Exploring the opportunities for food and drink purchasing and consumption by teenagers during their journeys between home and school:a feasibility study using a novel method

To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of using wearable cameras as a method to capture the opportunities for food and drink purchasing/consumption that young people encounter on their regular journeys to and from school. A qualitative study using multiple data-collection methods including wearable cameras, global positioning system units, individual interviews, food and drink purchase and consumption diaries completed by participants over four days, and an audit of food outlets located within an 800 m Euclidean buffer zone around each school.A community setting.Twenty-two students (fourteen girls and eight boys) aged 13-15 years recruited from four secondary schools in two counties of England.Wearable cameras offered a feasible and acceptable method for collecting food purchase and consumption data when used alongside traditional methods of data collection in a small number of teenagers. We found evidence of participants making deliberate choices about whether or not to purchase/consume food and drink on their journeys. These choices were influenced by priorities over money, friends, journey length, travel mode and ease of access to opportunities for purchase/consumption. Most food and drink items were purchased/consumed within an 800 m Euclidean buffer around school, with items commonly selected being high in energy, fat and sugar. Wearable camera images combined with interviews helped identify unreported items and misreporting errors.Wearable camera images prompt detailed discussion and generate contextually specific information which could offer new insights and understanding around eating behaviour patterns. The feasibility of scaling up the use of these methods requires further empirical work

A comparison of physical performance during one- and two-person simulated casualty drags

The ability to drag a casualty to safety is critical for numerous physically demanding occupations. This study aimed to establish whether the pulling forces during a one-person 55 kg simulated casualty drag is representative of a two-person 110 kg drag. Twenty men completed up to 12 × 20m simulated casualty drags using a drag bag (55/110 kg) on a grassed sports pitch, with completion times and forces exerted measured. Completion time for the one-person 55 and 110 kg drags were 9.56 ± 1.18s and 27.08 ± 7.71s. Completion time for the 110 kg two-person drags for forwards and backwards iterations were 8.36 ± 1.23s and 11.04 ± 1.11s. The average individual force exerted during the one-person 55 kg drag was equivalent to the average individual contribution during the two-person 110 kg drag (t  = 3.3780, p < 0.001); suggesting a one-person 55 kg simulated casualty drag is representative of the individual contribution to a two-person 110 kg simulated casualty drag. Individual contributions can however vary during two-person simulated casualty drags. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A job task analysis to describe the physical demands of specialist paramedic roles in the National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU)

BACKGROUND: The National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU) works on behalf of each National Health Service (NHS) Ambulance Trust in England to strengthen national resilience and improve patient outcome in challenging pre-hospital scenarios. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a Job Task Analysis and describe the physical demands of NARU roles. METHODS: A focus group was conducted to describe the physically demanding tasks performed by NARU personnel. Subsequently, the physical demands of the identified tasks were measured in 34 NARU personnel (29 male and 5 female). RESULTS: Eleven criterion tasks were identified; Swift Water Rescue (SWR), Re-board Inflatable Boat (RBIB), Set up Decontamination Tent (SDT), Clinical Decontamination (CD), Movement in Gas Tight Suits (MGTS), Marauding Terrorist Fire Arms (MTFA), Over Ground Rescue (OGR), Unload Incidence Response Unit Vehicle (UIRUV), Above Ground Rescue (AGR), Over Rubble Rescue (ORR) and Subterranean Rescue (SR). The greatest cardiovascular strain was measured during SWR, MGTS, and MTFA. The most thermally challenging tasks were the MTFA, CD, SR and OGR. The greatest muscular strength requirements were during MTFA and OGR. CONCLUSIONS: All five components of fitness (aerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance and mobility) were required for successful completion of the physically demanding tasks performed by NARU personnel

