Transnational higher education : a stock take of current activity

Transnational higher education (TNHE) development is not an entirely new international activity in the education services sector. The nature and scale of the global expansion of contemporary TNHE developments are, however, changing substantially. An understanding of this growth is currently largely lacking because of a dearth of comprehensive statistics. The scale of the latter TNHE developments has been particularly hard to identify and has until now been largely based on guesstimates. This article is an attempt at filling this gap. Through a triangulation methodology of available secondary data, this article is a very first attempt at providing a stock take of the current level of activity in TNHE worldwide.

The association of levels of physical activity with metabolic syndrome in rural Australian adults

Background:  Physical activity (PA) reduces risk factors related to metabolic syndrome. Rurality influences the way people incorporate physical activity into daily life. The aim of this study is to determine the association of PA level with metabolic syndrome in a rural Australian population. The influence of adiposity on these associations is also investigated.

Methods: Three cross-sectional population health surveys were conducted in south-east Australia during 2004–2006 using a random population sample (n = 1563, participation rate 49%) aged 25–74 years. PA was assessed via a self-administered questionnaire, and components of the metabolic syndrome via anthropometric measurements taken by specially trained nurses and laboratory tests.

Results: Approximately one-fifth of participants were inactive in leisure-time and over one-third had metabolic syndrome (men 39%, women 33%; p = 0.022). There was an inverse association between level of PA and metabolic syndrome (p < 0.001). Men who were inactive in leisure-time were more than twice as likely and women more than three times as likely to have metabolic syndrome compared with those having high PA. Body mass index (BMI) is a mediating factor in the association between level of PA and metabolic syndrome.

Conclusion: Some PA is better than none if adults, particularly women, are to reduce their risk of metabolic syndrome and associated vascular diseases. Specialised interventions that take rurality into consideration are recommended for adults who are inactive.

Patterns of physical activity for adolescent girls in Fiji and Tonga

Behavioural patterns are determined in part by sociocultural factors such as values, expected behaviours and sociopolitical organisation. This paper presents the patterns of physical activity reported by Tongan and Fijian females aged 12-18 years and possible explanations for these patterns. The paper draws on interviews conducted in a wider study of adolescents patterns of eating, physical activity and body size in Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. The study examined sociocultural factors that could promote or protect against obesity from the perspective of adolescents in order to develop culturally-appropriate strategies for healthy lifestyles. Twenty four indigenous Fijian and 24 Tongan females aged 12-18 years were interviewed by females who were fluent in participants first languages. Researchers from Australia, Tonga and Fiji analysed the data separately and then together in order to capture cultural nuances and enhance cultural validity. This analysis revealed similarities and differences in both cultural groups. Limitations to physical activity identified by Tongan and Fijian girls included the time spent in household chores and parental restrictions.Fijian girls also identified concern about personal safety as a constraint. These findings are examined in relation to sociocultural factors that appear to limit opportunities for young females to be physically active.

Brennan torpedo, monorail and helicopter : a study of innovative activity in the process of forming three related military weapons

In the context of nineteenth-century British defence planning Actor-network theory is used to examine technological and social activity in the development and operation of a secret, successful military weapon, the Brennan torpedo. Also in two subsequent inventions the continuity and development of a core innovative concept, gyroscopy, is traced.

Effects of physical activity on depression and anxiety in children

This thesis study examined the direct and indirect effects of physical activity, self-efficacy and peer relations in depression and anxiety in children. No direct relationships between physical activity and symptoms of depression or anxiety were found for either sex. The portfolio, using four clinical health psychology case studies, provides an illustration of the clinical application of the transtheoretical model to four different health issues.

Socioeconomic position and the tracking of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness from childhood to adulthood

This study examined the influence of childhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and social mobility on activity and fitness tracking from childhood into adulthood. In a prospective cohort of 2,185 Australian adults (aged 26–36 years), first examined in 1985 (at ages 7–15 years), self-reported physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness (subsample only) were measured. SEP measures included retrospectively reported parental education (baseline) and own education (follow-up). There was little evidence of a relation between childhood SEP and activity tracking, but high childhood SEP (maternal education) was associated with a 59% increased likelihood of persistent fitness, and medium childhood SEP (paternal and parental education) was associated with a 33%–36% decreased likelihood of persistent fitness. Upward social mobility was associated with a greater likelihood of increasing activity (38%–49%) and fitness (90%), and persistently high SEP was associated with a greater likelihood of increasing activity (males: 58%) and fitness (males and females combined: 89%). In conclusion, persistently high SEP and upward social mobility were associated with increases in activity and fitness from childhood to adulthood. Findings highlight socioeconomic differentials in activity and fitness patterns and suggest that improvements in education may represent a pathway through which physical activity levels can be increased and health benefits achieved

Day-to-day and seasonal variability of physical activity during school recess

Objective : Children's physical activity levels are difficult to establish on a day-to-day or season-to-season basis. Most studies have attempted to measure reliability in habitual settings. This study investigated the variability in children's physical activity during recess.

Methods : Fifteen boys and 19 girls (aged 6 to 11 years) from 2 schools in North West England wore heart rate monitors for 5 consecutive days in summer and winter terms to assess day-to-day and seasonal variability during school recess. Data were collected in 2004. Repeated measures ANOVA's and intraclass correlations (ICC) analysed the day-to-day and seasonal variability in children's moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) data.

