Classroom-based physical activity interventions have demonstrated positive effects in reducing sedentary behaviour among school children. However, this is an understudied area, especially in low- and ...middle-income countries such as Sri Lanka. This study aims to explore teachers' opportunity, capability and motivation relating to the implementation of an in-classroom physical activity breaks programme.
Twenty-seven teachers were recruited through snowball sampling and participated in semi-structured telephone interviews from early-January to the mid-June 2022. The Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation Behaviour (COM-B) model was used to guide and deductively thematic analyse the interviews.
21 out of the recruited teachers responded to the full study. The mean age of respondents was 39.24 years old ranging from 27 years to 53 years. Teaching experience of the respondents ranged from three to 37 years, and 57% were female. Three teachers had a degree with a teacher training diploma, while others were having General Certificate of Education in Advanced Level with a teacher training diploma as the highest education qualification. Capability factors such as age, dress code, mask wearing, knowledge, skills and workload of the teachers were identified as important factors in implementing a physical activity breaks intervention in a Sri Lankan classroom setting. Classroom space, facilities, student backgrounds and safety were identified as opportunity factors. Obtaining policy level decisions to implement the activity breaks and managing the time of the activities to reduce time lost in education time were identified as motivational factors.
During the intervention development phase, implementation facilitators and barriers must be considered carefully. Behaviour change techniques can be utilised to address the identified COM-B factors to ensure a good implementation of the intervention.
In-Classroom physical activity breaks (IcPAB) are a promising way to promote children’s health behaviors, while contributing to the development of their academic and cognitive ability and health ...outcomes. Yet the effect of the activity breaks, which are exclusive to classroom settings, are still mixed and unclear. Hence, this review was conducted to identify the characteristics and the effects of IcPAB among primary school children. The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021234192). Following the Cochrane guidelines, PubMed, PsycINFO (ProQuest), MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), Embase/Ovid, SportDISCUS (EBSCOhost), Web of Science, Scopus and Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) databases were searched to collect data on randomised control trials without a time restriction. The final database search was conducted on the 8 November 2021. Random effects models were used to calculate the effect sizes. The systematic review identified ten eligible studies, nine of which were also included in the meta-analysis. Few studies used the theoretical frameworks and process evaluations. IcPAB showed mixed effectiveness on academic outcomes: i.e., IcPAB had effects on spelling performance (p < 0.05) and foreign language learning (p < 0.01) but not on mathematics and reading performance. Health behaviors such as moderate-to-vigorous physical activity levels were improved (p < 0.01), but IcPAB did not have an impact on cognition outcomes and health outcomes. Given these mixed results, further research is needed underpinned by strong methodological quality, theoretical underpinnings and reliable process evaluation methods.
An increasing number of studies are blending face-to-face interventions and electronic health (eHealth) interventions to jointly promote physical activity (PA) and diet among people. However, a ...comprehensive summary of these studies is lacking. This study aimed to synthesize the characteristics of blended interventions and meta-analyze the effectiveness of blended interventions in promoting PA, diet, and weight-related outcomes among adults. Following the PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, Embase, and Web of Science were systematically searched to identify eligible articles according to a series of inclusion criteria. The search was limited to English language literature and publication dates between January 2002 and July 2022. Effect sizes were calculated as standardized mean difference (SMD) for three intervention outcomes (physical activity, healthy diet, and weight-related). Random effect models were used to calculate the effect sizes. A sensitivity analysis and publication bias tests were conducted. Of the 1561 identified studies, 17 were eligible for the systematic review. Studies varied in participants, intervention characteristics, and outcome measures. A total of 14 studies were included in the meta-analyses. There was evidence of no significant publication bias. The meta-analyses indicated that the blended intervention could lead to a significant increase in walking steps (p < 0.001), total PA level (p = 0.01), and diet quality (p = 0.044), a significant decrease in energy intake (p = 0.004), weight (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001), and waist circumferences (p = 0.008), but had no influence on more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) or fruit and vegetable intake among adults, compared with a control group. The study findings showed that blended interventions achieve preliminary success in promoting PA, diet, and weight-related outcomes among adults. Future studies could improve the blended intervention design to achieve better intervention effectiveness.
