The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Fog Hours of California\u27s Central Coast

This study used observations and downscaled model output from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 to investigate diurnal temperature differences and their relationship to the number of fog hours in the future along California’s central coast. The study area extended north-south from Bodega Bay to the Santa Lucia Range and east-west from the coast of California to the western flank of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Analyses of Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios 4.5 and 8.5 showed that most of California’s central coast will likely see minimal changes in the number of fog hours per day through the turn of the century. However, fog hours in the northern portion of the study area showed a reduction of up to an hour and a half per day, while southern areas showed an increase by more than an hour and a half per day by the turn of the century. The implications of these changes will vary depending on the timing of the increase or decrease. Further research is needed to look at timing of fog events

Trail Mapping from Space: New Recreation Mapping at Bogus Basin Ski Area

Research Question: Can a comprehensive, accurate, and detailed map of recreational trails be produced without stepping foot in the field? Remote sensing is reconnaissance at a distance (Colwell, 1966). Mapping is a three step process: 1.) basemap assembly, 2.) cartographic interpretation, 3.) review & correction. While a simple concept, remote sensing has traditionally been the left to the experts due to the high skill set and specialized computing equipment required to complete even the most rudimentary data preparation and processing tasks. Today, Google Earth, the National Agricultural Imagery Program (1m NAIP), global 30m digital elevation data (DEM), desktop ArcGIS, and user-friendly graphics packages (Adobe Creative Suite) have revolutionized the mapping process for students and other non-professionals. For this project students in GEOG 361/461 Remote Sensing collaborated with Bogus Basin Ski Area to completely remake the recreational map of the Shafer Butte-Mores Mountain-Stack Rock area. Students were successful in producing a.) an updated and expanded mountain biking/hiking trails map, b.) two ultimate frisbee course maps, c.) a nordic skiing/snowshoe trail map, and d.) 3D video flythrough guided tours of popular trail loops using Google Earth and Final Cut Pro. All data layers were migrated to modern GIS formats for improved storage and retrieval. The final, print-ready maps were assembled in Adobe Illustrator to simplify future updates and print production. The completed maps were reviewed by Bogus Basin field crews and staff. Comments were very positive and edits minimal. The maps were accurate and useful to on-mountain professionals. This was the first major cartographic project for nearly all students involved

Estimated impact of the UK soft drinks industry levy on childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions: interrupted time series analysis

Introduction: Tooth extraction due to dental caries is associated with socioeconomic deprivation and is a major reason for elective childhood hospital admissions in England. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a risk factor for dental caries. We examined whether the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018, was associated with changes in incidence rates of hospital admissions for carious tooth extraction in children, 22 months post-SDIL implementation. Methods: Changes in incidence rates of monthly National Health Service hospital admissions for extraction of teeth due to a primary diagnosis of dental caries (International Classification of Diseases; ICD-10 code: K02) in England, between January 2012 and February 2020, were estimated using interrupted time series and compared with a counterfactual scenario where SDIL was not announced or implemented. Periodical changes in admissions, autocorrelation and population structure were accounted for. Estimates were calculated overall, by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) fifths and by age group (0–4 years, 5–9 years, 10–14 years, 15–18 years). Results: Compared with the counterfactual scenario, there was a relative reduction of 12.1% (95% CI 17.0% to 7.2%) in hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions in all children (0–18 years). Children aged 0–4 years and 5–9 years had relative reductions of 28.6% (95% CI 35.6% to 21.5%) and 5.5% (95% CI 10.5% to 0.5%), respectively; no change was observed for older children. Reductions were observed in children living in most IMD areas regardless of deprivation. Conclusion: The UK SDIL was associated with reductions in incidence rates of childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions, across most areas regardless of deprivation status and especially in younger children. Trial registration number: ISRCTN18042742

Physical activity and trajectories of frailty among older adults:evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

