Too early to proclaim the end of the war on childhood obesity

Parents winning childhood war on obesity, Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals, screamed the headline. Sounds like a good news story to make every parent breathe a sigh of relief, but is it really true? The article in question quoted obesity expert and University of South Australia Professor Tim Olds, who argued that “the media and public health authorities are getting carried away” about childhood obesity. He pointed to the fact that recent ABS data showed rates of overweight and obesity in children plateaued between 2007/08 and between 2011/12. But that still means one in four Australian children is overweight or obese; it’s clear we still have a lot of work to do. As a nutritionist working with parents every day (both in practical obesity programs and in research into reducing this considerable health risk), I was concerned that the article could be taken at face value. Because there’s more, much more, to this story.

Life is too short to RTFM : how users relate to documentation and excess features in consumer products

This paper addresses two common problems that users of various products and interfaces encounter— over-featured interfaces and product documentation. Over-featured interfaces are seen as a problem as they can confuse and over-complicate everyday interactions. Researchers also often claim that users do not read product documentation, although they are often exhorted to ‘RTFM’(read the field manual).We conducted two sets of studies with users which looked at the issues of both manuals and excess features with common domestic and personal products. The quantitative set was a series of questionnaires administered to 170 people over 7 years. The qualitative set consisted of two 6-month longitudinal studies based on diaries and interviews with a total of 15 participants. We found that manuals are not read by the majority of people, and most do not use all the features of the products that they own and use regularly. Men are more likely to do both than women, and younger people are less likely to use manuals than middle-aged and older ones. More educated people are also less likely to read manuals. Over-featuring and being forced to consult manuals also appears to cause negative emotional experiences. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Too ill to will? deathbed wills: assessing testamentary capacity near the end of life

Assessing testamentary capacity in the terminal phase of an illness or at a person's deathbed is fraught with challenges for both doctors and lawyers. Numerous issues need to be considered when assessing capacity for a will. These issues are exacerbated when such an assessment needs to be undertaken at the bedside of a dying patient. The nature and severity of the illness, effects on cognition of the terminal illness, effects of medication, urgency, psychological and emotional factors, interactions with carers, family and lawyers, and a range of other issues confound and complicate the assessment of capacity. What is the doctor's role in properly assessing capacity in this context and how does this role intersect with the legal issues? Doctors will play an increasing role in assessing testamentary capacity in this setting. The ageing of society, more effective treatment of acute illness and, often, the prolongation of dying are only some of the factors leading to this increasing need. However, despite its importance and increasing prevalence, the literature addressing this challenging practical area is scarce and offers limited guidance. This paper examines these challenges and discusses some practical approaches.

Too hot to trot? exploring potential links between climate change, physical activity and health

Based on an analysis of existing literature, this paper explores the links between climate change, physical activity and health. It highlights the importance of physical activity for health, explores current understandings of factors influencing participation in sport and physical activity, and develops some hypotheses about the ways in which climate change may impact on the factors influencing physical activity and thereby on the level of participation in physical activity. The paper argues that climate change has the potential to be a barrier to participation in physical activity, particularly in areas where temperatures are already relatively high, and that a reduction in physical activity across the population is likely to have detrimental health impacts. The need for research to clarify the nature and extent of the threat posed to physical activity participation is highlighted, as is the need to take into account the direct and indirect costs of any changes or reductions in physical activity in any assessment of the costs of climate change and/or its mitigation.

Training to fail

The corporate environment is considered the major deterrent to the success of corporate training and development programs. Most organizations will not take training and development seriously without support from CEOs. Many companies lack investment in training, while others refuse to accept process management, TQM and empowerment as the keys to reduced costs and improved productivity. Training and development must also be linked corporate strategy.

Too hot to move? Objectively assessed seasonal changes in Australian children's physical activity

BACKGROUND: Seasonal variations may influence children's physical activity patterns. The aim of this study was to examine how children's objectively-measured physical activity differed across seasons, and whether different seasonal patterns were observed for boys and girls. METHODS: Three hundred and twenty-six children aged 8-11 years from nine primary schools in Melbourne, Australia, participated in the study. Physical activity was measured every 15-s using hip-mounted GT3X+ ActiGraph accelerometers for seven consecutive days in the Winter (n = 249), Spring (n = 221), Summer (n = 174) and Autumn (n = 152) school terms. Time spent in moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA) and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) at each time point was derived using age-specific cut-points. Meteorological data (maximum temperature, precipitation, daylight hours) were obtained daily during each season. Longitudinal data were analysed using multilevel analyses, adjusted for age, sex, accelerometer wear time, number of valid days, and meteorological variables. RESULTS: Compared to Winter, children engaged in significantly less MPA (-5.0 min) and MVPA (-7.8 min) in Summer. Girls engaged in less MVPA in Spring (-18 min) and Summer (-9.2 min) and more MVPA in Autumn (9.9 min) compared to Winter. Significant changes in MPA and VPA bout frequency and duration were also observed. Significant decreases in VPA bout frequency (3.4 bouts) and duration (2.6 min) were observed for girls in Spring compared to Winter. No significant seasonal changes were observed for boys for all intensities and physical activity accumulation. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity decreased in Summer compared to Winter, contrasting previous research that typically reports that children are most active in summer. Greater fluctuations were observed for girls' activity levels. In addition, girls' activity duration and bouts appeared to be more susceptible to seasonal changes compared to boys. The results suggest that strategies to promote physical activity may be needed in Australia during the hot summer months, particularly for girls.

Is it too early to study the elderly in the Third World?

Includes bibliography