Fostering Narrative Post-writing through Authentic Designed Learning Objects

One of the challenges language teachers face is how to engage learners to empower their writing skills. Teacher’s feedback is a key feature when developing writing, but it seems not to be effective when learners remain having the same difficulties. It is imperative to examine pedagogical actions for motivating and tackling learners post writing difficulties. This action research study states a new alternative in which students autonomously learn and experience strategies to become better writers. The analysis focused on the influence that the process writing approach, focalized on the monitoring strategy of the post-writing stages, and the implementation of authentic designed learning objects (LOs) had on young adult learners’ short narrative compositions. Outcomes indicate that students improved their writing since the tasks responded to their cognitive and affective profiles. Findings also suggested that the PRWRITE LOs clearly guided learners in the developmental process of writing. Students perceived those technological tools as interesting, applicable and motivating for their learning. This pedagogical experience promotes the design of innovative tools based on learners’ needs and goals, which motivate and engage them in an improving process

A qualitative study of older adults' perspectives on initiating exercise and mindfulness practice.

BackgroundMindfulness practice and exercise are ways by which older adults can improve and maintain their physical, emotional and cognitive health.MethodsThis single-site qualitative study gathered insights of older adults' perceptions about initiating and maintaining mindfulness and exercise practices. We carried out focus groups with 41 adults aged 65-85 who had recently initiated Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), structured exercise, or their combination as part of participation in a clinical trial. We used a semi-structured interview to ask them open-ended questions regarding the benefits, barriers and facilitators of participating in mindfulness and/or exercise interventions. The interview also included questions regarding translation of these practices into community settings as well as the long-term maintenance potential of these practices.ResultsOlder adults indicated that the mindfulness training increased their awareness and self-reflection and fostered a more self-accepting attitude. Furthermore, they improved their self-care habits and reported having better familial and social relationships. The main barrier for both the exercise and Mindfulness group was time management. The social benefits and sense of community were some of the primary motivators for older adults in the exercise and/or MBSR interventions. However, the research on how to motivate older adults to initiate healthy behavioral changes also needs to be answered. The benefits of exercise and MBSR are a motivation in and of themselves, as indicated by some of the participants.ConclusionsThis study indicates that mindfulness training and exercise can serve as tools to cultivate important health lifestyle qualities among older adults, who are in the midst of mental, social, emotional and physical change. If it were not for the purpose of the research or the incentives provided by the research team, these older adults may have never started the healthy behavioral changes. From the responses, this may indicate that older adults may need more incentives to begin and maintain behavioral changes other than for their own health benefit

Association between the perceived environment and physical activity among adults in Latin America: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Activity friendly environments have been identified as promising strategies to increase physical activity levels in the population. Associations between perceived environmental attributes and physical activity in Latin America may vary from those observed in high income countries. The objective of this systematic review is to identify which perceived environmental attributes are associated with physical activity in Latin America. METHODS: Systematic literature search of articles published in English, Portuguese, and Spanish in four databases was conducted (PubMed, Virtual Health Library, EBSCO, and Web of Science). Associations with environmental attributes were analyzed separately for physical activity domains. Fifteen articles were included in the analysis. RESULTS: All studies had cross-sectional designs. The majority of associations were statistically non-significant, and only four associations were found in the unexpected direction. Leisure-time and transport-related physical activity were the domains most frequently included in the studies and had higher number of associations in the expected direction. Leisure-time physical activity showed a convincing association in the expected direction with safety during the day. Transport-related physical activity had a convincing association with presence of street lighting. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that perceived environmental attributes and their relationship with physical activity appears to be domain, and context specific. In addition, findings from this study show inconsistencies with the information gathered from high-income countries

Maternal and familial correlates of anthropometric typologies in the nutrition transition of Colombia, 2000–2010