A hybrid photoanode material consisting of reduced graphene oxide–anatase titanium dioxide (rGO–anatase TiO
2
) nano-composite particles was produced by mixing an rGO solution into a TiO
2
solution. ...The hybrid particles were then electrophoretically deposited (EPD) onto a fluorine-doped tin oxide (
F
:SnO
2
) coated (FTO) glass substrate to form the novel photoanode structure for a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Incorporation of graphene materials (i.e., the rGO flakes) into the hybrid photoanode increases the dye absorption ability, light harvesting and eventually the photocurrent-density (
j
). At the optimal proportion of rGO, the solar cell showed a short-circuit current density
j
SC
of 18.37 mA cm
−2
, an open-circuit voltage
V
OC
of 0.61 V, and a fill-factor (FF) of 52.1% with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.52%. The hybrid photoelectrode produced by electrophoretic deposition of the rGO-modified TiO
2
solution shows excellent photoelectrochemical properties.
Graphic Abstract
There are discrepancies between evidence-based guidelines for screening and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and implementation in Australian general practice. Quality-improvement (QI) ...initiatives aim to reduce these gaps. This study evaluated a QI program (QPulse) that focussed on CVD assessment and management.
This mixed-methods study explored the implementation of guidelines and adoption of a QI program with a CVD risk-reduction intervention in 34 general practices. CVD screening and management were measured pre- and post-intervention. Qualitative analyses examined participants' Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) goals and in-depth interviews with practice stakeholders focussed on barriers and enablers to the program and were analysed thematically using Normalisation Process Theory (NPT).
Pre- and post-intervention data were available from 15 practices (n = 19,562 and n = 20,249, respectively) and in-depth interviews from seven practices. At baseline, 45.0% of patients had their BMI measured and 15.6% had their waist circumference recorded in the past 2 years and blood pressure, lipids and smoking status were measured in 72.5, 61.5 and 65.3% of patients, respectively. Most high-risk patients (57.5%) were not prescribed risk-reducing medications. After the intervention there were no changes in the documentation and prevalence of risk factors, attainment of BP and lipid targets or prescription of CVD risk-reducing medications. However, there was variation in performance across practices with some showing isolated improvements, such as recording waist circumference (0.7-32.2% pre-intervention to 18.5-69.8% post-intervention), BMI and smoking assessment. Challenges to the program included: lack of time, need for technical support, a perceived lack of value for quality improvement work, difficulty disseminating knowledge across the practice team, tensions between the team and clinical staff and a part-time workforce.
The barriers associated with this QI program was considerable in Australian GP practices. Findings highlighted they were not able to effectively operationalise the intervention due to numerous factors, ranging from lack of internal capacity and leadership to competing demands and insufficient external support.
Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Reference Number ( ACTRN12615000108516 ), registered 06/02/2015.
The problem of sedentary behavior among primary school children is alarming, with numbers gradually increasing worldwide, including Sri Lanka. Physical activity interventions within classroom ...settings have been acknowledged as a critical strategy to increase students' movement behaviors while enhancing their academic achievement and health. Yet, the busy curriculum and challenging educational demands encourage more sedentary classroom behavior. Hence, this study aims to develop and evaluate an in-classroom physical activity breaks (IcPAB) intervention among fifth graders in Sri Lanka.
The study will adopt a randomized controlled trial (RCT), comprising an in-classroom physical activity breaks program group and a control group to evaluate the effects of IcPAB on academic achievement, movement behaviors and health outcomes. The intervention design is based on the capability (C), opportunity (O) and motivation (M) behavior (B) (COM-B) model. A least 198 fifth graders will be recruited from two schools in Uva province, Sri Lanka. The recruitment process will start in late 2022. Class teachers of the intervention group will implement 5-min activity breaks at least three times a day after completing a training session. The primary variables include mathematics and reading achievement. The secondary variables include physical activity levels, steps count, sedentary behavior, body mass index, aerobic fitness, and perceived stress. Data collection will be implemented at pre-test and post-test, respectively. Intervention fidelity and the process will also be evaluated.
The IcPAB is designed to prevent pure educational time loss by introducing curriculum-integrated short bouts of physical active breaks into the classroom routine. If the IcPAB is effective, it can (1) improve the mathematics and reading achievement of fifth-grade girls and boys, which is a significant factor determining the performance at the Grade Five National Scholarship Examination in Sri Lanka; (2) improve movement behaviors as well as physical and mental health outcomes among primary school students. Sequentially, the IcPAB will enrich school-based physical activity intervention approaches which can in turn bring academic and health benefits to primary school children in Sri Lanka.
The first version of the trial was registered with the ISRCTN registry (Ref: ISRCTN52180050) on 20/07/2022.
