Appropriate Physical Education Service for ALL Students

All students, including those with disabilities, deserve appropriate, safe, and meaningful physical education instructional programs as identified by Texas Education Agency (2006) and that are reflected in the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE, 2005) standards

Effect of point-of-purchase calorie labeling on restaurant and cafeteria food choices: A review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Eating away from home has increased in prevalence among US adults and now comprises about 50% of food expenditures. Calorie labeling on chain restaurant menus is one specific policy that has been proposed to help consumers make better food choices at restaurants. The present review evaluates the available empirical literature on the effects of calorie information on food choices in restaurant and cafeteria settings.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Computer-assisted searches were conducted using the PUBMED database and the Google Scholar world wide web search engine to identify studies published in peer-review journals that evaluated calorie labeling of cafeteria or restaurant menu items. Studies that evaluated labeling only some menu items (e.g. low calorie foods only) were excluded from the review since the influence of selective labeling may be different from that which may be expected from comprehensive labeling.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Six studies were identified that met the selection criteria for this review. Results from five of these studies provide some evidence consistent with the hypothesis that calorie information may influence food choices in a cafeteria or restaurant setting. However, results from most of these studies suggest the effect may be weak or inconsistent. One study found no evidence of an effect of calorie labeling on food choices. Each of the studies had at least one major methodological shortcoming, pointing toward the need for better designed studies to more rigorously evaluate the influence of point-of-purchase calorie labeling on food choices.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>More research is needed that meets minimum standards of methodological quality. Studies need to include behavioral outcomes such as food purchase and eating behaviors. Also, studies need to be implemented in realistic settings such as restaurants and cafeterias.</p

Design and Construction Features that Cause New Houses in New Zealand to Overheat

Analysis of indoor temperature measurements taken in 397 randomly selected houses has revealed that New Zealand houses are becoming warmer in summer. Houses built at the end of the 20th century are during the daytime (9 am to 5 pm), on average, 2.5 degrees C warmer during summer months (December to February) than houses built at the start. For example, in houses built during the 1990s, temperatures above 25 degrees C are found 40% of the time during the summer early evening (4 pm to 6 pm) - temperatures that could be considered as uncomfortably warm in a temperate climate. Since 2006 there has been a rapid uptake of heat pumps in New Zealand, and a survey provides evidence of a growing number of households actively cooling, when traditionally very little cooling has been done. The ability for occupants to cool during the warm summer early evening has the potential to create an additional peak load on the electricity network. The trend towards increasing indoor summer temperatures could be due to a range of features, including house design, construction and operation. These have been explored through analysis of the temperature data and thermal modelling using SUNREL with validated models of five houses. Although the monitored sample was sizable, the variation in occupant behaviour means it was not possible to explore all potential drivers or eliminate other influences. The use of thermal modelling permitted parametric investigation of the role of different features to be explored. The analysis of monitoring data and the thermal modelling showed that the main causes of increasing temperatures are: increasing glazing area; lower ventilation rates; reduction of external shading through reduced eave size; and to a lesser extent increased levels of thermal insulation. These findings have been used to provide guidance for new house designers as well as suggestions for modifications of existing houses

The University of New Hampshire Engaged Scholars Academy: Instilling in Faculty Principles of Effective Partnership

Over the last decade, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) has promoted mutually beneficial partnerships between faculty and community partners vis-à-vis the Engaged Scholars Academy (ESA), a faculty development program aimed at enhancing faculty understanding of the principles of partnership and engaged scholarship. This research seeks to determine whether and how the ESA has impacted faculty-community partnerships around engaged scholarship. Findings suggest that Engaged Scholar Academy participants – as compared to non-participants – have a deeper understanding of the principles of partnership, are more likely to feel their scholarship is enhanced, spend more time with partners, engage their partners throughout the process of inquiry, and focus more on sustaining partnership outcomes

Proliferation and copy number variation of BEL-like long terminal repeat retrotransposons within the Diabrotica virgifera virgifera genome

The proliferation of retrotransposons within a genome can contribute to increased size and affect the function of eukaryotic genes. BEL/Pao-like long-terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons were annotated from the highly adaptable insect species Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, the Western corn rootworm, using survey sequences from bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) inserts and contigs derived from a low coverage next-generation genome sequence assembly. Eleven unique D. v. virgifera BEL elements were identified that contained full-length gag–pol coding sequences, whereas 88 different partial coding regions were characterized from partially assembled elements. Estimated genome copy number for full and partial BEL-like elements ranged from ~ 8 to 1582 among individual contigs using a normalized depth of coverage (DOC) among Illumina HiSeq reads (total genome copy number ~ 8821). BEL element copy number was correlated among different D. v. virgifera populations (R2 = 0.9846), but individual element numbers varied ≤ 1.68-fold and the total number varied by ~ 527 copies. These data indicate that BEL element proliferation likely contributed to a large genome size, and suggest that differences in copy number are a source of genetic variability among D. v. virgifera

Participation in sports, arts and racing and its relationship to message literacy and health behaviours

The purpose of this study was to assess health message awareness and health behaviours by participation/non participation in sport, arts and racing (SAR) in Western Australia. In this study a \u27participant\u27 was defined as someone who was (1) a member of a SAR organisation, group or club; and/or (2) having attended a SAR event as a spectator or audience member in the last 12 months. A \u27non participant\u27 was someone who did not participate in any SAR events as a member and/or spectator and/or audience member in the last 12 months

A review of the evaluation of healthway sponsorships

This study reviewed the methods used by Healthway to assess sponsorship implementation/value and to explore complimentary or alternative evaluation measures... Interview questions related to sponsorship activities, procedures, requirements and evaluation. Suggestions for practical and alternative ways of assessing sponsorship implementation and conducting evaluations were also asked. In addition, the perceived value of sponsorship investments to Healthway and satisfaction with the existing evaluation framework were also sought..

