Chaplin once said, “To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it”. Those are the words of someone who knew that the ultimate journey of a clown is an act of healing. Clowning can heal because it embraces vulnerability and shifts perspectives through playfulness. […]

  Changing demography – unprecedented numbers of older people living longer – has in principle increased opportunities for intergenerational interaction outside of the family, including friendship formation. Friendship is lauded in research and policy for promoting physical and mental well-being, and is often perceived as a panacea for social exclusion […]

The impact that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can have on an individual’s ability to develop social communication skills, as well as the recognition of the importance of early intervention, has led to a large body of literature within applied behaviour analysis, evaluating social skills interventions to support social inclusion for […]

Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue worldwide (1, 2). The current plateau is unacceptably high (3) and the consequences for children, their families and the health service remain substantial(4). Uncertainty surrounds the most effective way to manage childhood obesity in the community (5). While international recommendations agree that […]

People with mental health difficulties are more likely to smoke and to have smoking-related diseases (1). These diseases represent a major cause of the premature mortality experienced by this group (2-4), who die on average ten to twenty years younger than the general population (5-9). However, we now have good […]

  The first two years of life represent an important stage in a child’s development. In particular, how and what a child is fed during this time has an important influence on their subsequent development. For example, infant feeding behaviours such as the early or inappropriate introduction of solid foods […]

Despite the almost constant news coverage,  obesity remains a top five killer both globally (1) and in Ireland (2) with no solution to this omnipresent challenge yet identified to date. Considering that obesity, once present, is likely to track into later life (3), early prevention in the youngest children, before […]

Older people often have multiple comorbidities and as a result, are commonly prescribed several drugs. This increases their risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs).(1) A recent randomised controlled trial conducted in an Irish University teaching hospital that evaluated a physician-implemented medication screening tool, demonstrated positive outcomes in terms of a […]

We are currently in the midst of unprecedented shifts in population age profile, which underscore the need for strategies that promote healthy ageing. For instance, the number of people aged over 60 years has tripled since 1950, reaching 605 million in 2000, and will double that to 1.2 billion in […]

The results of clinical trials are not traditionally disseminated to clinical trial participants. While there is a growing awareness that participants should receive study results, little is known about the most appropriate methods of doing so. The Thyroid Hormone Replacement for Subclinical Hypothyroidism Trial (TRUST) was a multi-centre, double-blind, randomised, […]