Engaging families in physical activity research: a family-based focus group study

Abstract Background Family-based interventions present a much-needed opportunity to increase children’s physical activity levels. However, little is known about how best to engage parents and their children in physical activity research. This study aimed to engage with the whole family to understand how best to recruit for, and retain participation in, physical activity research. Methods Families (including a ‘target’ child aged between 8 and 11 years, their parents, siblings, and others) were recruited through schools and community groups. Focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured approach (informed by a pilot session). Families were asked to order cards listing the possible benefits of, and the barriers to, being involved in physical activity research and other health promotion activities, highlighting the items they consider most relevant, and suggesting additional items. Duplicate content analysis was used to identify transcript themes and develop a coding frame. Results Eighty-two participants from 17 families participated, including 17 ‘target’ children (mean age 9.3 ± 1.1 years, 61.1 % female), 32 other children and 33 adults (including parents, grandparents, and older siblings). Social, health and educational benefits were cited as being key incentives for involvement in physical activity research, with emphasis on children experiencing new things, developing character, and increasing social contact (particularly for shy children). Children’s enjoyment was also given priority. The provision of child care or financial reward was not considered sufficiently appealing. Increased time commitment or scheduling difficulties were quoted as the most pertinent barriers to involvement (especially for families with several children), but parents commented these could be overcome if the potential value for children was clear. Conclusions Lessons learned from this work may contribute to the development of effective recruitment and retention strategies for children and their families. Making the wide range of potential benefits clear to families, providing regular feedback, and carefully considering family structure, may prove useful in achieving desired research participation. This may subsequently assist in engaging families in interventions to increase physical activity in children

"The thing is, kids don't grow the same": Parent perspectives on preschoolers' weight and size in Soweto, South Africa.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is high among preschool age (3-5 years) children in South Africa, and children in urban low-income settings are particularly at risk. A better understanding of how parents or caregivers of young children perceive children's weight and size, as well as contextual factors influencing perceptions, is needed to inform interventions. The aim of this study was to examine how parents of preschool children in Soweto, South Africa, view childhood obesity, and to situate these perspectives in the context of the home environment in which preschool age children in Soweto live. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 parents in four neighbourhoods of Soweto. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis following a contextualist approach. Three themes were developed: growing differently, the 'right' way to be, and weight is not health. These themes capture parents' views on complex and reportedly inevitable causes of obesity, ideas about acceptable and preferred body sizes, and the low priority of weight per se compared to health. The findings suggest that childhood obesity prevention in South Africa needs to be done in a non-stigmatising way that recognises environmental and contextual factors, such as parents' limited sense of agency in relation to their children's health and weight, and concrete resource constraints. Environmental barriers to healthy behaviours need to be addressed in order to overcome the coexisting challenges of childhood undernutrition and obesity in urban low-income South African settings

Associations between sedentary behaviour and physical activity in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour are associated with metabolic and mental health during childhood and adolescence. Understanding the inter-relationships between these behaviours will help to inform intervention design. This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence from observational studies describing the association between sedentary behaviour and physical activity in young people (<18 years). English-language publications up to August 2013 were located through electronic and manual searches. Included studies presented statistical associations between at least one measure of sedentary behaviour and one measure of physical activity. One hundred sixty-three papers were included in the meta-analysis, from which data on 254 independent samples was extracted. In the summary meta-analytic model (k = 230), a small, but significant, negative association between sedentary behaviour and physical activity was observed (r = -0.108, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.128, -0.087). In moderator analyses, studies that recruited smaller samples (n < 100, r = -0.193, 95% CI = -0.276, -0.109) employed objective methods of measurement (objectively measured physical activity; r = -0.233, 95% CI = -0.330, -0.137) or were assessed to be of higher methodological quality (r = -0.176, 95% CI = -0.215, -0.138) reported stronger associations, although effect sizes remained small. The association between sedentary behaviour and physical activity in young people is negative, but small, suggesting that these behaviours do not directly displace one another

Equity effects of children’s physical activity interventions: a systematic scoping review

Abstract Background Differential effects of physical activity (PA) interventions across population sub-groups may contribute to inequalities in health. This systematic scoping review explored the state of the evidence on equity effects in response to interventions targeting children’s PA promotion. The aims were to assess and summarise the availability of evidence on differential intervention effects of children’s PA interventions across gender, body mass index, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, place of residence and religion. Methods Using a pre-piloted search strategy, six electronic databases were searched for controlled intervention trials, aiming to increase PA in children (6–18 years of age), that used objective forms of measurement. Screening and data extraction were conducted in duplicate. Reporting of analyses of differential effects were summarized for each equity characteristic and logistic regression analyses run to investigate intervention characteristics associated with the reporting of equity analyses. Results The literature search identified 13,052 publications and 7963 unique records. Following a duplicate screening process 125 publications representing 113 unique intervention trials were included. Although the majority of trials collected equity characteristics at baseline, few reported differential effects analyses across the equity factors of interest. All 113 included interventions reported gender at baseline with 46% of non-gender targeted interventions reporting differential effect analyses by gender. Respective figures were considerably smaller for body mass index, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, place of residence and religion. There was an increased likelihood of studying differential effects in school based interventions (OR: 2.9 [1.2–7.2]) in comparison to interventions in other settings, larger studies (per increase in 100 participants; 1.2 [1.0 – 1.4]); and where a main intervention effect on objectively measured PA was reported (3.0 [1.3–6.8]). Conclusions Despite regularly collecting relevant information at baseline, most controlled trials of PA interventions in children do not report analyses of differences in intervention effect across outlined equity characteristics. Consequently, there is a scarcity of evidence concerning the equity effects of these interventions, particularly beyond gender, and a lack of understanding of subgroups that may benefit from, or be disadvantaged by, current intervention efforts. Further evidence synthesis and primary research is needed to effectively understand the impact of PA interventions on existing behavioural inequalities within population subgroups of children. Trial registration PROSPERO (PROSPERO 2016: CRD42016034020 )

