Correlates of physical activity in adolescence: a study from a developing country

Background: Physical activity is important for adolescent health. The current study aimed to explore factors that predict physical activity among adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of physical activity among a sample of adolescents in Tabriz, Iran. Information on physical activity was collected using a modified version of the Adolescent Physical Activity and Recall Questionnaire (APARQ). In addition, a self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic characteristics, perceived family support, and self-efficacy. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between physical activity and independent variables including gender and psychosocial predictors. Results: In all, 402 students were studied. The mean age of adolescents was 12.93 (SD=0.49) years; 51.5% were female. The mean time of moderate and vigorous physical activity for all adolescents was 44.64 (SD=23.24) Metabolic Equivalent (MET) min per day. This figure for female adolescents was 38.77 (SD=19.94) MET min per day and for males it was 50.87 (SD=24.88) (P<0.001). The results obtained from multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that female gender (OR=2.59, 95% CI=1.46–4.57, P=0.001) and poor family support (OR=1.10, 95% CI=1.03–1.20, P=0.038) were the most significant contributing factors to low level physical activity in adolescents. Other variables studied did not show any significant results. Conclusion: The findings from the current study indicated that female adolescents were at risk of lower level of physical activity. In addition, it was found that the lack of family support represented an increased risk for low-level physical activity. It seems that family support should be an integrated part of any health education/promotion programs for improving physical activity among young adolescents in general and for female adolescents in particular

Utilization of Coal and Biomass Ash

Sustainable utilization of the ash generated from the combustion of coal or biomass is a big challenge for the power industry. Huge quantities of ash are generated and, in general, they are disposed-off in ash ponds. However, recent regulatory requirements demand 100% utilization of ash. So many new areas of ash utilization are being explored by the researchers and ash managers. Bulk utilization sectors are cement industry, construction, bricks, landfill, mine back filling, and soil amendment for growing plants. Efforts to enhance the use in value-added low-volume sectors like fertilizer, cenosphere, catalyst support, zeolites, aerogels, and so on are continuously evolving. The heterogeneity of the ash properties is one of the main challenges for advocating a generalized utilization pattern of the ash. Biomass has some typical properties that limit its use for some sectors. However, beneficiation of both coal and biomass ash and use of other additives could improve the suitability of the ashes to multifarious uses