scholarly journals An Evaluation of a Kansas Open Streets Event’s Impact on Businesses

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 187-191
Author(s):  
Danielle Gauna ◽  
Jack Brown ◽  
Kelsey Lu ◽  
Matthew Martinez ◽  
Elizabeth Ablah

INTRODUCTION. Open Streets is an event that promotes physical activity among populations by encouraging city residents to walk and bicycle in streets blocked from motor vehicles. Engagement of businesses is a critical component of Open Streets. This study sought to evaluate the Open Streets ICT. 2019 event’s impact on adjacent businesses. METHODS. A 12-item novel survey was developed for this study. Businesses eligible for study participation included retail and non-retail (e.g. non-profits, churches) sites along the Open Streets ICT route in Wichita, Kansas. To understand how Open Streets ICT impacted businesses the survey used Likert scale questions to prompt respondents to report sales and visitors experienced during the event. Additionally, respondents reported a percent difference in sales compared to a typical Sunday. Themes and subthemes were coded from recurring opinions. RESULTS. A total of 102 surveys were completed, a 42% response rate. Most businesses (56%, n=56) reported being open during Open Streets ICT. Many businesses (72%) reported having “more” visitors compared to a typical Sunday. More than half reported they experienced new and regular visitors (54%, n=30) from the event. Most businesses (64%, n=36) reported a positive financial impact, and (52%, n=29) having more sales than a typical Sunday. CONCLUSIONS. Open Streets ICT increased sales and the number of visitors among businesses. Respondents reported they plan to participate in the 2020 Open Streets ICT, and if Open Streets ICT was offered twice a year. Finally, most participating businesses reported they recommend that other businesses participate in Open Streets ICT.

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah O'Brien ◽  
Lucia Prihodova ◽  
Mairéad Heffron ◽  
Peter Wright

ObjectivePhysical activity (PA) counselling has been shown to raise awareness of the importance of PA and to increase the rate of PA engagement among patients. While much attention has been paid to examining the knowledge, attitudes and practice of general practitioners in relation to PA counselling, there is less literature examining such issues in hospital-based doctors in Ireland and further afield. This study aimed to explore doctors’ PA counselling practices and to analyse how this related to their level of PA knowledge, training and attitudes.MethodsAn invitation to participate in an online survey was sent to 4692 members of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland who were listed as having an address in Ireland. Descriptive and explorative analyses of the data were performed using IBM SPSS V.22.0.ResultsA total of 595 valid responses were included (response rate 12.7%; 42.7% male, 42.6±12.1 years). The majority reported enquiring about PA levels (88.0%) and providing PA counselling (86.4%) in at least some of their patients. Doctors who saw it as their role and those who felt more effective/confident in providing PA counselling were significantly more likely to do so. A perceived lack of patient interest in PA and patient preference for pharmaceutical intervention were significant barriers to undertaking PA counselling.ConclusionThis study demonstrates the need for further education and training in PA counselling in Ireland with a particular focus on improving the attitudes and self-efficacy of doctors in this area at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 517-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Dodson ◽  
J. Aaron Hipp ◽  
Jung Ae Lee ◽  
Lin Yang ◽  
Christine M. Marx ◽  
...  

Purpose: To explore combinations of worksite supports (WSS) for physical activity (PA) that may assist employees in meeting PA recommendations and to investigate how availability of WSS differs across industries and occupations. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Several Missouri metropolitan areas. Participants: Adults employed >20 h/wk outside the home. Measures: Survey utilized existing self-reported measures (eg, presence of WSS for PA) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Analysis: Logistic regression was conducted for 2 outcome variables: leisure and transportation PA. Independent variables included 16 WSS. Of particular interest were interaction effects between WSS variables. Analyses were stratified by 5 occupation and 7 industry types. Results: Overall, 2013 people completed the survey (46% response rate). Often, availability of 1 WSS did not increase the likelihood of meeting PA recommendations, but several pairs of WSS did. For example, in business occupations, the odds of meeting PA recommendations through transportation PA increased when employees had access to showers and incentives to bike/walk (odds ratio [OR] = 1.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16-2.22); showers and maps (OR = 1.25; 1.02-1.55); maps and incentives to bike/walk (OR = 1.48; 1.04-2.12). Conclusion: Various combinations of WSS may increase the likelihood that employees will meet PA recommendations. Many are of low or no cost, including flexible time for exercise and maps of worksite-adjacent walk/bike routes. Findings may be instructive for employers seeking to improve employee health through worksite PA.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 867-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ansku Holstila ◽  
Ossi Rahkonen ◽  
Eero Lahelma ◽  
Jouni Lahti

