Effectiveness of a school-community linked program on physical activity levels and health-related quality of life for adolescent girls
- Casey, Meghan, Harvey, Jack, Telford, Amanda, Eime, Rochelle, Mooney, Amanda, Payne, Warren
- Authors: Casey, Meghan , Harvey, Jack , Telford, Amanda , Eime, Rochelle , Mooney, Amanda , Payne, Warren
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Bmc Public Health Vol. 14, no. (2014), p. 1-15
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990206
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- Description: Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-community program on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL; the primary outcome), physical activity (PA), and potential mediators of PA among adolescent girls living in low-socioeconomic rural/regional settings. Method: The study was a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Twelve communities with the requisite sports clubs and facilities were paired according to relevant criteria; one of each pair was randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. Eight schools per condition were randomly selected from these communities and the intervention was conducted over one school year (2011). Female students in grades 7-9 in intervention schools participated in two 6-session PA units - a sport unit (football or tennis) and a recreational unit (leisure centre-based). These were incorporated into physical education (PE) curriculum and linked to PA opportunities for participation outside school. Students were surveyed at baseline and endpoint, self-reporting impact on primary and secondary outcome measures (HRQoL, PA) and PA mediators (e.g. self-efficacy). Linear mixed models for two-group (intervention, control) and three-group (completers, non-completers, control) analyses were conducted with baseline value, age and BMI as covariates, group as a fixed effect and school as random cluster effect. Results: Participants completing baseline and endpoint measures included: 358 intervention (baseline response rate 33.7%, retention rate 61.3%) and 256 control (14.1% and 84.0%). Adjustment for age and BMI made no substantive difference to outcomes, and there were no cluster effects. For HRQoL, after adjustment for baseline scores, the intervention group showed significantly higher scores on all three PedsQL scores (physical functioning: M +/- SE = 83.9 +/- 0.7, p = .005; psychosocial: 79.9 +/- 0.8, p = .001; total score: 81.3 +/- 0.7, p = .001) than the control group (80.9 +/- 0.8; 76.1 +/- 0.9 and 77.8 +/- 0.8). The three-group analysis found intervention non-completers had significantly higher PedsQL scores (84.0 +/- 0.8, p = .021; 80.4 +/- 0.9, p = .003; 81.7 +/- 0.8, p = .002;) than controls (80.9 +/- 0.8, 76.1 +/- 0.9 and 77.8 +/- 0.8). There were no significant differences for any PA measure. Intervention completers had significantly higher scores than non-completers and controls for some mediator variables (e.g. self-efficacy, behavioural control). Conclusion: Positive outcomes were achieved from a modest school-community linked intervention. The school component contributed to maintaining HRQoL; students who completed the community component derived a range of intra-personal and inter-personal benefits.
- Authors: Casey, Meghan , Harvey, Jack , Telford, Amanda , Eime, Rochelle , Mooney, Amanda , Payne, Warren
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Bmc Public Health Vol. 14, no. (2014), p. 1-15
- Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0990206
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-community program on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL; the primary outcome), physical activity (PA), and potential mediators of PA among adolescent girls living in low-socioeconomic rural/regional settings. Method: The study was a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Twelve communities with the requisite sports clubs and facilities were paired according to relevant criteria; one of each pair was randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. Eight schools per condition were randomly selected from these communities and the intervention was conducted over one school year (2011). Female students in grades 7-9 in intervention schools participated in two 6-session PA units - a sport unit (football or tennis) and a recreational unit (leisure centre-based). These were incorporated into physical education (PE) curriculum and linked to PA opportunities for participation outside school. Students were surveyed at baseline and endpoint, self-reporting impact on primary and secondary outcome measures (HRQoL, PA) and PA mediators (e.g. self-efficacy). Linear mixed models for two-group (intervention, control) and three-group (completers, non-completers, control) analyses were conducted with baseline value, age and BMI as covariates, group as a fixed effect and school as random cluster effect. Results: Participants completing baseline and endpoint measures included: 358 intervention (baseline response rate 33.7%, retention rate 61.3%) and 256 control (14.1% and 84.0%). Adjustment for age and BMI made no substantive difference to outcomes, and there were no cluster effects. For HRQoL, after adjustment for baseline scores, the intervention group showed significantly higher scores on all three PedsQL scores (physical functioning: M +/- SE = 83.9 +/- 0.7, p = .005; psychosocial: 79.9 +/- 0.8, p = .001; total score: 81.3 +/- 0.7, p = .001) than the control group (80.9 +/- 0.8; 76.1 +/- 0.9 and 77.8 +/- 0.8). The three-group analysis found intervention non-completers had significantly higher PedsQL scores (84.0 +/- 0.8, p = .021; 80.4 +/- 0.9, p = .003; 81.7 +/- 0.8, p = .002;) than controls (80.9 +/- 0.8, 76.1 +/- 0.9 and 77.8 +/- 0.8). There were no significant differences for any PA measure. Intervention completers had significantly higher scores than non-completers and controls for some mediator variables (e.g. self-efficacy, behavioural control). Conclusion: Positive outcomes were achieved from a modest school-community linked intervention. The school component contributed to maintaining HRQoL; students who completed the community component derived a range of intra-personal and inter-personal benefits.