BACKGROUND: Frail older adults are heavy users of health and social care. In order to reduce the costs associated with frailty in older age groups, safe and cost-effective strategies are required that will reduce the incidence and severity of frailty. OBJECTIVE: We investigated whether self-reported intensity of physical activity (sedentary, mild, moderate or vigorous) performed at least once a week can significantly reduce trajectories of frailty in older adults who are classified as non-frail at baseline (Rockwood's Frailty Index [FI] ≤ 0.25). METHODS: Multi-level growth curve modelling was used to assess trajectories of frailty in 8649 non-frail adults aged 50 and over and according to baseline self-reported intensity of physical activity. Frailty was measured in five-year age cohorts based on age at baseline (50-54; 55-59; 60-64; 65-69; 70-74; 75-79; 80+) on up to 6 occasions, providing an average of 10 years of follow-up. All models were adjusted for baseline sex, education, wealth, cohabitation, smoking, and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Compared with the sedentary reference group, mild physical activity was insufficient to significantly slow the progression of frailty, moderate physical activity reduced the progression of frailty in some age groups (particularly ages 65 and above) and vigorous activity significantly reduced the trajectory of frailty progression in all older adults. CONCLUSION: Healthy non-frail older adults require higher intensities of physical activity for continued improvement in frailty trajectories

Vaccine Confidence and Hesitancy at the Start of COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment in the UK: An Embedded Mixed-Methods Study.

Funder: World Health OrganizationBackground: Approval for the use of COVID-19 vaccines has been granted in a number of countries but there are concerns that vaccine uptake may be low amongst certain groups. Methods: This study used a mixed methods approach based on online survey and an embedded quantitative/qualitative design to explore perceptions and attitudes that were associated with intention to either accept or refuse offers of vaccination in different demographic groups during the early stages of the UK's mass COVID-19 vaccination programme (December 2020). Analysis used multivariate logistic regression, structural text modeling and anthropological assessments. Results: Of 4,535 respondents, 85% (n = 3,859) were willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine. The rapidity of vaccine development and uncertainties about safety were common reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. There was no evidence for the widespread influence of mis-information, although broader vaccine hesitancy was associated with intentions to refuse COVID-19 vaccines (OR 20.60, 95% CI 14.20-30.30, p < 0.001). Low levels of trust in the decision-making (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.08, 2.48, p = 0.021) and truthfulness (OR 8.76, 95% CI 4.15-19.90, p < 0.001) of the UK government were independently associated with higher odds of refusing COVID-19 vaccines. Compared to political centrists, conservatives and liberals were, respectively, more (OR 2.05, 95%CI 1.51-2.80, p < 0.001) and less (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.22-0.41, p < 0.001) likely to refuse offered vaccines. Those who were willing to be vaccinated cited both personal and public protection as reasons, with some alluding to having a sense of collective responsibility. Conclusion: Dominant narratives of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy are misconceived as primarily being driven by misinformation. Key indicators of UK vaccine acceptance include prior behaviors, transparency of the scientific process of vaccine development, mistrust in science and leadership and individual political views. Vaccine programmes should leverage the sense of altruism, citizenship and collective responsibility that motivated many participants to get vaccinated

Behavioural change towards reduced intensity physical activity is disproportionately prevalent among adults with serious health issues or self-perception of high risk during the UK COVID-19 lockdown.

Quantitative data on physical activity and health behaviours during the UK COVID-19 lockdown. Anonymous survey data were collected online between 2020-04-06 and 2020-04-22, roughly mapping to weeks 3-5 of the lockdown in the UK. The main survey included 49 questions which covered a broad range of topics including (1) Demographics, (2) Health and Health Behaviours, (3) Adherence to COVID-19 Control measures, (4) Information sources used to learn about COVID-19, (5) Trust in various information sources, government and government decision-making, (6) Rumours and misinformation, (7) Contact & Communication during COVID-19 and (8) Fear and Isolation. This data set includes 20 variables and 5,820 responses and relates to medRxiv submission MEDRXIV/2020/098921 - Version 1. It has been superseded by version 2 of the dataset, which can be found at https://doi.org/10.17037/DATA.00002091