Breastfeeding practices and associations with pregnancy, maternal and infant characteristics in Australia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Exclusive breastfeeding to six months of age is a major global public health priority. Several characteristics are known to be associated with early cessation of breastfeeding, however, limited evidence exists regarding whether women’s reported reasons for cessation are associated with maternal, pregnancy and infant characteristics. The aims of this study were to: i) describe women’s reported intention to breastfeed and their subsequent breastfeeding practices; ii) describe women’s reported reasons for breastfeeding cessation prior to the infant being five months of age; and iii) examine associations between these factors and maternal, pregnancy and infant characteristics. Methods Telephone and online surveys were conducted between October 2019 and April 2020 with 536 women who had given birth in the previous eight to 21 weeks at four public maternity services in Australia. Results The majority of women intended to (94%), and did, initiate (95%) breastfeeding. At the time the survey was conducted, 57% of women were exclusively breastfeeding. Women who: had less than University level education, had a pre-pregnancy BMI in the overweight or obese category, and who smoked tobacco at the time of the survey had lower odds of exclusively breastfeeding. The most common self-reported reasons for breastfeeding cessation were breastfeeding challenges (47%) and low milk supply (40%). Women aged 26–35 years and 36 + years had greater odds of reporting breastfeeding cessation due to low milk supply (OR = 2.92, 95% CI: 1.11, 7.66; OR = 5.57, 95% CI: 1.70, 18.29) compared to women aged 18–25 years. While women who had completed a TAFE certificate or diploma had lower odds of reporting this as a reason for breastfeeding cessation (OR = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.73) compared to women who had University level education. There were no other significant associations found between characteristics and reasons for ceasing breastfeeding. Conclusions The most common reasons for breastfeeding cessation may be modifiable through the provision of breastfeeding support in the early postpartum period, with such support being tailored to women’s age and level of education. Such support should aim to increase women's self-efficacy in breastfeeding, and be provided from the antenatal period and throughout the first six months postpartum

Development of physical employment standards of specialist paramedic roles in the National Ambulance Resilience Unit (Naru)

Aim: To develop evidence-based role-specific physical employment standards and tests for National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU) specialist paramedics. Methods: Sixty-two (53 men, 9 women) paramedics performed an array of (1) realistic reconstructions of critical job-tasks (criterion job performance); (2) simplified, easily-replicable simulations of those reconstructions and; (3) fitness tests that are portable and/or practicable to administer with limited resources or specialist equipment. Pearson’s correlations and ordinary least products regression were used to assess relationships between tasks and tests. Performance on reconstructions, subject-matter expert and participant ratings were combined to derive minimum acceptable job performance levels, which were used to determine cut-scores on appropriate correlated simulations and tests. Results: The majority of performance times were highly correlated with their respective simulations (range of r: 0.73-0.90), with the exception of those replicating water rescue (r range: 0.28-0.47). Regression compatibility intervals provided three cut-scores for each job-task on an appropriate simulation and fitness test. Conclusion: This study provides a varied and easily-implementable physical capability assessment for NARU personnel, empirically linked to job performance, with flexible options depending on organisational requirements

Accuracy of Metabolic Cost Predictive Equations During Military Load Carriage

To quantify the accuracy of 5 equations to predict the metabolic cost of load carriage under ecologically valid military speed and load combinations. Thirty-nine male serving infantry soldiers completed thirteen 20-minute bouts of overground load carriage comprising 2 speeds (2.5 and 4.8 km·h21) and 6 carried equipment load combinations (25, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 kg), with 22 also completing a bout at 5.5 km·h21 carrying 40 kg. For each speed-load combination, the metabolic cost was measured using the Douglas bag technique and compared with the metabolic cost predicted from 5 equations; Givoni and Goldman, 1971 (GG), Pandolf et al. 1997 (PAN), Santee et al. 2001 (SAN), American College of Sports Medicine 2013 (ACSM), and the Minimum-Mechanics Model (MMM) by Ludlow and Weyand, 2017. Comparisons between measured and predicted metabolic cost were made using repeated-measures analysis of variance and limits of agreement. All predictive equations, except for PAN, underpredicted the metabolic cost for all speed-load combinations (p , 0.001). The PAN equation accurately predicted metabolic cost for 40 and 50 kg at 4.8 km·h21 (p.0.05), underpredicted metabolic cost for all 2.5 km·h21 speed-load combinations as well as 25 and 30 kg at 4.8 km·h21, and overpredicted metabolic cost for 60 and 70 kg at 4.8 km·h21 (p ,0.001). Most equations (GG, SAN, ACSM, and MMM) underpredicted metabolic cost while one (PAN) accurately predicted at moderate loads and speeds, but overpredicted or underpredicted at other speed-load combinations. Our findings indicate that caution should be applied when using these predictive equations to model military load carriage tasks

A Comparison of Role-Related Physical Fitness Between British Army Recruits and Trained Soldiers

