Testing a belief-based intervention encouraging sun safety among adolescents in a high risk area

Objective. To provide a preliminary test of a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) belief-based intervention to increase adolescents’ sun protective behaviors in a high risk area, Queensland, Australia. Methods. In the period of October-November, 2007 and May-June, 2008, 80 adolescents (14.53 ± 0.69 years) were recruited from two secondary schools (one government and one private) in Queensland after obtaining student, parental, and school informed consent. Adolescents were allocated to either a control or intervention condition based on the class they attended. The intervention comprised three, one hour in-school sessions facilitated by Cancer Council Queensland employees with sessions covering the belief basis of the TPB (i.e., behavioral, normative, and control [barrier and motivator] sun-safe beliefs). Participants completed questionnaires assessing sun-safety beliefs, intentions, and behavior pre- and post-intervention. Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used to test the effect of the intervention across time on these constructs. Results. Students completing the intervention reported stronger sun-safe normative and motivator beliefs and intentions and the performance of more sun-safe behaviors across time than those in the control condition. Conclusion. Strengthening beliefs about the approval of others and motivators for sun protection may encourage sun-safe cognitions and actions among adolescents.

Perception of affordances in multi-scale dynamics as an alternative explanation for equivalence of analogical and inferential reasoning in animals and humans

Recent claims of equivalence of animal and human reasoning are evaluated and a study of avian cognition serves as an exemplar of weaknesses in these arguments. It is argued that current research into neurobiological cognition lacks theoretical breadth to substantiate comparative analyses of cognitive function. Evaluation of a greater range of theoretical explanations is needed to verify claims of equivalence in animal and human cognition. We conclude by exemplifying how the notion of affordances in multi-scale dynamics can capture behavior attributed to processes of analogical and inferential reasoning in animals and humans.

Deconstructing neurobiological coordination

Inherent indeterminacy of neurobiological systems has been revealed by research on coordination of multiarticular actions. We consider three important issues that these investigations raise for biomechanical measurement and performance modeling. These issues highlight the role of dynamic systems theory as a platform for integration of motor control and biomechanics in exercise and sports science.

Public accountability : the perceived usefulness of school annual reports

Annual reports are an important component of New Zealand schools’ public accountability. Through the annual report the governance body informs stakeholders about school aims, objectives, achievements, use of resources, and financial performance. This paper identifies the perceived usefulness of the school annual report to recipients and the extent to which it serves as an instrument of accountability and/or decision-usefulness. The study finds that the annual report is used for a variety of purposes, including: to determine if the school has conducted its activities effectively and achieved stated objectives and goals; to examine student achievements; to assess financial accountability and performance; and to make decisions about the school as a suitable environment for their child/children. Nevertheless, the study also finds that other forms of communication are more important sources of information about the school than the annual report which is seen to fall short of users’ required qualities of understandability, reliability and readability. It would appear imperative that policy makers review the functional role of the school annual report which is a costly document to prepare. Further, school managers need to engage in alternative means to communicate sufficient and meaningful information in the discharge of public accountability.

Interactions between energy intake and expenditure in the development and treatment of obesity.

Summary There are four interactions to consider between energy intake (EI) and energy expenditure (EE) in the development and treatment of obesity. (1) Does sedentariness alter levels of EI or subsequent EE? and (2) Do high levels of EI alter physical activity or exercise? (3) Do exercise-induced increases in EE drive EI upwards and undermine dietary approaches to weight management and (4) Do low levels of EI elevate or decrease EE? There is little evidence that sedentariness alters levels of EI. This lack of cross-talk between altered EE and EI appears to promote a positive EB. Lifestyle studies also suggest that a sedentary routine actually offers the opportunity for over-consumption. Substantive changes in non exercise activity thermogenesis are feasible, but not clearly demonstrated. Cross talk between elevated EE and EI is initially too weak and takes too long to activate, to seriously threaten dietary approaches to weight management. It appears that substantial fat loss is possible before intake begins to track a sustained elevation of EE. There is more evidence that low levels of EI does lower physical activity levels, in relatively lean men under conditions of acute or prolonged semi-starvation and in dieting obese subjects. During altered EB there are a number of small but significant changes in the components of EE, including (i) sleeping and basal metabolic rate, (ii) energy cost of weight change alters as weight is gained or lost, (iii) exercise efficiency, (iv) energy cost of weight bearing activities, (v) during substantive overfeeding diet composition (fat versus carbohydrate) will influence the energy cost of nutrient storage by ~ 15%. The responses (i-v) above are all “obligatory” responses. Altered EB can also stimulate facultative behavioural responses, as a consequence of cross-talk between EI and EE. Altered EB will lead to changes in the mode duration and intensity of physical activities. Feeding behaviour can also change. The degree of inter-individual variability in these responses will define the scope within which various mechanisms of EB compensation can operate. The relative importance of “obligatory” versus facultative, behavioural responses -as components of EB control- need to be defined.

