scholarly journals Benefits and damages of the use of touchscreen devices for the development and behavior of children under 5 years old—a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Rocha ◽  
Cristina Nunes

Abstract Aim Several health organizations have been expressing concern about the amount of time children spend using electronic devices and about the benefits and damages of the use of touchscreen devices, such as smartphones or tablets, for the development and behavior of children under the age of 5. A systematic review was carried out in order to understand the impact of touchscreen device usage toward children’s development and behavior under the age of 5. Methods Using the PRISMA method, from a total of 6314 studies found in online databases, searched in English, between 01/01/2000 and 01/10/2018, 11 studies were selected for analysis. Results The results revealed that, in children under the age of 5, the damages of the use of touchscreen devices are superior to the benefits that may result, especially when there are more hours of screen time. More importance is given to the quality of the child-adult relationship and not to the use of touchscreen devices. Nevertheless, some studies emphasize some aspects that may reduce the negative effects, such as moderate use, less screen time, parental monitoring, and viewing educational programs in an academic environment. Conclusions Guidelines that should be given to parents about the use of touchscreen devices by children are discussed. The limitation of this study was the difficulty in finding studies directed to the desired age and type of electronic device. This may be taken as a potential cause of bias.

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A90-A90
Author(s):  
Christopher Jones ◽  
Marc Kaizi-Lutu ◽  
Makayla Cordoza ◽  
Ami Mange ◽  
David Dinges

Abstract Introduction In March 2020, an unprecedented number of individuals were confined to their homes in an effort to stem the spread of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), however the impact of this confinement on health and behavior is unknown. Long-duration confinement studies have found effects on homeostatic biology and neurobehavioral functions, including reduced sleep durations. This study evaluated how confinement due to Covid-19 has impacted health and stress through changes in sleep. Methods The Anonymous Survey on Confinement during the COVID-19 Pandemic was available online to any individual ≥18 years of age through the Penn Medicine Clinical Research webpage on May 14, 2020 and the data presented are through October 24, 2020. The survey collected self-reported information on demographics, the amount and quality of sleep, as well as ratings of health and stress. To determine the impact of confinement on these domains, participants were asked to answer questions relative to pre-confinement levels. To test associations between sleep amounts and sleep quality on health and stress, generalized linear models were used and adjusted for age, sex, and race. Results N=228 participants (n=180 female [79.0%]) were on average 45.0±17.1 years of age. During confinement relative to pre-confinement, 41.7% of participants reported sleeping more, 37.3% reported sleeping the same amount, and 21.0% reported less sleep, while 14.0% reported better sleep quality, 47.4% the same, and 38.6% worse quality of sleep relative to pre-confinement. Ratings of worse health during confinement were associated with both reduced sleep amount (β=0.695; P<0.0001) and worse sleep quality (β=0.532; P=0.0002). Lower stress ratings were associated with increased sleep amount (β=0.734; P=0.034), better sleep quality (β=1.396; P=0.0002), better health ratings (β=-0.079; P=0.0045). Conversely, worse sleep quality was associated with higher stress ratings (β=-1.086; P=0.0007). Conclusion The confinement resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the amount and quality of sleep and good sleep may help to reduce stress and maintain health. These findings highlight the need to further examine how long-term confinement influences human health and behavior and warrant examining what factors or life-style behaviors promote resilience to the negative effects of confinement. Support (if any) CWJ supported by NHLBI NRSA (T32 HL007713).


2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaretha Gansterer ◽  
Richard F. Hartl

AbstractLogistics providers have to utilize available capacities efficiently in order to cope with increasing competition and desired quality of service. One possibility to reduce idle capacity is to build coalitions with other players on the market. While the willingness to enter such coalitions does exist in the logistics industry, the success of collaborations strongly depends on mutual trust and behavior of participants. Hence, a proper mechanism design, where carriers do not have incentives to deviate from jointly established rules, is needed. We propose to use a combinatorial auction system, for which several properties are already well researched but little is known about the auction’s first phase, where carriers have to decide on the set of requests offered to the auction. Profitable selection strategies, aiming at maximization of total collaboration gains, do exist. However, the impact on individual outcomes, if one or more players deviate from jointly agreed selection rules is yet to be researched. We analyze whether participants in an auction-based transport collaboration face a Prisoners’ Dilemma. While it is possible to construct such a setting, our computational study reveals that carriers do not profit from declining the cooperative strategy. This is an important and insightful finding, since it further strengthens the practical applicability of auction-based trading mechanisms in collaborative transportation.


