Individual, social and physical environmental correlates of 'never' and 'always' cycling to school among 10 to 12 year old children living within a 3.0 km distance from school

BACKGROUND: Cycling to school has been identified as an important target for increasing physical activity levels in children. However, knowledge about correlates of cycling to school is scarce as many studies did not make a distinction between walking and cycling to school. Moreover, correlates of cycling to school for those who live within a distance, that in theory would allow cycling to school, stay undiscovered. Therefore, this study examined individual, social and physical environmental correlates of never and always cycling to/from school among 10 to 12 year old Belgian children living within a 3.0 km distance from school. METHODS: 850 parents completed a questionnaire to assess personal, family, behavioral, cognitive, social and physical environmental factors related to the cycling behavior of their children. Parents indicated on a question matrix how many days a week their child (1) walked, (2) cycled, was (3) driven by car or (4) public transport to and from school during fall, winter and spring. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the correlates. RESULTS: Overall, 39.3% of children never cycled to school and 16.5% of children always cycled to school. Children with high levels of independent mobility and good cycling skills perceived by their parents were more likely to always cycle to school (resp. OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.04-1.15 and OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.01-1.16) and less likely to never cycle to school (resp. OR 0.84; 95% CI 0.78-0.91 and OR 0.77; 95% CI 0.7-0.84). Children with friends who encourage them to cycle to school were more likely to always cycle to school (OR 1.08; 95% CI 1.01-1.15) and less likely to never cycle to school (OR 0.9; 95% CI 0.83-1.0). In addition, children with parents who encourage them to cycle to school were less likely to never cycle to school (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.7-0.87). Regarding the physical environmental factors, only neighborhood traffic safety was significantly associated with cycling: i.e., children were more likely to always cycle to school if neighborhood traffic was perceived as safe by their parents (OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.07-1.31). CONCLUSION: Individual, social and physical environmental factors were associated with children's cycling behavior to/from school. However, the contribution of the physical environment is limited and highlights the fact that interventions for increasing cycling to school should not focus solely on the physical environment

Tailored physical activity advice delivered through the Internet: Evaluation of a computerised intervention for adults

Regelmatig bewegen heeft een positieve invloed op onze gezondheid. Onderzoek toont aan dat indien men minstens 30 minuten fysiek actief is aan een matige intensiteit gedurende 5 dagen van de week, het risico op het ontwikkelen van cardiovasculaire aandoeningen, zwaarlijvigheid, diabetes, bepaalde soorten kankers, osteoporose en mentale problemen verkleint. Meer dan 50% van de Vlaamse bevolking beweegt echter onvoldoende. Het is dan ook belangrijk om effectieve interventies ter promotie van fysieke activiteit te ontwikkelen, waarmee we een grote groep mensen kunnen bereiken. Het doel van dit doctoraatsonderzoek is het evalueren van een computergestuurde en geïndividualiseerde interventie via het Internet ter promotie van fysieke activiteit bij volwassenen. Deze interventie houdt in dat deelnemers een computergestuurde vragenlijst over beweging invullen, waarna onmiddellijk een bewegingsadvies op maat op het scherm verschijnt. Een gelijkaardige interventie op CD-ROM was reeds eerder door onze vakgroep ontwikkeld en bleek effectief te zijn onder gecontroleerde condities: Volwassenen die in de computerklas van de universiteit een geïndividualiseerd advies ontvingen, bleken na 6 maanden meer te bewegen in vergelijking met een groep volwassenen die geen advies hadden gekregen. Voor het huidige project werd het bewegingsadvies op maat via het Internet beschikbaar gemaakt. In een eerste interventiestudie werd het effect van advies op maat vergeleken met een online standaardadvies. Hieruit bleek dat deelnemers het advies op maat positiever beoordeelden dan het standaardadvies maar dat er geen verschil was op vlak van beweging. In een volgende fase werd een nieuwe website ontwikkeld, met centraal een bewegingadvies op maat. Door middel van gebruikerstesten met zowel ervaren als onervaren Internetgebruikers, werd de website gebruiksvriendelijk gemaakt. Een volgende studie toonde aan dat het verspreiden van folders met het adres van deze website niet voldoende was om volwassenen de site te laten bezoeken. Een kort persoonlijk contact vooraf, bleek veel effectiever te zijn. Tenslotte werd in een tweede interventiestudie de effectiviteit van de website nagegaan. Deelnemers die de interventie op één welbepaald tijdstip of gedurende langere tijd kregen, bleken na een half jaar meer te zijn gaan bewegen dan deelnemers die geen interventie kregen. Een bijkomende studie ging na wat de karakteristieken waren van mensen die al dan niet geïnteresseerd waren in een bewegingsadvies via het Internet, en het computerprogramma ook hadden doorlopen. Resultaten toonden aan dat er geen verschillen waren wat betreft leeftijd of mate van beweging. Wel toonden er meer vrouwen dan mannen, en meer mensen met een gemiddeld of hogere socio-economisch status (SES) dan met een lagere SES, interesse in een bewegingsadvies op maat. Uit de resultaten van deze onderzoeken kunnen we besluiten dat een website met bewegingsadvies op maat effectief kan zijn om fysieke activiteit te promoten bij een groot deel van de Vlaamse volwassen populatie

