Sport development and physical activity promotion : an integrated model to encourage collaboration and enhance understanding

As inactivity and obesity levels continue to rise, calls are being made for sport development action to be further directed towards capitalising on the value of community participation for health and social benefits. This paper seeks to highlight a current disconnect between physical activity and sport management research, and identify opportunities for collaboration. To date, the sport management literature has predominantly focused on sport as a form of entertainment with spectatorship outcomes, where professional codes are a commonly used setting of research inquiry. There has been less focus on organisational issues related to participation in sport and recreation. This is identified as a gap, given the current push towards increasing focus on sport and recreation promotion for community wellbeing. The present paper sought to examine physical activity and sport management research, to identify commonalities and potential for integration and co-operation. The outcome of this review is a conceptual framework, integrating socio-ecological models, taken from physical activity research, and sport development concepts derived from sport management theory. The proposed conceptual framework seeks to provide sport management researchers with direction in their efforts to promote participation in sport, recreation and physically active leisure domains, particularly for community wellbeing purposes. Furthermore, such direction may also enhance the capacity of researchers to capitalise on opportunities for collaboration and integration across domains of inquiry

Identifying adaptation ‘on the ground’: Development of a UK adaptation inventory

Adaptation plays a crucial role in managing the unavoidable risks from climate change. The UK is considered to be at the forefront of national adaptation planning. However, the extent to which plans and programmes translate into tangible risk reducing action on the ground, as opposed to adaptive capacity building, remains less clear. Given that there is no formal database of adaptation action for the UK, despite the various needs of government to identify, assess and report on adaptation progress, including the UK national stocktake on adaptation under the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, this study outlines the development of an up-to-date and forward-looking UK Adaptation Inventory. The Inventory documents adaptation on the ground, based on national reporting to government by public and private sector organisations and a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature. The framework is centred on identifying and documenting current and planned adaptation; how it is being implemented in terms of the types of adaptation actions; and the sectors where adaptation is occurring and where gaps may remain. For the sub-set of sectors captured there is clear evidence of a wide range of cross-sectoral and sector-specific adaptation being implemented. In total, 360 examples were identified, over 80% of which have already been implemented. This comprises 134 different types of adaptation action, largely aimed at reducing vulnerability using engineered, built environment or technological mechanisms. Compared to the situation a decade earlier, this suggests that significant progress has occurred in the UK in terms of reporting and implementing adaptation, including adaptation by the private sector in climate sensitive sectors. At the broader level, the Inventory is a first step in providing a baseline assessment for the UK stocktake on adaptation; can help inform other organisations about adaptation options that are available; and provide case studies of actions in practice to help support decision-making

How is high quality research evidence used in everyday decisions about induction of labour between pregnant women and maternity care professionals? An exploratory study

Objective : To explore the use of high quality research evidence in women's and maternity care professionals’ decisions about induction of labour (IOL). Methods : a qualitative study underpinned by a social constructionist framework, using semi-structured interviews and generative thematic analysis. Setting : a large tertiary referral maternity unit in northern England in 2013/14. Participants : 22 randomly selected health care professionals involved in maternity care (midwives, obstetricians, maternity service managers), and 16 postnatal women, 3-8 weeks post-delivery, who were offered IOL in their most recent pregnancy. Findings : Three themes were identified in the data; (1) the value of different forms of knowledge, (2) accessing and sharing knowledge, and (3) constrained pathways and default choices. Findings echo other evidence in suggesting that women do not feel informed about IOL or that they have choices about the procedure. This study illuminates potential explanatory factors by considering the complex context within which IOL is discussed and offered (e.g. presentation of IOL as routine rather than a choice, care pathways that make declining IOL appear undesirable, blanket use of clinical guidelines without consideration of individual circumstances and preferences). Key conclusions : This study suggests that organisational, social, and professional factors conspire towards a culture where (a) IOL has become understood as a routine part of maternity care rather than an intervention to make an informed choice about, (b) several factors contribute to demotivate women and health care practitioners from seeking to understand the evidence base regarding induction, and (c) health care professionals can find themselves ill-equipped to discuss the relative risks and benefits of IOL and its alternatives. Implications for practice : It is important that IOL is recognised as an optional intervention and is not presented to women as a routine part of maternity care. When IOL is offered it should be accompanied by an evidence informed discussion about the options available to support informed decision making. Health care professionals should be supported to understand the evidence base and our findings suggest that any attempt to facilitate this needs to acknowledge and tackle complex organisational, social and professional influences that contribute to current care practices

Reflections on delivering place-based climate risk data in support of local adaptation decisions

Strengthening the adaptive capacity of the UK, via national plans and local-scale interventions, requires easy access to climate risk information and adaptation scenarios. Stakeholder engagement can ensure the right balance between top-down prescriptive modelling, and bottom-up, solution-focussed and lived experience approaches. National-scale, spatially-explicit, integrated climate risk frameworks can help inform the needs of localised climate risk assessments, but there are barriers to local actors accessing the information

Axial Length Distributions in Patients With Genetically Confirmed Inherited Retinal Diseases

