Is adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines associated with greater academic-related outcomes in children and adolescents? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesise the evidence for the association of adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines with academic-related outcomes in children and adolescents. This systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, WOS, SPORTDiscus, and EMBASE were searched from their inception to 12 December 2023. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist was used to assess the risk of bias of included studies. In total, 4326 records were identified through database searches; 10 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. There were eight cross-sectional studies and two longitudinal studies; the main academic-related outcomes were academic achievement and cognitive function. A small association between adherence to all three recommendations and academic achievement (k = 5, r = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.10-0.24, I2 = 49%) was found compared to those who did not adhere to any recommendations.   Conclusion: Findings from this systematic review and meta-analysis reveal a small association between adherence to all three recommendations and greater academic achievement in children and adolescents. Nevertheless, it is imperative to underscore the need for more studies to establish robust evidence underpinning this relationship.   Trial registration: PROSPERO (CRD42021295403). What is Known: • Regular physical activity, reduced screen time, and optimal sleep duration are independently associated with improved academic-related outcomes in children and adolescents. • The associations between adherence to the 24-h movement guidelines and academic-related outcomes in children and adolescents have not been quantitatively synthesised. What is New: • There is a small but positive association between adherence to all three recommendations of the 24-h movement guidelines and greater academic achievement in children and adolescents. • Further well-designed research is needed to focus on academic achievement, cognitive function and classroom behaviours in young individuals.

Awareness of having hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia among US adults: The 2011-2018 NHANES data.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate awareness of having hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia and their associated factors among US adults. METHODS: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, including 21,399 adults aged ⩾20 years (pregnant women excluded) collected between 2011 and 2018, were used. Blood pressure was measured using a Baumanometer calibrated mercury true gravity wall model sphygmomanometer. Serum total cholesterol levels were measured using enzymatic assays. The percentage of haemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), which reflects long-term blood glucose levels, was measured and used to identify diabetes. Participants self-reported whether they were told by a doctor that they have hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes. Awareness was defined as alignment between objective and self-reported measures for having the conditions. Sampling weights and the Taylor series linearisation variance estimation method were used in the analyses. RESULTS: The findings showed that 64.06% of people with hypertension, 54.71% of those with dyslipidaemia and 78.40% of those with diabetes were aware of having the respective condition. Age, sex and health insurance were associated with awareness of having all three conditions, but marital status was not associated with any outcome. Weight status was associated with awareness of having hypertension and dyslipidaemia, whereas ethnicity was associated with awareness of having hypertension and diabetes. Relative family income was only associated with awareness of having hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Large proportions of US adults with hypertension, dyslipidaemia and diabetes are not aware of having the conditions. Interventions targeting groups at higher risk of being unaware of these conditions are needed.

Association between meeting the 24-h movement guidelines and psychosocial health in children: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence suggests that meeting the 24-h movement guidelines is associated with optimal mental health. However, there remains some uncertainty regarding this association in children. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between meeting the 24-h movement guidelines and psychosocial health in children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was employed to investigate 2005 children aged 9-12 years from four districts of Shanghai, China. The 24-h movement behaviours were assessed using selected items from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey questionnaire. Children's self-rated psychosocial health was evaluated using the Strengths or Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Generalised Linear Models with the ordinal logistic module were employed to analyse the association between meeting the 24-h movement guidelines and psychosocial health. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of meeting all three 24-h movement recommendations was 10.2%. Among children, 7.9% of them exhibited abnormal total difficulties, with a notable difference between sex (boys: 11.2%, girls: 7.0%, p = 0.001). Meeting all three 24-h movement behaviour recommendations was associated with reduced total difficulties, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity and peer problems. Furthermore, a dose-response association was observed, indicating that meeting a greater number of 24-h movement behaviour recommendations was associated with enhanced psychosocial health, particularly in boys. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study highlight the positive association between meeting the 24-h movement guidelines and psychosocial health in children. Notably, meeting more of these recommendations was associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing psychosocial problems, with greater benefits observed in boys compared with girls.

