scholarly journals Learning environments’ activity potential for preschoolers (LEAPP): study rationale and design

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Tucker ◽  
Leigh M. Vanderloo ◽  
Courtney Newnham-Kanas ◽  
Shauna M. Burke ◽  
Jennifer D. Irwin ◽  
...  

<em>Background</em>. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the study protocol for the Learning Environments’ Activity Potential for Preschoolers (LEAPP) study, the goal of which is to describe the activity levels of preschoolers attending various early learning venues and explore which attributes of these facilities (<em>e.g. curriculum</em>, policies, equipment, etc.) support activity participation.<br /><em>Design and Methods.</em> This cross-sectional study aimed to recruit approximately 30 early learning environments requesting participation from preschoolers aged 2.5-5 years. Data collection included: Actical accelerometers (MiniMitter, Oregon, USA) to measure the activity levels of children for five consecutive days (15-second epoch length) while in care; the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation tool to explore the early learning environment’s impact on activity; anthropometric data; the Child Temperament Questionnaire to assess the influence of preschoolers’ temperament on physical activity; and demographic information from parents/guardians and early learning staff. ANOVA and linear regression analyses will be conducted to assess variances in activity levels among preschoolers attending different early learning types and to explore the impact of early learning environments on their activity levels. Independent sample t-tests will be used to examine differences in activity levels based on sex and weight status.<br /><em>Expected impact of the study for public health</em>. This research will provide the first Canadian data to address environmental influences on preschoolers’ activity levels in differing early learning environments. Additionally, this work will highlight the extent to which activity levels vary among preschoolers enrolled in full-day kindergarten, centre-, and home-based childcare.<br />

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrien De Cocker ◽  
Charlene Ottevaere ◽  
Michael Sjöström ◽  
Luis A Moreno ◽  
Julia Wärnberg ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo describe self-reported physical activity (PA) patterns in the various domains (school, home, transport, leisure time) and intensity categories (walking, moderate PA, vigorous PA) in European adolescents. Furthermore, self-reported PA patterns were evaluated in relation to gender, age category, weight status category and socio-economic status (SES).DesignCross-sectional study.SettingTen European cities.SubjectsIn total, 3051 adolescents (47·6 % boys, mean age 14·8 (sd1·2) years) completed an adolescent-adapted version of the validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire.ResultsThe total sample reported most PA during leisure time (485 min/week) and least PA at home (140 min/week). Boys reported significantly more school-based PA (P< 0·001), leisure-time PA (P= 0·003), vigorous PA (P< 0·001) and total PA (P= 0·002) than girls, while girls reported more home-based PA (P< 0·001) and walking (P= 0·002) than boys. Self-reported PA at school (P< 0·001), moderate PA (P< 0·001), vigorous PA (P< 0·001) and total PA (P< 0·001) were significantly higher in younger age groups than in older groups. Groups based on weight status differed significantly only in leisure-time PA (P= 0·004) and total PA (P= 0·003), while groups based on SES differed in all PA domains and intensities except transport-related PA and total PA.ConclusionsThe total sample of adolescents reported different scores for the different PA domains and intensity categories. Furthermore, patterns were different according the adolescents’ gender, age, weight status and SES.


2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 971-976 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Tucker ◽  
Alana M. Maltby ◽  
Shauna M. Burke ◽  
Leigh M. Vanderloo ◽  
Jennifer D. Irwin

Establishing appropriate physical activity and sedentary behaviours during early childhood is important to ensure children accrue the many associated health benefits. While physical activity levels have been reported as low within early learning programs, little research has explored the physical activity and sedentary time of Canadian preschoolers classified as overweight within these facilities. The purpose of this study was to compare objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time among preschoolers classified as overweight and nonoverweight in early learning programs. Direct assessment of physical activity and sedentary time of 216 preschool-aged children was collected via Actical accelerometers during early learning hours, while body mass index percentile was calculated based on preschoolers’ objectively measured height and weight. Results of three 3-way ANOVAs suggest that rates of moderate to vigorous physical activity, total physical activity, and sedentary time (p > 0.05) did not significantly differ based on weight status, sex, and type of early learning facility. This study is one of few that has examined differences in overweight and nonoverweight preschoolers’ sedentary time, and adds to the limited research exploring physical activity levels among overweight and nonoverweight preschoolers during early learning hours. Given the high rates of sedentary time reported, programming within early learning facilities is necessary to support preschoolers, regardless of weight status, to achieve increased physical activity levels and decreased sedentary time.


