A multi-level examination of school programs, policies and resources associated with physical activity among elementary school youth in the PLAY-ON study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Given the decline in physical activity (PA) levels among youth populations it is vital to understand the factors that are associated with PA in order to inform the development of new prevention programs. Many studies have examined individual characteristics associated with PA among youth yet few have studied the relationship between the school environment and PA despite knowing that there is variability in student PA levels across schools.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using multi-level logistic regression analyses we explored the school- and student-level characteristics associated with PA using data from 2,379 grade 5 to 8 students attending 30 elementary schools in Ontario, Canada as part of the PLAY-Ontario study.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Findings indicate that there was significant between-school random variation for being moderately and highly active; school-level differences accounted for 4.8% of the variability in the odds of being moderately active and 7.3% of the variability in the odds of being highly active. Students were more likely to be moderately active if they attended a school that used PA as a reward and not as discipline, and students were more likely to be highly active if they attended a school with established community partnerships. Important student characteristics included screen time sedentary behaviour, participating in team sports, and having active friends.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Future research should evaluate if the optimal population level impact for school-based PA promotion programming might be achieved most economically if intervention selectively targeted the schools that are putting students at the greatest risk for inactivity.</p

Examining the link between education related outcomes and student health risk behaviours among Canadian youth: Data from the 2006 National Youth Smoking Survey

This study examined whether student tobacco, alcohol, marijuana use and sedentary behaviour were associated with the educational outcomes of health-related absenteeism, truancy, and academic motivation in a nationally representative sample of Canadian youth. Descriptive analyses indicate a high proportion of students missed school due to health, and skipped class in the last month. Truancy increased with age, and male students are more likely to skip class, and be less academically motivated. Logistic regression models showed significant associations exist between substance use and all three educational outcomes. These findings support the need for coordinated action and funding in student health promotion.&nbsp; &nbsp; Keywords: Adolescent, Youth, Truancy, Absenteeism, Academic Motivation, Tobacco, Marijuana, Alcohol&nbsp;Cette &eacute;tude a examin&eacute; si le tabac, l'alcool, la consommation de marijuana, et le comportement s&eacute;dentaire d'&eacute;tudiants ont &eacute;t&eacute; associ&eacute;s &agrave; la r&eacute;ussite scolaire de l'absent&eacute;isme li&eacute;s &agrave; la sant&eacute;, l'absent&eacute;isme et la motivation scolaire dans un &eacute;chantillon national repr&eacute;sentatif de la jeunesse canadienne. Les analyses descriptives indiquent une forte proportion d'&eacute;l&egrave;ves ont manqu&eacute; l'&eacute;cole pour raison de sant&eacute;, et ont saut&eacute; de classe dans le dernier mois. L'absent&eacute;isme augmente avec l'&acirc;ge, et les &eacute;tudiants m&acirc;le sont plus susceptibles de manquer de classe et d'&ecirc;tre moins motiv&eacute;s acad&eacute;miquement. Des mod&egrave;les de r&eacute;gression logistique ont montr&eacute; des associations significatives existent entre l'usage des substances et les trois r&eacute;sultats scolaires. Ces r&eacute;sultats confirment la n&eacute;cessit&eacute; d'une action coordonn&eacute;e et de financement dans la promotion de la sant&eacute; des &eacute;l&egrave;ves

Trajectories of Objectively Measured Physical Activity among Secondary Students in Canada in the Context of a Province-Wide Physical Education Policy: A Longitudinal Analysis

Lower levels of physical activity are associated with childhood obesity. School physical education (PE) policies have been identified as critical to improve child and adolescent physical activity levels but there has been little evaluation of such policies. In the province of Manitoba, Canada, the government implemented a mandatory PE policy in secondary schools designed to increase the daily physical activity levels of adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the longitudinal changes in and the factors associated with the physical activity trajectories of adolescents in Manitoba during their tenure as secondary school students in the context of this school PE policy. The results found, despite the PE policy, a grade-related decline in the physical activity trajectories of adolescents; however, the decline in physical activity was attenuated among adolescents with low and moderate baseline physical activity compared to adolescents with high baseline physical activity and among adolescents who attended schools in neighbourhoods of low compared to high socioeconomic status. There are several possible explanations for these findings, including the influence of the PE policy on the PA patterns of adolescent subpopulations that tend to be at higher risk for inactivity in both childhood and adult life

Effectiveness of School Based Recruitment Procedures and Modular Data Collections

Purpose: The School Health Action, Planning and Evaluation System (SHAPES) is a school-based data collection and knowledge exchange system designed to improve the health of youth. This paper outlines the design of the SHAPES study, examines the impact of different school recruitment models on participation rates, and examines the impact of using two different research modules during data collection on the prevalence of core behaviours being measured. Methods: In total, 76 schools were recruited from seven health regions and data were collected using the SHAPES Tobacco (TM) and Physical Activity Modules (PAM). Results: It was found that school recruitment rates were higher when both the researchers and the health unit, worked together to recruit schools. Significant differences were found between students who completed the TM and students who completed the PAM with respect to body mass index, smoking susceptibility, the number of friends who smoke, and the number of active friends. Conclusions: This paper provides valuable real-world insight for future researchers interested in performing population-level school-based studies of youth risk behaviours. Our experience suggests that a modular approach to data collection is feasible and that recruitment rates are improved when researchers work in collaboration with health unit staff who have existing relationships with schools

Intentional tanning among adolescents in seven Canadian provinces: Provincial comparisons (CRAYS 2015)

