The neighbourhood physical environment and active travel in older adults : a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Perceived and objectively-assessed aspects of the neighbourhood physical environment have been postulated to be key contributors to regular engagement in active travel (AT) in older adults. We systematically reviewed the literature on neighbourhood physical environmental correlates of AT in older adults and applied a novel meta-analytic approach to statistically quantify the strength of evidence for environment-AT associations. METHODS: Forty two quantitative studies that estimated associations of aspects of the neighbourhood built environment with AT in older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) and met selection criteria were reviewed and meta-analysed. Findings were analysed according to five AT outcomes (total walking for transport, within-neighbourhood walking for transport, combined walking and cycling for transport, cycling for transport, and all AT outcomes combined) and seven categories of the neighbourhood physical environment (residential density/urbanisation, walkability, street connectivity, access to/availability of services/destinations, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, aesthetics and cleanliness/order, and safety and traffic). RESULTS: Most studies examined correlates of total walking for transport. A sufficient amount of evidence of positive associations with total walking for transport was found for residential density/urbanisation, walkability, street connectivity, overall access to destinations/services, land use mix, pedestrian-friendly features and access to several types of destinations. Littering/vandalism/decay was negatively related to total walking for transport. Limited evidence was available on correlates of cycling and combined walking and cycling for transport, while sufficient evidence emerged for a positive association of within-neighbourhood walking with pedestrian-friendly features and availability of benches/sitting facilities. Correlates of all AT combined mirrored those of walking for transport. Positive associations were also observed with food outlets, business/institutional/industrial destinations, availability of street lights, easy access to building entrance and human and motorised traffic volume. Several but inconsistent individual- and environmental-level moderators of associations were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Results support strong links between the neighbourhood physical environment and older adults’ AT. Future research should focus on the identification of types and mixes of destinations that support AT in older adults and how these interact with individual characteristics and other environmental factors. Future research should also aim to clarify dose-response relationships through multi-country investigations and data-pooling from diverse geographical regions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0471-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

The Kalamazoo Promise: A New Twist on Tuition Guarantees

In 2005, Kalamazoo, Michigan launched a bold and innovative economic development strategy, The Kalamazoo Promise (KP), which guarantees tuition to every high school graduate in the district. Since KP inception, high school enrollments are up and college attendance has increased, creating national attention. This paper analyzes the benefits and limitations of six types of tuition guarantees, including KP. For those communities hoping to emulate the success of KP, they should recognize that tuition guarantees are neither a new concept nor work equally well across the board. However, drawing from this paper’s analysis, broad themes of examining the nature, scope, and funding sources should be considered when launching a tuition guarantee program

Integrating Tax Preparation with FAFSA Completion: Three Case Models

This research compares three different models implemented in four cities. The models integrated free tax-preparation services to assist low-income families with their completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). There has been an increased focus on simplifying the FAFSA process. However, simplification is not the only barrier that students face while completing the FAFSA. Tax preparation is also an integral part to FAFSA completion. This paper illuminates how four cities aim to integrate tax preparation and FAFSA completion through local community partners. While all four cities faced a variety of challenges reaching their target populations at a scalable level, the Campaign for Working Families in Philadelphia demonstrated a more integrated, successful tax-preparation and FAFSA completion program due to its robust Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organization

Curriculum resumido no Ensino Médio: as mudanças nos padrões de matemática e os ganhos acadêmicos, formatura do Ensino Médio e a continuação dos estudos universitários dos alunos

