The Impact of a 3-Year After-School Obesity Prevention Program in Elementary School Children

Children tend to be sedentary during the after-school hours, and this has deleterious effects on their health. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of a 3-year after-school physical activity (PA) program, without restriction of dietary energy intake, on percent body fat (%BF), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and cardiometabolic markers in children

Development and implementation of the Intergenerational Cancer Prevention project through breastfeeding among African American women

Background: Black women are diagnosed with late-stage breast and ovarian cancer at higher rates than White women, possibly contributing to their increased risk for mortality related to these cancers. Breastfeeding (BF) is a modifiable risk factor associated with a decreased risk for these cancers Social stigma, lack of support from the healthcare community, and a lack of knowledge regarding the benefits of BF have contributed to low rates of BF and initiation among Black women, thus increasing their breast and ovarian cancer risk. Methods: A qualitative needs assessment (n=20 African American women, \u3e18, pregnant or within one year postpartum) was conducted and confirmed a lack of knowledge of the cancer risk reduction conferred by BF and a need for education and peer support. Results were used to create a culturally competent BF education during pregnancy and peer support intervention to 6 weeks postpartum. 8 mothers completed the pilot, and 10 control mothers completed a comparison survey. Results: Pilot participants demonstrated improved knowledge regarding BF at 6 weeks postpartum, achieved 100% BF initiation, maintained breastfeeding to 6 weeks (100%), intended to BF to 12 months (80%), and reported increased self-efficacy regarding BF (83%). Conclusions: This suggests that with education and support Black mothers may be empowered to increase BF initiation and duration, thus reducing breast and ovarian cancer risk. Future directions involve implementing the intervention on a larger scale. The workshop presentation will focus on the results of the needs assessment and initial pilot group results

Implementing a self-monitoring application during pregnancy and postpartum for rural and underserved women: A qualitative needs assessment study

Background Georgia has one of the highest maternal mortality rates within the US. This study describes the qualitative needs assessment undertaken to understand the needs of rural and underserved women and their perspectives on implementing a self monitoring application during pregnancy and postpartum. Methods Qualitative methodology was used to conduct the needs assessment of 12 health care providers (nurses, nurse-midwives, patient care coordinators, and physicians) and 25 women from rural and underserved populations in Georgia was conducted to ascertain common themes on three topics: pregnancy care experiences, comfort with technology, and initial perspectives on the proposed VidaRPM application. Transcription, coding, and consensus were conducted using content analysis and a Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was calculated to identify level of overall agreement between raters for the representative quotes identified for each theme. Results The overall agreement for the representative quotes that were chosen for each theme was in strong agreement (κ = 0.832). The major provider feedback included the following regarding the VidaRPM app: inclusion of questions to monitor physical well-being, embedded valid and reliable educational resources, and multiple modalities. The overall feedback from the mothers regarding the VidaRPM application was the virtual aspect helped overcome the barriers to accessing care, comfort with both WiFi and technology, and sustainable utility. Discussion The needs of rural and underserved pregnant women and their providers were assessed to develop and refine the VidaRPM app. This qualitative study on the VidaRPM app is the first step towards closing the gap between providers and patients during prenatal and postpartum periods by empowering and educating women into the first-year postpartum living in rural and underserved areas

Are university rankings useful to improve research? A systematic review.

Concerns about reproducibility and impact of research urge improvement initiatives. Current university ranking systems evaluate and compare universities on measures of academic and research performance. Although often useful for marketing purposes, the value of ranking systems when examining quality and outcomes is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate usefulness of ranking systems and identify opportunities to support research quality and performance improvement.A systematic review of university ranking systems was conducted to investigate research performance and academic quality measures. Eligibility requirements included: inclusion of at least 100 doctoral granting institutions, be currently produced on an ongoing basis and include both global and US universities, publish rank calculation methodology in English and independently calculate ranks. Ranking systems must also include some measures of research outcomes. Indicators were abstracted and contrasted with basic quality improvement requirements. Exploration of aggregation methods, validity of research and academic quality indicators, and suitability for quality improvement within ranking systems were also conducted.A total of 24 ranking systems were identified and 13 eligible ranking systems were evaluated. Six of the 13 rankings are 100% focused on research performance. For those reporting weighting, 76% of the total ranks are attributed to research indicators, with 24% attributed to academic or teaching quality. Seven systems rely on reputation surveys and/or faculty and alumni awards. Rankings influence academic choice yet research performance measures are the most weighted indicators. There are no generally accepted academic quality indicators in ranking systems.No single ranking system provides a comprehensive evaluation of research and academic quality. Utilizing a combined approach of the Leiden, Thomson Reuters Most Innovative Universities, and the SCImago ranking systems may provide institutions with a more effective feedback for research improvement. Rankings which extensively rely on subjective reputation and "luxury" indicators, such as award winning faculty or alumni who are high ranking executives, are not well suited for academic or research performance improvement initiatives. Future efforts should better explore measurement of the university research performance through comprehensive and standardized indicators. This paper could serve as a general literature citation when one or more of university ranking systems are used in efforts to improve academic prominence and research performance

Research indicators by publication and citation metrics (percent of contribution to total score, not all percentages may sum to 100, due to rounding.).

<p>Research indicators by publication and citation metrics (percent of contribution to total score, not all percentages may sum to 100, due to rounding.).</p

Standardization and aggregation of indicators.

<p>Standardization and aggregation of indicators.</p

PRISMA flow diagram.

<p>PRISMA flow diagram.</p

University ranking systems.

<p>University ranking systems.</p

Conflicting global rankings of an illustrative research university (per most recent published results, 2016).

<p>Conflicting global rankings of an illustrative research university (per most recent published results, 2016).</p