PURPOSE: We investigated axial length (AL) distributions in inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), comparing them with reference cohorts. METHODS: AL measurements from IRD natural history study participants were included and compared with reference cohorts (TwinsUK, Raine Study Gen2-20, and published studies). Comparing with the Raine Study cohort, formal odds ratios (ORs) for AL ≥ 26 mm or AL ≤ 22 mm were derived for each IRD (Firth's logistic regression model, adjusted for age and sex). RESULTS: Measurements were available for 435 patients (median age, 19.5 years). Of 19 diseases, 10 had >10 participants: ABCA4 retinopathy; CNGB3- and CNGA3-associated achromatopsia; RPGR-associated disease; RPE65-associated disease; blue cone monochromacy (BCM); Bornholm eye disease (BED); TYR- and OCA2-associated oculocutaneous albinism; and GPR143-associated ocular albinism. Compared with the TwinsUK cohort (n = 322; median age, 65.1 years) and Raine Study cohort (n = 1335; median age, 19.9 years), AL distributions were wider in the IRD groups. Increased odds for longer ALs were observed for BCM, BED, RPGR, RPE65, OCA2, and TYR; increased odds for short AL were observed for RPE65, TYR, and GPR143. In subanalysis of RPGR-associated disease, longer average ALs occurred in cone–rod dystrophy (n = 5) than rod–cone dystrophy (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Several diseases showed increased odds for longer AL (highest OR with BCM); some showed increased odds for shorter AL (highest OR with GPR143). Patients with RPE65- and TYR-associated disease showed increased odds for longer and for shorter eyes. Albinism genes were associated with different effects on AL. These findings add to the phenotype of IRDs and may yield insights into mechanisms of refractive error development

Axial Length Distributions in Patients With Genetically Confirmed Inherited Retinal Diseases

PURPOSE: We investigated axial length (AL) distributions in inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), comparing them with reference cohorts. METHODS: AL measurements from IRD natural history study participants were included and compared with reference cohorts (TwinsUK, Raine Study Gen2-20, and published studies). Comparing with the Raine Study cohort, formal odds ratios (ORs) for AL ≥ 26 mm or AL ≤ 22 mm were derived for each IRD (Firth's logistic regression model, adjusted for age and sex). RESULTS: Measurements were available for 435 patients (median age, 19.5 years). Of 19 diseases, 10 had >10 participants: ABCA4 retinopathy; CNGB3- and CNGA3-associated achromatopsia; RPGR-associated disease; RPE65-associated disease; blue cone monochromacy (BCM); Bornholm eye disease (BED); TYR- and OCA2-associated oculocutaneous albinism; and GPR143-associated ocular albinism. Compared with the TwinsUK cohort (n = 322; median age, 65.1 years) and Raine Study cohort (n = 1335; median age, 19.9 years), AL distributions were wider in the IRD groups. Increased odds for longer ALs were observed for BCM, BED, RPGR, RPE65, OCA2, and TYR; increased odds for short AL were observed for RPE65, TYR, and GPR143. In subanalysis of RPGR-associated disease, longer average ALs occurred in cone–rod dystrophy (n = 5) than rod–cone dystrophy (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Several diseases showed increased odds for longer AL (highest OR with BCM); some showed increased odds for shorter AL (highest OR with GPR143). Patients with RPE65- and TYR-associated disease showed increased odds for longer and for shorter eyes. Albinism genes were associated with different effects on AL. These findings add to the phenotype of IRDs and may yield insights into mechanisms of refractive error development

Multiple pathways of SARS-CoV-2 nosocomial transmission uncovered by integrated genomic and epidemiological analyses during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

IntroductionThroughout the global COVID-19 pandemic, nosocomial transmission has represented a major concern for healthcare settings and has accounted for many infections diagnosed within hospitals. As restrictions ease and novel variants continue to spread, it is important to uncover the specific pathways by which nosocomial outbreaks occur to understand the most suitable transmission control strategies for the future.MethodsIn this investigation, SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences obtained from 694 healthcare workers and 1,181 patients were analyzed at a large acute NHS hospital in the UK between September 2020 and May 2021. These viral genomic data were combined with epidemiological data to uncover transmission routes within the hospital. We also investigated the effects of the introduction of the highly transmissible variant of concern (VOC), Alpha, over this period, as well as the effects of the national vaccination program on SARS-CoV-2 infection in the hospital.ResultsOur results show that infections of all variants within the hospital increased as community prevalence of Alpha increased, resulting in several outbreaks and super-spreader events. Nosocomial infections were enriched amongst older and more vulnerable patients more likely to be in hospital for longer periods but had no impact on disease severity. Infections appeared to be transmitted most regularly from patient to patient and from patients to HCWs. In contrast, infections from HCWs to patients appeared rare, highlighting the benefits of PPE in infection control. The introduction of the vaccine at this time also reduced infections amongst HCWs by over four-times.DiscussionThese analyses have highlighted the importance of control measures such as regular testing, rapid lateral flow testing alongside polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, isolation of positive patients in the emergency department (where possible), and physical distancing of patient beds on hospital wards to minimize nosocomial transmission of infectious diseases such as COVID-19

The effects of poverty on school education – research from the Poverty and Education Network

No abstract available

Beyond the pandemic – poverty and school education in Scotland

The introduction of Universal Credit and the effects of the economic crisis precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic, compounded by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have all contributed to a rise in the levels of poverty and child poverty in Scotland and the wider United Kingdom. The rise in child poverty will have an impact on an increasing number of children and young people and their effective engagement with school education. This article presents a series of research findings and insights by leading researchers from Scottish Universities on key themes in Scottish education that were highly relevant in the pre-Covid and pre-war era, themes that will continue to be highly relevant in the forthcoming years. The themes are: Education in Local Child Poverty Action Reports; Digital Poverty and Education; School Uniform; Challenges for music education in Scotland and Teacher preparation for educational inclusion