Mathematics education is a critical public policy issue in the U.S. and the pressures facing students and schools are compounded by increasing expectations for college attendance after high school.  In this study, we examine whether policy efforts to constrain the high school curriculum in terms of course requirements and mandatory exit exams affects three educational outcomes – test scores on SAT math, high school completion, and college continuation rates.  We employ two complementary analytic methods – fixed effects and difference in differences (DID) – on panel data for all 50 states from 1990 to 2008. Our findings suggest that within states both policies may prevent some students from completing high school, particularly in the near term, but both policies appear to increase the proportion of students who continue on to college if they do graduate from high school. The DID analyses provide more support for math course requirement policies than mandatory exit exams, but the effects are modest. Both the DID and fixed effects analyses confirm the importance of school funding in the improvement of high school graduation rates and test scores.La educación matemática es una cuestión de política pública en los EE.UU. y las presiones que enfrentan los estudiantes y las escuelas se ven agravadas por las crecientes expectativa de asistir a la universidad después de graduarse en la secundaria. En este estudio se investigó si los esfuerzos políticos para restringir el plan de estudios de secundaria en términos de requisitos de los cursos y los exámenes de graduación influyen tres  resultados educativos - los resultados de las pruebas de matemáticas, la graduación de secundaria y las tasas de continuación de estudios universitarios. Empleamos dos métodos complementarios de análisis - de efectos fijos y la diferencia en diferencias (DID)- en un panel de datos para todos los 50 estados de 1990 a 2008. Nuestros resultados sugieren que las dos políticas en los estados pueden impedir que algunos estudiantes completen la escuela secundaria, particularmente en el corto plazo, pero las dos políticas parecen aumentar la proporción de estudiantes que van a la universidad directamente después de terminar la escuela secundaria. El análisis DID ofrece mayor apoyo a las políticas de los prerrequisitos de los cursos de matemáticas que los exámenes de egreso obligatorio, pero los efectos son modestos. Tanto el DID  como el análisis de efectos fijos confirman la importancia del financiamiento escolar en la mejora de las tasas de graduación y los resultados de las pruebas escolares.A educação Matemática é uma questão de política pública nos EUA e as pressões que enfrentam os alunos e as escolas são agravados pela crescente expectativa de comparecimento a universidade após o ensino médio. Neste estudo examinamos se os esforços políticos para limitar o currículo do ensino médio em termos de exigências de cursos e exames de egressos obrigatórios afetam três resultados educacionais - os resultados dos testes em  matemática, a conclusão do ensino médio e as taxas de continuação para a universidade. Nós empregamos dois métodos analíticos complementares - efeitos fixos e diferença em diferenças (DID) - em um painel de dados para todos os 50 estados de 1990 a 2008. Nossos resultados sugerem que ambas as políticas nos estados podem impedir alguns estudantes de completar o ensino secundário, particularmente no curto prazo, mas ambas as políticas parecem aumentar a proporção de estudantes que continuam para a universidade diretamente do Ensino Médio. A DID análise oferece mais apoio às políticas de pré-requisitos aos cursos de matemática do que aos exames de saída obrigatória, mas os efeitos são modestos. Tanto o DID  quanto a análise de efeitos fixos confirmam a importância do financiamento das escolas na melhoria das taxas de graduação do ensino médio e nos resultados dos testes

A Broken Promise: Examining the Merit-Aid Policy and Implementation Gap in the Michigan Promise Scholarship

In 2006, Michigan changed their traditional merit award to a credit contingent program based upon successful completion of 60 college credits. The Michigan Promise Scholarship was crafted by state policymakers without input from the financial aid community. This case study suggests that the change in policy resulted in two unintended consequences: 1. an administrative burden for financial aid offices resulting from the award verification process and 2. a financial burden for students during the year they are expected to be eligible for the award. The Scholarship was eliminated in 2011, but this case is illustrative for other states seeking to align financial aid with college completion

Dollars for Sense: Assessing Achievement Gaps in Arkansas in the Context of Substantial Funding Increases

Over the last half century, more than forty states across the nation have experienced school finance lawsuits as a consequence of perceived and real funding gaps between rich and poor districts (Rebell, 2001). Arkansas is one such state, with a long history of school funding battles in the courts. The legal challenges began in 1983, when the Arkansas Supreme Court initially found the state\u27s school funding system unconstitutional under the equal protection clause of the state constitution

Identifying patterns of item missing survey data using latent groups: An observational study

Objectives: To examine whether respondents to a survey of health and physical activity and potential determinants could be grouped according to the questions they missed, known as ‘item missing’. Design: Observational study of longitudinal data. Setting: Residents of Brisbane, Australia. Participants: 6901 people aged 40–65 years in 2007. Materials and methods: We used a latent class model with a mixture of multinomial distributions and chose the number of classes using the Bayesian information criterion. We used logistic regression to examine if participants’ characteristics were associated with their modal latent class. We used logistic regression to examine whether the amount of item missing in a survey predicted wave missing in the following survey. Results: Four per cent of participants missed almost one-fifth of the questions, and this group missed more questions in the middle of the survey. Eighty-three per cent of participants completed almost every question, but had a relatively high missing probability for a question on sleep time, a question which had an inconsistent presentation compared with the rest of the survey. Participants who completed almost every question were generally younger and more educated. Participants who completed more questions were less likely to miss the next longitudinal wave. Conclusions: Examining patterns in item missing data has improved our understanding of how missing data were generated and has informed future survey design to help reduce missing data

Preparation and Access: A Multi-level Analysis of State Policy Influences on the Academic Antecedents to College Enrollment.

