Effectiveness of E-mail Support to Increase Physical Activity Within the Workplace

A brief intervention was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a walking based intervention to motivate Curtin university staff to be more active. Thirty staff participated in a blind trial with half the participants randomly allocated to the control group (given pedometers to record their normal daily steps) and intervention group (given pedometers and additional email motivation to increase their daily step count).It was found that University staff physical activity levels (7,605 mean steps per day) were significantly lower than physical activity levels of the general population in Western Australia (9,695 mean steps per day). This is of concern as it places University staff at higher risk of mortality and morbidity from chronic diseases.Regular motivational emails were found to be useful in encouraging staff to be more active as staff liked the social support, sense of belonging and encouragement. Group 1 (email motivation) increased their mean steps significantly from 7,578 in Week 1 to 9,128 in Week 2 while the control group did not change.Many workplaces have staff with sedentary jobs that could be targeted by similar flexible physical activity interventions

Twenty Years of Workplace Health Promotion

Curtin University has been actively advocating a healthy lifestyle in the workplace to increase productivity, creativity, health and happiness for 20 years. The Curtin Healthy Lifestyle Program was initially established based on a community development approach.University staff are assisted to reduce their level of stress by promoting a healthy lifestyle and changing the work culture to one where staff are valued. Staff are encouraged to balance work, study and family life by taking work breaks, attend healthy activities during work time, be involved with campus life, network with other staff, develop hobbies, fit physical activity into their day (even involving their families in healthy activities) and generally make time to care for their health.The program focuses on intersectoral collaboration amongst various departments, areas and individuals. Staff and students are encouraged to become involved, to form supportive groups, to increase the number of healthy opportunities available and to find solutions to health related problems on campus.This paper reviews the range of activities offered at the University as part of the program, and outlines environmental and policy changes undertaken to develop a supportive environment in the workplace and the development of a "Health Promoting University"

Tackling Obesity via Workplace Health Promotion

The Curtin University Healthy Lifestyle Program is a worksite health promotion program that has been advocating a healthy supportive environment by encouraging healthy behaviours for 20 years. A multifaceted approach has been used with an Accredited Practising Dietitian available for one-to-one dietary consults with staff and an email newsletter "Eat for Life" distributed to staff which focused on healthy lifestyle changes such as choosing healthy food more often and increasing physical activity, and environmental changes to make healthy choices easier on campus. The staff restaurant and student guild catering outlets agreed to modify their menus, based on recommendations made by staff and students in the Nutrition Program and provided more healthy food choices.In 2003 a weekly weightloss support group was introduced. Lunchtime seminars attracted interest in the group while also raising awareness of the need to eat healthy food and increase physical activity especially walking. Participants liked the group sessions as they "kept you on track","learnt from other's tips and pitfalls" and gained extra support from other staff at work and the Curtin Healthy Lifestyle Program. Two star participants lost 20kg each over a year via their new healthier lifestyle

Factors associated with the introduction of prelacteal feeds in Nepal: findings from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2011

Background: A prelacteal feed is any food except mother’s milk provided to a newborn before initiating breastfeeding. Prelacteal feeding is a major barrier to exclusive breastfeeding. It is a prevalent practice in Nepal. Little is known about the factors associated with providing prelacteal feeds to the Nepalese newborn. This study explored the factors associated with providing prelacteal feeds to children under three years in Nepal using the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2011. Methods: This study utilised the NDHS 2011 child dataset which is a nationally representative study. The rates of providing prelacteal feeds were reported as a proportion. Complex Sample Analysis method was used to account for the cluster design and sample weight of the study. Chi-square tests and multiple logistic regression were used to analyse the factors associated with providing prelacteal feeds.Results: A sample of 3948 mothers were included in the study. A total of 841 [26.5% (95% CI: 23.1%–30.3%)] weighted proportion) of mothers reported of providing prelacteal feeds to their newborn infants. Plain water (n = 75), sugar/glucose (n = 35), gripe water (n = 3), sugar/salt solution (n = 3), fruit juice (n = 3), infant formula (n = 96), tea (n = 3) and other milk other than breast milk (n = 556) were some of the types of prelacteal feeds reported. The multiple regression analysis showed that the mothers who had no education, were not working, were from the middle wealth quintile, who had not attended four antenatal care visits, were first time mothers and who were from the Terai/Plain region were more likely to provide prelacteal feeds. Conclusions: Given that one in four infants were provided with prelacteal feeds, there is a need to implement breastfeeding promotion programs to increase the practice of exclusive breastfeeding and reduce prelacteal feeding practices. Breastfeeding counseling at antenatal clinics and peer support for exclusive breastfeeding should be included as part of breastfeeding promotion programs. Mobilisation of female community health volunteers for peer counseling is also a feasible option for Nepal

Sensory Stimulation to Promote Deep Breathing in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patient

