College undergraduate students’ self-rating of their physical activity involvement over a 7-day period

Purpose: To establish the college undergraduate students’ self-rated physical activity involvement over a 7-day period. Methodology: The study utilized the survey method using the International Physical Activity Short Version of the Questionnaire (IPAQ). The purpose of the questionnaires is to provide a common instrument that can be used to obtain internationally comparable data on health-related physical activity. The study was undertaken at a medium sized campus in the South Western part of U.S.A., with respondents drawn from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Results: A total of 220 students responded to the questionnaire. Most of the respondents, 182 (82.73%) commuted to campus; most, 128 (58.18%) were aged between 21 and 30; and the majority, 137 (62.27%) were females, 9 (4.09%) were freshmen, 39 (17.73%) sophomores, 114 (51.82%) juniors and 58 (26.36%) senior undergraduate students. Regarding the frequency of engaging in vigorous physical activity, the study established that 75 (34.09%) students did it less than two times a week, with 19 (8.64%) of them reporting zero involvement, 107 (48.64%) did between 3 to 5 days and 38 (17.27%) did it almost daily ie. more than six times a week. Regarding participation in moderate physical activity, 89 (40.45%) reported only for less than two days with 13 (5.91%) indicating zero participation; 96 (43.64%) reported participation between 3 to 5 days; and 35 (15.91%) did for more than six days a week. Students were also asked to indicate the number of days they managed to walk for at least 10 minutes at a time, and 47 (21.36%) indicated less than two times with 19 (8.64%) indicating no time at all; 66 (30%) indicated 3 to 5 days and 107 (48.64%) indicated doing it more than six times a week. Conclusions: Overall, the majority of the respondents regularly engaged in walking, moderate and vigorous physical activity on most days of the week. One limitation of this study is the fact that the data was self-reported by the participants. Self-reporting could entail either under-reporting or exaggerating. Additionally, there is need to study a more diverse student population drawn from multiple institutions and where possible drawn from different states and countries

The extent of dietary supplements use by male rugby players in Kenya

Objective: Dietary or nutritional supplements are substances which act either nutritionally to reverse or prevent deficiency or pharmacologically, to alter some physiological processes. The purpose of the present study was to determine the extent of knowledge, consumption levels and identify factors or reasons that influenced the utilization of dietary supplements by male rugby players in Kenya. Methodology and results: The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The target population was 210 players from seven teams that participated in the Kenya Cup League. Simple random sampling was used to select 140 (67%) respondents out of the target population of 210. Percentages were used to describe the players’ knowledge levels. Generally, rugby players had moderate knowledge about the dietary supplements. This was rated at 44.9% for creatine monohydrate, antioxidants - 11.3%, multivitamins – 44.2%, glutamine – 14%, whey protein – 37.3% and Zinc Magnesium Aspartate (ZMA) -8.6%. The consumption levels (15.1% took and 53.8% never took) were low. Hypothesis testing confirmed that there was significant difference (p\u3c0.005) between the variables (age, academic qualification, occupation, experience and club affiliation) and the reasons for taking dietary supplements as well as the consumption patterns by the male rugby players Conclusion and application of findings: There were definitely low levels of use of dietary supplements among rugby players. The Kenya Rugby Football Union should organize clinics, courses and seminars for rugby coaches and teachers regarding dietary supplementation and its role in enhancing the nutritional status of the players. Further research should be conducted on the use of other dietary supplements and their effect on performance

Students\u27 perspectives on online and face-to-face components of a blended course design in Health and Kinesiology at a South Western Public University in the USA

Introduction: The current higher education environment in the United States of America (USA) and worldwide is focused on providing people an opportunity to access a quality education at a competitive price and one that is flexible enough to meet the needs of a diverse student demographic. It is therefore necessary for course delivery methods to accommodate these diverse needs without sacrificing rigor necessary for accreditation due to the diverse backgrounds, occupations, and time constraints of students in today’s environment Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the students’ perception of the online and face-to-face components of a blended course design at a South Western Public University in the USA. Methods and material: The sample of this study consisted of 200 students drawn from four different blended courses in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at a medium sized public university in South West of USA. A modified questionnaire from Sitter et al., (2009) with 19 questions was used to collect responses from students. The survey instrument employed a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree (5), to strongly disagree (1). Results: Majority of the students have a positive view of the blended learning including the online and face-to-face components. A consistent minority of the students expressed disagreement especially pertaining to technology-based communication, preferred mode of delivery, online discussion participation and grade scores. Discussion: Although the majority of students perceived blended learning and its components positively, there is need for instructors to address the communication, technology, and online learning facilitation challenges if all learners are to learn effectively. Conclusions and recommendations: It is clear that the majority of students are ready and have accepted blended learning course designs at this medium sized public university in south west of the United States of America and therefore there is room for expansion of the initiative to benefit more students