PURPOSE: British Army basic training (BT) and initial trade training (ITT) enable personnel to develop role-related physical capability to perform their job-roles. The aim of this study was to compare the physical performance of separate cohorts of recruits in ITT (who had completed BT) and in-service soldiers, on a series of gym-based fitness tests and role-related representative military tasks (RMTs). METHODS: 316 British Army personnel [68 recruits (63 men, 5 women: 22 ± 3 years, 71.6 ± 8.4 kg, 174.3 ± 7.3 cm), 248 in-service (225 men, 23 women: 27 ± 6 years, 78.7 ± 12.7 kg, 175.9 ± 7.8 cm)] completed two sessions separated by minimum of 48 h. Session 1; body mass, stature and age and seven gym-based tests (2-km run, broad jump, seated medicine ball throw, hex bar deadlift, 100-m shuttle sprints, pull-ups, and isometric mid-thigh pull). Session 2; seven RMTs (load carriage [Stage 1: A = 4 km, 35-40 kg, 4.8 km.h-1, Stage 2: 2 km, 20-25 kg, both to individual timed best effort], tactical movement, water can carry, casualty drag, vertical lift, incremental lift, and repeated carry). Independent sample t-tests were employed with effect sizes reported as Cohen’s D to examine group differences. RESULTS: In-service soldiers were ≈5 years older (p<0.001, d = 1.022), heavier (p<0.001, d = 0.653), and scored higher on the broad jump (p = 0.024, d = 0.312) and seated medicine ball throw (p = 0.007, d = 0.370), but were slower on the 2-km run (p = 0.047, d = 0.282), load carriage (p = 0.019, d = 0.360), tactical movement (p = 0.001, d = 0.476) and casualty drag (p = 0.001, d = 0.656) compared to recruits. No other differences were observed between in-service soldiers and recruits. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates differences in gym-based fitness test and RMT performance between recruits and in-service soldiers. Recruits could perform the role-related RMTs, which suggests that BT provides a sufficient training stimulus. Military Impact: Performance on the gym-based tests and RMTs with the highest aerobic and anaerobic requirement were typically best performed by recruits, suggesting either BT effectively developed these components of fitness, or they decline through a soldier’s career. In contrast, the higher performance on broad jump and seated MBT for in-service soldiers compared to recruits indicate muscle power develops during a service career following BT and ITT. In future these findings could inform development and management of role-related physical fitness during BT, ITT and through career

Changes in Physical Performance during British Army Junior Entry, British Army Standard Entry, and Royal Air Force Basic Training

Introduction: To quantify changes in physical performance in men and women during British Army Junior Entry (Army-JE), Standard Entry (Army-SE), and Royal Air Force (RAF) Basic Training (BT). Design: Prospective longitudinal study. Methods: 381 participants [(339 men, 42 women) n=141 Army-JE; n=132 Army-SE; n=108 RAF] completed a 2-km Run, Medicine Ball Throw (MBT) and isometric Mid-Thigh Pull (MTP), pre- and post-BT. To examine changes in pre- to post- BT physical test performance, for each course, paired students t-tests, and Wilcoxon tests were applied to normally and non-normally distributed data respectively; with effect sizes reported as Cohen’s D and with rank biserial correlations, respectively. A one-way between-subjects ANOVA (or Welch ANOVA for non-normally distributed data) compared performance between quartiles based on test performance pre-BT. Where the main tests statistic, p value and effect sizes identified likely effect of quartile, post-hoc comparisons were made using Games-Howell tests with Tukey’s p value. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation, statistical significance set at p<0.05. Results: During BT, 2-km run time improved by 13±46 (-2.1±8.1%), 30±64 (-4.8±12.3%), and 24±27 s (-4.5±5.1%) for Army-JE, Army-SE, and RAF, respectively (all p<0.005). MBT distance increased by 0.27±0.28 m (6.8±7.0%) for Army-JE (p<0.001) and 0.07±0.46 m (2.3±10.9%) for Army-SE (p=0.040), but decreased by 0.08±0.27 m (-1.4±6.0%) for RAF (p=0.002). MTP force increased by 80±281 N (10.8±27.6%) for Army-JE (p<0.001) and did not change for Army-SE (-36±295 N, -0.7±20.6%, p=0.144) or RAF (-9±208 N, 1.0±17.0, p=0.603). For all tests and cohorts, participants in the lowest quartile of pre-BT performance scores demonstrated greater improvements, compared with participants in the highest quartile (except Army-JE MBT; ∆% change similar between all quartiles). Conclusions: Changes in physical performance were observed for the three fitness tests following the different BT courses, but recruits with the lowest strength and aerobic fitness experienced greatest improvements