We have to live in the future

The main purpose of our study was to assess the effects of prenatal tobacco smoke on respiratory symptoms and on doctor consultations in a birth cohort of 445 infants who had no smoking mothers and who had no postnatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Before and after delivery, questionnaires and interviews with mothers were administered to solicit information on prenatal and postnatal ETS exposure. Newborns were followed‐up over six months of life, and respiratory outcomes such as runny or stuffed nose, cough with or without cold, difficult (puffed) breathing, wheezing or whistling in the chest irrespective of respiratory infection were considered. In addition, medical visits related to the occurrence of respiratory symptoms were recorded for each child over a six‐month study period. In the multivariate Poisson regression analysis, a set of potential confounders has been taken into account such as gender of child, season of birth, gestational age, maternal education, maternal atopy, presence of moulds in households and prenatal level of personal exposure to fine particles. The adjusted rate ratio (RR) estimated for the occurrence of episodes of running nose was significantly higher in infants exposed to prenatal ETS (1.40; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11–1.68) and the corresponding RR estimates for cough, difficult breathing and wheezing were 1.49 (95% CI: 1.15–1.93), 1.96 (95% CI: 1.22–3.16) and 5.12 (95% CI: 2.86–9.16). The rate ratios of doctor consultations attributable to prenatal ETS because of cough was 1.94 (95% CI: 1.49–2.54). The risk estimate for consultations due to difficult breathing was 2.77 (95% CI: 1.76–4.36), and that for wheezing was 5.86 (95% CI: 3.56–9.64). The data strongly support the view about the impact of the in‐utero effect of passive smoking on children’s respiratory health. Higher utilization rates of doctor consultations in infants attributable to prenatal ETS exposure demand the revision of public health policy, which should be focused also on cessation of smoking practices by all household members during and after the pregnancy period.     

Playschool in pictures: children's photographs as a research method

The paper focuses on children's photographs as a method to use in research with children. Studies using photographs with children are reviewed and compared and a study conducted in one Icelandic playschool is described. The playschool was involved in a project where the purpose was to look at the ways children think about their early childhood educational setting and to develop methods for listening to children's perspectives. The paper describes and compares two approaches where cameras were used. One group used digital cameras to take pictures in their playschool while they showed the researcher important places and things in the playschool. The other group was given disposable cameras that they could use unsupervised for a period of time. The results show that using cameras and children's photos is a notable method to use when seeking children's perspectives on their life in an early childhood setting.     

Walking the talk? Teachers’ and early years’ practitioners’ perceptions and confidence in delivering the UK Physical Activity Guidelines within the curriculum for young children

This study explored early years’ practitioners’ and teachers’ attitudes and confidence in delivering the UK Physical Activity guidelines [National Health Service (NHS). (2013). Physical activity guidelines for children and young people. Retrieved July 15, 2015, from www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-young-peopole.aspx] within the curriculum for young children [Department for Education (DfE). (2013). The national curriculum in England. Key stages 1 and 2 framework document. London: Department for Education, Crown; Department for Education (DfE). (2014). Statutory framework for the early years’ foundation stage. Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from birth to five. London: Department for Education, Crown]. Using an online questionnaire, data were analysed using thematic framework and statistically. Fifty-nine respondents came from early years’ settings, including nurseries, pre-schools and primary schools. The findings suggest that there is a lack of confidence in knowing what to do to support and sustain physical activity. Further research is needed to identify if this is a national trend; this is the next steps of our research, as is the development of resources to help support confidence and the delivery of physical activity for young children.     