Using the ferret as an animal model for investigating influenza antiviral effectiveness
- Authors: Oh, Ding , Hurt, Aeron
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Microbiology Vol. 7, no. (2016), p. 1-12
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- Description: The concern of the emergence of a pandemic influenza virus has sparked an increased effort toward the development and testing of novel influenza antivirals. Central to this is the animal model of influenza infection, which has played an important role in understanding treatment effectiveness and the effect of antivirals on host immune responses. Among the different animal models of influenza, ferrets can be considered the most suitable for antiviral studies as they display most of the human-like symptoms following influenza infections, they can be infected with human influenza virus without prior viral adaptation and have the ability to transmit influenza virus efficiently between one another. However, an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of an antiviral treatment in ferrets is dependent on three major experimental considerations encompassing firstly, the volume and titer of virus, and the route of viral inoculation. Secondly, the route and dose of drug administration, and lastly, the different methods used to assess clinical symptoms, viral shedding kinetics and host immune responses in the ferrets. A good understanding of these areas is necessary to achieve data that can accurately inform the human use of influenza antivirals. In this review, we discuss the current progress and the challenges faced in these three major areas when using the ferret model to measure influenza antiviral effectiveness.
- Authors: Oh, Ding , Hurt, Aeron
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Microbiology Vol. 7, no. (2016), p. 1-12
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The concern of the emergence of a pandemic influenza virus has sparked an increased effort toward the development and testing of novel influenza antivirals. Central to this is the animal model of influenza infection, which has played an important role in understanding treatment effectiveness and the effect of antivirals on host immune responses. Among the different animal models of influenza, ferrets can be considered the most suitable for antiviral studies as they display most of the human-like symptoms following influenza infections, they can be infected with human influenza virus without prior viral adaptation and have the ability to transmit influenza virus efficiently between one another. However, an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of an antiviral treatment in ferrets is dependent on three major experimental considerations encompassing firstly, the volume and titer of virus, and the route of viral inoculation. Secondly, the route and dose of drug administration, and lastly, the different methods used to assess clinical symptoms, viral shedding kinetics and host immune responses in the ferrets. A good understanding of these areas is necessary to achieve data that can accurately inform the human use of influenza antivirals. In this review, we discuss the current progress and the challenges faced in these three major areas when using the ferret model to measure influenza antiviral effectiveness.
Do simulation studies measure up? A simulation study quality review
- Cant, Robyn, Levett-Jones, Tracy, James, Ainsley
- Authors: Cant, Robyn , Levett-Jones, Tracy , James, Ainsley
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Clinical Simulation in Nursing Vol. 21, no. (2018), p. 23-39
- Full Text:
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- Description: Simulation-based education has become a ubiquitous teaching approach in nursing. However, ensuring the quality of simulation research is critical. We reviewed the methodological quality of 26 quantitative studies published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 2017. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument and Simulation Research Evaluation Rubric showed that nearly all studies were of moderate to high quality (rated ≥50%). Correlation coefficients showed that interrater agreement was high overall (≥0.94). In conclusion, this was a valid approach for examining simulation study quality. Although most included studies were of high quality, some elements of study reporting can be improved upon.
- Authors: Cant, Robyn , Levett-Jones, Tracy , James, Ainsley
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Clinical Simulation in Nursing Vol. 21, no. (2018), p. 23-39
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Simulation-based education has become a ubiquitous teaching approach in nursing. However, ensuring the quality of simulation research is critical. We reviewed the methodological quality of 26 quantitative studies published in Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 2017. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument and Simulation Research Evaluation Rubric showed that nearly all studies were of moderate to high quality (rated ≥50%). Correlation coefficients showed that interrater agreement was high overall (≥0.94). In conclusion, this was a valid approach for examining simulation study quality. Although most included studies were of high quality, some elements of study reporting can be improved upon.
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