Aims: This review aimed to synthesise evidence on the impact of communal dining and/or dining room enhancement interventions on nutritional, clinical and functional outcomes of patients in hospital (acute or subacute), rehabilitation and residential aged-care facility settings. Methods: Five electronic databases were searched in March 2020. Included studies considered the impact of communal dining and/or dining room enhancements on outcomes related to malnutrition in hospital (acute or subacute), rehabilitation and residential aged care facility settings. Risk of bias was assessed using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics quality checklist. Overall quality was assessed using GRADEpro software. Outcome data were combined narratively for communal dining and dining room enhancements respectively. Results: Eighteen articles from 17 unique studies were identified. Of these studies, one was a randomised control trial (moderate quality) and 16 were observational studies (all low quality). Communal dining interventions (four studies, n = 490) were associated with greater energy and protein intake and higher measures of quality of life than non-communal mealtime settings. Dining room enhancement interventions (14 studies, n = 912), overall, contributed to increased intake of food, energy, protein and fluid. Conclusions: Results indicate that communal dining and/or dining room enhancement has a positive impact on several outcomes of interest, however, most available evidence is of low quality. Therefore, there is a need for further large-scale, well-designed experimental studies to assess the potential impacts of these interventions.

Background: Health behaviors are becoming increasingly recognized as important for cancer survivors in optimizing health after diagnosis. The current study aims to describe adherence to health behaviour guidelines in a sample of Indigenous and non-Indigenous cancer patients in Australia's Northern Territory. Methods: A structured survey collecting self-reported sociodemographic and health behaviour data was administered to a sample of cancer patients within 1 year of their cancer diagnosis at a cancer care center in Darwin, Northern Territory. Clinical data were collected via medical chart review. Results: In 63 participants (median age 58 years; 32% Indigenous), most met guidelines for fruit (73%), red meat (76%), and alcohol (75%) intake, whereas adherence to vegetable (10%), processed meat (33%), and physical activity (25%) guidelines was low. Almost one-third (32%) reported being current smokers. Indigenous patients more frequently met guidelines than non-Indigenous patients for fruit intake and physical activity, and less for vegetable, red and processed meat, alcohol intake and smoking. Although there were some notable changes post-cancer diagnosis, about half of the participants reported no change in most behaviors. Conclusions: Adherence to some recommended health behaviors was poor in this sample, regardless of Indigenous status, reflecting previous cancer survivorship and general national reports. For some this may be due to changes resulting from their cancer and treatment, whereas for others this may reflect pre-diagnosis low adherence. Further investigation is needed to better understand health behaviour decision-making for cancer patients and survivors in Northern Territory, to inform public health messaging and interventions for this population.

Photovoice is an emerging qualitative research method used to engage community members in research that highlights their lived experiences and initiate change. Photovoice offers potential benefits to research conducted by and with Indigenous communities through privileging Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. There is a lack of synthesized evidence about the usage, benefits, and challenges of conducting Photovoice research by and with Indigenous communities, which this systematic methods review aims to address. We specifically focus on Indigenous young people in Canada, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the United States. Five databases were searched systematically for articles including keywords for ‘Indigenous’ and ‘Photovoice’. Empirical studies and methods papers reporting the use of Photovoice with majority cohorts of young Indigenous participants were included. Relevant data were extracted and Photovoice methods analysed using an integrative approach. Database searches yielded 1402 articles, with 109 reviewed in full and 41 included in the review. These articles represented 37 unique studies, with most from Canada ( n = 17), and the United States ( n = 14). Our analysis revealed great variability in how Photovoice has been applied across studies with Indigenous young people. However, some notable commonalities include recruitment of participants via community networks, and participant involvement in data collection and analysis. The potential benefits associated with using Photovoice with Indigenous young people included: fostering participant autonomy and authority; photography being familiar and fun; the visual medium being culturally appropriate for Indigenous peoples; and the method being effective for engaging the whole community. Challenges associated with Photovoice included: engagement difficulties between researchers and participants; issues with photography; and ethical complexities. These findings suggest that Photovoice is an appropriate and largely effective method to engage young Indigenous people in research. However, there are logistical and ethical issues associated with the method that require careful consideration.