Background:The association between changes in physical activity and sickness absence is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between changes in leisure-time physical activity and long-term sickness absence due to any cause and musculoskeletal and mental causes.Methods:We measured physical activity at baseline in 2000–2002 (response rate 67%) and at follow-up in 2007 (response rate 83%) among middle-aged employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland. The survey data were linked to the Finnish Social Insurance Institute’s register data on sickness benefit periods > 9 days, including diagnoses (ICD-10; International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision) (mean follow-up 2.3 years). We used a negative binomial model to calculate rate ratios. The analyses included 4010 respondents (81% women).Results:Those who were persistently vigorously active and those whose physical activity level changed from low to moderate or vigorous, from moderate to vigorous, or from vigorous to moderate were at lower risk for sickness absence than were the persistently low-activity group. For sickness absence due to musculoskeletal causes, vigorous activity showed stronger associations, whereas mental causes showed no such associations.Conclusions:To reduce sickness absence due to both musculoskeletal and mental causes, middle-aged and aging employees should be encouraged to engage in physical activity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (21_suppl) ◽  
pp. 68-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Ringdal ◽  
Gerd Inger Ringdal ◽  
Helene Kristin Olsen ◽  
Asgeir Mamen ◽  
Per Morten Fredriksen

Aims: The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between parents’ level of education, measurements of physical attributes, and quality of life in a general sample of primary school children. Methods: The children’s and the parents’ versions of the Inventory of Life Quality in Children and Adolescents (ILC) were used to measure health-related quality of life (QOL) in 2140 school children (response rate 93%) and 1639 parents (response rate 71%) recruited from nine primary schools in Norway. A set of physical characteristics were also measured in the children: body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, average daily minutes of physical activity, aerobic fitness, and handgrip strength. Results: The regression analysis showed stronger relationships between the covariates and QOL for the parents’ assessments than for the children’s. Parents’ level of education was significantly related to children’s QOL, with the strongest association for parental QOL assessment. Among the physical variables, aerobic fitness ( B = 0.01, p > .001 in both samples), and handgrip strength in the parents’ sample ( B = 0.21, p < .05) were significantly related to the children’s QOL. Conclusions: The present study replicated the well-known finding that parents’ sociodemographic status is important for children’s QOL. Our new contribution is to show that the physiological variables aerobic fitness and muscular strength also contributed significantly to explain variance in QOL. This opens up interesting perspectives on how to improve QOL among children through more emphasis on physical activity and physical fitness in schools.


2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 479
Author(s):  
Thomas Dockray

Achieving effective project start-up is critical to the profitability and successful operation of an asset. A modern gas facility can generate revenue of up to $20 million a day, making the financial impact of a delayed start-up considerable. With the Australian LNG sector moving from construction to operations, the right commissioning model for a project has become a critical consideration. This is even more pertinent when considering the drain on experienced, quality LNG commissioning personnel as a number of large projects move towards operations across the globe. This places a higher challenge and risk on fabrication and construction contractors, who are often responsible for delivering the commissioning scope. By using an independent and integrated commissioning model, operators can reduce the financial risks of poor project start-up and achieve a seamless transition from construction to operation. This extended abstract explores the pros and cons of commissioning and completion services performed by an EPCIC contractor compared to an independent and specialised commissioning contractor. A critical component to the success of the independent commissioning model is the early embedding of key commissioning personnel in the project in advance of the construction hand-over. By applying sophisticated engineering techniques that identify and schedule commissioning requirements early in the project, trained commissioning personnel can help detect and intervene early on potential delays to the commissioning scope.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 205435811988265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff K. Vallance ◽  
Steven T. Johnson ◽  
Stephanie Thompson ◽  
Kevin Wen ◽  
Ngan N. Lam ◽  
...  

Background: Physical activity is recommended for kidney transplant recipents as it may improve outcomes including mortality, exercise capacity, muscle strength, and health-related quality of life. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine accelerometer-based physical activity and sedentary time profiles among kidney transplant recipients and examine possible demographic and clinical correlates of physical activity and sedentary time. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Patients: Kidney transplant recipients were recruited (N = 1,284) from the Northern Alberta Renal Program’s Nephrology Information System database (1993-2016). Measurements: Participants wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer on their hip during waking hours for seven consecutive days. Methods: Kidney transplant recipients (1993-2016) recruited from the Northern Alberta Renal Program’s Nephrology Information System database wore an accelerometer and completed a self-reported questionnaire. Multiple linear regression was used to determine associations between activity level, demographic, and clinical characteristics. Results: Participants’ (n = 133; 11% response rate) mean age (SD) was 58 (14) years and 56% were female. Mean total sedentary time was 9.4 (1.4) hours per day; total moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time was 20.7 (19.6) minutes per day. MVPA was significantly associated with age where each additional year was associated with 0.48 fewer min/day (ie, ~30 seconds) (unstandardized beta: B = −0.48 min/day, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: −0.75, −0.22). Sedentary time was significantly associated with age ( B = 1.0 min/day, 95% CI: 0.03, 1.9), body mass index ( B = 2.7 min/day, 95% CI: 0.2, 5.13), education ( B = 39.1 min/day, 95% CI: 12.3, −65.8), and inversely associated with income ( B = −44.9 min/day, 95% CI: −73.1, −16.8). Limitations: Limitations include the cross-sectional design, poor response rate, and limited generalizability of the results. Conclusions: Kidney transplant recipients showed high volumes of sedentary time and low volumes of health-enhancing physical activity. Understanding correlates of these behaviors may aid in the development of interventions to favorably change these behaviors.


