The efficacy of school-based classroom learning and physical activity interventions for children’s cognitive performance and wellbeing

This programme of research investigated children’s cognitive performance, academic achievement and wellbeing in association with their participation in primary school-based interventions in which healthy lifestyle/positive choices messages were delivered through classroom learning and physical activity. A positive correlation was found between the time children spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during intervention sessions and their post-session long-term memory performance (Study 2). Taking a more chronic perspective of intervention participation, in a quasi-experiment testing whether children experienced improvements in cognitive performance, academic achievement and wellbeing over and above those of a control group, results were inconclusive but potentially suggestive of increases in reading and mathematics achievement for the intervention group at the conclusion of the 6-week programme (Study 3). Finally, qualitative data from interviews/focus groups with stakeholders including children, parents and school staff showed that interventions were viewed favourably in relation to children’s engagement and outcomes (Study 4); pupils enjoyed their participation, particularly in the physical activity, and they were thought to benefit in terms of their wellbeing and personal development (e.g. increased healthy lifestyle knowledge, enhanced self-esteem). Parents did however feel that they themselves were not well informed about the interventions and that they could have reinforced programme messages had they known more. In the long term, these findings will assist in informing policy and practice regarding school provision of healthy lifestyle and physical activity opportunities, for instance supporting their inclusion in the timetable despite pressures for schools to prioritise core curriculum subjects. The thesis contributes to the literature in its focus on cognitive performance and academic achievement, outcomes not often measured for physical activity and positive choices interventions. It also recognises a lack of consistency in the measurement of cognitive performance in the existing research, with Study 1 piloting a cognitive test battery for use in school settings

Revue systématique et synthèse des articles de presse : création d’un ensemble de données sur les initiatives émergentes et les interventions locales concernant l’offre de toilettes publiques au Canada durant la pandémie de COVID-19

RésuméLes articles de presse sont une source sous‑utilisée de renseignements locaux sur des questions de santé publique complexes et structurelles qui ne sont pas abordées dans les politiques ou prises en compte dans la collecte de données courantes. Nous avons appliqué des méthodes de revue systématique aux articles de presse en ligne et créé un ensemble de données sur les interventions et les initiatives des municipalités face aux problèmes de toilettes publiques durant la première année de la pandémie de COVID-19. L’utilisation de modèles fondés sur la consommation pour l’usage de toilettes a fait la manchette durant les périodes de fermeture et de confinement. Nos résultats ont montré que de nombreuses municipalités se sont attaquées à ces problèmes, mais largement en usant de mesures temporaires relatives à la pandémie, ne tenant pas compte des besoins des groupes marginalisés

Power Hours-Invasive Species Communication Through Collaborative Webinars

The collaborative webinar project Emerald Ash Borer University (EAB-U) was established in 2009 to address pressing communications needs regarding the invasive emerald ash borer in the midst of national financial crisis. The 40 EAB-U webinars to date have been viewed over 10,000 times. Results of a post-webinar survey evaluating audience composition, impact, and participant satisfaction are presented, and suggest EAB-U webinars reach key audiences who share and apply learned information. Extension professionals faced with complex issues such as invasive species should consider a collaborative webinar approach to efficiently communicate harmonized messages in a cost effective manner

The potential nutrition-, physical- and health-related benefits of cow’s milk for primary-school-aged children

Cow's milk is a naturally nutrient-dense foodstuff. A significant source of many essential nutrients, its inclusion as a component of a healthy balanced diet has been long recommended. Beyond milk's nutritional value, an increasing body of evidence illustrates cow's milk may confer numerous benefits related to health. Evidence from adult populations suggests that cow's milk may have a role in overall dietary quality, appetite control, hydration and cognitive function. Although evidence is limited compared to the adult literature, these benefits may be echoed in recent paediatric studies. This article, therefore, reviews the scientific literature to provide an evidence-based evaluation of the associated health benefits of cow's milk consumption in primary-school aged children (4-11 years). We focus on seven key areas related to nutrition and health comprising nutritional status, hydration, dental and bone health, physical stature, cognitive function, and appetite control. The evidence consistently demonstrates cow's milk (plain and flavoured) improves nutritional status in primary-school aged children. With some confidence, cow's milk also appears beneficial for hydration, dental and bone health and beneficial to neutral concerning physical stature and appetite. Due to conflicting studies, reaching a conclusion has proven difficult concerning cow's milk and cognitive function therefore a level of caution should be exercised when interpreting these results. All areas, however, would benefit from further robust investigation, especially in free-living school settings, to verify conclusions. Nonetheless, when the nutritional-, physical- and health-related impact of cow's milk avoidance is considered, the evidence highlights the importance of increasing cow's milk consumption

Detection of Babesia spp. in Free-Ranging Pukus, Kobus vardonii, on a Game Ranch in Zambia

Babesia spp. were detected from 4 asymptomatic pukus captured on a game ranch in central Zambia in October 2008. Blood smears were examined in 4 species of aymptomatic free-ranging antelopes, namely the puku (Kobus vordanii), reedbuck (Redunca arundinum), bushbuck (Tragelaphus sylvaticus), and kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), and showed the presence of Babesia parasites only in the puku. In the puku, the prevalence of babesiosis was estimated at 33.3% (n=12), while the overall prevalence in all examined animals was 8.5% (n=47). The parasites showed morphological characteristics of paired ring-like stages with the length varying between 1.61 µm and 3.02 µm (mean=2.12 µm, n=27; SD=0.76 µm). Both the infected and non-infected pukus showed good body condition scores (BCS), while the dominant tick species detected from all animals were Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus spp., and Boophilus spp. To our knowledge this is the first report of Babesia spp. infection in pukus in Zambia. These findings suggest that wildlife could play an important role in the epidemiology of babesiosis in Zambia

Validation of the Gravity Model in Predicting the Global Spread of Influenza

The gravity model is often used in predicting the spread of influenza. We use the data of influenza A (H1N1) to check the model’s performance and validation, in order to determine the scope of its application. In this article, we proposed to model the pattern of global spread of the virus via a few important socio-economic indicators. We applied the epidemic gravity model for modelling the virus spread globally through the estimation of parameters of a generalized linear model. We compiled the daily confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) in each country as reported to the WHO and each state in the USA, and established the model to describe the relationship between the confirmed cases and socio-economic factors such as population size, per capita gross domestic production (GDP), and the distance between the countries/states and the country where the first confirmed case was reported (i.e., Mexico). The covariates we selected for the model were all statistically significantly associated with the global spread of influenza A (H1N1). However, within the USA, the distance and GDP were not significantly associated with the number of confirmed cases. The combination of the gravity model and generalized linear model provided a quick assessment of pandemic spread globally. The gravity model is valid if the spread period is long enough for estimating the model parameters. Meanwhile, the distance between donor and recipient communities has a good gradient. Besides, the spread should be at the early stage if a single source is taking into account