Association between body weight, physical activity and food choices among metropolitan transit workers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Associations between body weight, physical activity and dietary intake among a population of metropolitan transit workers are described.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data were collected during October through December, 2005, as part of the baseline measures for a worksite weight gain prevention intervention in four metro transit bus garages. All garage employees were invited to complete behavioral surveys that assessed food choices and physical activity, and weight and height were directly measured. Seventy-eight percent (N = 1092) of all employees participated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of obesity (BMI >= 30 kg/m²) was 56%. Over half of the transit workers reported consuming fruit (55%) and vegetables (59%) ≥ 3/week. Reported fast food restaurant frequency was low (13% visited ≥ 3/week). Drivers reported high levels of physical activity (eg. walking 93 minutes/day). However, an objective measure of physical activity measured only 16 minutes moderate/vigorous per day. Compared to other drivers, obese drivers reported significantly less vigorous physical activity, more time sitting, and more time watching television. Healthy eating, physical activity and weight management were perceived to be difficult at the worksite, particularly among obese transit workers, and perceived social support for these behaviors was modest. However, most workers perceived weight management and increased physical activity to be personally important for their health.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although transit workers' self-report of fruit and vegetable intake, and physical activity was high, perceived access to physical activity and healthful eating opportunities at the worksite was low. Obese workers were significantly less physically active and were more likely to report work environmental barriers to physical activity.</p

Teaching and learning in the outdoors:The current state of outdoor learning in schools in Wales

This report presents the findings of a study investigating the knowledge of, access to and purposes for, outdoor learning in Wales. Outdoor learning played a significant role in the health and wellbeing of children and young people during the Covid-19 pandemic (Sefton, 2021) and a previous WG commissioned report found that during, between, and directly subsequent to Covid-19 lockdowns, ‘outdoor learning played an increased role, both in and out of school, in supporting physical and mental wellbeing’ (French, Horder, Jones, Parry, Mahoney, Moody and Rhys-Jones, 2021, p. 79). With the importance of outdoor learning as a pedagogical approach that has both physical and cognitive benefits having been established, the current study attempted to provide an indication of how outdoor learning was being utilised in schools across Wales. The research utilised a small convenience sample to provide indicative findings of the frequency, type of activity and purposes of activity undertaken by schools. The study deployed a survey-based data capture instrument and research design based on an effective methodology from three studies conducted in Scotland (commissioned by Scottish Government), commencing in the late 2000s through to 2018. The data collection instrument was modified to suit the Welsh context in terms of school types and provision, and in light of the transitional period between the previous iteration of, and the current Curriculum for Wales. The study found that amongst the schools surveyed, sessions ranged in duration from 30 mins to full days (6 hours), with groups ranging from 4 children to 29. There were between 1 and 4 adults supervising the children during these sessions who were teachers and teaching assistants, associate teachers (a term frequently used by ITE partnerships to describe student teachers) or outdoor instructors. The main purposes of the sessions were to develop teamworking skills, and to draw direct links with the Curriculum for Wales. Fewer sessions were delivered for the specific purposes of extra-curricular health and well-being or to experience nature and a sense of place (cynefin), and there were very few sessions reported for the purpose of field work, being creative, adventure or to study or conserve local heritage or learn about Wales. The main stated curriculum links were to the health and well-being and language literacy and communication areas of learning and experience. There were very few sessions with clear links to recognised award schemes such as the John Muir Award. The reported impact of the sessions on the children and young people concerned was primarily concerned with developing personal choice and overcoming challenge.Other findings concerned the challenges of collecting data by the research team resulting from the over-researching of practitioners during challenging times (still during the Covid-19 recovery period for instance) and the plethora of similar projects that also utilised existing HEI/school networks so the same schools are routinely asked to contribute. The report concluded that the timing of data collection came at a time of year when the weather in Wales requires more protective clothing to remain comfortable and thus there were potentially fewer episodes of outdoor learning than might have been expected from the literature review, and that whilst outdoor learning was valued by the schools that engaged in the survey, the sample size was very small and therefore findings are indicative rather than generalised across Wales. The project timing and scale were constrained by the timescale of the commission, but did highlight that there is still a lack of clarity concerning a definition of outdoor learning. Between the completion of this study and the submission of this report, definitions of outdoor learning, adventure education and outdoor education (specific to the Welsh educational context) have been suggested in the presentation to the Outdoor Activity Sector Senedd Cross Party Group on 28th September 2022.<br/