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.03.004 © 2018. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This report explores intentional tanning behaviors among Canadian high school students in light of provincial restrictions on UV tanning device use among youth. Data are from the Cancer Risk Assessment in Youth Survey (CRAYS), collected from January to December 2015, at randomly selected high schools in 7 provinces. Relevant variables were: tanning methods ever used, demographics, and location and refusal of UV tanning device (beds, lamps) use in the past 12 months. Data were weighted so total survey weights by male/female, grade and province equal actual enrolments in these groups. Analyses were conducted in SAS, mostly for grades 10 and 11. Rao-Scott chi squared tests and p-values were calculated. Among 6803 grade 10 and 11 participants, 82% tanned intentionally, mostly by being/playing outside, or laying in the sun. Spray/self-tanners were used by 15% of participants. UV tanning device use was uncommon (4.4%), lowest in Ontario (2.7%) and British Columbia (3.8%), which have legislation against use among youth. Of 202 who used UV tanning devices in the past 12 months, most did at salons/studios (85%), 35% at home and 30% at a gym. Two hundred and forty-nine participants (3.4%) were refused use of UV tanning devices in the past 12 months. While legislation appears to deter UV tanning device use, it appears to have no impact on UV exposure among high school students overall. Greater prevention efforts are required to deter intentional tanning among high school students.Prevention Research Grant of the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (grant #703073)Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Cancer Research (grant #137732

Determination of the mixing ratio of a flowing gas mixture with self-actuated microcantilevers

Microcantilevers offer a wide range of applications in sensor and measurement technology. In this work cantilever sensors are used as flow sensors. Most conventional flow sensors are often only calibrated for one type of gas and allow an analysis of gas mixtures only with increased effort. The sensor used here is a cantilever positioned vertically in the flow channel. It is possible to operate the sensor in dynamic and static mode. In the dynamic mode the cantilever is oscillating. Resonance frequency, resonance amplitude and phase are measured. In static mode, the bending of the cantilever is registered. The combination of the modes enables the different measured variables to be determined simultaneously. A flow influences the movement behaviour of the sensor, which allows the flow velocity to be deduced. In addition to determining the flow velocity, it is also possible to detect different types of gas. Each medium has certain properties (density and viscosity) which have different effects on the bending of the sensor. As a result, it is possible to measure the mixing ratio of a known binary gas mixture and their flow velocity simultaneously with a single sensor. In this paper this is investigated using the example of the air–carbon-dioxide mixture

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Reverses Ischemia-Related Left Ventricular Dysfunction and Remodeling: Molecular-Cellular and Functional Assessment

An optimal treatment for patients with diffuse obstructive arterial disease unsuitable for catheter-based or surgical intervention is still pending. This study tested the hypothesis that extracorporeal shock wave (ECSW) therapy may be a therapeutic alternative under such clinical situation. Myocardial ischemia was induced in male mini-pigs through applying an ameroid constrictor over mid-left anterior descending artery (LAD). Twelve mini-pigs were equally randomized into group 1 (Constrictor over LAD only) and group 2 (Constrictor over LAD plus ECSW [800 impulses at 0.09 mJ/mm2] once 3 months after the procedure). Results showed that the parameters measured by echocardiography did not differ between two groups on days 0 and 90. However, echocardiography and left ventricular (LV) angiography showed higher LV ejection fraction and lower LV end-systolic dimension and volume in group 2 on day 180 (p<0.035). Besides, mRNA and protein expressions of CXCR4 and SDF-1α were increased in group 2 (p<0.04). Immunofluorescence staining also showed higher number of vWF-, CD31-, SDF-1α-, and CXCR4-positive cells in group 2 (all p<0.04). Moreover, immunohistochemical staining showed notably higher vessel density but lower mean fibrosis area, number of CD40-positive cells and apoptotic nuclei in group 2 (all p<0.045). Mitochondrial protein expression of oxidative stress was lower, whereas cytochrome-C was higher in group 2 (all p<0.03). Furthermore, mRNA expressions of MMP-9, Bax and caspase-3 were lower, whereas Bcl-2, eNOS, VEGF and PGC-1α were higher in group 2 (all p<0.01). In conclusion, ECSW therapy effectively reversed ischemia-elicited LV dysfunction and remodeling through enhancing angiogenesis and attenuating inflammation and oxidative stress

A multilevel examination of gender differences in the association between features of the school environment and physical activity among a sample of grades 9 to 12 students in Ontario, Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Creating school environments that support student physical activity (PA) is a key recommendation of policy-makers to increase youth PA. Given males are more active than females at all ages, it has been suggested that investigating gender differences in the features of the environment that associate with PA may help to inform gender-focused PA interventions and reduce the gender disparity in PA. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore gender differences in the association between factors of the school environment and students' time spent in PA.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Among a sample of 10781 female and 10973 male students in grades 9 to 12 from 76 secondary schools in Ontario, Canada, student- and school-level survey PA data were collected and supplemented with GIS-derived measures of the built environment within 1-km buffers of the 76 schools.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Findings from the present study revealed significant differences in the time male and female students spent in PA as well as in some of the school- and student-level factors associated with PA. Results of the gender-specific multilevel analyses indicate schools should consider providing an alternate room for PA, especially for providing flexibility activities directed at female students. Schools should also consider offering daily physical education programming to male students in senior grades and providing PA promotion initiatives targeting obese male students.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although most variation in male and female students' time spent in PA lies between students within schools, there is sufficient between-school variation to be of interest to practitioners and policy-makers. More research investigating gender differentials in environment factors associated with youth PA are warranted.</p