Sociodemographic profiles, educational attainment and physical activity associated with The Daily Mile™ registration in primary schools in England: a national cross-sectional linkage study

OBJECTIVE: To examine primary school and local authority characteristics associated with registration for The Daily Mile (TDM), an active mile initiative aimed at increasing physical activity in children. DESIGN: A cross-sectional linkage study using routinely collected data. SETTING: All state-funded primary schools in England from 2012 to 2018 (n=15,815). RESULTS: 3,502 of all 15,815 (22.1%) state-funded primary schools in England were registered to do TDM, ranging from 16% in the East Midlands region to 31% in Inner London. Primary schools registered for TDM had larger mean pupil numbers compared with schools that had not registered (300 vs 269, respectively). There was a higher proportion of TDM-registered schools in urban areas compared with non-urban areas. There was local authority variation in the likelihood of school registration (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.094). After adjusting for school and local authority characteristics, schools located in a major urban conurbation (OR 1.46 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.71) urban vs rural) and schools with a higher proportion of disadvantaged pupils had higher odds of being registered for TDM (OR 1.16 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.33)). Area-based physical activity and schools' educational attainment were not significantly associated with registration to TDM. CONCLUSION: One in five primary schools in England has registered for TDM since 2012. TDM appears to be a wide-reaching school-based physical activity intervention that is reaching more disadvantaged primary school populations in urban areas where obesity prevalence is highest. TDM-registered schools include those with both high and low educational attainment and are in areas with high and low physical activity

Роль військових у формуванні євроатлантичної політики України

7 квітня 2009 року на базі Чернігівського центру євроатлантичної інтеграції відбувся інтерактивний семінар на тему: «Роль військових у формуванні євроатлантичної політики України». Захід провів Інститут трансформації суспільства (Київ, директор - Олег Соскін) спільно із Чернігівським державним педагогічним університетом їм. Т.Г. Шевченка за підтримки Посольства Словацької Республіки в Україні.

Особливості перебігу та корекції артеріальної гіпертензії у хворих з супутньою вегетативною дисфункцією на курорті Трускавець

Частота синдрома вегетативной дисфункции у больных гипертонией составляет 60-70%, что существенно усложняет течение заболевания и ухудшает качество жизни пациентов. Больным гипертонией с признаками симпатикотонии целесообразно назначать бета-блокатор Корвазан и биологически активную воду Нафтуся, так так они существенно снижают частоту вегето-сосудистых кризов. Билогически активная вода Нафтуся содействует уменьшению количеству автономных нарушений и более быстрому достижению целевых уровней артериального давления

Evaluation of the Dissemination of the South African 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Birth to 5 Years

South Africa (SA) launched their 24-h movement guidelines for birth to five years in December 2018. The guideline dissemination plan adopted a “train-the-trainer” strategy through dissemination workshops with community-based organisations (CBOs) working in early childhood development. The aim of this paper is to: (1) document this dissemination process; and (2) report on the feasibility of implementing the dissemination workshops, the acceptability of the workshops (and guidelines) for different end-user groups, and the extent to which CBO representatives disseminated the guidelines to end-users. Fifteen workshops were held in seven of SA’s nine provinces with a total of 323 attendees. Quantitative and qualitative findings (n = 281) indicate that these workshops were feasible for community-based dissemination of the guidelines and that this method of dissemination was acceptable to CBOs and end-users. Findings from follow-up focus groups (6 groups, n = 28 participants) indicate that the guidelines were shared with end-users of CBOs who participated in the focus groups. An additional musical storytelling resource, the “Woza, Mntwana” song, was well-received by participants; sharing via WhatsApp was believed to be the most effective way to disseminate this song. These findings confirm the feasibility and acceptability of culturally appropriate and context-specific community-based dissemination of behavioural guidelines in low-income settings

Central-line-associated bloodstream infection burden among Dutch neonatal intensive care units

Background: The establishment of an epidemiological overview provides valuable insights needed for the (future) dissemination of infection-prevention initiatives. Aim: To describe the nationwide epidemiology of central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) among Dutch Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Methods: Data from 2935 neonates born at &lt;32 weeks' gestation and/or with a birth weight &lt;1500 g admitted to all nine Dutch NICUs over a two-year surveillance period (2019–2020) were analysed. Variations in baseline characteristics, CLABSI incidence per 1000 central-line days, pathogen distribution and CLABSI care bundles were evaluated. Multi-variable logistic mixed-modelling was used to identify significant predictors for CLABSI. Results:A total of 1699 (58%) neonates received a central line, in which 160 CLABSI episodes were recorded. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most common infecting organisms of all CLABSI episodes (N=100, 63%). An almost six-fold difference in the CLABSI incidence between participating units was found (2.91–16.14 per 1000 line-days). Logistic mixed-modelling revealed longer central line dwell-time (adjusted odds ratio (aOR):1.08, P&lt;0.001), umbilical lines (aOR:1.85, P=0.03) and single rooms (aOR:3.63, P=0.02) to be significant predictors of CLABSI. Variations in bundle elements included intravenous tubing care and antibiotic prophylaxis. Conclusions: CLABSI remains a common problem in preterm infants in The Netherlands, with substantial variation in incidence between centres. Being the largest collection of data on the burden of neonatal CLABSI in The Netherlands, this epidemiological overview provides a solid foundation for the development of a collaborative platform for continuous surveillance, ideally leading to refinement of national evidence-based guidelines. Future efforts should focus on ensuring availability and extraction of routine patient data in aggregated formats.</p