Perceptions of environmental opportunities for physical activity in the European Union

Summary Objectives:This article is the last in a series of four that present data about physical activity in 15 members states of the European Union collected by the Eurobarometer 58.2. The focus of this article is on the perception of environmental opportunities for physical activity across the European Union. Methods:Data were collected in 2002 as part of the Eurobarometer by face-to-face interviews. A total of 16230 respondents age 15 years and older were interviewed. Sample sizes ranged about 1000 respondents in most nations. Physical activity was assessed with the last 7-days short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results:Results indicate relationships between the perceptions of environmental opportunities; gross household income and physical activity level (in MET-hours/per week) of respondents. Respondents who reported lower income and less physical activity had also more negative perceptions of environmental opportunities. Across nations, respondents in Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Western Germany had the highest satisfaction with environmental opportunities for physical activity. In some nations, positive correlations between the perception of environmental opportunities and physical activity levels could be observed. Conclusions:Results show variations in the perception of environmental opportunities across the EU. Overall, the majority of respondents rated their environmental opportunities for physical activity favourable.     

Children's perceptions of their day care experiences

Results of a study focused on using a Day Care Center Toy and Interview Questionnaire to obtain information about preschool children's perceptions of their day care experiences are summarized. Fifty-eight preschool children from a variety of day care centers were interviewed about their liking for day care, selected problem situations, day care activities, and behaviors of their teachers. These children were able to express their thoughts and feelings about day care with the Day Care Center Toy and Interview Questionnaire through role playing, manipulation of objects, and verbal expression of concerns. Interscorer agreement in evaluating the interview data ranged from 92% to 100%. The Day Care Center Toy and Interview Questionnaire shows promise as a means of aiding early childhood educators in obtaining information about preschool children's perceptions of their day care experiences.     

The moderating role of parent perceptions in relationships between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and pre-schooler’s physical activity: Findings from the PLAYCE study

We examined the moderating effects of parent perceptions of the neighbourhood environment on associations between objectively measured neighbourhood environment attributes and physical activity among pre-schoolers. The number of neighbourhood parks was positively associated with pre-schooler energetic play when parents had above average perceptions of access to services. Objectively measured street connectivity was associated with fewer minutes of energetic play when pedestrian and traffic safety was perceived to be below average by parents. Greater understanding of the role played by parents in pre-schooler’s exposure to physically active supportive environments is needed to inform environmental interventions for specific age groups.     

"I eat to be happy, to be strong, and to live." perceptions of rural and urban adolescents in Cameroon, Africa

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors influencing rural and urban adolescents' food perceptions during a time of nutritional transition in Cameroon, Africa. DESIGN: Qualitative in-depth interviews. SETTINGS: Yaoundé urban and Bandja rural areas. PARTICIPANTS: Fifteen adolescents 12 to 15 years old purposely selected from schools in urban and rural areas. ANALYSIS: Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using Grounded Theory method. FINDINGS: Factors influencing adolescents' food perceptions from the rural area were "to live" "health" and "poverty." Among adolescents from the urban poor area, "health," "beauty," and "not enough money" were factors. Among adolescents from the urban rich area, "pleasure" and "beauty" were factors. Rural girls liked "to be fat," whereas girls from the urban poor wanted "to be a little bit fat," and girls from the urban rich wanted "to be normal." CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Food behavior is changing from a diet composed of traditional food in rural areas to a more westernized diet in urban areas. The relationship between socioeconomic factors and nutrition needs to be examined with a sufficiently large number of adolescents to investigate these factors in a quantitative survey. Healthful local food should be available at home and from vendors. Nutrition education about food and diet-related diseases is needed in school.     

Colonising the future: temporal perceptions and health-relevant behaviours across the adult lifecourse

Abstract Health promotion is premised upon a proactive approach to health and its management, one that requires a future‐orientated outlook, in which the threats of (future) ill‐health can be anticipated and thereby mitigated. Despite this, little is known about the extent to which concerns about morbidity and mortality actually feature in people's present and future perceptions of self, and whether such perceptions have any influence upon their present health‐relevant behaviours. By drawing upon interviews with 55 people aged 26–81, this article highlights the central role that embodiment plays in the mediation of health promotion messages. The embodied experience of ill‐health, it will be shown, is an important, underlying prerequisite for perceiving a future in which (further) ill‐health is anticipated. This pivotal finding will be used to illuminate the observation that, when lifestyles are changed to concur with professional recommendations, these changes tend to be reactive in nature.     

