Extensive research has identified individual differences associated with sex in a range of visual... more Extensive research has identified individual differences associated with sex in a range of visual task performances, including susceptibility to visual illusions. The aim of this study was to identify the locus of sex differences within the context of the Poggendorf illusion. 79 women and 79 men participated within a mixed factorial design. Analyses indicated that sex differences were only present in the stimulus context with the full inducing element present. This finding replicates recent research and provides qualifying evidence as to the locus of the effect. The findings are discussed within the functional framework of perceptual processes involved in extrapolating 3-dimensional characteristics from 2-dimensional visual stimuli.
UK society is ageing. Older people who drink alcohol, drink more than those from previous generat... more UK society is ageing. Older people who drink alcohol, drink more than those from previous generations, drink more frequently than other age groups and are more likely to drink at home and alone. Alcohol problems in later life however are often under-detected and under-reported meaning older people experiencing alcohol problems have high levels of unmet need. This study sought to identify existing services within South of Tyne, North East England to capture the extent of service provision for older drinkers and identify any gaps. The Age UK definition of 'older people' (aged 50 and over) was used. Services were contacted by telephone, managers or their deputy took part in semi-structured interviews. Forty six service providers were identified. Only one provided a specific intervention for older drinkers. Others typically provided services for age 18+. Among providers, there was no definitive definition of an older person. Data collection procedures within many organisations d...
Senior staff in two Foundation Trusts identified current priorities and opportunities for impleme... more Senior staff in two Foundation Trusts identified current priorities and opportunities for implementing MECC and to identify how best to achieve this and with whom. A staff training programme was developed with two levels of training: low intensity, focussing on signposting and high intensity which used brief interventions.
This study examined physical activity, sedentary behaviours, location of electronic media and sna... more This study examined physical activity, sedentary behaviours, location of electronic media and snacking among children from five countries. These variables were assessed by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using a free-time diary. Data were obtained from 812 secondary-school students (348 male, 464 female) aged from 12 to 18 years in United Kingdom, China, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. We found that less than half the students met the recommended guideline of 60 minutes daily physical activity (48% of British, 40% of Romanian, 34% of Slovakian, 20% of Hungarian and only 4% of Chinese students met this criterion). Ninety-six percent of British and 86% of Hungarian youth had more than one TV set in their home, followed by Romanian (64%), Slovakian (64%) and Chinese (29%) counterparts. Most British (73%) youths had televisions in their bedroom, followed by Hungarians (66%), Romanians (37%), Slovakians (35%) and Chinese (4%). When compared to females, male students spent significan...
Background: This study examines the attitudes of young British adults towards donating their own ... more Background: This study examines the attitudes of young British adults towards donating their own organs and those of their family members. Methods: An opportunity sample of 119 participants (65 female) completed an attitude questionnaire. Results: Most participants were in favour of donation though substantially fewer had signed up to the organ donation register. A minority of participants was aware of the proposed opt-out system for donation.
Background Cancers are one of the leading causes of death in the world and, due to the aging popu... more Background Cancers are one of the leading causes of death in the world and, due to the aging population, incidence rates are set to rise. As such, considerable effort has been placed on initiatives that aid the early detection of cancer, as this may improve patient survival outcome. One such initiative is the development of guidelines that explain how and when patient reported alarm symptoms suggestive of an underlying malignancy should be referred to a specialist. However, despite being conveniently placed to deliver interventions to promote the early detection of cancer, it is not clear what role community pharmacists could have in the development and implementation of these guidelines. Objective To: (1) assess the frequency and mean of patient reported alarm symptoms in a community pharmacy setting; (2) determine the demographics of patients presenting with the alarm symptom; and (3) explore the relationship between deprivation index of the community pharmacy and average frequency of alarm symptoms per pharmacy. Setting Thirty-three community pharmacies in the North of England. Method A prospective study from September 2013 to February 2014. Each community pharmacy team was provided training in relation to alarm symptoms to ensure there was consistency in reporting. Deprivation tertiles for each community pharmacy were calculated using the IMD 2010 deprivation index. The data were analysed using a Kruskal-Wallis test in order to determine whether there were any statistically significant associations between average frequency of alarm symptoms presented per pharmacy and the deprivation tertile. Main outcome measure Frequency of patient reported alarm symptoms.