RMD Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e001635
Author(s):  
Emma Swärdh ◽  
Christina Opava ◽  
Nina Brodin

BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is considered a cornerstone in the treatment. To highlight aspects involved in supporting a positive PA behaviour, it is important to understand the patients’ perceptions of the phenomenon.ObjectiveThe aim of this qualitative meta-synthesis was to explore and synthesise patient perceptions of PA in RA.MethodsA purposeful search was conducted across three online databases (PubMed, CINAHL and Web of Science). The methodological quality of the included studies was appraised, and data were extracted and analysed using an interpretive inductive thematic synthesis.ResultsFifteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included. PA was identified as an agile lifelong behaviour, with one main theme: The disease as a persistent catalyst for or against PA illustrating how the constant presence of the disease itself underlies the entire process of a life with or without regular PA. Seven subthemes: ‘considering aggravated symptoms’, ‘acknowledging the impact on health’, ‘becoming empowered and taking action’, ‘keeping informed to increase awareness’, ‘creating body awareness’, ‘dealing with social support’ and ‘feeling satisfied with circumstances and achievements’ were interpreted as facilitators and/or challenges.ConclusionThis synthesis has identified PA as an agile lifelong behaviour in which the disease pervades all aspects of an individuals’ perception of PA. Placed in a theoretical context, our findings outline a model for tailoring PA support to the drivers and determinants of a certain individual, which will improve clinical practice for the benefit of both health professionals and patients with RA.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic O’Connor ◽  
Malcolm Brown ◽  
Martin Eatock ◽  
Richard C. Turkington ◽  
Gillian Prue

Abstract Background Surgical resection remains the only curative treatment for pancreatic cancer and is associated with significant post-operative morbidity and mortality. Patients eligible for surgery, increasingly receive neo-adjuvant therapy before surgery or adjuvant therapy afterward, inherently exposing them to toxicity. As such, optimizing physical function through exercise during treatment remains imperative to optimize quality of life either before surgery or during rehabilitation. However, current exercise efficacy and prescription in pancreatic cancer is unknown. Therefore, this study aims to summarise the published literature on exercise studies conducted in patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing treatment with a focus on determining the current prescription and progression patterns being used in this population. Methods A systematic review of four databases identified studies evaluating the effects of exercise on aerobic fitness, muscle strength, physical function, body composition, fatigue and quality of life in participants with pancreatic cancer undergoing treatment, published up to 24 July 2020. Two reviewers independently reviewed and appraised the methodological quality of each study. Results Twelve studies with a total of 300 participants were included. Heterogeneity of the literature prevented meta-analysis. Exercise was associated with improvements in outcomes; however, study quality was variable with the majority of studies receiving a weak rating. Conclusions High quality evidence regarding the efficacy and prescription of exercise in pancreatic cancer is lacking. Well-designed trials, which have received feedback and input from key stakeholders prior to implementation, are required to examine the impact of exercise in pancreatic cancer on key cancer related health outcomes.


Author(s):  
Raquel Pérez-Ordás ◽  
Alberto Nuviala ◽  
Alberto Grao-Cruces ◽  
Antonio Fernández-Martínez

Service-learning (SL) is the subject of a growing number of studies and is becoming increasingly popular in physical education teacher education (PETE) programs. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the implementation of SL programs with PETE students. The databases used were Web of Science, SPORTDiscus (EBSCO), and SCOPUS. Articles were selected on the basis of the following criteria: (a) published in a peer-reviewed journal; (b) covers the use of SL programs with PETE students; (c) relates to physical education or physical activity programs; (d) availability of a full-text version in English and/or Spanish. Thirty-two articles met the inclusion criteria. Two types of findings were observed: firstly, findings relating to the study characteristics and objectives and, secondly, recommendations for improvement of this type of intervention. The objectives of the different studies focused on (a) the impact of the SL methodology on PETE students’ professional, social, and personal skills; (b) its impact on the community; (c) analysis of the effectiveness and quality of the programs. All but two studies analyzed the impact of SL on PETE, while only four analyzed community participants and only three analyzed the quality of the SL program. Recommendations for improving SL programs used with PETE students included: all stakeholders, e.g., students and community participants, should be studied and coordinated; the quality of the programs should be assessed, as studying the effectiveness of SL programs could help to attain the objectives of both students and the community; mixed methods should be used; and intervention implementation periods should be extended to provide more objective, controlled measurements.