2010 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 775-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Fossati Reichert ◽  
Marlos Rodrigues Domingues ◽  
Pedro C. Hallal ◽  
Mario Renato Azevedo ◽  
Fernando Vinholes Siqueira ◽  
...  

We aimed to evaluate how Brazilian adults rank seven well-known health-related factors in terms of importance for health. A population-based study was undertaken in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (N = 3,100; response rate: 96.5%). Individuals ranked three out of seven factors that, in their opinion, were the most important for health. The factors investigated were: "controlling stress", "practicing physical activity regularly", "avoiding drinking in excess", "avoiding smoking", "visiting a doctor regularly", "keeping the ideal weight", and "having a healthy diet". Healthy diet (73.9%), physical activity (59.9%), and visiting a doctor regularly (45.7%) were the most frequently reported factors. Younger subjects and those with higher socioeconomic status were more likely to report physical activity and stress as important factors for health than their counterparts. The importance attributed to health-related factors changes markedly among population subgroups.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derrick C. McLean ◽  
Jeanne Nakamura ◽  
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Missing values are nearly inescapable within social science research. The problem of missing data is especially troubling in longitudinal and intensive longitudinal studies when participants miss an entire collection cycle compared to item nonresponse. The present study examines some of the contextual influences of missed study participation using unobtrusive measures of experience in conjunction with the experience sampling method (ESM). A sample of 66 participants generated 2,940 observations across a 7-day study, yielding a missing response rate of 34%. Multilevel binary logistic regression was used to estimate the probability of missing the study participation signal based upon study time and physical activity states. Results indicate that the probability of missing collection signals increases throughout the duration of the study and with high levels of physical activity. The strongest predictor of missed participation occurred when participants’ activity monitors were set to “asleep” mode. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future ESM studies are discussed.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e021858
Author(s):  
Yuko Ono ◽  
Koichi Tanigawa ◽  
Takeyasu Kakamu ◽  
Kazuaki Shinohara ◽  
Ken Iseki

ObjectiveClinical procedural experience and confidence are both important when performing complex medical procedures. Since out-of-hospital endotracheal intubation (ETI) is a complex intervention, we sought to clarify clinical ETI experience among prehospital rescuers as well as their confidence in performing ETI and confidence-associated factors.DesignPopulation-based cross-sectional study conducted from January to September 2017.SettingNorthern Japan, including eight prefectures.ParticipantsEmergency life-saving technicians (ELSTs) authorised to perform ETI.Outcome measuresAnnual ETI exposure and confidence in performing ETI, according to a five-point Likert scale. To determine factors associated with ETI confidence, differences between confident ELSTs (those scoring 4 or 5 on the Likert scale) and non-confident ELSTs were evaluated.ResultsQuestionnaires were sent to 149 fire departments (FDs); 140 agreed to participate. Among the 2821 ELSTs working at responding FDs, 2620 returned the questionnaire (response rate, 92.9%); complete data sets were available for 2567 ELSTs (complete response rate, 91.0%). Of those 2567 respondents, 95.7% performed two or fewer ETI annually; 46.6% reported lack of confidence in performing ETI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that years of clinical experience (adjusted OR (AOR) 1.09; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.13), annual ETI exposure (AOR 1.79; 95% CI 1.59 to 2.03) and the availability of ETI skill retention programmes including regular simulation training (AOR 1.31; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.68) and operating room training (AOR 1.44; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.83) were independently associated with confidence in performing ETI.ConclusionsETI is an uncommon event for most ELSTs, and nearly half of respondents did not have confidence in performing this procedure. Since confidence in ETI was independently associated with availability of regular simulation and operating room training, standardisation of ETI re-education that incorporates such methods may be useful for prehospital rescuers.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robbert J. J. Gobbens ◽  
Marcel A. L. M. van Assen

Frailty is a predictor of disability. A proper understanding of the contribution of individual indicators of frailty in the prediction of disability is a requisite for preventive interventions. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive power of the individual physical frailty indicators: gait speed, physical activity, hand grip strength, Body Mass Index (BMI), fatigue, and balance, for ADL and IADL disability. The sample consisted of 505 community-dwelling persons (≥75 years, response rate 35.1%). Respondents first participated between November 2007 and June 2008, and a subset of all respondents participated again one year later (N=264, 52.3% response rate). ADL and IADL disability were assessed by the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale. BMI was assessed by self-report, and the other physical frailty indicators were assessed with the TUG test (gait speed), the LAPAQ (physical activity), a hand grip strength test, the SFQ (fatigue), and the Four-test balance scale. All six physical frailty indicators were associated with ADL and IADL disability. After controlling for previous disability, sociodemographic characteristics, self-perceived lifestyle, and chronic diseases, only gait speed was predictive of both ADL and IADL disability, whereas there was a small effect of fatigue on IADL disability. Hence, these physical frailty indicators should be included in frailty assessment when predicting future disability.


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