Breathing retraining has been an integral part of respiratory rehabilitation for the patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (C.O.P.D.). Techniques used for breathing retraining have been studied for many years. These techniques include such breathing retraining modalities as relaxation conditioning, positioning maneuvers, abdominaldiaphragmatic breathing, pursed lip breathing and intermittent positive pressure breathing. Controversy concerning the therapeutic value of many of these techniques has developed. In this descriptive case study on three subjects with C.O.P.D. the experimental technique of sensory stimulation was investigated as a breaching retraining method. Sensory stimulation consisted of five minutes of repetitive brushing and two to three seconds of quick icing. The areas brushed and iced were the anterior and lateral thoracic dermatomes T6-T12. Repetitive brushing has been suggested as a technique to stimulate the C-fibers of afferent pathways. Quick icing has been suggested to stimulate A-delta fibers of afferent pathways. Two subjects were placed in the head—down position of 12.6 degrees for sensory stimulation testing, while one subject was left in supine position. Tidal volume and end-tidal PCO2used to measure effectiveness of sensory stimulation in promoting deep breathing. Tidal volume was computed from minute volume taken on a Bonus Ventilation Monitor LS-75 model. End-tidal PCO2 was measure by the RMS II by Perkin-Elmer Company. Sensory stimulation occurred over a period of four days in which data were collected before and after sensory stimulation. No significant change in tidal volume was found following sensory stimulation. Significant change (p=0.05) was observed in the end tidal PC02 of two subjects following sensory stimulation

Fine Motor Skills in Children With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Objective: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)and associated neurodevelopmental impairments. It is uncertain which types of fine motor skills are most likely to be affected after PAE or which assessment tools are most appropriate to use in FASD diagnostic assessments. This systematic review examined which types of fine motor skills are impaired in children with PAE or FASD; which fine motor assessments are appropriate for FASD diagnosis; and whether fine motor impairments are evident at both “low” and “high” PAE levels. Methods: A systematic review of relevant databases was undertaken using key terms. Relevant studies were extracted using a standardized form, and methodological quality was rated using a critical appraisal tool. Results: Twenty-four studies met inclusion criteria. Complex fine motor skills, such as visual-motor integration, were more frequently impaired than basic fine motor skills, such as grip strength. Assessment tools that specifically assessed fine motor skills more consistently identified impairments than those which assessed fine motor skills as part of a generalized neurodevelopmental assessment. Fine motor impairments were associated with “moderate” to “high” PAE levels. Few studies reported fine motor skills of children with “low” PAE levels, so the effect of lower PAE levels on fine motor skills remains uncertain. Conclusions: Comprehensive assessment of a range of fine motor skills in children with PAE is important to ensure an accurate FASD diagnosis and develop appropriate therapeutic interventions for children with PAE-related fine motor impairments

Graphomotor skills in children with prenatal alcohol exposure and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A population-based study in remote Australia

Background/aim: Few studies have examined graphomotor skills in children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Methods: Graphomotor skills were assessed in 108 predominantly Australian Aboriginal children aged 7.5-9.6 years in remote Western Australia using clinical observations (pencil grasp; writing pressure) and standardised assessment tools (the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting; and the Miller Function and Participation Scales - The Draw-a-Kid Game). Skills were compared between children (i) without PAE, (ii) PAE but not FASD and (iii) FASD. Results: Most children used a transitional pencil grasp and exerted heavy handwriting pressure (83.3% and 30.6% of the cohort). The percentage of letters (M = 62.9%) and words (M = 73.3%) written legibly was low. Children with FASD were more likely than children without PAE to use a cross-thumb grasp (P = 0.027), apply heavy writing pressure (P = 0.036), be unable to write a sentence (P = 0.041) and show poorer word legibility (P = 0.041). There were no significant differences between groups for drawing outcomes, although some children with FASD drew pictures that appeared delayed for their age. There were no significant differences between children without PAE and those with PAE but who were not diagnosed with FASD. Conclusions: Overall, graphomotor skills were poor in this cohort, but children with FASD performed significantly worse than children without PAE. Findings suggest the need for improved occupational therapy services for children in remote regions and evaluation of graphomotor skills in children with PAE. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia

Sense of control and adolescents’ aggression: the role of aggressive cues

The misperception of aggressive cues is considered a risk factor for inducing adolescent aggression. Poor coping with life stress is also considered a major influence on aggression. The current study examined the relationship between subjective sense of control and adolescent aggression, considering influences upon the perception of these aggressive cues. In Study 1, 60 participants took part in a 2 (sense of control: high sense of control vs. low sense of control)x2 (aggressive cue: aggressive vs. neutral) between-subjects contextual experiment. The result found that a lower sense of control led to an increase in adolescents&#39; aggression; only in the low-sense-of-control condition did exposure to aggressive cues boost aggression. In Study 2, the catalytic effect of aggressive cues was further explored by an experiment in which 40 adolescents were randomly assigned to a low- or high-sense-of-control condition to test the importance of aggressive cues. The results suggest that adolescents in the low-sense-of-control condition show a higher salience for aggressive cues.</p

Transcriptome analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 grown at both body and elevated temperatures

YesFunctional genomics research can give us valuable insights into bacterial gene function. RNA Sequencing (RNA-seq) can generate information on transcript abundance in bacteria following abiotic stress treatments. In this study, we used the RNA-seq technique to study the transcriptomes of the opportunistic nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 following heat shock. Samples were grown at both the human body temperature (37 C) and an arbitrarily-selected temperature of 46 C. In this work using RNA-seq, we identified 133 genes that are differentially expressed at 46 C compared to the human body temperature. Our work identifies some key P. aeruginosa PAO1 genes whose products have importance in both environmental adaptation as well as in vivo infection in febrile hosts. More importantly, our transcriptomic results show that many genes are only expressed when subjected to heat shock. Because the RNA-seq can generate high throughput gene expression profiles, our work reveals many unanticipated genes with further work to be done exploring such genes products.University of Malaya High Impact Research (HIR) UM-MOHE HIR Grants (UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/CHAN/14/1, No. H-50001-A000027; UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/CHAN/01, No. A000001-50001); PPP Grant (PG081-2015B