Author(s):  
Adeline Bockler ◽  
Nina Ferrari ◽  
Clara Deibert ◽  
Anne Flöck ◽  
Waltraut M. Merz ◽  
...  

Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is beneficial for mother and child. Little is known regarding the effects of PA on specific adipokines/myokines and their impact during pregnancy. This study investigates the correlation between PA during late pregnancy, body composition, and maternal levels of leptin, IL-6, and TNF-α at delivery. In a cross-sectional study of 91 pregnant participants (mean age 33.9 ± 4.6 years) without gestational diabetes mellitus or preeclampsia, anthropometric data and blood samples were taken at delivery. PA during the third trimester was measured via the Pregnancy Physical Activity Questionnaire. Activities were ranked by intensity: sedentary (<1.5 metabolic equivalent (METs)), light (1.5–3.0 METs), moderate (3.0–6.0 METs), and vigorous activity (>6.0 METs). Leptin at delivery correlated positively with body composition and negatively with light PA intensity. Sedentary behaviour showed a positive correlation with IL-6 levels at delivery. Moderate activity during the last trimester, sedentary activity levels, and body composition had the greatest influence on maternal IL-6 at delivery. Completed weeks of pregnancy, moderate and light PA, and sedentary activity had the greatest influence on maternal TNF-α at delivery. PA during late pregnancy potentially affects circulating (adipo-)/myokines. Further studies are needed to examine causal relationships and the impact on maternal and new-born health.


VASA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 262-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian-Alexander Behrendt ◽  
Tilo Kölbel ◽  
Thea Schwaneberg ◽  
Holger Diener ◽  
Ralf Hohnhold ◽  
...  

Abstract. Background: Worldwide prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) is increasing and peripheral vascular intervention (PVI) has become the primary invasive treatment. There is evidence that multidisciplinary team decision-making (MTD) has an impact on in-hospital outcomes. This study aims to depict practice patterns and time changes regarding MTD of different medical specialties. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study design. 20,748 invasive, percutaneous PVI of PAD conducted in the metropolitan area of Hamburg (Germany) were consecutively collected between January 2004 and December 2014. Results: MTD prior to PVI was associated with lower odds of early unsuccessful termination of the procedures (Odds Ratio 0.662, p < 0.001). The proportion of MTD decreased over the study period (30.9 % until 2009 vs. 16.6 % from 2010, p < 0.001) while rates of critical limb-threatening ischemia (34.5 % vs. 42.1 %), patients´ age (70 vs. 72 years), PVI below-the-knee (BTK) (13.2 % vs. 22.4 %), and rates of severe TASC C/D lesions BTK (43.2 % vs. 54.2 %) increased (all p < 0.001). Utilization of MTD was different between medical specialties with lowest frequency in procedures performed by internists when compared to other medical specialties (7.1 % vs. 25.7 %, p < 0.001). Conclusions: MTD prior to PVI is associated with technical success of the procedure. Nonetheless, rates of MTD prior to PVI are decreasing during the study period. Future studies should address the impact of multidisciplinary vascular teams on long-term outcomes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanta Majer ◽  
Sandra Pyda ◽  
Jerzy Robert Ladny ◽  
Antonio Rodriguez-Nunez ◽  
Lukasz Szarpak

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave L Dixon ◽  
William L Baker

