Evaluation of the Physical Activity and Public Health Course for Practitioners

Background:From 1995–2013, an 8-day Physical Activity and Public Health Course for Researchers has been offered yearly in the United States.Methods:In 2013, an evaluation quantified time that fellows spent in different course offerings, surveyed fellows on course impact, documented grant funding, and identified fellow participation on leading physical activity-related journals.Results:The number of fellows that attended the course ranged from 20 per year to 35 per year. Fellows who participated in the web survey (n = 322) agreed that the course: met their expectations (99%), had a positive impact on the physical activity research or practice work they did (98%), and helped increase their professional networking in the field (93%). Following the course, 73% of fellows had further contact with course faculty and 71% had further contact with other fellows. From the National Institutes of Health, 117 grants were awarded to 82 fellows (21% of eligible fellows). Out of 14 journals reviewed, 11 had at least 1 fellow on their staff as editor, associate editor, or editorial board member.Conclusion:The Physical Activity and Public Health Course for Researchers helps address a training need by providing instruction and building capacity in the US and abroad for conducting research on physical activity and public health.

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Recent Advances in Treatment of Childhood Obesity

Current Drug Metabolism ◽

10.2174/1389200221666200817112311 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (14) ◽

pp. 1072-1078

Author(s):

Walter Milano ◽

Paola Ambrosio ◽

Francesca Carizzone ◽

Walter Di Munzio ◽

Valeria De Biasio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Bariatric Surgery ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Family Context ◽

Review Of The Literature ◽

Biological Factors ◽

The Family

: Childhood obesity has assumed epidemic proportions and is currently one of the most widespread public health problems. Many are the factors involved in the pathogenesis of excess weight with interactions between genetic, environmental and biological factors and therefore, also the therapeutic approach must be multidisciplinary and multidimensional. In this review of the literature, we report the contiguity of childhood obesity with eating disorders and the importance of involving the family context in order to induce stable lifestyle changes, both in relation to dietary and nutritional habits, but also in increasing physical activity. Finally, among the therapeutic options, although for selected cases, pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgery can be used as treatment strategies.

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Physical activity patterns among walkers and compliance with public health recommendations

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ◽

10.1097/00005768-200208000-00005 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 34 (8) ◽

pp. 1255-1261 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

ANN P. RAFFERTY ◽

MATHEW J. REEVES ◽

HARRY B. MCGEE ◽

JAMES M. PIVARNIK

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Physical Activity Patterns

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Engaging Undergraduate Public Health Students Through a Textbook Creation Project

Pedagogy in Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/2373379920962416 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 237337992096241

Author(s):

Jessica Sloan Kruger ◽

Christopher Hollister

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Future Research ◽

Open Educational Resource ◽

Educational Resource ◽

Final Version ◽

Primary Motivation ◽

Course Content ◽

Health Course ◽

Research Questions ◽

Undergraduate Public Health

This study examines students’ perceptions of an open pedagogy experiment in which they created their own textbook for an undergraduate public health course. The lead author’s primary motivation for developing this assignment was the high cost associated with the traditional textbooks that were otherwise needed to cover the breadth of subject matter in the course. The resulting open textbook included 19 chapters, covering all the required components of the course, and the final version was published in a statewide open educational resource repository. Students provided feedback about this undertaking by way of an end-of-term survey. The results showed high percentages of students who associated the textbook creation project with greater engagement and satisfaction than the passive use of traditional textbooks. Students also reported their perception of a learning benefit related to the creation of course content. Pedagogical implications of this study are discussed, and future research questions are proposed.

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Urbanization and greenness in HBSC survey: association with overweight and obesity in adolescents

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.712 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

V Bellisario ◽

R Bono ◽

G Squillacioti ◽

M Caputo ◽

I Gintoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Population Density ◽

Weight Status ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Green Spaces ◽

Children Health ◽

Public Health Strategies

Abstract Background Childhood obesity is an important public health issue worldwide and includes different risk factors, such as environmental pollutants exposure or physical activity. Neighborhood composition and green spaces availability could contrast obesogenic lifestyles and promote healthy habits, whereas, urbanization and traffic volume exposure are inversely associated with physical activity and worsen effects on childhood health. Methods This project analyzed students involved in the HBSC survey from the Piedmont Region. Data were collected in 2018, following the protocol. All the subjects were georeferenced within buffers around schools. Green-spaces availability was measured by Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI-satellite images) while urbanization was calculated by population density, traffic intensity (satellite measurements) and air pollution concentration (sampling stations). Results Overall, the sample included 3022 subjects, with amount 50% male/female and 30% for each age group (11-13-15 years old). Concerning weight status, above 14% of the all sample is obese or overweight, with, respectively, 20% among boys and 11% among girls. Preliminary analyses showed an association between weight status and population density (rural vs urbanized areas). Currently, we are analyzing the association with greenness and the other measures of urbanization. Conclusions Our preliminary findings suggest that high urbanization levels impact health implementing weight in children. We are testing the hypothesis that greenness positively influences weight status and reduce negative effects of urbanization and air pollution. The managing of these risk factors must be deepened and corroborated by active preventive Public Health strategies for improving children health. Key messages Urbanization and greenness may influence weight status in children. Public Health strategies must be improved for children health.