Where are female editors from low-income and middle-income countries? A comprehensive assessment of gender, geographical distribution and country's income group of editorial boards of top-ranked rehabilitation and sports science journals.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to examine the gender, geographical region and income group of the country of affiliation for editorial leadership (eg, editor-in-chief, section editor, associate editor) and advisors (eg, editorial board members) in top-ranked rehabilitation and sports science journals. METHODS: A list of Scopus indexed, Q1 (25% top) rehabilitation and sports science journals, available under four different journal categories, was prepared based on the data from the Scientific Journal Rankings (SJR) website. The information for editorial leadership and advisors for these journals was obtained and their gender was determined through a multistep process. The country of affiliation of editorial leadership and advisors was used to categorise them to World Bank's different geographical regions and income groups (for countries). RESULTS: There were 7248 editors (35.7% leadership and 64.3% advisors) across 113 rehabilitation and sports science journals. Of all editors, 1792 (24.7%) were women. Women represented 24.5% of editorial leadership positions, 24.8% of advisory roles and 10.4% of editors-in-chief. Editors from South Asia (0.5%) and sub-Saharan Africa (0.6%) had the least representation, while those affiliated with institutions from high-income countries represented 93.5% of leadership roles and 93.1% of advisory positions. Moreover, editors affiliated with institutions from North America occupied almost half of all editorial roles. CONCLUSIONS: Women and researchers affiliated with institutions from low-income and middle-income countries are under-represented on the editorial boards of top-ranked rehabilitation and sports science journals indexed in the Scopus database. Editors are responsible for promoting research in their specific field, and therefore, the current leadership in rehabilitation and sports science journals should consider diversifying their editorial boards by providing equitable opportunities to women and researchers from a broader geographical distribution.

Sedentary behaviour research in adults: A scoping review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Sedentary behaviour research is rapidly growing. Scoping reviews are important to inform policy and practice.The aim of this scoping a review was to map the available evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses of sedentary behaviour research on adults (≥18 years), within the phases of the behavioural epidemiology framework, and to identify bibliometric parameters of studies included in this review. Nine bibliographic databases were searched. Studies were screened and relevant information (e.g., general information, inclusion criteria, findings and reporting quality) was extracted independently by two authors. In total, 108 systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses of sedentary behaviour research in adults (≥18 years) were included. Most papers (91.7%) were published between 2010 and 2020. Studies on the relationship of sedentary behaviour with health (53.7%) and interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour (25.9%) were most common. Forty-five (41.7%) studies reported quality assessment with categorization, and 887 out of 1268 (70%) included primary studies were categorized having moderate-to-high quality. Sedentary behaviour research on adults (≥18 years) has grown exponentially in the last decade and demonstrates strength in several stages of the behavioural epidemiology framework. However, more research should focus on the measurement, prevalence/epidemiology and determinants of sedentary behaviour, to better inform policy development.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Plagiarism as Reported by Participants Completing the AuthorAID MOOC on Research Writing.

To explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding plagiarism in a large culturally diverse sample of researchers who participated in the AuthorAID MOOC on Research Writing. An online survey was designed and delivered through Google Forms to the participants in the AuthorAID MOOC on Research Writing during April to June 2017. A total of 765 participants completed the survey (response rate 47.8%), and 746 responses were included in the analysis. Almost all participants (97.6%) reported knowledge of the term "plagiarism", and 89.1% of them understand the meaning of the term before joining the course. Most participants reported that their university does not provide access to plagiarism detection software (82.0%), and 35% participants admitted they had been involved in plagiarism during their education. Overall attitudes toward plagiarism (65.3 ± 10.93) indicated low acceptance of plagiarism. Moreover, low scores were reported for approval attitude (25.22 ± 5.63), disapproval attitude (11.78 ± 3.64), and knowledge of subjective norms (20.63 ± 5.22). The most common reason for plagiarizing was lack of time (16.1%), and the most common consequence was the perception that "those who plagiarize are not respected or seen positively" (71.4%). Developing country researchers appear to be familiar with the concept of plagiarism, but knowledge among the participants surveyed here was incomplete. Knowledge about plagiarism and awareness of its harmfulness must be improved, because there is an obvious relationship between attitudes toward plagiarism and knowledge, reasons and consequences. The use of plagiarism-detection software can raise awareness about plagiarism.

Publishing research during pandemics: are you vulnerable to the COVID-19 or predatory publishers?

The coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak has spread rapidly affecting 1.4 million people across the world in only four months. Healthcare fraternity is struggling to circumvent the consequences of this fast spreading infection and communicating their scientific discoveries through research publications. As a result, the scientific output on COVID-19 is growing rapidly and both the journal editors and authors are interested to publish results on scientific discoveries about it as soon as possible. However, novice and improperly trained authors are at high risk for getting duped by deceptive journals , which might keep their research unnoticed by the scientific and general community. This paper discusses these potential risks posed by deceptive (predatory) journals, for prospective authors and scientific community, during the COVID-19 outbreak. It also presents ways to address those risks and the role of journal editors and academic organisations.