Q2Q1Objective: We aimed to assess the maternal and family determinants of four anthropometric typologies at the household level in Colombia for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010. Design: We classified children <5 years old according to height-for-age Z-score (2) to assess stunting and overweight/obesity, respectively; mothers were categorized according to BMI to assess underweight (<18·5 kg/m2 ) and overweight/obesity (≥25·0 kg/m2 ). At the household level, we established four final anthropometric typologies: normal, underweight, overweight and dual-burden households. Separate polytomous logistic regression models for each of the surveyed years were developed to examine several maternal and familial determinants of the different anthropometric typologies. Setting: National and sub-regional (urban and rural) representative samples from Colombia, South America. Subjects: Drawing on data from three waves of Colombia’s Demographic and Health Survey/Encuesta Nacional de Salud (DHS/ENDS), we examined individual and household information from mothers (18–49 years) and their children (birth– 5 years). Results: Higher parity was associated with an increased likelihood of overweight and dual burden. Higher levels of maternal education were correlated with lower prevalence of overweight, underweight and dual burden of malnutrition in all data collection waves. In 2010, participation in nutrition programmes for children <5 years, being an indigenous household, food purchase decisions by the mother and food security classification were also associated with the four anthropometric typologies. Conclusions: Results suggest that maternal and family correlates of certain anthropometric typologies at the household level may be used to better frame policies aimed at improving social conditions and nutrition outcomes.Revista Internacional - Indexad

Local collaborations for physical activity promotion: a network analysis.

This study aims to describe a local network for physical activity promotion and identify factors associated to collaboration or partnership ties between its actors. The study was carried out in a district of São Paulo, Brazil. Thirty-two actors responsible for policies, programs, and initiatives to promote physical activity within the district were interviewed from June to December 2012. Interviews included information about the actors' attributes and their relationships with the other actors. Network analysis techniques were used to describe and analyze the structure of the network. Thirty-two actors maintained 179 relationships among themselves (density = 0.18), of which 46% were reciprocal. Four in 10 relationships did not extend beyond information exchange. Forty-six relationships were classified as collaborations or partnerships (density = 0.09), of which 40% were concentrated on one actor of the public sector. To perceive institutional structure and bureaucracy as limiting factors to networking has been positively associated with new collaboration or partnership ties (OR = 2.37; 95%CI: 1.2-5.50). Understanding the structure of the network may empower the actors and foster self-management, facilitating the identification and decision, in a collaborative way, in which new relationships may have greater impact in the physical activity promotion within the district

Advertising of ultra-processed foods and beverages: children as a vulnerable population

La rápida transición nutricional en América Latina tiene como resultado el aumento pronunciado de sobrepeso y obesidad en los niños. Evidencia reciente muestra que la publicidad de comidas y bebidas ejerce gran influencia en las preferencias alimenticias de los niños. Esta población se torna centro de atención para la industria de alimentos ultra procesados y bebidas, productos comercializados agresivamente. En los países de América Latina, sólo existen reglamentos ineficientes para la publicidad de bebidas y alimentos ultra procesados, y el discurso de auto regulación prevalece sobre los reglamentos legales. Este comentario explora el importante papel de la publicidad en el desarrollo de patrones de dietas no saludables y en la obesidad de niños en América Latina, así como la necesidad de acción gubernamental y participación social en la resolución de este problema de salud pública.A rápida transição nutricional na América Latina tem como resultado o aumento pronunciado de sobrepeso e obesidade nas crianças. Evidência recente mostra que a publicidade de comidas e bebidas tem grande influência nas preferências alimentares das crianças. Essa população torna-se alvo da indústria de alimentos ultraprocessados e bebidas, produtos comercializados agressivamente. Nos países da América Latina, só existem regulamentos ineficientes para a publicidade de bebidas e alimentos ultraprocessados, e o discurso de auto-regulação prevalece sobre os regulamentos legais. Este comentário explora o papel importante da publicidade no desenvolvimento de padrões de dietas não saudáveis e na obesidade das crianças na América Latina, bem como a necessidade de ação governamental e participação social na resolução desse problema de saúde pública.The rapid nutrition transition occurring in Latin America has resulted in a sharp increase of childhood overweight and obesity. Recent evidence has shown that food and beverage advertising has a great influence on children’s eating behavior. This population has become a key target market for the ultra-processed foods and beverages industry, which is marketing products in an aggressive way. Evidence shows that Latin American countries have poor regulation of ultra-processed foods and beverages advertising, where the discourse of self-regulation still prevails over statutory regulations. The following commentary explores how advertising might play an important role in developing unhealthy dietary patterns and obesity in Latin American children, as well as the urgent need for government action and the involvement of civil society to tackle this public health issue

A qualitative study of older adults\u27 perspectives on initiating exercise and mindfulness practice

