Preliminary psychometric properties of the CFTIndex in Greece: the perspective of physical education

The promotion of creativity has been proved a necessity in the education process. The research on creativity in physical education though is very limited worldwide and there is a lack of multilingual evaluation instruments. In the current study, the Creativity Fostering Teacher Index (CFTIndex) was translated and culturally adapted in Greek and further checked for its stability and internal consistency. The final version of the Greek CFTIndex (Gr-CFTIndex) was assessed for items stability, sub-scales and total instrument internal consistency using a sample of 220 primary physical educators. Items stability was measured with Kendall's τ_c and was found to have a moderate positive significant correlation (+0.3?<?τ_c ?>?+0.8, p?<?.01). Exploratory factor analysis yielded six factors and their Cronbach alpha coefficients varied from .695 to .897. The total internal consistency of the Gr-CFTIndex was high (α?=?.92). All sub-scales’ inter-correlations were positive and significant.     

The creative environment: teachers’ perceptions,self-efficacy,and teaching experience for fostering children’s creativity

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare the availability of a creative environment within regular schools between the academic year 2009/2010 and 2015/2016 by measuring teachers’ perceptions concerning creativity, their self-efficacy, teaching creativity, and barriers to creativity. A questionnaire was developed and distributed among 297 teachers teaching the basic primary stage (grades 1–3). The findings indicated high averages for teaching creativity in the classroom, and teachers’ self-efficacy to foster children's creativity in the classroom ranked the highest, while barriers to creativity ranked the lowest. The results showed significant differences due to teacher gender, in favour of female teachers, and teaching experience only regarding perceptions of the creativity domain. There were statistically significant differences between the academic years for the overall scale and the four domains in favour of the 2015/2016 academic year. Directions for further research and practical implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

2015—2018年珠海市中小学校教室光环境现状调查

目的 了解珠海市中小学校教室采光照明情况,为改善学校采光照明环境提供参考。方法 依据《学校卫生综合评价》(GB/T 18205-2012),2015—2018年对珠海市217所中小学校的1 302间教室进行现场监测和分析。结果 2015—2018年监测的教室采光系数、窗地面积比、后墙反射比和黑板反射比的合格率分别为50.8%、91.6%、37.9%和30.2%,差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。教室朝向、采光方向、课桌面平均照度、课桌面照度均匀度、黑板面平均照度、黑板面照度均匀度、教室灯管(灯桌间距、控照式灯具和灯管垂直黑板)的合格率分别为74.5%、90.5%、24.1%、66.1%、0.5%、31.4%、99.4%、35.6%和86.9%,不同年度间、中小学间的差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05);除黑板面平均照度合格率外,公办学校的教室照明合格率均高于民办学校,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论 珠海市中小学教室光环境不尽理想,尤其是民办学校教室照明存在的问题更为突出,应针对性指导学校改善采光照明环境。     

The impact of the physical and urban environment on mental well-being

OBJECTIVES: To examine the strength of association between physical and social factors in the built environment and mental well-being, and to determine which factors are the most important. STUDY DESIGN: A postal survey based on a theoretical model of domains that might link the physical and urban environment with mental well-being was sent to 2696 adults aged 18 years or over, in four areas of Greenwich, London. Mental health was measured using the SF36 subscales for mental health (MH) and vitality (V). Additional household and area level data were appended for each respondent from a range of sources. RESULTS: 1012 questionnaires were returned (38% response rate). At the univariate level significant confounders that were associated with poorer mental well-being were being female, 85+ years, unemployed or retired, on housing benefit, council tenant, two or more children, and having requested re-housing Better mental well-being was associated with being aged 65 years to 84 years (better MH and V). Within domain analysis, adjusting for each of the confounding factors, resulted in the following factors being significantly associated with being in the lowest quartile for MH score: (i) control over the internal environment (damp), (ii) design and maintenance (not liking the look of the estate/road, (iii) noise (neighbour noise), (iv) density and escape (feeling over-crowded in the home, being dissatisfied with green spaces, dissatisfied with social and entertainment facilities) being dissatisfied with community facilities (such as libraries and community centres) was only significant for vitality, (v) fear of crime and harassment (feeling unsafe to go out in the day, feeling unsafe to go out at night, agreeing that needles and syringes left lying around are a problem) (vi) social participation (not enough events to get people together, not enough places to stop and chat). When these 12 factors were entered into a single model with the significant confounders five remained significantly associated with being in the lowest quartile for MH or V: neighbour noise MH OR 2.71 [95% CI 1.48, 4.98]; feeling over-crowded in the home MH OR 2.22 [1.42, 3.48]; being dissatisfied with access to green open spaces MH OR 1.69 [1.05, 2.74]; access to community facilities V OR 1.92, [1.24, 3.00]; feeling unsafe to go out in the day MH OR 1.64 [1.02, 2.64]; V OR 1.58 [1.00, 2.49]. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms an association between the physical environment and mental well-being across a range of domains. The most important factors that operate independently are neighbour noise, sense of over-crowding in the home and escape facilities such as green spaces and community facilities, and fear of crime. This study highlights the need to intervene on both design and social features of residential areas to promote mental well-being.     