Association of body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness, and their correlates among female physiotherapy students in Nawabshah.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of body mass index with cardiorespiratory fitness and other health correlates among physiotherapy students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from February to July 2018 at the Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, Pakistan, comprising female undergraduate physiotherapy students aged 17-25 years. All the eligible participants were assessed using a self-report questionnaire, body mass index, and standardised cardiorespiratory fitness criteria. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: There were 228 subjects with a mean age of 20.89±1.66 years. Of the total, 77(33.8%) students were overweight/obese and 52(22.8%) were underweight. Overall, 212(93%) reported good quality of life, and 189(82.9%) were satisfied with their general health. Also, 180(79%) subjects had a post-exercise heart rate below average. There was a significant negative correlation for body mass index and maximum oxygen uptake, body mass index and age, and maximum oxygen uptake and subjective quality of life (p<0.05 each). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of both overweight/obesity and underweight physiotherapy undergraduates was high.

Scholarly publishing and research dissemination in South Asia: some exemplary initiatives and the way forward.

High costs associated with traditional print-based publishing have made open access publishing a popular way to improve research dissemination. Now several options and initiatives are enabling developing-world authors to attain equitable access to the scientific literature. However, little is known about the role of journals and initiatives from low- and middle-income countries in Asia regarding open access and their publication standards. Therefore, this article presents some exemplar y initiatives to promote research dissemination in South Asia through open access and publishing standards of the regional journals. Such initiatives deserve wider recognition, especially when u nder taken by resource -limited cou ntr ies, an d international collaboration schemes hold the potential to build further on current achievements.

Bibliometric analysis of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association during the period from 1965 to 2018.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a bibliometric analysis of the citable documents published in the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association from 1965 to 2018. METHODS: This bibliometric study of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association was conducted using Scopus and included citable documents (original articles and review articles). The outcome parameters were number of publications, citations, top countries, authors, institutions, and citation analysis and impact factor. In addition, most frequent author keywords were presented as visualization map, using VOS viewer. The data was imported from Scopus as Microsoft Excel files and analyzed. RESULTS: The total number of documents identified was 8,521 and 7,245 (85.03%) were included in the analysis. Articles were the most common category of the documents articles published in the journal were articles (n=6,721; 78.88%). The highest number of publications (n=441) was recorded for 2016 and citations (n=3,060) for 2017. The highest number of documents came from Pakistan (57.83%) and Aga Khan University (26%). There was a steep increase in impact factor from 0.409 to 0.718 from 2013 to 2017. The most common author keywords on the visualization map were 'Pakistan', 'diabetes', 'medical students', 'diabetes mellitus', 'prevalence'. CONCLUSIONS: There is a continuous increase in the number of publications, citations, and impact factor of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association. In addition, the journal appears to attract wider audience, which is reflected by the analysis of its two-thousand highly cited papers.

Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier and other author identifiers: Perspective from Pakistan.

The Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) is a globally trending initiative for author name disambiguation and serves as a 'digital curriculum vitae' for displaying an individual's research output. Although there are several other tools similar to ORCID, the collaborative efforts by ORCID make it the most attractive option. Most of the organizations and publishers are increasingly adopting ORCID in their systems, and authors from West and other parts of the world have attempted to create awareness about ORCID initiative. However, researchers from Pakistan and other developing countries should be introduced to this concept and be encouraged to adopt to such initiatives. Therefore, this paper aims to present a brief introduction to author identifiers, with special focus on the ORCID.

Psychological Stress and Satisfaction with Life among Physical Therapy Students of Rawalpindi / Islamabad, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the occurrence of perceived stress and satisfaction with life as well as the association between the two among under graduate physical therapy students. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from January to July 2015 at Riphah International University, Isra University and Foundation University, Islamabad, Pakistan, and comprised Doctor of Physical Therapy students aged 17-23 years. Perceived Stress Scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale were used as tools to measure the outcomes. Data was analysed using S P SS 2 0.. RESULTS: Of the 306 students approached, 279(91%) responded. There were 39(14%) males and 240(86%) females with an overall mean age of 19.18±0.92 years. Mean stress and satisfaction with life scores were 21.35±5.76 and 24.49±5.77. Significant negative co-relation between the two scores was observed (p=0.001). There was no significant association of age with satisfaction with life (p=0.591) and perceived stress (p=0.283). A significant gender-based difference was observed in terms of perceived stress (p=0.037) and satisfaction with life ( (p=0.008), with females scoring higher. CONCLUSIONS: Male students were more satisfied with life compared to female students, and satisfaction with life decreased with an increase in stress.

