Relationships between outdoor time, physical activity, sedentary time, and body mass index in children : a 12-country study

Purpose: This study investigated the relationship between outdoor time and physical activity (PA), sedentary time (SED), and body mass index z scores among children from 12 lower-middle-income, upper-middle-income, and high-income countries. Methods: In total, 6478 children (54.4% girls) aged 9-11 years participated. Outdoor time was self-reported, PA and SED were assessed with ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers, and height and weight were measured. Data on parental education, neighborhood collective efficacy, and accessibility to neighborhood recreation facilities were collected from parent questionnaires. Country latitude and climate statistics were collected through national weather data sources. Gender-stratified multilevel models with parental education, climate, and neighborhood variables as covariates were used to examine the relationship between outdoor time, accelerometry measures, and body mass index z scores. Results: Each additional hour per day spent outdoors was associated with higher moderate-to vigorous-intensity PA (boys: +2.8 min/d; girls: +1.4 min/d), higher light-intensity PA (boys: +2.0 min/d; girls: +2.3 min/d), and lower SED (boys: -6.3 min/d; girls: -5.1 min/d). Effect sizes were generally weaker in lower-middle-income countries. Outdoor time was not associated with body mass index z scores. Conclusions: Outdoor time was associated with higher PA and lower SED independent of climate, parental education, and neighborhood variables, but effect sizes were small. However, more research is needed in low-and middle-income countries

Transformations des pratiques enseignantes en formation professionnelle au Québec avec l’arrivée de la COVID-19

Les mesures sociosanitaires exigées par le gouvernement du Québec pendant le contexte de pandémie ont affecté de manière importante les pratiques enseignantes dans tous les centres de formation professionnelle. Des transformations liées aux contenus des programmes, des processus de formation et des éléments organisationnels ont été réalisées par les équipes enseignantes pour assurer une formation de qualité à la future main-d’oeuvre québécoise. Ancrés dans le vécu d’acteurs du milieu, les changements mis en place soulèvent des enjeux importants quant aux exigences de qualification, au développement de la compétence numérique et à leur pérennité dans le temps..The social and sanitary measures imposed by the Québec government during the pandemic have substantially impacted teaching practices throughout professional training centres. Teams of teachers have transformed program content, training processes, and organizational elements to ensure that Québec’s upcoming labor force is professionally qualified. Based on the experiences of actors in the field, these changes raise important issues concerning the requirements for qualification and the acquisition and continuous updating of digital skills.

Development and validation of a time and motion guide to assess the costs of prevention and control interventions for nosocomial infections: A Delphi method among experts.

BackgroundNosocomial infections place a heavy burden on patients and healthcare providers and impact health care institutions financially. Reducing nosocomial infections requires an integrated program of prevention and control using key clinical best care practices. No instrument currently exists that measures these practices in terms of personnel time and material costs.ObjectiveTo develop and validate an instrument that would measure nosocomial infection control and prevention best care practice costs, including estimates of human and material resources.MethodsAn evaluation of the literature identified four practices essential for the control of pathogens: hand hygiene, hygiene and sanitation, screening and additional precaution. To reflect time, materials and products used in these practices, our team developed a time and motion guide. Iterations of the guide were assessed in a Delphi technique; content validity was established using the content validity index and reliability was assessed using Kruskall Wallis one-way ANOVA of rank test.ResultsTwo rounds of Delphi review were required; 88% of invited experts completed the assessment. The final version of the guide contains eight dimensions: Identification [83 items]; Personnel [5 items]; Additional Precautions [1 item]; Hand Hygiene [2 items]; Personal Protective Equipment [14 items]; Screening [4 items]; Cleaning and Disinfection of Patient Care Equipment [33 items]; and Hygiene and Sanitation [24 items]. The content validity index obtained for all dimensions was acceptable (> 80%). Experts statistically agreed on six of the eight dimensions.Discussion/conclusionThis study developed and validated a new instrument based on expert opinion, the time and motion guide, for the systematic assessment of costs relating to the human and material resources used in nosocomial infection prevention and control. This guide will prove useful to measure the intensity of the application of prevention and control measures taken before, during and after outbreak periods or during pandemics such as COVID-19

Le Consortium régional de recherche en éducation du Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean : un nouveau jalon pour un partenariat historique

Ce texte rend compte, en premier lieu, de l’organisation d’un partenariat unique en éducation, le Consortium régional de recherche en éducation. Ensuite, nous expliquons une nouvelle orientation en émergence et qui bâtit à partir de ses acquis. Par cette contribution, nous souhaitons partager des modalités susceptibles d’aiguiller la structuration de la recherche en éducation au plan régional, selon une perspective multidisciplinaire, voire interdisciplinaire. En outre, nous désirons soumettre une articulation préliminaire d’orientations qui, à terme, permettront d’étudier des processus qui ont cours dans le cadre des activités d’un partenariat recherche-pratique

Dual role of ALCAM in neuroinflammation and blood-brain barrier homeostasis.

Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) is a cell adhesion molecule found on blood-brain barrier endothelial cells (BBB-ECs) that was previously shown to be involved in leukocyte transmigration across the endothelium. In the present study, we found that ALCAM knockout (KO) mice developed a more severe myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)35-55-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The exacerbated disease was associated with a significant increase in the number of CNS-infiltrating proinflammatory leukocytes compared with WT controls. Passive EAE transfer experiments suggested that the pathophysiology observed in active EAE was linked to the absence of ALCAM on BBB-ECs. In addition, phenotypic characterization of unimmunized ALCAM KO mice revealed a reduced expression of BBB junctional proteins. Further in vivo, in vitro, and molecular analysis confirmed that ALCAM is associated with tight junction molecule assembly at the BBB, explaining the increased permeability of CNS blood vessels in ALCAM KO animals. Collectively, our data point to a biologically important function of ALCAM in maintaining BBB integrity

Construct validity of the neighborhood environment walkability scale for Africa

Purpose: The development of valid measures of built environments relevant for physical activity is an important step toward controlling the global epidemic of physical inactivity–related noncommunicable diseases and deaths. This study assessed the construct validity of a self-report neighborhood environment walkability scale adapted for Africa (NEWS-Africa), by examining relationships with self-reported walking for transportation and recreation using pooled data from six sub-Saharan African countries. Methods: NEWS was systematically adapted to assess urban, periurban, and rural environments in sub-Saharan Africa. Adults (n = 469, 18–85 yr, 49.7% women) from Cameroon, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda were purposively recruited from neighborhoods varying in walkability and socioeconomic status, with some from villages. Participants completed the 76-item (13 subscales) NEWS-Africa by structured interview and reported weekly minutes of walking for transport and recreation using items from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: The overall ‘‘walkability’’ index had a positive relationship with both walking for transportation (G2 = 0.020, P = 0.005) and recreation (G2 = 0.013, P = 0.028) in the pooled analyses. The mixed-use access and stranger danger scales were positively related with transport walking (G2 = 0.020, P = 0.006 and G2 = 0.021, P = 0.040, respectively). Proximity of recreational facilities (G2 = 0.016, P = 0.015), road/path connectivity (G2 = 0.025, P = 0.002), path infrastructure (G2 = 0.021, P = 0.005), and overall places for walking and cycling (G2 = 0.012, P = 0.029) scales were positively related to recreational walking. Country-specific results were mostly nonsignificant except for South Africa and Uganda. Conclusions: Of 14 NEWS-Africa scales, 7 were significantly related to walking behavior in pooled analyses, providing partial support for the construct validity of NEWS-Africa. However, effect sizes appeared to be lower than those from other continents. Further study with larger and more diverse samples is needed to determine whether the instrument performs well in each country