Mapping the development of research on physical activity and the built environment

Objective

The importance of the built environment for physical activity has been recognized in recent decades, resulting in new research. This study aims to understand the current structure of physical activity and built environment (PABE) research and identify gaps to address as the field continues to rapidly develop.

Methods

Key PABE articles were nominated by top scholars and a snowball sample of 2764 articles was collected in 2013 using citation network links. Article abstracts were examined to determine research focus and network analysis was used to examine the evolution of scholarship.

Results

The network included 318 PABE articles. Of these, 191 were discovery-focused, examining the relationship between physical activity and built environment; 79 were reviews summarizing previous PABE work; 38 focused on theory and methods for studying PABE; six were delivery-focused, examining PABE interventions; and four addressed other topics.

Conclusions

Network composition suggested that PABE is in the discovery phase, although may be transitioning given the large number and central position of review documents that summarize existing literature. The small amount of delivery research was not well integrated into the field. PABE delivery researchers may wish to make explicit connections to the discovery literature in order to better integrate the field.     

徐州市直属小学学生近视与教室光环境调查研究

目的 调查徐州市直属小学学生近视现状,分析教室光环境及学龄对儿童视力的影响。方法 采用整群抽样方法,运用标准对数视力表对直属小学学生进行视力检测;随机抽取4所学校,使用TES-1332A照度计测定教室光环境;计量资料采用t检验或方差分析;计数资料采用χ2检验,等级资料采用秩和检验分析其统计学差异。结果 2018年徐州市小学生近视检出率总体为49.84%(男生45.81%,女生53.88%),女生高于男生(χ2=52.001,P<0.05),且重度近视检出率更高(Z=7.795,P<0.05)。市直属小学生近视检出率54.18%,县区直属小学46.45%,市区高于县区(χ2=47.247,P<0.05)。不同年级近视发生情况不同,二～六年级近视检出率分别为36.03%,40.5%,48.45%,58.77%,65.4%,高年级近视发生率高于低年级(χ2趋势=384.766,P<0.05),且重度近视高于低年级(χ2=742.673,P<0.05)。各检测小学不同楼层间教室黑板以及桌面照度不同 (F=3.894,P<0.05) ,但均符合国家标准。结论 徐州市直属小学学生近视检出率较高,并随学龄延长而加重,女生更严重;监测学校教室光环境符合要求。改善和保护学生视力除了保障教室光环境合格和定期监测外,应进一步探讨影响学生视力的其他因素,共同促进学生视力健康。     

Implications of perceived physical and social aspects of the environment for self-reported physical and mental health

The purpose of the present study is to explore the relative importance of certain socio-demographic variables, perceived physical and social attributes of the home and neighborhood for self-reported physical and mental health. The sample of the present study comprised 137 men and women (51.83% women and 48.17% men) ranging in age from 26 to 54 years selected randomly from shoppers visiting a crowded shopping plaza. A sociodemographic data sheet, scales to measure perceptions of the physical environment and neighborhood characteristics, and the SF-36 to assess physical and mental health components were used. Data were analyzed using multivariate analyses of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. No age and gender differences in physical and mental health scores emerged (p < 0.05), but people who perceived their socio-economic status as low also reported lower total mental health scores (p < 0.05). No socioeconomic differences were noted on indices of physical health (p > 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that negative perceptions of the interior home environment were associated negatively with physical and mental health scores (p < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that perceived decay and disorganization in the home interior as well as perceived socioeconomic status accounted for a significant portion of the variance in mental health scores.     