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Health Impacts of Urban Bicycling in Mexico

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052300 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2300

Author(s):

David Rojas-Rueda

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Air Pollution ◽

Health Risks ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Health Impacts ◽

Traffic Fatalities ◽

Premature Deaths ◽

Air Pollution Exposure ◽

Pollution Exposure

Background: Bicycling has been associated with health benefits. Local and national authorities have been promoting bicycling as a tool to improve public health and the environment. Mexico is one of the largest Latin American countries, with high levels of sedentarism and non-communicable diseases. No previous studies have estimated the health impacts of Mexico’s national bicycling scenarios. Aim: Quantify the health impacts of Mexico urban bicycling scenarios. Methodology: Quantitative Health Impact Assessment, estimating health risks and benefits of bicycling scenarios in 51,718,756 adult urban inhabitants in Mexico (between 20 and 64 years old). Five bike scenarios were created based on current bike trends in Mexico. The number of premature deaths (increased or reduced) was estimated in relation to physical activity, road traffic fatalities, and air pollution. Input data were collected from national publicly available data sources from transport, environment, health and population reports, and surveys, in addition to scientific literature. Results: We estimated that nine premature deaths are prevented each year among urban populations in Mexico on the current car-bike substitution and trip levels (1% of bike trips), with an annual health economic benefit of US $1,897,920. If Mexico achieves similar trip levels to those reported in The Netherlands (27% of bike trips), 217 premature deaths could be saved annually, with an economic impact of US $45,760,960. In all bicycling scenarios assessed in Mexico, physical activity’s health benefits outweighed the health risks related to traffic fatalities and air pollution exposure. Conclusion: The study found that bicycling promotion in Mexico would provide important health benefits. The benefits of physical activity outweigh the risk from traffic fatalities and air pollution exposure in bicyclists. At the national level, Mexico could consider using sustainable transport policies as a tool to promote public health. Specifically, the support of active transportation through bicycling and urban design improvements could encourage physical activity and its health co-benefits.

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Student perceptions and lessons learned from flipping a masters level public health course | Perceptions des étudiants et leçons tirées d’une classe inversée pour un cours de maîtrise en santé environnementale et professionnelle

Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / La revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie ◽

10.21432/t2t90j ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lindsay P. Galway ◽

Barbara Berry ◽

Timothy Takaro

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Focus Group ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

Flipped Classroom ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Instructional Model ◽

Santé Environnementale ◽

Health Course ◽

Using Data ◽

Groupe De Discussion

The flipped classroom instructional model has emerged as an alternative to conventional lecture-based teaching that has dominated higher education for decades. In 2013, a cohort of graduate-level public health students participated in a flipped environmental and occupational health course. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of this course. Using data collected from a post-course survey, focus group sessions, and classroom observation, we examine student perceptions of the flipped classroom instructional model and synthesize lessons learned from flipping the classroom more broadly. Post-course survey data indicate that students had generally positive perceptions towards the flipped classroom instructional model. Four major themes emerged from the focus group data in relation to perceptions of the flipped classroom: knowledge application, content delivery, innovation, and connecting the online and in-class components. These results are promising and suggest that this approach warrants further consideration and research. Le modèle pédagogique de la classe inversée a émergé comme solution de rechange à l’enseignement traditionnel par cours magistraux qui a dominé l’éducation supérieure pendant des décennies. En 2013, une cohorte d’étudiants en santé publique aux cycles supérieurs a participé à un cours inversé sur la santé environnementale et professionnelle. Nous présentons la conception, la mise en œuvre et l’évaluation de ce cours. À l’aide de données recueillies par l’entremise d’un sondage après le cours, lors de séances de discussion en groupe et d’observation en classe, nous examinons les perceptions qu’ont les étudiants du modèle pédagogique de la classe inversée et résumons les leçons tirées qui sont pertinentes pour les cours inversés en général. Les données du sondage réalisé après le cours indiquent que les étudiants avaient des perceptions pour la plupart positives du modèle pédagogique de la classe inversée. Quatre thèmes principaux ont émergé des données du groupe de discussion relativement aux perceptions sur la classe inversée : mise en application des connaissances, diffusion du contenu, innovation et lien entre les composantes en ligne et en classe. Ces résultats sont prometteurs et suggèrent que cette approche devrait faire l’objet de plus de considération et de recherche.

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Building Global Research Capacity in Public Health: The Case of a Science Gateway for Physical Activity Lifelong Modelling and Simulation

2019 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC) ◽

10.1109/wsc40007.2019.9004845 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Anastasia Anagnostou ◽

Simon J. E. Taylor ◽

Derek Groen ◽

Diana Suleimenova ◽

Nana Anokye ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Research Capacity ◽

Modelling And Simulation ◽

Science Gateway ◽

Global Research

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Cox regression survival analysis with compositional covariates: Application to modelling mortality risk from 24-h physical activity patterns

Statistical Methods in Medical Research ◽

10.1177/0962280219864125 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 1447-1465 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

DE McGregor ◽

J Palarea-Albaladejo ◽

PM Dall ◽

K Hron ◽

SFM Chastin

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Survival Analysis ◽

Regression Model ◽

Cox Regression ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Sitting Time ◽

Cox Regression Model ◽

Log Ratio ◽

Activity Behaviour

Survival analysis is commonly conducted in medical and public health research to assess the association of an exposure or intervention with a hard end outcome such as mortality. The Cox (proportional hazards) regression model is probably the most popular statistical tool used in this context. However, when the exposure includes compositional covariables (that is, variables representing a relative makeup such as a nutritional or physical activity behaviour composition), some basic assumptions of the Cox regression model and associated significance tests are violated. Compositional variables involve an intrinsic interplay between one another which precludes results and conclusions based on considering them in isolation as is ordinarily done. In this work, we introduce a formulation of the Cox regression model in terms of log-ratio coordinates which suitably deals with the constraints of compositional covariates, facilitates the use of common statistical inference methods, and allows for scientifically meaningful interpretations. We illustrate its practical application to a public health problem: the estimation of the mortality hazard associated with the composition of daily activity behaviour (physical activity, sitting time and sleep) using data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

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