There is evidence that alcohol consumption among those in middle-class occupations consistently e... more There is evidence that alcohol consumption among those in middle-class occupations consistently exceeds safe levels, yet there has been little research into why this occurs. This article explores the meanings associated with alcohol use among professional, managerial and clerical workers. Qualitative data were collected from five focus groups of male and female employees aged 21-55 (N =49: 32 male, 17 female). Each focus group was conducted on the premises of a medium-scale or large-scale employer, four public sector and one private sector, in the north-east of England. Using Bourdieu's concepts of 'habitus', 'capitals' and 'fields' we found that, among these middle-class occupational groups, alcohol use was associated with two habitus: a 'home drinking' habitus and a 'traditional drinking' habitus. Those of the home drinking habitus particularly used wine as a source of cultural capital and a means of distinction, whereas those in the traditional habitus consumed lager, beer and spirits to have fun in social settings. A small minority appeared to belong to a third, omnivorous, habitus where a wide range of alcoholic drinks were consumed in a variety of contexts. Existing public health initiatives to reduce alcohol consumption may require modification to accommodate a range of drinking cultures.
The International journal of pharmacy practice, 2014
To explore community pharmacists' understanding and opinions in relation to the prevention of... more To explore community pharmacists' understanding and opinions in relation to the prevention of fungal colonisation of voice prostheses amongst laryngectomy patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a purposive sample of 12 community pharmacists from the North of England. Interviews were undertaken until data saturation was reached and responses were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach. Six themes emerged from the data analysis. These were: terminology confusion about laryngectomy, stoma and voice prostheses; smoking as a risk factor for the development of laryngeal cancer; using nystatin to prevent biofilm formation; counselling information related to nystatin; prescription intervention and additional education in relation to laryngectomy. The theme of counselling information related to nystatin use and additional education was a key finding: our data show that when dispensing nystatin to patients with a voice prosthesis, community pharmacists...
Increasing alcohol consumption among older individuals is a public health concern. Lay understand... more Increasing alcohol consumption among older individuals is a public health concern. Lay understandings of health risks and stigma around alcohol problems may explain why public health messages have not reduced rates of heavy drinking in this sector. A qualitative study aimed to elucidate older people's reasoning about drinking in later life and how this interacted with health concerns, in order to inform future, targeted, prevention in this group. In 2010 a diverse sample of older adults in North East England (ages 50-95) participated in interviews (n = 24, 12 male, 12 female) and three focus groups (participants n = 27, 6 male, 21 female). Data were analysed using grounded theory and discursive psychology methods. When talking about alcohol use older people oriented strongly towards opposed identities of normal or problematic drinker, defined by propriety rather than health considerations. Each of these identities could be applied in older people's accounts of either moderate or heavy drinking. Older adults portrayed drinking less alcohol as an appropriate response if one experienced impaired health. However continued heavy drinking was also presented as normal behaviour for someone experiencing relative wellbeing in later life, or if ill health was construed as unrelated to alcohol consumption. Older people displayed scepticism about health advice on alcohol when avoiding stigmatised identity as a drinker. Drinking patterns did not appear to be strongly defined by gender, although some gendered expectations of drinking were described. Identities offer a useful theoretical concept to explain the rises in heavy drinking among older populations, and can inform preventive approaches to tackle this. Interventions should engage and foster positive identities to sustain healthier drinking and encourage at the community level the identification of heavy drinking as neither healthy nor synonymous with dependence. Future research should test and assess such approaches.
To assess the yearly incidence of vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy over an 11 ye... more To assess the yearly incidence of vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy over an 11 year period, in a geographically defined part of North East England. The time period covered the introduction of diabetic retinopathy screening.
The role of the key worker in cancer services was developed in the UK and is now being adopted mo... more The role of the key worker in cancer services was developed in the UK and is now being adopted more widely. Although this role arose out of national guidance, little is known about how it has been implemented, and there been no systematic attempt to investigate how the role is viewed by either patients or staff. This study used a qualitative approach to explore views of the impact of the key worker role in cancer care. Interviews were conducted with 15 staff and 15 patients. Generally, patients were very positive about the role, while staff felt it was just a renaming of their role, which they thought unnecessary. Several differences in the views of staff and patients emerged from the interviews. For example, staff felt the role should transfer to other members of the care team while patients wanted to keep the same worker. Potential reasons for this divergence in attitudes are discussed, and suggestions for the future development of the role made.
Recent evidence shows that workers in white collar roles consume more alcohol than other groups w... more Recent evidence shows that workers in white collar roles consume more alcohol than other groups within the workforce, yet little is known about their views of drinking. Focus groups were conducted in five workplaces to examine the views of white collar workers regarding the effect of alcohol use on personal and professional lives, drinking patterns and perceived norms. Analysis followed the method of constant comparison. Alcohol use was part of everyday routine. Acceptable consumption and 'excess' were framed around personal experience and ability to function rather than quantity of alcohol consumed. Public health messages or the risk of adverse health consequences had little impact on views of alcohol consumption or reported drinking. When developing public health alcohol interventions it is important to consider the views of differing groups within the population. Our sample considered public health messages to be of no relevance to them, rather they reinforced perceptions that their own alcohol use was controlled and acceptable. To develop effective public health alcohol interventions the views of this group should be examined in more detail.