Wellness in older adults

Understanding perception of wellness in older adults is a question to be understood against the backdrop of concerns about whether global ageing and the ‘bulge’ of ageing baby boomers will increase health care cost beyond what modern economies can deal with. Older adults who age in a healthy way and who take responsibility for their own health offer a positive alternative and change the perception that older adults are a burden on their society’s health system. The concept of successful ageing introduced by Rowe and Kahn (1987; 1997) suggested that older adults age successfully if they avoid disease and disability, maintain high cognitive and physical functioning and remain actively engaged with life. This concept, however, did not reflect older adults’ own perceptions of what constitutes successful ageing or how perceptions of wellness or health-related quality of life influenced the older adult’s understanding of his or her own health and ageing. A research project was designed to examine older adults’ perceptions of wellness in order to gain an understanding of the factors that influence perception of their own wellness. Specifically, the research wanted to explore two aspects: whether belonging to a unique organisation, in this instance a Returned Services Club, influenced perceptions of wellness; and whether there are significant gender differences for the perception of wellness. A mixed method project with two consecutive studies was designed to answer these questions: a quantitative survey of members of a Returned Services Club and of the surrounding community in Queensland, Australia, and a qualitative study conducting focus groups to explore findings of the survey. The results of the survey were used to determine the composition of the focus groups. The participants for the first study, (N=257), community living adults 65 years and older, were chosen from the membership role of a Returned Services Club or recruited by personal approach from the community surrounding the Services Club. Participants completed a survey that consisted of a perception of wellness instrument, a health-related quality of life instrument, and questions on morbidities, modifiable life style factors and demographics. Data analysis found that a number of individual factors influenced perception of wellness and health-related quality of life. Positive influences were independent mobility, exercise and gambling at non-hazardous levels, and negative influences were hearing loss, memory problems, chronic disease and being single. Membership of the Services Club did not contribute to perception of wellness beyond being a member of a social group. While there may have been an expectation that members of an organisation that is traditionally associated with high alcohol use and problematic gambling may have lower perceptions of wellness, this study suggested that the negative influences may have been counteracted by the positive effects of social interaction, thus having neither negative nor positive influences on perception of wellness. There were significant differences in perception of wellness and in health-related quality of life for women and men. The most significant difference was for women aged 85-90 who had significantly lower scores for perception of wellness than men or than any other age group. This result was the impetus for conducting focus groups with adults aged 85-90 years of age. Focus groups were conducted with 24 women and four men aged 85-90 to explore the survey findings for this age group. Results from the focus groups indicated that for older adults perception of wellness was a multidimensional construct of more complexity than indicated by the survey instrument. Elite older women (women over 85 years of age) related their perception of wellness to their ability to do what they wanted to do, and what they wanted to do significantly more than anything else, was to stay connected to family, friends and the community to which they belonged. From the focus group results it appeared that elite older women identified with the three elements of successful ageing – low incidence of disability and disease, high physical and cognitive functioning, and active engagement with life – but not in a flat structure. It appears that for elite older women good physical and mental health function to enable social connectedness. It is the elements of health that impact on the ability to do what they wanted to do that were identified as key factors: independent mobility, hearing and memory - factors that impact on the ability to interact socially. These elements were only identified when they impacted on the person’s ability to do what they wanted to do, for example mobility problems that were managed were not considered a problem. The study also revealed that older women use selection, optimisation and compensation to meet their goal of staying socially connected. The shopping centre was a key factor in this goal and older women used shopping centres to stay connected to the community and for exercise as well as shopping. Personal and public safety and other environmental concerns were viewed in the same context of enabling or disabling social connectedness. This suggested that for elite older women the model of successful ageing was hierarchical rather than flat, with social connectedness at the top, supported by cognitive functioning and good physical and mental health. In conclusion, this research revealed that perception of wellness in older adults is a complex, multidimensional construct. For older adults good health is related to social connectedness and is not a goal in itself. Health professionals and the community at large have a responsibility to take into account the ability of the older adult to stay socially connected to their community and to enable this, if the goal is to keep older adults healthy for as long as possible. Maintaining or improving perception of wellness in older adults will require a broad biopsychosocial approach that utilises findings such as older adults’ use of shopping centres for non-shopping purposes, concerns about personal and environmental safety and supporting older adults to maintain or improve their social connectedness to their communities.