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness practice and exercise are ways by which older adults can improve and maintain their physical, emotional and cognitive health. METHODS: This single-site qualitative study gathered insights of older adults\u27 perceptions about initiating and maintaining mindfulness and exercise practices. We carried out focus groups with 41 adults aged 65-85 who had recently initiated Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), structured exercise, or their combination as part of participation in a clinical trial. We used a semi-structured interview to ask them open-ended questions regarding the benefits, barriers and facilitators of participating in mindfulness and/or exercise interventions. The interview also included questions regarding translation of these practices into community settings as well as the long-term maintenance potential of these practices. RESULTS: Older adults indicated that the mindfulness training increased their awareness and self-reflection and fostered a more self-accepting attitude. Furthermore, they improved their self-care habits and reported having better familial and social relationships. The main barrier for both the exercise and Mindfulness group was time management. The social benefits and sense of community were some of the primary motivators for older adults in the exercise and/or MBSR interventions. However, the research on how to motivate older adults to initiate healthy behavioral changes also needs to be answered. The benefits of exercise and MBSR are a motivation in and of themselves, as indicated by some of the participants. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that mindfulness training and exercise can serve as tools to cultivate important health lifestyle qualities among older adults, who are in the midst of mental, social, emotional and physical change. If it were not for the purpose of the research or the incentives provided by the research team, these older adults may have never started the healthy behavioral changes. From the responses, this may indicate that older adults may need more incentives to begin and maintain behavioral changes other than for their own health benefit

The relevance of urban environments and physical activity in older adults for Latin-America

En América Latina el proceso de envejecimiento se ha caracterizado por su acelerado ritmo y ha estado acompañado, además, de crecientes procesos de urbanización y globalización, que han sido asociados con un incremento significativo de la inactividad física, la cual contribuye al desarrollo de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles que representan la principal causa de muerte en la región. Recientemente, se ha enfatizado la influencia que tienen en la actividad física las políticas públicas dirigidas a generar intervenciones en diversos atributos de los ambientes urbanos; evidencia que esta soportada principalmente, por estudios llevados a cabo en Estados Unidos y Australia. Sin embargo este tópico ha sido muy poco estudiado en ciudades Latinoaméricanas, las cuales presentan particularidades en sus procesos de envejecimiento y desarrollo urbano. Ciudades como Curitiba y Bogotá han llevado a cabo cambios urbanos significativos que pueden estar vinculados con la actividad física y calidad de vida de las personas, especialmente de los adultos mayores. Dadas las particularidades del desarrollo urbano en América Latina, se concluye acerca de la necesidad de llevar a cabo estudios multidisciplinarios que permitan entender de mejor manera los vínculos entre ambientes urbanos y actividad física en adultos mayores.Aging in Latin-America has been characterised by its rapid pace which, in turn, has been accompanied by growing urbanisation and globalisation. These processes have been linked to the prevalence of physical inactivity thereby contributing to the appearance of chronic diseases, these being the primary cause of mortality in the region. The influence of public urban environment intervention policy on physical activity has been emphasised recently. This evidence comes mainly from studies conducted in the USA and Australia. However, this topic has scarcely been studied in Latin-America which has particular characteristics regarding aging and urban development. Cities, such as Curitiba and Bogota, have undergone significant urban changes which may be linked to physical activity and the quality of life, especially in older adults. Considering the particularities of urban development in Latin-America, it is thus concluded that multidisciplinary studies should be carried out thereby leading to better understanding of the links between urban environments and physical activity in older adults

Scoping review of studies on food marketing in Latin America: Summary of existing evidence and research gaps

OBJECTIVE: To document the evidence about marketing of ultra-processed foods and “non-alcoholic” beverages in Latin America. METHODS: We performed a structured search of quantitative and qualitative studies in PubMed, SciELO and LILACS, published between January 2000 and May 2017 and conducted in Latin America. We conducted a quality assessment following a standardized tool and a thematic analysis to identify key typologies of marketing across studies RESULTS: Out of 521 studies screened by title and abstract, we included 36 in this review; 27 of them analyzed television advertisement. Other marketing channels studied were food packaging, point of sale and outdoor advertisement. Studies found television advertises foods and beverages that are mostly ultraprocessed foods and have low nutritional value, particularly those promoted during children’s programming. We also observed children have a literal interpretation of images printed on food packaging, so this can be deceiving. Several studies also found proximity to unhealthy foods may increase their consumption. Finally, the thematic analysis identified the following typologies of food marketing: a) television advertisement, b) food packaging marketing, c) marketing strategies at points of sale and d) other marketing strategies. We found almost no advertisements for unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as fruits and vegetables. We did not find any studies on digital marketing conducted in the region. CONCLUSIONS: This review found that the main channel of food marketing was television advertising. This synthesis provides insights to the challenges unhealthy eating represents to the public health of Latin America and identifies knowledge gaps to guide future research