Older adult quality of life (QoL) is facing huge challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. New normal lifestyle behaviors, including getting adequate physical activity (PA), consuming sufficient ...fruits and vegetables (FV) and enacting individual preventive behaviors (frequent hand washing, facemask wearing, and social distancing), as a significant determinant for QoL, have not been adequately addressed in older adults during the pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of QoL in Chinese older adults after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei China. The objective of the study was to examine any associations of lifestyle behaviors with QoL, and to identify the moderating role of socioeconomic indicators in the associations identified.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hubei, China, from June 15, 2020, to July 10, 2020. Five hundred sixteen older adults completed an online survey (mean age = 67.6 ± 6.6; 57.9% women). The questionnaire consisted of demographic information, covariates (chronic diseases and infected cases of acquaintances), lifestyle behaviors PA stage, FV intake (FVI) stage and three preventive behaviors, and QoL.
-tests, ANOVA tests, multiple linear regression models with simple slope analyses were used to test the hypotheses.
QoL significantly differed in relation to economic situation, chronic diseases, marital status, education, living situation, age group, and professional status. Participants' economic situation (
= 0.17,
< 0.01;
= 0.15,
< 0.01), chronic diseases (
= 0.19,
< 0.001), FVI stage (
= 0.21,
< 0.001), and preventive behaviors (
= 0.10,
< 0.05) indicated a significant association with QoL. Education level and economic situation significantly interacted with preventive behaviors on QoL, respectively (
= -1.3,
< 0.01;
= -0.97,
< 0.05).
Findings emphasize the importance of enhancing FVI and preventive behaviors on QoL improvement in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Older adults who are in a lower economic situation with lower education levels should be given priority when implementing interventions to improve preventive behaviors and QoL in older adults.
The overtopping of solitary waves and bores present major hazards during the initial phase of tsunami inundation and storm surges. This paper presents new laboratory data on overtopping events by ...both solitary waves and solitary bores. Existing empirical overtopping scaling laws are found to be deficient for these wave forms. Two distinct scaling regimes are instead identified. For solitary waves, the overtopping rates scale linearly with the deficit in run-up freeboard. The volume flux in the incident solitary wave is also an important parameter, and a weak dependence on the nonlinearity of the waves (H/d) is observed. For solitary bores, the overtopping cannot be scaled uniquely, because the fluid momentum behind the incident bore front is independent of the bore height, but it is in close agreement with recent solutions of the nonlinear shallow water equations. The maximum overtopping rate for the solitary waves is shown to be the lower bound of the overtopping rate for the solitary bores with the same deficit in freeboard. Thus, for a given run-up, the solitary bores induce greater overtopping rates than the solitary waves when the relative freeboard is small.
Complex interventions, such as innovation platforms, pose challenges for evaluators. A variety of methodological approaches are often required to build a more complete and comprehensive understanding ...of how complex interventions work. In this paper, we outline and critically appraise a methodologically pluralist evaluation of an innovation platform to strengthen primary care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. In doing so, we aim to identify lessons learned from the approach taken and add to existing literature on implementing evaluations in complex settings, such as innovation platforms. The pluralist design used four evaluation approaches-developmental evaluation, principles-focused evaluation, network analysis, and framework analysis-with differing strengths and challenges. Taken together, the multiple evaluation approaches yielded a detailed description and nuanced understanding of the formation, functioning and outcomes of the innovation platform that would be difficult to achieve with any single evaluation method. While a methodologically pluralist design may place additional pressure on logistical and analytic resources available, it enables a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that underlie complex interventions.
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•Dye agglomeration and masking effects are reduced by fractionation.•Fractions are characterized using UV–Vis, fluorescence, FTIR and CV.•DSSCs sensitized with fractions exhibited ...high efficiencies.•Photovoltaic parameters are discussed using TPV and EIS data.
An improvement in the efficiency of Ixora (Ixora sp. (Rubiaceae)) floral dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) has been achieved by diminishing the pigment’s interactions. Liquid column chromatography (LCC) separated the dye components, namely aurone, pelargonidin, and derivatives of cyanidin & malvidin, showed improved photovoltaic performance when compared to cells sensitized by the original dye extract of Ixora. The LCC separated dye components were analyzed using UV–Vis, fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic studies. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and band gaps of the dyes were investigated. The DSSC prepared with the LCC separated dye showed energy conversion efficiencies (ECEs) ranging from 0.203% to 0.951%, whereas the original Ixora dye sensitized cell showed an ECE of 0.381%. Transient photovoltage (TPV) measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to elucidate the photovoltaic parameters.
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