Extensive research has identified individual differences associated with sex in a range of visual... more Extensive research has identified individual differences associated with sex in a range of visual task performances, including susceptibility to visual illusions. The aim of this study was to identify the locus of sex differences within the context of the Poggendorf illusion. 79 women and 79 men participated within a mixed factorial design. Analyses indicated that sex differences were only present in the stimulus context with the full inducing element present. This finding replicates recent research and provides qualifying evidence as to the locus of the effect. The findings are discussed within the functional framework of perceptual processes involved in extrapolating 3-dimensional characteristics from 2-dimensional visual stimuli.
UK society is ageing. Older people who drink alcohol, drink more than those from previous generat... more UK society is ageing. Older people who drink alcohol, drink more than those from previous generations, drink more frequently than other age groups and are more likely to drink at home and alone. Alcohol problems in later life however are often under-detected and under-reported meaning older people experiencing alcohol problems have high levels of unmet need. This study sought to identify existing services within South of Tyne, North East England to capture the extent of service provision for older drinkers and identify any gaps. The Age UK definition of 'older people' (aged 50 and over) was used. Services were contacted by telephone, managers or their deputy took part in semi-structured interviews. Forty six service providers were identified. Only one provided a specific intervention for older drinkers. Others typically provided services for age 18+. Among providers, there was no definitive definition of an older person. Data collection procedures within many organisations d...
Senior staff in two Foundation Trusts identified current priorities and opportunities for impleme... more Senior staff in two Foundation Trusts identified current priorities and opportunities for implementing MECC and to identify how best to achieve this and with whom. A staff training programme was developed with two levels of training: low intensity, focussing on signposting and high intensity which used brief interventions.
This study examined physical activity, sedentary behaviours, location of electronic media and sna... more This study examined physical activity, sedentary behaviours, location of electronic media and snacking among children from five countries. These variables were assessed by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) using a free-time diary. Data were obtained from 812 secondary-school students (348 male, 464 female) aged from 12 to 18 years in United Kingdom, China, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. We found that less than half the students met the recommended guideline of 60 minutes daily physical activity (48% of British, 40% of Romanian, 34% of Slovakian, 20% of Hungarian and only 4% of Chinese students met this criterion). Ninety-six percent of British and 86% of Hungarian youth had more than one TV set in their home, followed by Romanian (64%), Slovakian (64%) and Chinese (29%) counterparts. Most British (73%) youths had televisions in their bedroom, followed by Hungarians (66%), Romanians (37%), Slovakians (35%) and Chinese (4%). When compared to females, male students spent significan...
Background: This study examines the attitudes of young British adults towards donating their own ... more Background: This study examines the attitudes of young British adults towards donating their own organs and those of their family members. Methods: An opportunity sample of 119 participants (65 female) completed an attitude questionnaire. Results: Most participants were in favour of donation though substantially fewer had signed up to the organ donation register. A minority of participants was aware of the proposed opt-out system for donation.
Background Cancers are one of the leading causes of death in the world and, due to the aging popu... more Background Cancers are one of the leading causes of death in the world and, due to the aging population, incidence rates are set to rise. As such, considerable effort has been placed on initiatives that aid the early detection of cancer, as this may improve patient survival outcome. One such initiative is the development of guidelines that explain how and when patient reported alarm symptoms suggestive of an underlying malignancy should be referred to a specialist. However, despite being conveniently placed to deliver interventions to promote the early detection of cancer, it is not clear what role community pharmacists could have in the development and implementation of these guidelines. Objective To: (1) assess the frequency and mean of patient reported alarm symptoms in a community pharmacy setting; (2) determine the demographics of patients presenting with the alarm symptom; and (3) explore the relationship between deprivation index of the community pharmacy and average frequency of alarm symptoms per pharmacy. Setting Thirty-three community pharmacies in the North of England. Method A prospective study from September 2013 to February 2014. Each community pharmacy team was provided training in relation to alarm symptoms to ensure there was consistency in reporting. Deprivation tertiles for each community pharmacy were calculated using the IMD 2010 deprivation index. The data were analysed using a Kruskal-Wallis test in order to determine whether there were any statistically significant associations between average frequency of alarm symptoms presented per pharmacy and the deprivation tertile. Main outcome measure Frequency of patient reported alarm symptoms.
