Psychological Capital Development in Street Children through Education at Child Protection & Welfare Bureau, Lahore

The present research study was aimed at exploring the Psychological Capital Development in Street Children through Education at Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, Lahore. Using quantitative method, a descriptive research design was employed. The street children living in Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, Lahore for five (2013-18) years were the population of the study. Conveniently, 60 children constituted the sample. The researchers developed the research instrument for data collection. The bilingual instrument was validated from the experts in the field of Psychology and English and Urdu language. The instrument was also piloted on another relevant sample to check its reliability. The study complied with the ethical considerations before and during the data collection. The researchers personally collected the data and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to enter and analyze. Data cleaning was performed and descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used once data normality was ensured. The key findings of the study revealed that education given in the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, Lahore was contributing in the psychological capital development of the street children. The findings have certain implications for the Bureau and the policy makers for the betterment of street children.&nbsp

Temporal changes in a novel metric of physical activity tracking (personal activity intelligence) and mortality: the HUNT study, Norway

Background: Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) is a novel activity metric that translates heart rate variations during exercise into a weekly score. Weekly PAI scores assessed at a single point in time were found to associate with lower risk of premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the general healthy population. However, to date, the associations between long-term longitudinal changes in weekly PAI scores and mortality have not been explored. Purpose: The aim of the present study was to prospectively examine the association between change in weekly PAI scores estimated 10 years apart, and risk of mortality from CVD and all-causes. Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of 11,870 men and 13,010 women without known CVD in Norway. By using data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), PAI was estimated twice, ten years apart (HUNT1 1984-86 and HUNT2 1995-97). Mortality was followed-up until December 31, 2015. Adjusted hazard ratios (AHR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for death from CVD and all-causes related to temporal changes in PAI were estimated using Cox regression analyses. Results: During a mean (SD) of 18 (4) years of follow-up, there were 4782 deaths, including 1560 deaths caused by CVD. Multi-adjusted analyses demonstrated that participants achieving a score of ≥100 PAI at both time points had 32% lower risk of CVD mortality (AHR 0.68; CI: 0.54–0.86) for CVD mortality and 20% lower risk of all-cause mortality (AHR 0.80; CI: 71–0.91) compared with participants obtainin

RESTRICTED ZONE OF SUPERPAVE MIX DESIGN AND ITS IMPACT ON RESILIENT MODULUS AND PERMANENT DEFORMATION

Back in 1993, Strategic Highway Research Program introduced new mix design method known as SUPERPAVE that is an acronym of Superior Performing Asphalt Pavement. Superpave caters filed performance of bituminous mixes and Superpave gradation chart includes 0.45 power line, restricted zone and control points. In Superpave, the gradation that compliance with the restricted zone was considered less rut resistant as compared to gradation passing outside the restricted zone. This study targets three types of gradations that passed above, below and through the restricted zone. The results show that the gradation passing through the restricted zone not only satisfy Superpave volumetric requirements but also performs better against rutting as compared to gradation passing outside the restricted zone. Resilient modulus (MR) measured through indirect tensile strength setup that defines the elastic properties of bituminous mix under repeated load test. Laboratory study was conducted to find factors that affect the gradation. Two-way factorial design was carried out by using Minitab-15 statistical software and the results reflected that the individual factor i.e. loads duration and temperature as well as interaction of factors has significant effect on the performance of HMA

Personalized Activity Intelligence (PAI) for prevention of cardiovascular disease and promotion of physical activity

Purpose To derive and validate a single metric of activity tracking that associates with lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. Methods We derived an algorithm, Personalized Activity Intelligence (PAI), using the HUNT Fitness Study (n\ua0= 4631), and validated it in the general HUNT population (n\ua0= 39,298) aged 20-74 years. The PAI was divided into three sex-specific groups (≤50, 51-99, and ≥100), and the inactive group (0 PAI) was used as the referent. Hazard ratios for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality were estimated using Cox proportional hazard regressions. Results After >1 million person-years of observations during a mean follow-up time of 26.2 (SD 5.9) years, there were 10,062 deaths, including 3867 deaths (2207 men and 1660 women) from cardiovascular disease. Men and women with a PAI level ≥100 had 17% (95% confidence interval [CI], 7%-27%) and 23% (95% CI, 4%-38%) reduced risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, respectively, compared with the inactive groups. Obtaining ≥100 PAI was associated with significantly lower risk for cardiovascular disease mortality in all prespecified age groups, and in participants with known cardiovascular disease risk factors (all P-trend

Results from the United Arab Emirates 2022 report card on physical activity for children and adolescents

