Older Adults and Community-based Technological Literacy Programs: Barriers & Benefits to Learning

In this article, we briefl y review national statistics on older adults and computer usage —statistics that led us to volunteer to develop technological literacy programs for older adults at local community centers. Because we recognize that all literacies are developed and used by specifi c people in specifi c contexts, we describe the community centers where we volunteered, our roles as teachers and later as researchers, and the technological literacy curricula we developed and revised based on extensive input from participants. We discuss the barriers and benefi ts to older adults’ acquisition of technological literacies. We argue for the importance of building communities of practice based on relational support and interaction and for the importance of drawing from assets and needs existing within communities

Does Habitual Physical Activity Increase the Sensitivity of the Appetite Control System? A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: It has been proposed that habitual physical activity improves appetite control; however, the evidence has never been systematically reviewed. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether appetite control (e.g. subjective appetite, appetite-related peptides, food intake) differs according to levels of physical activity. DATA SOURCES: Medline, Embase and SPORTDiscus were searched for articles published between 1996 and 2015, using keywords pertaining to physical activity, appetite, food intake and appetite-related peptides. STUDY SELECTION: Articles were included if they involved healthy non-smoking adults (aged 18-64 years) participating in cross-sectional studies examining appetite control in active and inactive individuals; or before and after exercise training in previously inactive individuals. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS: Of 77 full-text articles assessed, 28 studies (14 cross-sectional; 14 exercise training) met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Appetite sensations and absolute energy intake did not differ consistently across studies. Active individuals had a greater ability to compensate for high-energy preloads through reductions in energy intake, in comparison with inactive controls. When physical activity level was graded across cross-sectional studies (low, medium, high, very high), a significant curvilinear effect on energy intake (z-scores) was observed. LIMITATIONS: Methodological issues existed concerning the small number of studies, lack of objective quantification of food intake, and various definitions used to define active and inactive individuals. CONCLUSION: Habitually active individuals showed improved compensation for the energy density of foods, but no consistent differences in appetite or absolute energy intake, in comparison with inactive individuals. This review supports a J-shaped relationship between physical activity level and energy intake. Further studies are required to confirm these findings. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42015019696

Prevention of child behavior problems through universal implementation of a group behavioral family intervention.

The aim of this mental health promotion initiative was to evaluate the effectiveness of a universally delivered group behavioral family intervention (BFI) in preventing behavior problems in children. This study investigates the transferability of an efficacious clinical program to a universal prevention intervention delivered through child and community health services targeting parents of preschoolers within a metropolitan health region. A quasiexperimental two-group (BFI, n=804 vs. Comparison group, n=806) longitudinal design followed preschool aged children and their parents over a 2-year period. BFI was associated with significant reductions in parent-reported levels of dysfunctional parenting and parent-reported levels of child behavior problems. Effect sizes on child behavior problems ranged from large (.83) to moderate (.47). Positive and significant effects were also observed in parent mental health, marital adjustment, and levels of child rearing conflict. Findings are discussed with respect to their implication for significant population reductions in child behavior problems as well as the pragmatic challenges for prevention science in encouraging both the evaluation and uptake of preventive initiatives in real world settings

Technology and feminism : a strange couple

The "gender digital divide" constitutes a prolific research program that compares the differences between women and men in access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Nevertheless, those using feminist socio-constructivist perspectives argue for the need to pay attention, not only to "access," but also to "design," in addition to considering social relations as something that is coded within technological artifacts. From this perspective, gender constitutes an integral part of technological production. This paper explores the co-constitution of gender and technology, considering a specific action-research experience. It is argued that the re-signification of gendered and technological codes drifts through: a) the opening of gendered and technological codes; b) the production of new cultural imaginaries that question hegemonic representations of gender; and c) the production of new subjectivities through the reorganization of socio-technical practices to develop performative acts that transform patriarchal relationsLa "brecha digital de género" constituye un prolífico programa de investigación que compara las diferencias entre mujeres y hombres en el acceso a las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación. Las perspectivas socio-constructivistas feministas, sin embargo, abogan por la necesidad de prestar atención no sólo al "acceso", sino también al "diseño", y consideran las relaciones sociales como elementos codificados en el interior los artefactos tecnológicos. Desde esta perspectiva, el género constituye una parte integral de la producción tecnológica. Este trabajo explora la constitución conjunta de género y tecnología a partir de una experiencia de investigación-acción específica. Se argumenta que la resignificación de los códigos de género y tecnológicos se desplaza a través de: a) la apertura de los códigos de género y tecnológicos; b) la producción de nuevos imaginarios culturales que cuestionan las representaciones hegemónicas de género; y c) la producción de nuevas subjetividades a través de la reorganización de las prácticas socio-técnicas para el desarrollo de actos performativos que transforman las relaciones patriarcales

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

The politics of popular culture in the composition classroom: Toward a pedagogy of resistance and transformation

This project falls within current cultural studies and composition frameworks which call for a critical pedagogy to help students understand the ways in which cultural texts play a role in their conceptions of race, class, gender, and self. A chronicle of theories of culture is included to show that changing concepts of text, culture, and subject call for the changing boundaries of what composition is, or can be. The pedagogical goal of this dissertation is to utilize the theories of Michel Foucault and materialist feminism to develop strategies for student critique and revision of popular texts in the composition classroom. The proposed heuristics are applied to advertising images for and about women, for despite the ways in which the image of women has advanced in other media, advertising continues to discipline women into roles as objects first, subjects second. Finally, this project addresses the possibilities and limitations of a media studies curriculum within composition by providing specific assignments, contexts, and audiences for student writing. Specific pedagogical strategies and curricula are necessary for ensuring that students maintain a sense of agency through the writing process and for providing forums in which students and teachers privilege dialogue over monologue. Ultimately, this project seeks to empower students through the redefinitions of text, culture, and selfhood, issues to be explored through the examination of popular texts within a social and political framework