中国3省18-60岁城乡居民身体活动水平定量评估

结果表明HPV自检法的真实灵敏度和特异度分别为83.53%(95%CI：74.23～89.93)和85.86%(95%C1：84.23～87.36)。随机抽样结果显示,传统方法计算的灵敏度和特异度分别为90.48%(95%C1：80.74-95.56)和71.96%(95%C1：68.71～75.00),采用逆概率权重法校正后的灵敏度和特异度分别为82,25%(95%CI：63。11-92.62)和85。80%(95%C1：85。09～86.47);采用最大似然估计法校正后的灵敏度和特异度分别为80.13%(95%CI：66.81.93.46)和85.80%(95%CI：84.20～87.41)。表明在复杂抽样情况下,逆概率权重法能够有效校正存在证实偏倚的灵敏度和特异度     

Formative Research and Strategic Development of a Physical Activity Component to a Social Marketing Campaign for Obesity Prevention in Preschoolers

The prevalence of overweight in childhood, including preschoolers, continues to rise. While efforts focusing on school-aged children are encouraging, obesity prevention programs to address nutrition and physical activity in the child care center are lacking. Food Friends is a successfully evaluated nutrition program aimed at enhancing preschoolers' food choices, the addition of a physical activity program would improve the programs overall efforts to establish healthful habits early in life. This study describes the formative research conducted with secondary influencers of preschoolers-teachers and parents-for the development of a physical activity program. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with preschool teachers and parents, respectively, to examine current physical activity practices, as well as attitudes, opinions, and desired wants and needs for physical activity materials. Findings illustrate that teachers provided physical activity; however, most did not use a structured program. Teachers identified time, space and equipment as barriers to providing activity in their classroom. Focus group findings identified activities of preschoolers', parents' perceptions of the adequacy of activity levels, and items to help parents engage their children in more physical activity. Barriers were also identified by parents and included time, safety, inclement weather, and lack of knowledge and self-efficacy. Findings from this formative research were used to develop a marketing strategy to guide the development of a physical activity component, Food Friends Get Movin' with Mighty Moves , as part of a larger social marketing campaign aimed to decrease the risk for obesity in low-income preschoolers.     

Gender differences in the associations between perceived environment and walking for recreation in Taiwanese adults

This study examined gender differences in the associations between perceived environmental factors and walking for recreation in Taiwanese adults. In 2014, a telephone-based, cross-sectional survey targeting Taiwanese adults (20–64 years) was conducted. Data on nine items about environmental perception, time spent in walking for recreation, and socio-demographic variables were obtained from 1,065 adults using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long version and its environmental module. Adults who perceived good aesthetics (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.74; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36–2.23) and reported seeing people being active (AOR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.21–2.06) were more likely to perform 150 minutes of recreational walking per week. Furthermore, significant interactions regarding walking for recreation were observed between gender and five environmental correlates: access to shops (p = .046), the presence of sidewalks (p < .001), access to recreational facilities (p = .02), seeing people being active (p = .001), and aesthetics (p < .001). These five perceived environmental factors were positively associated with recreational walking in women but not in men. Gender is a potential modifier between perceived environment and walking for recreation in adults. Perceived environmental factors appear to be more critical for women in performing health-enhancing levels of recreational walking than they are for men.     

Risky business: the effects of an individualized health information intervention on health risk perceptions and leisure time physical activity among people with spinal cord injury

Background

Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at an increased risk for inactivity-related diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. According to protection motivation theory, perceptions of disease risk predict motivation to engage in health-protective behaviors such as leisure time physical activity (LTPA).

Objective

The purposes of this study were to (1) examine changes in perceived risk for disease following an individualized health information intervention and (2) examine changes in perceived risk for disease as a predictor of changes in LTPA.

Methods

Perceived risk for disease and LTPA were measured at baseline among 62 people with SCI. Objective disease risk information (e.g., waist circumference, BMI, blood glucose) was collected and individual risk information was mailed to each participant. Perceived risk for disease and LTPA were remeasured 1 and 2 weeks following receipt of individualized information, respectively.