Trust and Transparency in times of Crisis: Results from an Online Survey During the First Wave (April 2020) of the COVID-19 Epidemic in the UK - Quantitative Data

An anonymised quantitative dataset containing results for a survey on public perceptions of the UK government's response during the first wave (April 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic, with specific focus upon the relationship between trust and transparency. It contains data provided by 9,322 respondents aged 20 or over, who completed an online questionnaire between 6 and 22 April 2020. Responses indicate whether they consider the UK government to have made the correct decision, government priority, and their trust in government. It is accompanied by demographic information on the participant's age category, education level, gender, income level, region, and ethnicity. Qualitative data for this study have not been made available due to the presence of sensitive and potentially disclosure information. See Methods section for information on data capture and analysis. This version has been superseded by https://doi.org/10.17037/DATA.00002015

Estimated impact of the UK soft drinks industry levy on childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions: interrupted time series analysis

IntroductionTooth extraction due to dental caries is associated with socioeconomic deprivation and is a major reason for elective childhood hospital admissions in England. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a risk factor for dental caries. We examined whether the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018, was associated with changes in incidence rates of hospital admissions for carious tooth extraction in children, 22 months post-SDIL implementation.MethodsChanges in incidence rates of monthly National Health Service hospital admissions for extraction of teeth due to a primary diagnosis of dental caries (International Classification of Diseases; ICD-10 code: K02) in England, between January 2012 and February 2020, were estimated using interrupted time series and compared with a counterfactual scenario where SDIL was not announced or implemented. Periodical changes in admissions, autocorrelation and population structure were accounted for. Estimates were calculated overall, by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) fifths and by age group (0–4 years, 5–9 years, 10–14 years, 15–18 years).ResultsCompared with the counterfactual scenario, there was a relative reduction of 12.1% (95% CI 17.0% to 7.2%) in hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions in all children (0–18 years). Children aged 0–4 years and 5–9 years had relative reductions of 28.6% (95% CI 35.6% to 21.5%) and 5.5% (95% CI 10.5% to 0.5%), respectively; no change was observed for older children. Reductions were observed in children living in most IMD areas regardless of deprivation.ConclusionThe UK SDIL was associated with reductions in incidence rates of childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions, across most areas regardless of deprivation status and especially in younger children.Trial registration numberISRCTN18042742.</jats:sec

Estimated impact of the UK soft drinks industry levy on childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions: interrupted time series analysis

Introduction Tooth extraction due to dental caries is associated with socioeconomic deprivation and is a major reason for elective childhood hospital admissions in England. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is a risk factor for dental caries. We examined whether the soft drinks industry levy (SDIL), announced in March 2016 and implemented in April 2018, was associated with changes in incidence rates of hospital admissions for carious tooth extraction in children, 22 months post-SDIL implementation.Methods Changes in incidence rates of monthly National Health Service hospital admissions for extraction of teeth due to a primary diagnosis of dental caries (International Classification of Diseases; ICD-10 code: K02) in England, between January 2012 and February 2020, were estimated using interrupted time series and compared with a counterfactual scenario where SDIL was not announced or implemented. Periodical changes in admissions, autocorrelation and population structure were accounted for. Estimates were calculated overall, by Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) fifths and by age group (0–4 years, 5–9 years, 10–14 years, 15–18 years).Results Compared with the counterfactual scenario, there was a relative reduction of 12.1% (95% CI 17.0% to 7.2%) in hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions in all children (0–18 years). Children aged 0–4 years and 5–9 years had relative reductions of 28.6% (95% CI 35.6% to 21.5%) and 5.5% (95% CI 10.5% to 0.5%), respectively; no change was observed for older children. Reductions were observed in children living in most IMD areas regardless of deprivation.Conclusion The UK SDIL was associated with reductions in incidence rates of childhood hospital admissions for carious tooth extractions, across most areas regardless of deprivation status and especially in younger children.Trial registration number ISRCTN18042742