Acheulean in the Rif Mountains: Bifaces and other stone tools from the open air sites of Ammorene I and Ammorene II

Dieses Paper fasst die Ergebnisse der Surveyfunde zusammen, die von 1998 bis 2007 von der Kommission für Archäologie Auβereuropäischer Kulturen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts und des Institut National des Sciences de l'Archéologie et du Patrimoine in Ammorene I und Ammorene II durchgeführt wurden. Die stark gestörten Fundstellen liegen in 8 km Entfernung zum Mittelmeer, in der Nähe von Nador. Sie verfügen über lithische Rohstoffquellen, die weniger als 3 km entfernt sind und von den Bewohnern beider Fundstätten genutzt wurden. Die lithische Analyse zeigt, dass über 50% der modifizierten Stücke, die von jeder Assemblage gesammelt wurden, proto-biface oder biface sind. Artefakte aus den Mittel- und Spätacheuléen sind an jeder Fundstelle vorhanden, obwohl die Assemblagen bei Ammorene II technisch-morphologisch etwas älter als die Lithologische Sammlung von Ammorene I zu sein scheint. Angesichts der begrenzten Anzahl solch reicher Fundstätten des unteren Paläolithikums in Nordafrika und der Tatsache, dass diese Fundstätten für den Nordosten Marokkos noch seltener sind, trägt die hier vorgestellte Forschung dazu bei, unsere Kenntnisse über das Paläolithikum des Maghreb zu vertiefen.This report summarizes the results of surface collections conducted from 1998 through 2007 by the Kommission für Archäologie Auβereuropäischer Kulturen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts and the Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine at Ammorene I and Ammorene II. The heavily disturbed sites are located within eight kilometers of the Mediterranean Sea, near Nador, and have lithic raw material sources located less than three kilometers away, which were utilized by the inhabitants at both sites. Lithic analysis reveals that over 50% of the modified pieces collected from each assemblage are proto-bifaces or bifaces. Middle and Late Acheulean artifacts are present at each site although, techno-morphologically, the assemblage at Ammorene II may slightly predate Ammorene I’s lithic collection. Given the limited number of such rich Lower Paleolithic sites in North Africa, coupled with the fact that these sites are even more of a rarity for northeastern Morocco, the research presented here aids in furthering our knowledge of the Maghrebian Paleolithic

Effects of worksite health promotion interventions on employee diets: a systematic review

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.Abstract Background Public health strategies place increasing emphasis on opportunities to promote healthy behaviours within the workplace setting. Previous research has suggested worksite health promotion programmes have positive effects on physical activity and weight loss, yet little is known regarding their effects on dietary behaviour. The aim of this review was to assess the effects of worksite interventions on employee diets. Methods Electronic databases (MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, EMBASE, LexisNexis) were searched for relevant articles published between 1995 and April 2009. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were peer-reviewed English language publications describing a worksite-based health promotion intervention with minimum study duration of eight weeks. All study designs were eligible. Studies had to report one or more diet-related outcome (energy, fat, fruit, or vegetable intakes). Methodological quality was assessed using a checklist that included randomisation methods, use of a control group, and study attrition rates. Results Sixteen studies were included in the review. Eight programmes focussed on employee education, and the remainder targeted change to the worksite environment, either alone or in combination with education. Study methodological quality was moderate. In general, worksite interventions led to positive changes in fruit, vegetable and total fat intake. However, reliance on self-reported methods of dietary assessment means there is a significant risk of bias. No study measured more robust outcomes such as absenteeism, productivity, or healthcare utilisation. Conclusions The findings of this review suggest that worksite health promotion programmes are associated with moderate improvement in dietary intake. The quality of studies to date has been frequently sub-optimal and further, well designed studies are needed in order to reliably determine effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Future programmes to improve employee dietary habits should move beyond individual education and aim to intervene at multiple levels of the worksite environment.Published versio

Is the propensity to emit alarm calls associated with health status?