Childhood unintentional injuries: the perceived impact of the environment, lack of supervision and child characteristics

BACKGROUND: Investigations into the context and causation of injury, including injury risks, are an essential part of the injury prevention knowledge base. Caregiver perceptions of childhood injury risks may assist in the design of safety interventions and influence the way in which an intervention is received within a community. METHODS: Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted in two low-income neighbourhoods in South Africa to collect information on caregiver perceptions of injury risks. The data were analysed via thematic content analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed that injury risks are perceived as multifaceted and as contributing synergistically to an injury event. Parents of children also tended to attribute most risks to the environment instead of individual action. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions including passive strategies and less activity from the parent may be welcomed in communities. Attention should be given to child injury prevention methods specifically for low-income contexts.     

健康教育与环境治理相结合灭鼠效果的研究

目的探索可以将鼠密度长期控制在较低水平的新方法。方法选择德州市郊区相邻的3个自然村：张庄村、南陈庄、芦庄村作为试验村,习俗、人口、经济条件相当,彼此相距约2．5km。灭效考核用格粉板法（400格者）,统计学处理用spss17．0。结果试验村全年的鼠密度保持在在0．5％-1．73％之间,能够长期控制在较低水平;药物投放对照村仅在投药后的短期内将鼠密度控制在较低水平,其他月份则维持在较高水平,7—10月鼠密度分别在6．24％、10．03％、13．21％、13．42％。空白对照村全年鼠密度都超过国家标准3—4倍,7—12月鼠密度分别为11．24％、12．24％、11．02％、12．34％、13．01％、11．45％。统计学分析表明,试验村与药物投放对照村的灭鼠效果有非常显著效果差异（U=18．00,P〈0．001）,与空白对照村亦有非常显著的效果差异（U=3．500,P〈0．001）,而药物投放对照村与空白对照村的灭鼠效果则无统计学意义（U=42．00。P〉0．05）。结论康教育与环境治理相结合的综合灭鼠措施可以长期有效地将鼠密度控制在国家标准以内。     

Built environment and physical functioning in Hispanic elders: the role of "eyes on the street"

Background

Research on neighborhood effects increasingly includes the influences of the built environment on health and social well-being.

Objectives

In this population-based study in a low-socioeconomic-status (SES), Hispanic neighborhood, we examined whether architectural features of the built environment theorized to promote direct observations and interactions (e.g., porches, stoops) predicted Hispanic elders’ social support and psychological and physical functioning.

Methods

We coded built-environment features for all 3,857 lots in the 403-block area of an urban Miami, Florida, community. We then conducted three annual assessments of social support, psychological distress, and physical functioning in a population-based sample of 273 low-SES Hispanic elders (70–100 years of age). We used structural equation modeling analytic techniques to examine hypothesized relationships between the built environment and elders’ social support, psychological distress, and physical functioning over a 3-year period.

Results

After controlling for age, sex, and income, architectural features of the built environment theorized to facilitate visual and social contact had a significant direct relationship with elders’ physical functioning as measured 3 years later, and an indirect relationship through social support and psychological distress. Further binomial regression analyses suggested that elders living on blocks marked by low levels of positive front entrance features were 2.7 times as likely to have subsequent poor levels of physical functioning, compared with elders living on blocks with a greater number of positive front entrance features [b = 0.99; χ² (1 df) = 3.71; p = 0.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.0–7.3].

Conclusions

Architectural features that facilitate visual and social contacts may be a protective factor for elders’ physical functioning.     