The perception of the neighborhood environment changes after participation in a pedometer based community intervention

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to investigate whether the perception of the neighbourhood environment alters when changing the physical activity behaviour through a pedometer intervention.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>The intervention was implemented for 15 weeks in a small village in Germany, and was based on the individual baseline activity level. Eighty-two inhabitants participated in the study and completed an environmental questionnaire before and after the intervention. Results showed that after the intervention the participants perceived a lower distance to local facilities, a higher availability of bike lanes and infrastructures, a better maintenance of infrastructure, a better network and a safer traffic situation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This suggests that a change in the levels of physical activity merges the levels of exposure to the environment which results in different environmental perceptions.</p

Cutibacterium acnes phylotype I and II strains interact differently with human skin cells

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin disorders and affects the pilosebaceous units. Although the exact pathogenesis of acne is still unknown, Cutibacterium acnes (formerly known as Propionibacterium acnes) is considered one of the key contributing factors. In fact, a significant association exists between C. acnes strains belonging to phylotype I and acne. However, there is still heavy debate on the exact role of C. acnes in acne and its behavior in the pilosebaceous unit, and more specifically its interactions with the human skin cells. In this study, key elements of the host-pathogen interaction were studied for a collection of C. acnes strains, belonging to phylotype I and II, including association with HaCaT keratinocytes and SZ95 sebocytes, the effect of C. acnes on keratinocyte tight junctions in a HaCaT monoculture and in an additional keratinocyte-sebocyte co-culture model, and C. acnes invasion through the keratinocyte cell layer. Our data showed association of all C. acnes strains to both skin cell lines, with a significantly higher association of type I strains compared to type II strains. Microscopic imaging and western blot analysis of the tight junction protein ZO-1, together with transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements revealed an initial induction of keratinocyte tight junctions after 24 h infection but a degradation after 48 h, demonstrating a decline in cell lining integrity during infection. Subsequently, C. acnes was able to invade after 48 h of infection, although invasion frequency was significantly higher for type II strains compared to type I strains

Interventions for promoting physical activity among European teenagers: a systematic review

Background: Although physical activity is considered to yield substantial health benefits, the level of physical activity among European teenagers is not sufficient. Adolescence is characterized by a decline in physical activity level. Many studies investigated the effectiveness of interventions promoting physical activity among young people, but none dealt with the available evidence specific for Europe. This review was conducted to summarize the effectiveness of interventions to promote physical activity among European teenagers. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify European intervention studies publishe

Assessment of environmental correlates of physical activity: development of a European questionnaire