This work was supported by the National Geographic Society, UCLA (Faculty Senate and the Division of Life Sciences), a RMBL research fellowship, and by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (IDBR-0754247, and DEB-1119660 and 1557130 to D.T.B., as well as DBI-0242960, 0731346, and 1226713 to the RMBL).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Downsizing: policy options to reduce portion sizes to help tackle obesity.

The worldwide prevalence of obesity and overweight has risen substantially over the past three decades with no country yet achieving a reduction.1 International and national ambitions to “end childhood obesity”2 and “reduce non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2025”3 are unmatched by policiesthat could realise them. The causes of obesity are complex but overconsumption of food and sugary drinksis a critical proximal determinant, driven in part by large portion sizes. The importance of developing interventions and policies to reduce the size, availability, and appeal of large portionsis underscored by the compelling evidence that people eat and drink more from larger portions

Weight Watchers on prescription: an observational study of weight change among adults referred to Weight Watchers by the NHS.

BACKGROUND: The scale of overweight and obesity in the UK places a considerable burden on the NHS. In some areas the NHS has formed partnerships with commercial companies to offer weight management services, but there has been little evaluation of these schemes.This study is an independent audit of the Weight Watchers NHS Referral scheme and evaluates the weight change of obese and overweight adults referred to Weight Watchers (WW) by the NHS. METHOD: Data was obtained from the WW NHS Referral Scheme database for 29,326 referral courses started after 2nd April 2007 and ending before 6th October 2009 [90% female; median age 49 years (IQR 38-61 years); median BMI 35.1 kg/m2 (IQR 31.8-39.5 kg/m2). Participants received vouchers (funded by the PCT following referral by a healthcare professional) to attend 12 WW meetings. Body weight was measured at WW meetings and relayed to the central database. RESULTS: Median weight change for all referrals was -2.8 kg [IQR -5.9--0.7 kg] representing -3.1% initial weight. 33% of all courses resulted in loss of ≥5% initial weight. 54% of courses were completed. Median weight change for those completing a first course was -5.4 kg [IQR -7.8--3.1 kg] or -5.6% of initial weight. 57% lost ≥5% initial weight. CONCLUSIONS: A third of all patients who were referred to WW through the WW NHS Referral Scheme and started a 12 session course achieved ≥5% weight loss, which is usually associated with clinical benefits. This is the largest audit of NHS referral to a commercial weight loss programme in the UK and results are comparable with other options for weight loss available through primary care.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Offering within-category food swaps to reduce energy density of food purchases: a study using an experimental online supermarket.

BACKGROUND: Swaps are often used to encourage healthier food choices, but there is little evidence of their effectiveness. The current study assessed the impact of offering swaps on groceries purchased within a bespoke online supermarket; specifically the objective was to measure the impact on energy density (ED) of food purchases following the offer of lower ED alternatives (a) at point of selection or at checkout, and (b) with or without explicit consent to receive swap prompts. METHOD: Participants were asked to complete a 12-item shopping task within an online shopping platform, developed for studying food purchasing. 1610 adults were randomly assigned to a no swap control condition or to one of four interventions: consented swaps at selection; consented swaps at checkout; imposed swaps at selection; or imposed swaps at checkout. Each swap presented two lower ED options from the same category as the participant's chosen food. Swap acceptance rate and purchased food ED were the primary outcomes. RESULTS: Of the mean 12.36 (SD 1.26) foods purchased, intervention participants were offered a mean of 4.1 (SD 1.68) swaps, with the potential to reduce the ED of purchased food (effect (95% CI): -83 kJ/100 g (-110 - -56), p = <0.0001). A median of one swap (IQR 0 to 2) was accepted, not significantly reducing the purchased food ED (effect (95% CI): -24 kJ/100 g (4 - -52), p = 0.094). More swaps were accepted when offered at selection than at checkout (OR (95% CI) = 1.224 (1.11 - 1.35), p < 0.0001), but no differences were seen with consent. Purchased food ED was unaffected by point of swap or consent, but reduced with number of swaps accepted (effect per swap (95% CI) = -24 kJ/100 g (-35 - -14), p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Within category swaps did not reduce the ED of food purchases reflecting the observation that the use of swaps within an on-line shopping platform offered small potential gains in ED and a minority was accepted.This work was funded by the Department of Health (England) Policy Research Program (Policy Research Unit in Behaviour and Health [PR-UN-0409-10109]).This is the final version. It was first published by BioMed Central at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12966-015-0241-

Impact of bottle size on in-home consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages: protocol for a feasibility and acceptability study.

