cancer prevention. Further research is needed to fully assess its long-term persuasive potential.

Development of a Measurement Tool to Assess Students’ Knowledge and Perceptions About Cancer (SKPaC)

Cancer literacy is currently one of the most important dimensions of cancer continuum. Objective assessment of cancer knowledge in populations remains a challenging field to public health entities. Different evaluation tools are currently available; still, some groups remain disregarded due to the absence of validated instruments. Cancer literacy in adolescents and young adults has been clearly overlooked being a subject that requires new tools to be properly studied. To address this topic, we developed a new instrument and field tested it in a classroom environment for internal reliability, construct, and face validity. “Students Knowledge and Perceptions about Cancer questionnaire” was designed in Portuguese language and adapted to the Portuguese context by a multidisciplinary team. The final version of the questionnaire includes 35 items organized in three sections, encompassing knowledge and perceptions about cancer and socio-biographic data. Cancer experts ensured content validity, while tailoring of contents was refined with high school teachers. Test and retest of the instrument showed a good reliability of the scale and construct validity. Also, the clarity of the questionnaire and suitability to proper evaluate cancer knowledge was consistent between test and retest. The Students’ Knowledge and Perceptions About Cancer Questionnaire (SKPaC) showed to be a valid tool to assess adolescents’ knowledge and perceptions about cancer that can be used in the educational context.

Pilot study of a smartphone-based intervention to promote cancer prevention behaviours

BACKGROUND Estimates predict that more than half of all cancers are due to inadequate lifestyle choices. Smartphones can be successfully used to support the behaviour change needed to prevent cancer. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to field-test Happy, a smartphone app designed to promote cancer prevention behaviours, based on tailored-messages. METHODS Thirty-two participants downloaded and used the app for 28 consecutive days (4 weeks). At the end of this period, they all answered an online questionnaire and ten of them were interviewed. Usability, feasibility, message receptivity, and perceived impact of the app were assessed. RESULTS Compliance with cancer prevention guidelines was lower than expected. Happy was considered simple, intuitive and easy to use. Messages sent by the app were considered easy to understand, providing good advice and meaningful information that catch readers attention. Participants also considered that Happy might be an effective way to promote cancer prevention. Collected data showed an increased frequency in several cancer prevention related behaviours and an increase in the overall putative cancer prevention level. CONCLUSIONS This study showed the viability of designing and implementing smartphone-based interventions to promote cancer prevention behaviours. The results suggest that Happy is usable and might help users change their behaviour towards healthier choices and thus reduce their personal cancer risk.

Mobile Seamless Learning Tool for Cancer Education

Mobile seamless learning provides the foundation for new digital solutions capable of adapting the contents to the learner needs and contexts. Studies have shown that cancer prevention knowledge remains reduced in modern societies. Given the worldwide burden of cancer, there is a need to increase cancer literacy in the populations, namely through the development of innovative strategies. This paper describes a 3 months two-arm quasi-experimental effectiveness study of a new mobile seamless learning tool for cancer education. Results showed that this application significantly increased cancer prevention knowledge of the users when compared to a control population (p < 0.001). This study provides evidence that a mobile seamless education tool can merge into the users’ daily routine increasing users’ knowledge by providing relevant cancer prevention information through messages delivered over an extended period of time. These innovative health education solutions will further expand the context of a smart learning ecosystem.