Students’ perspectives on online and face-to-face components of a blended course design in Health and Kinesiology at a South Western Public University in the USA

Introduction: The current higher education environment in the United States of America (USA) and worldwide is focused on providing people an opportunity to access a quality education at a competitive price and one that is flexible enough to meet the needs of a diverse student demographic. It is therefore necessary for course delivery methods to accommodate these diverse needs without sacrificing rigor necessary for accreditation due to the diverse backgrounds, occupations, and time constraints of students in today’s environmentPurpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the students’ perception of the online and face-to-face components of a blended course design at a South Western Public University in the USA.Methods and material: The sample of this study consisted of 200 students drawn from four different blended courses in the Department of health and Kinesiology at a medium sized public university in South West of USA. A modified questionnaire from Sitter et al., (2009) with 19 questions was used to collect responses from students. The survey instrument employed a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree (5), to strongly disagree (1). Results: Majority of the students have a positive view of the blended learning including the online and face-to-face components. A consistent minority of the students expressed disagreement especially pertaining to technology-based communication, preferred mode of delivery, online discussion participation and grade scores.Discussion: Although the majority of students perceived blended learning and its components positively, there is need for instructors to address the communication, technology, and online learning facilitation challenges if all learners are to learn effectively.Conclusions and recommendations: It is clear that the majority of students are ready and have accepted blended learning course designs at this medium sized public university in south west of the United States of America and therefore there is room for expansion of the initiative to benefit more students

Walkability in upper east Texas cities and implications for physical activity and health

Introduction: Physical activity is an important intervention strategy against the increasing cases of overweight and obesity in the USA and many other parts of the world. Walking has been identified as a component of physical activity that can easily be incorporated into one’s lifestyle. Recent studies on physical activity have focused on promoting walking as a health enhancing endeavor. Purpose: This study examined the walkability of the environments in 57 cities drawn from 22different counties in upper east Texas within the USA. Methods and materials: The data for all the 57 key cities in upper east Texas were collected from the Walkscore.com. Results: It was established that 13 (22.8%) of the cities had walkable scores below 24%; 26 (45.6%) had between 25 and 49; 13 (22.8%) between 51 and 69; 4 (7%) had between 70 and 89, and onlyone city had a score of 91. Discussion: The vast majority of cities (39, 68.42%) had walkable scores that show a high dependability on vehicle transport; with only 5 (8.8%) cities being rated as very walkable or a walker’s paradise. This reflects a high dependence on vehicles in the upper east Texas region and therefore minimal walking. Recommendations: There is need to actively pursue an agenda that promotes infrastructural investments that can bring about ease of walking and accessibility of community services at close range. Stakeholders need to collectively come together to generate interventions that can enhance the well-being of the residents in of upper east Texas

Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications

Introduction: Physical activity has become an important intervention against overweight and obesity cases in the USA and worldwide. One key aspect of physical activity is walking, which has been identified as a component that can easily be incorporated into one’s lifestyle. Recent studies on physical activity have focused on promoting walking as a health enhancing endeavor. In 2010, the proportion of Texas adults who reported no participation in leisure time activity (26.7%) was significantly higher than the national average (24.4%). However, many Texans, like most Americans, are sedentary. Purpose: This study examined the walkability of the environments in selected counties in east Texas including Wood, Van Zandt and Smith counties. Methods and material: The data was drawn from the Walkscore.com and was based on all the zip codes in the three counties in east Texas. The community capitals were used a framework for analysis. Results: Only three (8.82%) zip codes had walkable scores between 70 and 89; five (14.71%) had scores between 50 and 69; four (11.76%) between 25 and 49 and 22 (64.71%) had a score below 24. Discussion: The vast majority (26, 76.47%) of zip codes are highly dependent on vehicle transport. Conclusions and recommendations: Stakeholders need therefore to focus on causes for the minimal walkability so that practical interventions are generated to enhance the physical activity friendly infrastructure so as to enhance the well-being of the residents in these three east Texas counties

Ascaris lumbricoides Infection Following School-Based Deworming in Western Kenya: Assessing the Role of Pupils' School and Home Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Exposures.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) technologies and behaviors can prevent infection by soil-transmitted helminth species independently, but may also interact in complex ways. However, these interactions are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to characterize how school and home WaSH exposures were associated with Ascaris lumbricoides infection and to identify relevant interactions between separate WaSH technologies and behaviors. A study was conducted among 4,404 children attending 51 primary schools in western Kenya. We used multivariable mixed effects logistic regression to characterize how various WaSH exposures were associated with A. lumbricoides infection after annual school-based deworming. Few WaSH behaviors and technologies were independently associated with A. lumbricoides infection. However, by considering relevant interdependencies between variables, important associations were elucidated. The association between handwashing and A. lumbricoides depended largely upon the pupils' access to an improved water source. Among pupils who had access to improved water sources, A. lumbricoides prevalence was lower for those who handwashed both at school and home compared with neither place (odds ratio: 0.38, 95% confidence interval: 0.18-0.83; P = 0.01). This study contributes to a further understanding of the impact of WaSH on A. lumbricoides infection and shows the importance of accounting for interactions between WaSH technologies and behaviors