BACKGROUND: Intake of free sugars in the population exceeds recommendations, with the largest source in the diet being sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). SSB consumption is linked to adverse health consequences and contributes to health inequalities, given greater consumption amongst the most deprived. One possible intervention is to reduce the available sizes of SSB packaging but there is an absence of evidence that this would reduce consumption. Based on evidence from studies targeting food consumption that people consume less when exposed to smaller package sizes, we hypothesise that presenting SSBs in smaller containers reduces consumption. We are planning a crossover randomised controlled trial to assess the impact of presenting a fixed volume of SSB in different bottle sizes on consumption at home. To reduce the uncertainties related to this trial, we propose a preliminary study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the recruitment, allocation, measurement, retention and intervention procedures. METHODS/DESIGN: Households which purchase at least 2 l of regular cola drinks per week and live in Cambridgeshire, UK will have a set amount of a cola SSB (based on their typical weekly purchasing of cola) delivered to their homes each week by the research team. This total amount of cola will be packaged into bottles of one of four sizes: (i) 1500 ml, (ii) 1000 ml, (iii) 500 ml or (iv) 250 ml. A crossover design will be used in which households will each receive all four of the week-long interventions (the four different bottle sizes) over time, randomised in their order of presentation. Approximately 100 eligible households will be approached to assess the proportion interested in actively participating in the study. Of those interested, 16 will be invited to continue participation. DISCUSSION: The findings will inform the procedures for a crossover randomised controlled trial assessing the impact of presenting a fixed volume of SSB in different bottle sizes on consumption at home. The findings from such a trial are expected to provide the best estimate to date of the effect of container size on beverage consumption and inform ongoing scientific and policy discussions about the effectiveness of this intervention at reducing population intake of free sugars in beverages. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN14964130.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from BioMed Central at http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40814-015-0037-8

Association of gestational diabetes with long‐term risk of premature mortality, and cardiovascular outcomes and risk factors: A retrospective cohort analysis in the UK Biobank

Aim: To investigate the association of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with premature mortality and cardiovascular (CVD) outcomes and risk factors. Materials and Methods: Parous women recruited to the UK Biobank cohort during 2006‐2010 were followed up from their first delivery until 31 October 2021. The data were linked to Hospital Episode Statistics and mortality registries. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models investigated associations of GDM with all‐cause mortality, CVD, diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia. Results: The maximum total analysis time at risk and under observation was 9 694 090 person‐years. Among 220 726 women, 1225 self‐reported or had a recorded diagnosis of GDM. After adjusting for confounders and behavioural factors, GDM was associated with increased risk for premature mortality [hazard ratio (HR): 1.44, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12‐1.86], particularly CVD‐related death (HR: 2.38, 95% CI: 1.63‐3.48), as well as incident total CVD (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.30‐1.74), non‐fatal CVD (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.20‐1.65), diabetes (HR: 14.37, 95% CI: 13.51‐15.27), hypertension (HR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.38‐1.60), and dyslipidaemia (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.22‐1.39). The total CVD risk was greater in women with GDM who did not later develop diabetes than in those with GDM and diabetes. Conclusions: Women with GDM are at increased risk of premature death and have increased CV risk, emphasizing the importance of interventions to prevent GDM. If GDM develops, the diagnosis represents an opportunity for future surveillance and intervention to reduce CVD risk factors, prevent CVD and improve long‐term health