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Research on the influence of the physical environment on physical activity is rapidly expanding and different measures of environmental perceptions have been developed, mostly in the US and Australia. The purpose of this paper is to (i) provide a literature review of measures of environmental perceptions recently used in European studies and (ii) develop a questionnaire for population monitoring purposes in the European countries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study was done within the framework of the EU-funded project 'Instruments for Assessing Levels of Physical Activity and Fitness (ALPHA)', which aims to propose standardised instruments for physical activity and fitness monitoring across Europe. Quantitative studies published from 1990 up to November 2007 were systematically searched in Pubmed, Web of Science, TRIS and Geobase. In addition a survey was conducted among members of the European network for the promotion of Health-Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA Europe) and European members of the International Physical Activity and Environment Network (IPEN) to identify published or ongoing studies. Studies were included if they were conducted among European general adult population (18+y) and used a questionnaire to assess perceptions of the physical environment. A consensus meeting with an international expert group was organised to discuss the development of a European environmental questionnaire.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The literature search resulted in 23 European studies, 15 published and 8 unpublished. In these studies, 13 different environmental questionnaires were used. Most of these studies used adapted versions of questionnaires that were developed outside Europe and that focused only on the walkability construct: The Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS), the abbreviated version of the NEWS (ANEWS) and the Neighborhood Quality of Life Study (NQLS) questionnaire have been most commonly used. Based on the results of the literature review and the output of the meeting with international experts, a European environmental questionnaire with 49 items was developed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is need for a greater degree of standardization in instruments/methods used to assess environmental correlates of physical activity, taking into account the European-specific situation. A first step in this process is taken by the development of a European environmental questionnaire.</p

Presenilin 1 mediates the turnover of telencephalin in hippocampal neurons via an autophagic degradative pathway

Presenilin 1 (PS1) interacts with telencephalin (TLN) and the amyloid precursor protein via their transmembrane domain (Annaert, W.G., C. Esselens, V. Baert, C. Boeve, G. Snellings, P. Cupers, K. Craessaerts, and B. De Strooper. 2001. Neuron. 32:579–589). Here, we demonstrate that TLN is not a substrate for γ-secretase cleavage, but displays a prolonged half-life in PS1−/− hippocampal neurons. TLN accumulates in intracellular structures bearing characteristics of autophagic vacuoles including the presence of Apg12p and LC3. Importantly, the TLN accumulations are suppressed by adenoviral expression of wild-type, FAD-linked and D257A mutant PS1, indicating that this phenotype is independent from γ-secretase activity. Cathepsin D deficiency also results in the localization of TLN to autophagic vacuoles. TLN mediates the uptake of microbeads concomitant with actin and PIP2 recruitment, indicating a phagocytic origin of TLN accumulations. Absence of endosomal/lysosomal proteins suggests that the TLN-positive vacuoles fail to fuse with endosomes/lysosomes, preventing their acidification and further degradation. Collectively, PS1 deficiency affects in a γ-secretase–independent fashion the turnover of TLN through autophagic vacuoles, most likely by an impaired capability to fuse with lysosomes

Measuring physical activity-related environmental factors: reliability and predictive validity of the European environmental questionnaire ALPHA

BACKGROUND: A questionnaire to assess physical activity related environmental factors in the European population (a 49-item and an 11-item version) was created as part of the framework of the EU-funded project "Instruments for Assessing Levels of PHysical Activity and fitness (ALPHA)". This paper reports on the development and assessment of the questionnaire's test-retest stability, predictive validity, and applicability to European adults. METHODS: The first pilot test was conducted in Belgium, France and the UK. In total 190 adults completed both forms of the ALPHA questionnaire twice with a one-week interval. Physical activity was concurrently measured (i) by administration of the long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) by interview and (ii) by accelerometry (Actigraph device). After adaptations, the second field test took place in Belgium, the UK and Austria; 166 adults completed the adapted questionnaire at two time points, with minimum one-week interval. In both field studies intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and proportion of agreement were computed to assess the stability of the two test scores. Predictive validity was examined in the first field test by correlating the results of the questionnaires with physical activity data from accelerometry and long IPAQ-last 7 days. RESULTS: The reliability scores of the ALPHA questionnaire were moderate-to good in the first field testing (ICC range 0.66 - 0.86) and good in the second field testing (ICC range 0.71 - 0.87). The proportion of agreement for the ALPHA short increased significantly from the first (range 50 - 83%) to the second field testing (range 85 - 95%). Environmental scales from both versions of the ALPHA questionnaire were significantly associated with self-reported minutes of transport-related walking, and objectively measured low intensity physical activity levels, particularly in women. Both versions were easily administered with an average completion time of six minutes for the 49-item version and less than two minutes for the short version. CONCLUSION: The ALPHA questionnaire is an instrument to measure environmental perceptions in relation to physical activity. It appears to have good reliability and predictive validity. The questionnaire is now available to other researchers to investigate its usefulness and applicability across Europe