Crustal structure of active deformation zones in Africa: Implications for global crustal processes

The Cenozoic East African rift (EAR), Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL), and Atlas Mountains formed on the slow-moving African continent, which last experienced orogeny during the Pan-African. We synthesize primarily geophysical data to evaluate the role of magmatism in shaping Africa's crust. In young magmatic rift zones, melt and volatiles migrate from the asthenosphere to gas-rich magma reservoirs at the Moho, altering crustal composition and reducing strength. Within the southernmost Eastern rift, the crust comprises ~20% new magmatic material ponded in the lower crust sills, and intruded as sills and dikes at shallower depths. In the Main Ethiopian rift, intrusions comprise 30% of the crust below axial zones of dike-dominated extension. In the incipient rupture zones of the Afar rift, magma intrusions fed from crustal magma chambers beneath segment centers create new columns of mafic crust, as along slow-spreading ridges. Our comparisons suggest that transitional crust, including seaward-dipping sequences, is created as progressively smaller screens of continental crust are heated and weakened by magma intrusion into 15-20 km-thick crust. In the 30Ma-Recent CVL, which lacks a hotspot age-progression, extensional forces are small, inhibiting the creation and rise of magma into the crust. In the Atlas orogen, localized magmatism follows the strike of the Atlas Mountains from the Canary Islands hotspot towards the Alboran Sea. CVL and Atlas magmatism has had minimal impact on crustal structure. Our syntheses show that magma and volatiles are migrating from the asthenosphere through the plates, modifying rheology and contributing significantly to global carbon and water fluxes

Webuye Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems Baseline Survey of Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Intestinal Protozoa among Children up to Five Years

Background. The intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) are globally endemic, and they constitute the greatest cause of illness and disease worldwide. Transmission of IPIs occurs as a result of inadequate sanitation, inaccessibility to potable water, and poor living conditions. Objectives. To determine a baseline prevalence of IPIs among children of five years and below at Webuye Health and Demographic Surveillance (HDSS) area in western Kenya. Methods. Cross-sectional survey was used to collect data. Direct saline and formal-ether-sedimentation techniques were used to process the specimens. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as Chi-square statistics were used to analyze the data. Results. A prevalence of 52.3% (417/797) was obtained with the male child slightly more infected than the female (53.5% versus 51%), but this was not significant ( 2 = 0.482, > 0.05). Giardia lamblia and Entamoeba histolytica were the most common pathogenic IPIs with a prevalence of 26.1% (208/797) and 11.2% (89/797), respectively. Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) were less common with a prevalence of 4.8% (38/797), 3.8% (30/797), and 0.13% (1/797) for Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworms, and Trichuris trichiura, respectively. Conclusions. Giardia lamblia and E. histolytica were the most prevalent pathogenic intestinal protozoa, while STHs were less common. Community-based health promotion techniques are recommended for controlling these parasites

The Recognition of and Care Seeking Behaviour for Childhood Illness in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

Background: Pneumonia, diarrhoea, and malaria are among the leading causes of death in children. These deaths are largely preventable if appropriate care is sought early. This review aimed to determine the percentage of caregivers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with a child less than 5 years who were able to recognise illness in their child and subsequently sought care from different types of healthcare providers. Methods and Findings: We conducted a systematic literature review of studies that reported recognition of, and/or care seeking for episodes of diarrhoea, pneumonia or malaria in LMICs. The review is registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42011001654). Ninety-one studies met the inclusion criteria. Eighteen studies reported data on caregiver recognition of disease and seventy-seven studies on care seeking. The median sensitivity of recognition of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia was low (36.0%, 37.4%, and 45.8%, respectively). A median of 73.0% of caregivers sought care outside the home. Care seeking from community health workers (median: 5.4% for diarrhoea, 4.2% for pneumonia, and 1.3% for malaria) and the use of oral rehydration therapy (median: 34%) was low. Conclusions: Given the importance of this topic to child survival programmes there are few published studies. Recognition of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia by caregivers is generally poor and represents a key factor to address in attempts to improve health care utilisation. In addition, considering that oral rehydration therapy has been widely recommended for over forty years, its use remains disappointingly low. Similarly, the reported levels of care seeking from community health workers in the included studies are low even though global action plans to address these illnesses promote community case management. Giving greater priority to research on care seeking could provide crucial evidence to inform child mortality programmes