Results

Changes in perceived risk of heart disease and obesity were dependent on objective risk status. There were no significant changes in perceived risk of diabetes. Changes in perceived risk of heart disease negatively predicted, while changes in perceived risk of diabetes positively predicted, changes in LTPA. Changes in obesity did not significantly predict changes in LTPA.

Conclusions

Among people with SCI, individual health-risk information can change perceptions of disease risk. Increased perceived risk of diabetes may motivate LTPA, while increased perceived risk of heart disease may encourage avoidance behavior regarding LTPA.     

Why have physical activity levels declined among Chinese adults? Findings from the 1991–2006 China health and nutrition surveys

Between 1991 and 2006, average weekly physical activity among adults in China fell by 32%. This paper discusses why total and occupational physical activity levels have fallen, and models the association between the rapid decline and various dimensions of exogenous community urbanization. We hypothesize that a) physical activity levels are negatively associated with urbanization; b) urbanization domains that affect job functions and opportunities will contribute most to changes in physical activity levels; and c) these urbanization domains will be more strongly associated for men than for women because home activities account for a larger proportion of physical activity for women. To test these hypotheses, we used longitudinal data from individuals aged 18–55 in the 1991–2006 China Health and Nutrition Surveys. We find that physical activity declines were strongly associated with greater availability of higher educational institutions, housing infrastructure, sanitation improvements and the economic wellbeing of the community in which people function. These urbanization factors predict more than four-fifths of the decline in occupational physical activity over the 1991–2006 period for men and nearly two-thirds of the decline for women. They are also associated with 57% of the decline in total physical activity for men and 40% of the decline for women. Intervention strategies to promote physical activity in the workplace, at home, for transit and via exercise should be considered a major health priority in China.     

Preschoolers' Perceptions of Parental Roles in Single-Earner and Dual-Earner Families

Preschoolers were interviewed and parents were surveyed to examine the division of labor for household management and caregiving tasks in single-earner and dual-earner families. Children with nonemployed mothers underestimated mother's responsibilities both in home management and in child care. They also believed their parents shared more caregiving tasks than their parents reported sharing. Children in both family types believed parents shared more housework responsibilities than parents acknowledged sharing. Daughters in dual-earner families believed their fathers engaged in more caregiving than parental reports indicated.     

Criterion-related validity of the short form of the international physical activity questionnaire in adults who are Deaf

Background

To implement appropriate programs for promoting physical activity (PA) in people who are Deaf, it is important to have valid instruments for assessing PA in this population.

How Can Socio-Economic Differences in Physical Activity Among Women Be Explained? A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study investigated why women of low socio-economic status (SES) are less physically active than women of higher-SES. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 high-, 19 mid- and 18 low-SES women. A social-ecological framework, taking into account intrapersonal, social and environmental level influences, was adopted to guide the development of interview questions and interpretation of data. Thematic analysis identified a number of key influences on physical activity that varied by SES. These included negative early life/family physical activity experiences (a consistent theme among those of low-/mid-SES); participation in a wider range of physical activities in leisure time (high-SES); greater priority given to television viewing (low-SES); lack of time due to work commitments (low-SES); lack of time due to family commitments (high-SES); and neighbourhood-level barriers (low-SES). Financial costs were not perceived as a key barrier by women in any SES group. Public health strategies aimed at reducing SES inequalities in physical activity might focus on overcoming negative early experiences/attitudes to physical activity, reducing television viewing and promoting a wider variety of different types of physical activity, and addressing neighbourhood safety and other barriers to physically active lifestyles in socio-economically disadvantaged areas.     

城市体力活动相关建成环境的评价工具进展

体力活动水平是影响个体健康重要的、可干预的因素之一[1].经常进行体力活动能够有效减少诸多慢性病,如心血管疾病等发病风险[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].近年来,国外研究者越来越多关注建成(物理)环境对个体体力活动水平的影响[5],以健康生态学模型为理论指导,开展了一系列建成环境与个体体力活动之间的关联研究,在研究内容和方法学上做了有益的探讨和拓展.国外的多项研究结果发现两者之间存在关联[6].