Does state policy influence how well students are prepared to attend college? For the past 25 years, state and federal policies have focused attention on the high school curriculum with concern about whether or not students would be adequately prepared to pursue postsecondary education by the time they finish high school. Increasingly, states have adopted high school graduation requirement policies and exit exam requirements and a range of strategies to improve student outcomes but few studies have assessed whether those policies have operated in anticipated ways. This study examines the relationship between high school graduation requirements, exit exams, average school funding per student and the cost of college and two student outcomes important to college access – high school completion and the number of courses completed in the core subjects – among public school students. I utilize the Education Longitudinal Study (ELS:2002) first follow up and transcript survey in combination with state policy indicators to examine these relationships. In an effort to account for the complex sampling design and to recognize that students are nested within schools, which operate within unique state policy environments, I employ a three-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). The findings demonstrate that policy matters in both anticipated and unexpected ways. Students in local control states are more likely to finish high school in four years than those in graduation requirement states and those in exit exam states are less likely to finish than in non-exam states. African American students in local control states are less likely to finish high school than their White and Asian peers; a gap that does not exist in other states. In terms of course taking, students complete more courses in the core subjects in states with graduation requirement policies. State adopted graduation requirements increase the number of core courses taken but a gap exists between those attend high and low SES schools. On balance, there appear to be greater benefits to adopting state graduation requirements, but greater attention must be paid to mediate the possible influence on high school completion.Ph.D.EducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60845/1/ndaunba_1.pd

Brain Volumetrics, Regional Cortical Thickness and Radiographic Findings in Adults with Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease

AbstractBackgroundChronic cyanosis in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) may cause structural brain changes that could contribute to impaired neurological functioning. The extent of these changes has not been adequately characterized.HypothesisWe hypothesized that adults with cyanotic CHD would have widespread changes including abnormal brain volumetric measures, decreased cortical thickness and an increased burden of small and large vessel ischemic changes.MethodsTen adults with chronic cyanosis from CHD (40±4years) and mean oxygen saturations of 82±2% were investigated using quantitative MRI. Hematological and biochemical parameters were also assessed. All subjects were free from major physical or intellectual impairment. Brain volumetric results were compared with randomly selected age- and sex-matched controls from our database of normal subjects.ResultsFive of 10 cyanotic subjects had cortical lacunar infarcts. The white matter (WM) hyperintensity burden was also abnormally high (Scheltens Scale was 8±2). Quantitative MRI revealed evidence of extensive generalized WM and gray matter (GM) volumetric loss; global GM volume was reduced in cyanosed subjects (630±16 vs. 696±14mL in controls, p=0.01) as was global WM volume (471±10 vs. 564±18mL, p=0.003). Ventricular cerebrospinal fluid volume was increased (35±10 vs. 26±5mL, p=0.002). There were widespread regions of local cortical thickness reduction observed across the brain. These changes included bilateral thickness reductions in the frontal lobe including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and precentral gyrus, the posterior parietal lobe and the middle temporal gyrus. Sub-cortical volume changes were observed in the caudate, putamen and in the thalamus (p≤0.005 for all regions). Cortical GM volume negatively correlated with brain natriuretic peptide (R=−0.89, p=0.009), high sensitivity C-reactive protein (R=−0.964, p<0.0001) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (R=−0.75, p=0.026) but not with oxygen saturations, packed cell volume or viscosity.ConclusionsWe present the first comprehensive analysis of brain structure in adults with chronic neurocyanosis due to congenital heart disease. We demonstrate clear evidence for marked macro- and microvascular injury. Cyanotic patients show global evidence for reduced brain volume as well as specific foci of cortical thickness reduction. The GM volume loss correlated with hsCRP, BNP and ADMA suggesting that inflammation, neurohormonal activation and endothelial dysfunction may have important roles in its pathogenesis

Development of a Leadership Mindset Scale

The purpose of the study was to construct a Leadership Mindset Scale (LMS) and to assess its reliability and construct validity. Participants were 100 employees in a variety of leadership and non-leadership positions at various organizations in three states. An item and factor analysis on the 13 LMS items led to a scale with 11 items (Cronbach α = .80). A Principal Axis Factor analysis with Promax rotation suggested three factors: Leadership Mindset Teachability (LMS-T), a belief in leadership teachability; Leadership Mindset Improvability (LMS-I), a belief in leadership improvability over time; and Leadership Mindset Predictability (LMS-P), a belief that leadership cannot be predicted at an early age. Convergent validity of LMS-Total and Teachability was evidenced by significant correlations with the implicit theories of intelligence and anxiety scales, and developmental leadership and transactional leadership scales. Divergent validity was evidenced by a non-significant correlation with social desirability. The results suggest that the LMS measures a construct different from those of other leadership scales used in the study. The LMS can be helpful in leadership training programs to promote a growth mindset about the trainability of leadership skills