Objective: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2022 Report Card provides a systematic evaluation of the physical activity (PA) levels of children and adolescents in the UAE. Methods: The 2022 Report Card utilized data from 2017 to 2021 to inform 10 core PA indicators that were common to the Global Matrix 4.0. Results: One in five (19%) UAE school children achieved the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous PA (i.e. ≥60 min/d; Total Physical Activity Grade F). Less than 1% of school children used active transport to and from school (Active Transportation Grade F). One in four (26%) secondary school children achieved the recreational screen time recommendations (i.e. ≤2 h/d; Sedentary Behaviours Grade D-). A quarter of adults reported achieving the recommended PA level (i.e. ≥150 min of moderate-intensity PA per week, or equivalent) (Family and Peers Grade D-). All school children are taught physical education (PE) by a specialist with at least a bachelor\u27s degree in PE; however, the duration of weekly PE classes varied between schools (School Grade A-). The UAE Government has invested significant funds and resources into developing and implementing strategies and facilities that will increase PA across the entire population (Government Grade B+). Organised Sport and Physical Activity, Active Play, Physical Fitness, and Community and Environment indicators were graded ‘Incomplete’ (INC) due to a lack of available data. Conclusions: Overall, PA levels remain low and sedentary behaviours remain high amongst UAE children and adolescents. The UAE Government has sustained investment in further developing PA opportunities for all children and adults which should translate to increased PA and health improvements at a population level

Temporal changes in personal activity intelligence and the risk of incident dementia and dementia related mortality: A prospective cohort study (HUNT)

Background: The Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) translates heart rate during daily activity into a weekly score. Obtaining a weekly PAI score ≥100 is associated with reduced risk of premature morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Here, we determined whether changes in PAI score are associated with changes in risk of incident dementia and dementia-related mortality. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 29,826 healthy individuals. Using data from the Trøndelag Health-Study (HUNT), PAI was estimated 10 years apart (HUNT1 1984-86 and HUNT2 1995-97). Adjusted hazard-ratios (aHR) and 95%-confidence intervals (CI) for incidence of and death from dementia were related to changes in PAI using Cox regression analyses. Findings: During a median follow-up time of 24.5 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 24.1-25.0) for dementia incidence and 23.6 years (IQR: 20.8-24.2) for dementia-related mortality, there were 1998 incident cases and 1033 dementia-related deaths. Individuals who increased their PAI score over time or maintained a high PAI score at both assessments had reduced risk of dementia incidence and dementia-related mortality. Compared with persistently inactive individuals (0 weekly PAI) at both time points, the aHRs for those with a PAI score ≥100 at both occasions were 0.75 (95% CI: 0.58-0.97) for incident dementia, and 0.62 (95% CI: 0.43-0.91) for dementia-related mortality. Using PAI score <100 at both assessments as the reference cohort, those who increased from <100 at HUNT1 to ≥100 at HUNT2 had aHR of 0.83 (95% CI: 0.72-0.96) for incident dementia, and gained 2.8 (95% CI: 1.3-4.2, P<0.0001) dementia-free years. For dementia-related mortality, the corresponding aHR was 0.74 (95% CI: 0.59-0.92) and years of life gained were 2.4 (95% CI: 1.0-3.8, P=0.001). Interpretation: Maintaining a high weekly PAI score and increases in PAI scores over time were associated with a reduced risk of incident dementia and dementia-related mortality. Our findings extend the scientific evidence regarding the protective role of PA for dementia prevention, and suggest that PAI may be a valuable tool in guiding research-based PA recommendations. Funding: The Norwegian Research Council, the Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.The Norwegian Research Council, the Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority and Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.publishedVersio

Even low level of physical activity is associated with reduced mortality among people with metabolic syndrome, a population based study (the HUNT 2 study, Norway)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Low levels of physical activity may increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of metabolic factors that are associated with the risk of premature death. It has been suggested that physical activity may reduce the impact of factors associated with metabolic syndrome, but it is not known whether physical activity may reduce mortality in people with metabolic syndrome.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a prospective study of 50,339 people, 13,449 had metabolic syndrome at baseline and were followed up for ten years to assess cause-specific mortality. The population was divided into two age groups: those younger than 65 years of age and those older than age 65. Information on their physical activity levels was collected at baseline.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Metabolic syndrome was associated with higher mortality from all causes (hazard ratio (HR) 1.35, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.20 to 1.52) and from cardiovascular causes (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.39 to 2.29) in people younger than 65 years old than among other populations. In older people, there was no overall association of metabolic syndrome with mortality. People with metabolic syndrome who reported high levels of physical activity at baseline were at a reduced risk of death from all causes compared to those who reported no physical activity, both in the younger age group (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.73) and in the older age group (HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.74).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Among people with metabolic syndrome, physical activity was associated with reduced mortality from all causes and from cardiovascular causes. Compared to inactivity, even low levels of physical activity were associated with reduced mortality.</p