The impact of built environment on mental health: A COVID-19 lockdown perspective

Tackling mental health has become a priority for governments around the world because it influences not only individuals but also the whole society. As people spend a majority of their time (i.e., around 90%) in buildings, it is pivotal to understand the relationship between built environment and mental health, particularly during COVID-19 when people have experienced recurrent local and national lockdowns. Despite the demonstration by previous research that the design of the built environment can affect mental health, it is not clear if the same influence pattern remains when a ‘black swan’ event (e.g., COVID-19) occurs. To this end, we performed logistic regression and hierarchical regression analyses to examine the relationship between built environment and mental health utilising a data sample from the United Kingdom (UK) residents during the COVID-19 lockdown while considering their social demographics. Our results show that compared with depression and anxiety, people were more likely to feel stressed during the lockdown period. Furthermore, general house type, home workspace, and neighbourhood environment and amenity were identified to have significantly contributed to their mental health status. With the ensuing implications, this study represents one of the first to inform policymakers and built environment design professionals of how built environment should be designed to accommodate features that could mitigate mental health problems in any future crisis. As such, it contributes to the body of knowledge of built environment planning by considering mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown.     

Untangling the associations among distrust, race, and neighborhood social environment: a social disorganization perspective

Over the past decade, interest in exploring how health care system distrust is associated with individual health outcomes and behaviors has grown substantially, and the racial difference in distrust has been well documented, with African Americans demonstrating higher distrust than whites. However, relatively little is known about whether the individual-level determinants of distrust differ by various dimensions of distrust, and even less is understood regarding whether the race-distrust association could be moderated by the neighborhood social environment. This study used a dual-dimensional distrust scale (values and competence distrust), and applied social disorganization theory to address these gaps. We combined the 2008 Philadelphia Health Management Corporation's household survey (N = 3746 adult respondents, 51% of which are of African American race) with neighborhood-level data (N = 45 neighborhoods) maintained by the 2000 U.S. Census and the Philadelphia Police Department. Using multilevel modeling, we found that first, after controlling for individual- and neighborhood-level covariates, African American residents have greater values distrust than whites, but no racial difference was found in competence distrust; second, competence distrust is more likely to be determined by personal health status and access to health care services than is values distrust; and third, ceteris paribus, the association between race and values distrust was weakened by the increasing level of neighborhood stability. These results not only indicate that different aspects of distrust may be determined via different mechanisms, but also suggest that establishing a stable neighborhood may ameliorate the level of distrust in the health care system among African Americans. As distrust has been identified as a barrier to medical research, the insight provided by this study can be applied to develop a health care system that is trusted, which will, in turn, improve population health.     

A critique of Paulo Freire’s perspective on human nature to inform the construction of theoretical underpinnings for research

This article presents a critique of Paulo Freire's philosophical perspective on human nature in the context of a doctoral research study to explore “muchness” or nurses’ subjective experience of well‐being; and demonstrates how this critique has informed the refinement of the theoretical principles used to inform research methodology and methods. Engaging in philosophical groundwork is essential for research coherence and integrity. Through this groundwork, largely informed by Freire's critical pedagogy and his ideas on humanization, I recognized the need to clarify my understanding of the concepts of persons and personhood and how this related to Freire's use of the term human beings. This clarification process is essential to ensure congruence between the theoretical principles that I draw from his work and my beliefs about persons, personhood and person‐centredness. The article begins with a brief introduction to the research, followed by an overview of Freire's philosophical perspectives, and subsequently, the critique process is presented and discussed. This process involved engaging with the vast literature and debates about what it means to be a person, to make sense of the often complex and contradictory arguments. Eventually, three headings emerged that helped me to frame my evolving understanding: Our species: human beings; The kind that we are: human nature; and This person that I am: personhood. Through this process of exploration, I recognized that Freire's perspective on human nature (a) foregrounded cognitive rationality, which presented itself as a limitation when considering my ontological beliefs and the focus of my research, leading me to draw on the work of Mark Johnson and his ideas about embodiment to help me to further develop my theoretical principles; (b) focused on the “collective” rather than individuals, which is a shortcoming in relation to person‐centred research that acknowledges the uniqueness of participants.     

