Mutability of Muscle Fiber Types

No abstract available for this article.     

Socioeconomic factors and heavy drinking over the course of the week among job seekers with at-risk alcohol use

This article investigates the influence of socioeconomic factors on heavy drinking over the course of the week. As part of a randomized controlled trial, 1,282 job seekers with at-risk alcohol use were systematically recruited at 3 job agencies and reported number of drinks consumed on each day in the past week. Latent growth curve models were calculated to represent variations of alcohol use. School education and duration of lifetime unemployment were tested as predictors; sociodemographic variables were integrated as covariates. A weekly pattern was confirmed in the total sample: constant low alcohol use on working days, escalation on Friday, and a further increase on weekends. Significant associations between longer duration of lifetime unemployment and higher initial alcohol use on Sundays (p < .001) and less increase on Fridays (p = .001) disappeared after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Longer duration of lifetime unemployment does not appear to affect alcohol use trajectories over the course of the week.     

The role of system alignment in care and education of children from birth to grade 3

The emerging concept of system alignment refers to how different systems in care and education of young children can be integrated to work together as a whole system that is more effective, efficient, and equitable to produce excellent outcomes in children. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the existing literature on system alignment in terms of the definition and operationalisation of this concept. The focus is on various models (frameworks) that guide the effort of system alignment as well as factors (strategies) that influence the effectiveness of system alignment. In review of these critical issues, the authors attempted to establish a comprehensive mechanism for system alignment as well as a classification of macro-level and micro-level factors that facilitate system alignment.     

Evaluation of Accommodative Insufficiency with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether asthenopic symptoms in schoolchildren diagnosed with accommodative insufficiency (AI) and graded with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) could be correlated with the degree of accommodative deficiency in these children, and to investigate if VAS grading of the asthenopic symptoms could be used as an instrument to indicate the level of improvement of AI. Methods: Forty-nine children (mean age 10.2 years ± 2.7) diagnosed with AI graded their degree of asthenopia on the VAS before and after a 12-week treatment period wearing individually dispensed reading glasses. Results: The improvement in accommodation after treatment was statistically significant (p < 0.001) and 83.7% of the children obtained normal accommodative amplitude in relation to age. The reduction in asthenopic symptoms as graded with the VAS was also statistically significant (p < 0.001) after treatment and 89.9% of the children obtained a normal VAS score. However, no correlation between the degree of accommodative deficiency and the VAS grading could be found, neither before nor after treatment. Discussion: Based on these results we conclude that the visual analogue scale (VAS) cannot be used as an instrument to indicate the degree of accommodative deficiency nor can it be used to indicate the level of improvement during the course of treatment. However, the VAS can be used as an instrument to verify and document whether or not asthenopic symptoms are present, and therefore also to indicate when symptoms have been relieved.     

Longitudinal Study of Relations Between School Achievement and Smoking Behavior Among Secondary School Students in Finland: Results of the ESFA Study

The aim of this study was to explore a longitudinal bi-directional relationship between school achievement and smoking behavior. The sample consists of 2,188 Finnish students in grades 7–9. Data were collected at three separate occasions between the years 1998 and 2000. Three hypothesized conceptual models were developed and tested using path analyses by structural equation modeling (SEM). Students that performed poorly at school smoked weekly six times more than those who achieved the highest school grade point averages at the age of 15. Using SEM, the findings suggest that not only does deterioration of school achievement contribute to progression in smoking uptake continuum but also vice versa progression in smoking uptake continuum to deterioration of school achievement over time (CFI = .997). There were no moderating effects of gender or treatment condition in the proposed models. Both deterioration of school achievement and progression in smoking uptake continuum predicted changes in other behavior during the first two years in secondary school in Finland.     

How Are Babies Fed? A Pilot Study Exploring Primary School Children’s Perceptions of Infant Feeding

Abstract: Background: Breastfeeding is the optimal feeding method for human infants. In the United Kingdom some women do not initiate breastfeeding, and many commence formula milk feeding after a brief period of breastfeeding. Infant feeding perceptions may develop early in life, and this research aimed to explore infant feeding awareness among primary school children as a first step toward informing appropriate health education interventions. Method: Fifty‐six children aged 5/6, 7/8, and 10/11 years were recruited from three schools in southern England. Children were shown a series of drawings, and were read a story about a hungry newborn baby. A creative method, “draw, write and tell,” was developed for this research. Children were asked to finish the story, showing how they thought the baby might be fed. They were given the opportunity to verbally interpret their work. A constant comparison method was used to analyze the data. Results: Children were aware of formula milk, breastfeeding, and solid foods. Formula milk feeding was referred to more frequently than breastfeeding. Some children combined feeding methods. Children appeared to have gained their awareness in various settings. Conclusions: Children have a range of perceptions around infant feeding. They appear receptive to new ideas on the subject while of primary school age. An opportunity for education in primary schools arises to present breastfeeding to children as a normal way to feed a baby, but it is vital that education is evidence based and any interventions are evaluated. (BIRTH 38:4 December 2011)     

Food presentation and energy intake in a feeding laboratory study of subjects with binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the number of foods presented and the amount of food presented on overeating or binge eating behavior in obese subjects with and without binge eating disorder (BED). METHOD: Ten subjects (5 BED, 5 non-BED), male and female, aged 18-65, participated. Their body weight was > or =130% of their ideal body weight (IBW). They were evaluated in a feeding laboratory setting on four occasions when they were presented with (a) either one or two binge foods presented in (b) either two or four times the amount of their self-reported usual intake during a binge/overeating episode. Measurement included energy intake and self-recorded measures of hunger, fullness, anxiety, and depression. RESULTS: The results indicated that the number and amount of food presented influenced significantly the amount of food consumed. Although subjects with BED tended to eat more than the non-BED obese, the differences did not reach statistical significance. DISCUSSION: The results have implications for the interpretation of results obtained in feeding laboratory settings, suggesting that attention needs to be given to both the number and amount of foods presented because both variables have an impact on the amount of food eaten during overeating or binge eating episodes.