CHeCR projects
CHeCR has a number of funded studies ongoing at any point in time. A few projects are highlighted on this page.
A Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of a Diazepam Maintenance Intervention versus Standard Care of Tapering Diazepam to Reduce Dependent Street Benzodiazepine Use in Adults Receiving Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) (The In-BOAT Trial)
CHeCR team members: Professor Catriona Matheson; Dr Karen Berry; Professor Edward Duncan; Esme Foxworthy-Bowers
Funder: NIHR
Lay Summary: The use of street benzodiazepines with opiates increases risk of drug related harm including overdose and drug related deaths (DRD). Evidence on how best to manage co-dependency is insufficient. This study aims to conduct a two-arm RCT to test the clinical and cost effectiveness of a diazepam maintenance intervention vs a tapering dose of diazepam, to determine which results in greater reductions in street benzodiazepine use in adults receiving OAT in the UK.
Members of the project team investigating whether a diazepam maintenance intervention can reduce harmful street benzodiazepine use compared to a standard tapering dose of diazepam with standard psychosocial care.
PRISMA-QES
CHeCR team members: Professor Emma France (PI); Professor Edward Duncan
Funder: This study is funded by the Better Methods, Better Research Medical Research Council (grant number UKRI149) (2024 – 2027)
Lay Summary: PRISMA QES aims to improve the reporting quality of qualitative evidence syntheses (QES). QES combines findings from qualitative studies to provide insights for healthcare, but inconsistent reporting can impact trust in the results. We are developing and testing new guidelines to address this issue with input from diverse stakeholders.
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/prismaqes/home
Game of Stones
CHeCR team members: Professor Pat Hodinott (PI); Dr Lisa Macaulay; Dr Catriona O'Dolan; Claire Torrens
Funder: Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) the research was led by the University of Stirling in partnership with the University of New Brunswick, Canada, University of Aberdeen, University of Glasgow, Queens University Belfast and the University of Bristol (2020 – 2026)
Lay Summary: 585 men living with obesity across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, took part in the research and were randomly split in to three groups. One received daily supportive text messages plus the opportunity to earn £400 for meeting weight loss goals, the second received only text messages, and the third received no extra support or financial incentive. The men were given targets of 5% weight loss at three months, 10% at six months and maintain 10% weight loss at 12 months – at which point the cash was paid to the group offered the monetary incentive. The research found that after one year the men receiving both text messages and the opportunity to get cash lost the most weight.
Outputs: The research ‘Text messages with financial incentives for men with obesity, a randomized clinical trial’ is published in JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2818966
Stirling Antenatal Anxiety Scale (SAAS) (PhD Fellowship)
CHeCR team members: Dr Andrea Sinesi, Professor Margaret Maxwell, Professor Helen Cheyne
Funder: Chief Scientist Office Doctoral Training Fellowship (2016 – 2019)
Lay Summary: Many women experience some anxiety during pregnancy, but 15 percent of all pregnant women suffer symptoms severe enough to impact negatively on their day-to-day lives. Evidence suggests that a substantial proportion of women experiencing antenatal anxiety are going undetected and, consequently, not receiving any support. Antenatal anxiety can be difficult to identify and current guidance recommends that health professionals apply the same screening tool used to detect anxiety disorders in the general population. This study identified a number of symptoms that are reliable indicators of antenatal anxiety. The study developed a screening scale for antenatal anxiety that can be used by midwives and other health professionals to identify women with elevated levels of anxiety during pregnancy.
Outputs:
Sinesi, A., Cheyne, H., Maxwell, M., & O'Carroll, R. (2022). The Stirling Antenatal Anxiety Scale (SAAS): development and initial psychometric validation. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 8, 100333. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666915322000269
Sinesi, A., Maxwell, M., O'Carroll, R., & Cheyne, H. (2019). Anxiety scales used in pregnancy: systematic review. BJPsych open, 5(1), e5. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/anxiety-scales-used-in-pregnancy-systematic-review/BC1843B2C088B1D9979683613791F55A