城市体力活动相关建成环境评价工具信度和效度研究进展

体力活动(physical activity)水平是影响个体健康重要的、可干预的因素之一[1].个体保持适当的体力活动水平能够有效降低诸多慢性病,如心血管疾病、呼吸系统疾病等的发病风险[2,3].建成环境(built environment)指人为建设改造的各种建筑物、场所,尤其指那些可以通过政策、人为行为改变的环境[4].建成环境不仅包括公园、公共绿地,还包括人行道、交通流量、公共场所的清洁和维护、社区及社会安全感、区域划分及土地综合利用、人口密度等各个方面[5].近年来,人们的关注点逐渐集中于建成环境与个体体力活动关系的探讨[6,7].国外研究显示[8,9],良好的运动环境会促进人们更多地进行体力活动.围绕建成环境与个体及人群健康间关系的研究证据必将成为日后健康城市建设、城市规划的重要决策依据.而在此类研究中,建成环境和体力活动的评价方法及其测量工具是影响研究真实性的一个重要环节.     

Using machine learning to examine associations between the built environment and physical function: A feasibility study

Linking geospatial neighbourhood design characteristics to health and behavioural data from population-representative cohorts is limited by data availability and difficulty collecting information on environmental characteristics (e.g. greenery, building setbacks, dwelling structure). As an alternative, this study examined the feasibility of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) – machine learning – to measure neighbourhood design using ‘street view’ and aerial imagery to explore the relationship between the built environment and physical function. This study included 3102 adults aged 45 years and older clustered in 200 neighbourhoods in 2016 from the How Areas in Brisbane Influence Health and Activity (HABITAT) project in Brisbane, Australia. Exposure data were Google Street View and Google Maps images from within the 200 neighbourhoods, and outcome data were self-reported physical function using the PF-10 (a subset of the SF-36). Physical function scores were aggregated to the neighbourhood level, and the highest and lowest 20 neighbourhoods respectively were used in analysis. We found that the aerial imagery retrieved was unable to be used to adequately train the model, meaning that aerial imagery failed to produce meaningful results. Of the street view images, n = 56,330 images were downloaded and used to train the GAN model. Model outputs included augmented street view images between neighbourhoods classed as having high function and low function residents. The GAN model detected differences in neighbourhood design characteristics between neighbourhoods classed as high and low physical function at the aggregate level. Specifically, differences were identified in urban greenery (including tree heights) and dwelling structure (e.g. building height). This study provides important lessons for future work in this field, especially related to the uniqueness, diversity and amount of imagery required for successful applications of deep learning methods.     

从新医改方案看公立医院落实公益性的难点及其对策

我国公立医院的属性是公立,资产属于国家,而经营行为,明显走上了营利性道路。公立医院公益性淡化的根源在于：政府主导责任缺失、补偿机制扭曲、资源配置不合理、公立医院公益性意识淡化。落实公立医院的公益性质,要坚持政府主导,增加政府投入,强化行业监管;坚持推进改革,完善医院运行机制。     

Hispanic immigrant women's perspective on healthy foods and the New York City retail food environment: A mixed-method study

Much has been written about the role of dietary acculturation in the epidemic of obesity among Hispanic immigrants in the United States. Yet little is known about the role of beliefs and preferences in immigrants’ dietary practices and their relationship to the retail food environment in which the practices occur. We conducted a mixed-methods convergence study of these issues. Twenty-eight foreign-born Hispanic adult women, recruited from families enrolled in a childhood asthma study and mainly living in New York City took part in 60–90 min, semi-structured interviews regarding their dietary beliefs, preferences, and practices. The findings were then used to formulate hypotheses for analyses of food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data collected from the 345 New York Hispanic women enrolled in the asthma study. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine whether characteristics of the retail food environment within 0.5 km of the home predicted diet, adjusting for individual and neighborhood socio-demographic characteristics. In the interviews, healthy food was rarely discussed in terms of nutritional content. Instead, considerations of freshness, as indicated by time since harvest or slaughter and thus local sourcing; purity, as indicated by the absence of preservatives and processing; and naturalness, as indicated by chemical free farming practices, were the primary axes around which healthy food was defined. Quantitative results were consistent with the qualitative findings: 1) the presence of a farmers’ market within the home neighborhood was associated with consumption of more total servings per day of fruit, vegetables, and juice, and 2) the presence of a farmers’ market and/or a livestock market was associated with consumption of more servings per day of meat. Proximity to supermarkets or medium-sized grocery stores was not associated with consumption. The results suggest that the availability of fresh produce and meat from local farms may influence diet among Hispanic women in urban neighborhoods.