BACKGROUND The impact and quality of a faculty members publications is a key factor in promotion and tenure decisions and career advancement. Traditional measures, including citation counts and journal impact factor, have notable limitations. Since 2010, alternative metrics have been proposed as another means of assessing the impact and quality of scholarly work. The Altmetric Attention Score is an objective score frequently used to determine the immediate reach of a published work across the web, including news outlets, blogs, social media, and more. Several studies evaluating the correlation between the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations have found mixed results and may be discipline-specific. OBJECTIVE To determine the correlation between higher Altmetric Attention Scores and citation count for journal articles published in major pharmacy journals. METHODS This cross-sectional study evaluated articles from major pharmacy journals ranked in the top 10% according to the Altmetric Attention Score. Sources of attention that determined the Altmetric Attention Score were obtained, as well each articles open access status, article type, study design, and topic. Correlation between journal characteristics, including the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations, was assessed using the Spearman’s correlation test. A Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the Altmetric Attention Scores between journals. RESULTS Six major pharmacy journals were identified. A total of 1,376 articles were published in 2017 and 137 of these represented the top 10% with the highest Altmetric Attention Scores. The median Altmetric Attention Score was 19 (IQR 15-28). Twitter and Mendeley were the most common sources of attention. Over half (56.2%) of the articles were original investigations and 49.8% were either cross-sectional, qualitative, or cohort studies. No significant correlation was found between the Altmetric Attention Score and citation count (rs=0.07, P = 0.485). Mendeley was the only attention source that correlated with the number of citations (rs=0.486, P<0.001). The median Altmetric Attention Score varied widely between each journal (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The overall median Altmetric Attention score of 19 suggests articles published in major pharmacy journals are near the top 5% of all scientific output. However, we found no correlation between the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations for articles published in major pharmacy journals in the year 2017.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Agune Ashole Alto ◽  
Wanzahun Godana ◽  
Genet Gedamu

Background. Diarrheal diseases are still one of the major causes of morbidity in under-five children in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ethiopia, diarrhea is responsible for 9% of all deaths and is the major cause of under-five mortality. Objective. To assess the impact of community-led total sanitation and hygiene on the prevalence of diarrheal disease and factors associated among under-five children in Gamo Gofa Zone. Methods. Community-based comparative cross-sectional study design was used to compare the impact of community-led total sanitation and hygiene intervention on under-five diarrheal disease. Multistage sampling method was employed. The data were collected by using pretested structured questionnaires. Data quality was ensured by daily supervision completeness and consistency. The data were coded, entered, and cleaned by using Epi Info version 7 and were analyzed by using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were carried out by using binary logistic regression. Significance was declared by using p value of <0.05 and AOR with 95% confidence intervals. Results. The response rate of this study was 93.3%. The overall diarrhea prevalence was 27.5% (CI = (24.06, 30.97)) which was 18.9% (CI = (14.94, 23.2)) in implemented and 36.2%. (CI = (30.41, 41.59)) in nonimplemented woredas. Children whose age was between 12 and 23 months (AOR = 1.6) and greater than 24 months (AOR = 5), availability of handwashing facilities (AOR = 4), disposal of waste in open field (AOR = 9.7), unimproved source of drinking water (AOR = 6.5), using only water for handwashing (AOR = 6), children who started complementary feeding less than 6 months (AOR = 5.6) and greater than 6 months (AOR = 5.2), and utensils used to feed children such as bottle (AOR = 3.9) were the factors positively associated with diarrhea. Conclusion. The overall prevalence of under-five diarrhea was 27.5%. The prevalence was low in CLTSH woredas as compared with non-CLTSH woredas. The study showed that handwashing facility, using only water for handwashing, open refuse disposal, and unimproved source of drinking water among under-five had a statistically significant association with diarrhea occurrence in CLTSH nonimplemented areas. Integrated efforts are needed from the Ministry of Health together with the WASH Project in improving drinking water, handwashing facilities, and solid waste disposal practices.


Physiotherapy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 346-353
Author(s):  
Laura M. Mackey ◽  
Catherine Blake ◽  
Maire-Brid Casey ◽  
Camillus K. Power ◽  
Ray Victory ◽  
...  

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (15) ◽  
pp. 4556
Author(s):  
Anuradha Iddagoda ◽  
Eglantina Hysa ◽  
Helena Bulińska-Stangrecka ◽  
Otilia Manta

Some of the frequently used buzz words in the corporate sector include green leadership, green human resource management, green employee engagement and green work-life balance. The intention of this article is to identify and examine the logical reasons that govern “green work-life balance” or, in simple terms, “greenwashing” work-life balance. The paper also aims at providing a comprehensive conceptualization of work-life balance, while thoroughly examining the components of measuring the construct. Based on a cross-sectional study in the banking industry with a sample of 170 managerial employees, this study analyzes the impact of work-life balance on employee job performance mediated by employee engagement. Results support the assumed relationship between work-life balance and employee job performance embedded in employee engagement. The theoretical contribution of this study concerns the application of role behavior theory to describe the mechanisms shaping the relationship between work-life balance and job performance through employee engagement. The practical implications of the paper include recommendations for improving job performance by enhancing the work-life balance and strengthening employee engagement.


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