There is evidence that alcohol consumption among those in middle-class occupations consistently e... more There is evidence that alcohol consumption among those in middle-class occupations consistently exceeds safe levels, yet there has been little research into why this occurs. This article explores the meanings associated with alcohol use among professional, managerial and clerical workers. Qualitative data were collected from five focus groups of male and female employees aged 21-55 (N =49: 32 male, 17 female). Each focus group was conducted on the premises of a medium-scale or large-scale employer, four public sector and one private sector, in the north-east of England. Using Bourdieu's concepts of 'habitus', 'capitals' and 'fields' we found that, among these middle-class occupational groups, alcohol use was associated with two habitus: a 'home drinking' habitus and a 'traditional drinking' habitus. Those of the home drinking habitus particularly used wine as a source of cultural capital and a means of distinction, whereas those in the traditional habitus consumed lager, beer and spirits to have fun in social settings. A small minority appeared to belong to a third, omnivorous, habitus where a wide range of alcoholic drinks were consumed in a variety of contexts. Existing public health initiatives to reduce alcohol consumption may require modification to accommodate a range of drinking cultures.
The International journal of pharmacy practice, 2014
To explore community pharmacists' understanding and opinions in relation to the prevention of... more To explore community pharmacists' understanding and opinions in relation to the prevention of fungal colonisation of voice prostheses amongst laryngectomy patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a purposive sample of 12 community pharmacists from the North of England. Interviews were undertaken until data saturation was reached and responses were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach. Six themes emerged from the data analysis. These were: terminology confusion about laryngectomy, stoma and voice prostheses; smoking as a risk factor for the development of laryngeal cancer; using nystatin to prevent biofilm formation; counselling information related to nystatin; prescription intervention and additional education in relation to laryngectomy. The theme of counselling information related to nystatin use and additional education was a key finding: our data show that when dispensing nystatin to patients with a voice prosthesis, community pharmacists...
Increasing alcohol consumption among older individuals is a public health concern. Lay understand... more Increasing alcohol consumption among older individuals is a public health concern. Lay understandings of health risks and stigma around alcohol problems may explain why public health messages have not reduced rates of heavy drinking in this sector. A qualitative study aimed to elucidate older people's reasoning about drinking in later life and how this interacted with health concerns, in order to inform future, targeted, prevention in this group. In 2010 a diverse sample of older adults in North East England (ages 50-95) participated in interviews (n = 24, 12 male, 12 female) and three focus groups (participants n = 27, 6 male, 21 female). Data were analysed using grounded theory and discursive psychology methods. When talking about alcohol use older people oriented strongly towards opposed identities of normal or problematic drinker, defined by propriety rather than health considerations. Each of these identities could be applied in older people's accounts of either moderate or heavy drinking. Older adults portrayed drinking less alcohol as an appropriate response if one experienced impaired health. However continued heavy drinking was also presented as normal behaviour for someone experiencing relative wellbeing in later life, or if ill health was construed as unrelated to alcohol consumption. Older people displayed scepticism about health advice on alcohol when avoiding stigmatised identity as a drinker. Drinking patterns did not appear to be strongly defined by gender, although some gendered expectations of drinking were described. Identities offer a useful theoretical concept to explain the rises in heavy drinking among older populations, and can inform preventive approaches to tackle this. Interventions should engage and foster positive identities to sustain healthier drinking and encourage at the community level the identification of heavy drinking as neither healthy nor synonymous with dependence. Future research should test and assess such approaches.
To assess the yearly incidence of vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy over an 11 ye... more To assess the yearly incidence of vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy over an 11 year period, in a geographically defined part of North East England. The time period covered the introduction of diabetic retinopathy screening.
The role of the key worker in cancer services was developed in the UK and is now being adopted mo... more The role of the key worker in cancer services was developed in the UK and is now being adopted more widely. Although this role arose out of national guidance, little is known about how it has been implemented, and there been no systematic attempt to investigate how the role is viewed by either patients or staff. This study used a qualitative approach to explore views of the impact of the key worker role in cancer care. Interviews were conducted with 15 staff and 15 patients. Generally, patients were very positive about the role, while staff felt it was just a renaming of their role, which they thought unnecessary. Several differences in the views of staff and patients emerged from the interviews. For example, staff felt the role should transfer to other members of the care team while patients wanted to keep the same worker. Potential reasons for this divergence in attitudes are discussed, and suggestions for the future development of the role made.
Recent evidence shows that workers in white collar roles consume more alcohol than other groups w... more Recent evidence shows that workers in white collar roles consume more alcohol than other groups within the workforce, yet little is known about their views of drinking. Focus groups were conducted in five workplaces to examine the views of white collar workers regarding the effect of alcohol use on personal and professional lives, drinking patterns and perceived norms. Analysis followed the method of constant comparison. Alcohol use was part of everyday routine. Acceptable consumption and 'excess' were framed around personal experience and ability to function rather than quantity of alcohol consumed. Public health messages or the risk of adverse health consequences had little impact on views of alcohol consumption or reported drinking. When developing public health alcohol interventions it is important to consider the views of differing groups within the population. Our sample considered public health messages to be of no relevance to them, rather they reinforced perceptions that their own alcohol use was controlled and acceptable. To develop effective public health alcohol interventions the views of this group should be examined in more detail.
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Papers by Jonathan Ling