A snapshot of Physical Education in Italian primary schools: assessing the resources available for an instrument of health promotion.

Background: Regular physical activity is crucial in preventing chronic diseases. International health authorities recommend that children and adolescents engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day to achieve health benefits. Offering regular exercise opportunities to young people can promote the development of healthy lifestyles. In 2021, a new regu-lation introduced up to two compulsory hours of Physical Education per week in Italy and established that Physical Education should be entrusted to adequately trained teachers. The present study aimed to assess, from the perspective of the new teachers, the resources available for Physical Education in Italian primary schools. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted among primary school Physical Education teachers during the year 2022-2023. Their opinion about the school resources were analyzed in light of their demographic characteristics and work experience. Results: Out of the 118 participating teachers, 96 (81.3%) reported the presence of a gym in their school. Participants expressed satisfaction with the size and windows of the gym, particularly for the schools of the North, as well as the adequacy of outdoor spaces. However, lower levels of satisfaction for locker rooms and gym small equipment emerged, especially among those teachers with less work experience. Conclusions: The introduction of the Physical Education teacher figure in Italian primary schools was an important step for health promotion in our country. However, some aspects related to the structural resources should be considered in future policies.

The Impact of Workplace Violence on Headache and Sleep Problems in Nurses.

Workplace violence (WV) is a significant occupational hazard for nurses. Previous studies have shown that WV has a reciprocal relationship with occupational stress. Headaches and sleep problems are early neuropsychological signs of distress. This cross-sectional study aims to ascertain the frequency of physical or verbal assaults on nurses and to study the association of WV with headaches and sleep problems. During their regular medical examination in the workplace, 550 nurses and nursing assistants (105 males, 19.1%; mean age 48.02 ± 9.98 years) were asked to fill in a standardized questionnaire containing the Violent Incident Form (VIF) concerning the episodes of violence experienced, the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) regarding headaches, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI) on sleep quality. Occupational stress was measured using the Effort/Reward Imbalance questionnaire (ERI). Physical and non-physical violence experienced in the previous year was reported by 7.5% and 17.5% of workers, respectively. In the univariate logistic regression models, the workers who experienced violence had an increased risk of headaches and sleep problems. After adjusting for sex, age, job type, and ERI, the relationship between physical violence and headaches remained significant (adjusted odds ratio aOR = 2.25; confidence interval CI95% = 1.11; 4.57). All forms of WV were significantly associated with poor sleep in a multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, job type, and ERI (aOR = 2.35 CI95% = 1.44; 3.85). WV was also associated with the impact of headaches and with sleep quality. WV prevention may reduce the frequency of lasting psychoneurological symptoms, such as headaches and poor sleep quality, that interfere with the ability to work.

COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test as Screening Strategy at Points of Entry: Experience in Lazio Region, Central Italy, August-October 2020.

COVID-19 pandemic is a dramatic health, social and economic global challenge. There is urgent need to maximize testing capacity. Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) represent good candidates for point-of-care and mass surveillance testing to rapidly identify SARS-CoV-2-infected people, counterbalancing lower sensitivity vs. gold standard molecular tests with fast results and possible recurrent testing. We describe the results obtained with the testing algorithm implemented at points of entry (airports and ports) in the Lazio Region (Italy), using the STANDARD F COVID-19 Antigen Fluorescence ImmunoAssay (FIA), followed by molecular confirmation of FIA-positive samples. From mid-August to mid-October 2020, 73,643 RAT were reported to the Regional Surveillance Information System for travelers at points of entry in Lazio Region. Of these, 1176 (1.6%) were FIA-positive, and the proportion of RT-PCR-confirmed samples was 40.5%. Our data show that the probability of confirmation was directly dependent from the semi-quantitative FIA results. In addition, the molecularly confirmed samples were those with high levels of virus and that were actually harboring infectious virus. These results support public health strategies based on early mass screening campaigns by RAT in settings where molecular testing is not feasible or easily accessible, such as points of entry. This approach would contribute to promptly controlling viral spread through travel, which is now of particular concern due to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Monitoring in the Lazio Region (Central Italy).

The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Skuse 1894) is assuming an ever-increasing importance as invasive species in Europe and consequently as human health and nuisance concern. In Central Italy, the species has been recently involved in a chikungunya outbreak. A 3 yr Ae. albopictus monitoring was carried out in 21 municipalities of the Lazio region (Central Italy), belonging to three provinces. Samplings were performed on a weekly basis using ovitraps, in order to investigate climatic and spatial variables driving egg abundance and Ae. albopictus period of activity. A temperature of 10.4°C was indicated as lower threshold for the onset of egg-laying activity, together with a photoperiod of 13:11 (L:D) h. The whole oviposition activity lasted 8 mo (May-December), with 95% of eggs laid between early June and mid-November and a peak at the end of August. Egg abundance was positively influenced by accumulated temperature (AT) of the 4 wk preceding sampling and negatively by precipitation during the week before. Egg-laying activity dropped with decreasing AT, increasing rainfall, and with a photoperiod below 10:14 (L:D) h. Our results pinpointed the importance of fine-scaled spatial features on egg abundance. Some of these fine-scaled characteristics have been highlighted, such as the presence of vegetation and human footprint index. Our model estimated an almost doubled maximum number of laid eggs for the maximum value of human footprint. Compelling evidence of the relevance of fine-scaled characteristics was reported, describing cases where human-made breeding sites driven the abundance of Ae. albopictus.