Author(s):  
Juliana Vianna Pereira ◽  
Ana Gabriela Costa Normando ◽  
Carla Isabelly Rodrigues-Fernandes ◽  
César Rivera ◽  
Alan Roger Santos-Silva ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 53S-69S ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Fehlings ◽  
Lindsay A. Tetreault ◽  
Shekar Kurpad ◽  
Darrel S. Brodke ◽  
Jefferson R. Wilson ◽  
...  

Study Design: Systematic review. Objectives: The primary objective of this systematic review was to define the change in impairment, disability, and pain following surgical intervention in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). Secondary objectives included to assess the impact of preoperative disease severity and duration of symptoms on outcomes and to summarize complications associated with surgery. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted to identify prospective studies evaluating the effectiveness and safety of operative treatment in patients with DCM. Outcomes of interest were functional status, disability, pain, and complications. The quality of each study was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and the strength of the overall body of evidence was rated using guidelines outlined by the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group. Results: Of the 385 retrieved citations, 32 met inclusion criteria and are summarized in this review. Based on our results, pooled standard mean differences showed a large effect for improvement in Japanese Orthopaedic Association or modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association score from baseline at short-, medium-, and long-term follow-up: 6 to 12 months (1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41 to 2.43), 13 to 36 months (1.40; 95% CI = 1.12 to 1.67), and ≥36 months (1.92; 95% CI = 1.14 to 2.69) (moderate evidence). Surgery also resulted in significant improvements in Nurick, Neck Disability Index, and Visual Analogue Scale scores (low to very low evidence). The cumulative incidence of complications was low (14.1%; 95% CI = 10.1% to 18.2%). Conclusion: Surgical intervention for DCM results in significant improvements in functional impairment, disability, and pain and is associated with an acceptably low rate of complications.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J Tanti ◽  
Anthony G Marson ◽  
Emmanuel Chavredakis ◽  
Michael D Jenkinson

2021 ◽  
pp. 1357633X2110101
Author(s):  
Aditi Mitra ◽  
Rubina Veerakone ◽  
Kathleen Li ◽  
Tyler Nix ◽  
Andrew Hashikawa ◽  
...  

Introduction The impact of telemedicine on the access and quality of paediatric emergency care remains largely unexplored because most studies to date are focused on adult emergency care. We performed a systematic review of the literature to determine if telemedicine is effective in improving quality of paediatric emergency care with regards to access, process measures of care, appropriate disposition, patient-centred outcomes and cost-related outcomes. Methods We developed a systematic review protocol in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review) guidelines. We included studies that evaluated the impact of synchronous and asynchronous forms of telemedicine on patient outcomes and process measures in the paediatric emergency care setting. Inclusion criteria were study setting, study design, intervention type, age, outcome measures, publication year and language. Results Overall, 1.9% (28/1434) studies met study inclusion and exclusion criteria. These studies revealed that telemedicine increased accuracy of patient assessment in the pre-clinical setting, improved time-to disposition, guided referring emergency department (ED) physicians in performing appropriate life-saving procedures and led to cost savings when compared to regular care. Studies focused on telepsychiatry demonstrated decreased length of stay (LOS), transfer rates and improved patient satisfaction scores. Discussion Our comprehensive review revealed that telemedicine enhances paediatric emergency care, enhances therapeutic decision-making and improves diagnostic accuracy, and reduces costs. Specifically, telemedicine has its most significant impact on LOS, access to specialized care, cost savings and patient satisfaction. However, there was a relative lack of randomized control trials, and more studies are needed to substantiate its impact on morbidity and mortality.


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