Exercise intensity influences NEAT in overweight and obese adults

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of acute bouts of moderate- and high-intensity walking exercise on non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) in overweight and obese adults. ---------- METHOD: 16 participants performed a single bout of either moderate-intensity walking exercise (MIE) or high-intensity walking exercise (HIE) on two separate occasions. The MIE consisted of walking for 60 minutes on a motorized treadmill at 6 km.h. The 60-minute HIE session consisted of walking in 5-min intervals at 6 km.h and 10% grade followed by 5-min at 0% grade. NEAT was assessed by accelerometer on three days before, the day of, and three days following the exercise sessions. ---------- RESULTS: There was no significant difference in NEAT vector magnitude (counts.min) between the pre-exercise period (days 1-3) and the exercise day (day 4) for either MIE or HIE protocol. In addition, there was no change in NEAT during the three days following the MIE session, however NEAT increased by 16% on day 7 (post-exercise) compared with exercise day (P = 0.32). However during the post-exercise period following the HIE session, NEAT was increased by 25% on day 7 compared with the exercise day (P = 0.08), and by 30-33% compared with pre-exercise period (day 1, day 2 and day 3); P = 0.03, 0.03, 0.02, respectively. ---------- CONCLUSION: A single bout of either MIE or HIE did not alter NEAT on the exercise day or on the first two days following the exercise session. However, monitoring NEAT on a third day allowed the detection of a 48-h delay in increased NEAT after performing HIE. A longer-term intervention is needed to determine the effect of accumulated exercise sessions over a week on NEAT.

Acute and long-term effects of exercise on appetite control: Is there any benefit for weight control?

Purpose of review: To examine the relationship between energy intake, appetite control and exercise, with particular reference to longer term exercise studies. This approach is necessary when exploring the benefits of exercise for weight control, as changes in body weight and energy intake are variable and reflect diversity in weight loss. Recent findings: Recent evidence indicates that longer term exercise is characterized by a highly variable response in eating behaviour. Individuals display susceptibility or resistance to exercise-induced weight loss, with changes in energy intake playing a key role in determining the degree of weight loss achieved. Marked differences in hunger and energy intake exist between those who are capable of tolerating periods of exercise-induced energy deficit, and those who are not. Exercise-induced weight loss can increase the orexigenic drive in the fasted state, but for some this is offset by improved postprandial satiety signalling. Summary: The biological and behavioural responses to acute and long-term exercise are highly variable, and these responses interact to determine the propensity for weight change. For some people, long-term exercise stimulates compensatory increases in energy intake that attenuate weight loss. However, favourable changes in body composition and health markers still exist in the absence of weight loss. The physiological mechanisms that confer susceptibility to compensatory overconsumption still need to be determined.

Resilience in critical infrastructures : the case of the Queensland electricity industry

The reliability of Critical Infrastructure is considered to be a fundamental expectation of modern societies. These large-scale socio-technical systems have always, due to their complex nature, been faced with threats challenging their ongoing functioning. However, increasing uncertainty in addition to the trend of infrastructure fragmentation has made reliable service provision not only a key organisational goal, but a major continuity challenge: especially given the highly interdependent network conditions that exist both regionally and globally. The notion of resilience as an adaptive capacity supporting infrastructure reliability under conditions of uncertainty and change has emerged as a critical capacity for systems of infrastructure and the organisations responsible for their reliable management. This study explores infrastructure reliability through the lens of resilience from an organisation and system perspective using two recognised resilience-enhancing management practices, High Reliability Theory (HRT) and Business Continuity Management (BCM) to better understand how this phenomenon manifests within a partially fragmented (corporatised) critical infrastructure industry – The Queensland Electricity Industry. The methodological approach involved a single case study design (industry) with embedded sub-units of analysis (organisations), utilising in-depth interviews and document analysis to illicit findings. Derived from detailed assessment of BCM and Reliability-Enhancing characteristics, findings suggest that the industry as a whole exhibits resilient functioning, however this was found to manifest at different levels across the industry and in different combinations. Whilst there were distinct differences in respect to resilient capabilities at the organisational level, differences were less marked at a systems (industry) level, with many common understandings carried over from the pre-corporatised operating environment. These Heritage Factors were central to understanding the systems level cohesion noted in the work. The findings of this study are intended to contribute to a body of knowledge encompassing resilience and high reliability in critical infrastructure industries. The research also has value from a practical perspective, as it suggests a range of opportunities to enhance resilient functioning under increasingly interdependent, networked conditions.

A world elsewhere : virtual reality, motion capture and early modern theatre

This paper investigates virtual reality representations of the 1599 Boar’s Head Theatre and the Rose Theatre, two renaissance places and spaces. These models become a “world elsewhere” in that they represent virtual recreations of these venues in as much detail as possible. The models are based on accurate archeological and theatre historical records and are easy to navigate particularly for current use. This paper demonstrates the ways in which these models can be instructive for reading theatre today. More importantly we introduce human figures onto the stage via motion capture which allows us to explore the potential between space, actor and environment. This facilitates a new way of thinking about early modern playwrights’ “attitudes to locality and localities large and small”. These venues are thus activated to intersect productively with early modern studies so that the paper can test the historical and contemporary limits of such research.