Results : There were no significant differences in children's MVPA and VPA across days and seasons. ICCs for MVPA across 2 days ranged from 0.75 to 0.85 in summer, and from 0.53 to 0.81 in winter. Three-day MVPA ICCs were 0.83 in summer and 0.71 in winter.

Conclusions : The results revealed no significant variation in children's recess physical activity levels across days and seasons. Whilst children were free to choose their recess activities in school, the results suggested that children were relatively consistent in their choices, limiting physical activity variability.

Individual, social and environmental correlates of physical activity among women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods

Women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods are at heightened risk for physical inactivity, but little is known about the correlates of physical activity among this group. Using a social-ecological framework, this study aimed to determine the individual, social and neighbourhood environmental correlates of physical activity amongst women living in such neighbourhoods. During 2007–2008 women (n = 4108) aged 18–45 years randomly selected from urban and rural neighbourhoods of low socioeconomic status in Victoria, Australia completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (long). They reported on individual (self-efficacy, enjoyment, intentions, outcome expectancies, skills), social (childcare, social support from family and friends/colleagues, dog ownership) and neighbourhood environmental (neighbourhood cohesion, aesthetics, personal safety, ‘walking environment’) factors. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the odds of increasing categories of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and transport-related physical activity (TRPA) for each individual, social and environmental factor. In partially adjusted analyses, all individual, social and environmental variables were positively associated with LTPA, while all individual factors, family and friend support and the walking environment were positively associated with TRPA. In fully adjusted multivariable models, all individual and social factors remained significantly associated with LTPA, while self-efficacy, enjoyment, intentions, social support, and neighbourhood ‘walking environment’ variables remained significantly associated with TRPA. In conclusion, individual and social factors were most important for LTPA, while individual, social and neighbourhood environmental factors were all associated with TRPA. Acknowledging the cross-sectional design, the findings highlight the importance of different levels of potential influence on physical activity in different domains, which should be considered when developing strategies to promote physical activity amongst women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

Environmental correlates of physical activity in Australian workplaces

Purpose – The workplace is an ideal setting to promote physical activity. The purpose of this study is to examine associations with physical activity at and around the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach – Participants were recruited from a random sample of employed adults (n ¼ 1; 107) in capital cities and major regional centres in Australia. Self-reported barriers and participation in physical activity at and around the workplace were assessed. A multivariable logistic regression model adjusting for age, sex, occupational status, and overall physical activity assessed the odds of being active in this setting.
Findings – Of participants, 61 percent perceived being active in the workplace. Those who perceived their work colleagues and managers to be physically active, and those who indicated that their workplace provides facilities to support them being active had higher odds of being physically active at or around the workplace.
Research limitations/implications – A poor response rate, physically active sample and cross-sectional analysis prevent inferences about the causality of the findings.
Originality/value – The paper provides evidence of the potential for the multiple levels of influence on physical activity at and around the workplace.

Lower levels of physical activity in childhood associated with adult depression

Emerging evidence indicates that early life exposures influence adult health outcomes and there is cause to hypothesise a role for physical activity (PA) in childhood as a protective factor in adult depression. This study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported levels of PA in childhood and self-reported depressive illness. Lifetime depression and levels of physical activity (low/high) in childhood (<15 yr) were ascertained by self-report in 2152 adults (20–97 yr) participating in an ongoing epidemiological study in south-eastern Australia. Data were collected between 2000 and 2006. In this sample, 141 women (18.9%) and 169 men (12.0%) reported ever having a depressive episode. Low PA in childhood was associated with an increased risk of reporting depression in adulthood (OR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.32–2.17, p < 0.001). Adjustment for age, gender and adult PA attenuated the relationship somewhat (OR = 1.35, 95%CI = 1.01–1.78, p = 0.04), however further adjustment for SES or country of birth did not affect this relationship. In this community-based study, lower levels of self-reported PA in childhood were associated with a 35% increase in odds for self-reported depression in adulthood. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that lower levels of PA in childhood may be a risk factor for adult depression.

A pilot program of physical activity promotion among clients receiving home and community care

Three Victorian local governments cooperated in a pilot study of physical activity promotion as part of home and community care (HACC) service delivery. Thirty-one people receiving HACC volunteered to participate, including completing the Transtheoretical Stages of Change Exercise Questionnaire and the short-form Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) just before and at 3 months and 6 months after starting regular self-selected physical activity. Twenty-one participants returned questionnaires at 3 months, and 17 participants returned questionnaires at 6 months. Data were analysed using paired t tests and effect sizes were calculated as mean differences. At 3 months, mean improvements were identified on 6 of the 8 HAQDI (disability index) subscales, and in the overall HAQ-DI score. Improvement in dressing and grooming was preserved at 6 months. At either 3 or 6 months, improvements in dressing and grooming, reach, hygiene, and daily activities, and overall HAQ-DI score exceeded the minimum clinically important difference. No improvements were statistically significant, as is likely in a pilot study with a small sample, however, these results suggest that even very small increases in physical activity may afford clinically meaningful improvements in some areas of physical function required for independent living.