Predatory Journals Spamming for Publications: What Should Researchers Do?

In the internet era spam has become a big problem. Researchers are troubled with unsolicited or bulk spam emails inviting them to publish. However, this strategy has helped predatory journals hunt their prey and earn money. These journals have grown tremendously during the past few years despite serious efforts by researchers and scholarly organizations to hinder their growth. Predatory journals and publishers are often based in developing countries, and they potentially target researchers from these counties by using different tactics identified in previous research. In response to the spread of predatory publishing, scientists are trying to develop criteria and guidelines to help avoid them-for example, the recently reported "predatory rate". This article attempts to (a) highlight the strategies used by predatory journals to convince researchers to publish with them, (b) report their article processing charges, (c) note their presence in Jeffrey Beall's List of Predatory Publishers, (d) rank them based on the predatory rate, and (e) put forward suggestions for junior researchers (especially in developing counties), who are the most likely targets of predatory journals.

End of 2016: Can We Save Research from Predators in 2017?

At the beginning of every year, we expect to see worthwhile improvements on the past. The end of 2016 showcased many important issues in the scientific world, ranging from criticisms of research misconduct and fraud to the introduction of new scientometrics. Despite the scientific community's continuing efforts, predatory journals and publishers are still on the rise, and the Beall's list calls attention to the need to take a firm action across the board. This short opinion piece highlights research conducted by the scholarly community on research publication predators during 2016, and offers suggestions as to how to bring about future improvements.

Indexing by Bibliographic Databases of Journals Published in the Developing World.

The removal of Beall's blog may result in increased numbers of predatory journals and their subsequent victims. Recognizing this, the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) suggested criteria for identifying predatory journals in a statement issued on February 18, 2017. These criteria may be helpful in the current scenario of scientific publishing. However, a few lapses and limitations need to be taken into account when translating these policies to the situation in developing countries. This letter presents several cases of legitimate journals and platforms from the developing world that may be erroneously categorized as predatory according to the WAME criteria. We also suggest some improvements in these journals' policies.

Moodle and Online Learning in Pakistani Medical Universities: An opportunity worth exploring in higher education and research.

Medical education and pedagogy have undergone a massive change in the 21st century. Still, there is a lack of computer-assisted learning in most of the Pakistani medical schools. Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle), is a user-friendly, online learning management system that is being used globally in teaching online courses to undergraduates, residents and doctoral students. Many international universities and medical institutes have integrated Moodle in their medical education and literature supports the use and importance of such tools. Still very few Pakistani medical schools are utilizing Moodle and similar blended-learning approaches in medical education. We recommend that Pakistani medical schools should consider using Moodle as an online learning platform to promote blended-learning in order to enhance the training of students and faculty, and improving their standards in line with the international standards.

Predatory conferences: Addressing researchers from developing countries.

Publishing a manuscript or presenting at a conference are considered valuable accomplishments in one's professional career. However, it is necessary that the outlet be a legitimate rather than a fraudulent or predatory one. Predatory journals have been explored previously to a greater extent but the conference version of predatory entities is the newest iteration. To date, very few studies have endeavored to address the nuisance of predatory conferences and to explain the full magnitude of their significance. Our study addresses the issue of predatory conferences as an educational article for the readership of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association, and highlights their features, available literature on predatory conferences, and puts forward several new suggestions to avoid falling prey to these illegal entities.

The effectiveness of an incentivized physical activity programme (Active Student) among female medical students in Pakistan: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of an incentive-based approach combined with a smartphone application in promoting physical activity and weight-loss among female medical students, and to explore among them psychological effects pertaining to self-esteem, guilt, body-shaming, and perception of physical beauty. METHODS: The pilot, randomised controlled trial was conducted at the Peoples University of Medical and Health Sciences for Women, Nawabshah, Pakistan, from March to May 2017, and comprised female students who were randomly allocated to either the incentivized or the non-incentivized group. The incentivized group was given a weekly financial incentive based on the required level of physical activity, measured each week for five weeks using Moves application. All subjects completed several questionnaires covering secondary outcomes at the end of the trial. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 56 subjects, there were 28(50%) in each of the two groups. The use of financial incentives combined with the smartphone application did not result in a significant increase in physical activity (p>0.05). However, within-group weight-loss at the end of intervention was significant for both the groups (p<0.05). There was no significant change in the number of steps in the control group during the course of intervention (p>0.05), but there was a significant decline in the number of steps in intervention group from weeks 4 and 5 compared to the baseline physical activity (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Financial incentives combined with a smartphone app designed to track physical activity did not promote physical activity or decrease obesity.