Employing citizen science to enhance active and healthy ageing in urban environments.

Engaging older residents in problem definition and solution-building is key to the success of place-based initiatives endeavouring to increase the age-friendliness of urban environments. This study employed the Our Voice framework, engaging older adult citizen scientists (n = 14) and community stakeholders (n = 15) across the city of Birmingham, UK. With the aim of identifying urban features impacting age friendliness and co-producing recommendations for improving local urban areas, citizen scientists participated in 12 technology-enabled walkability assessments, three in-person discussion groups, two one-to-one online discussions, and two workshops with community stakeholders. Together, citizen scientists co-produced 12 local and six city-wide recommendations. These recommendations were embedded into an implementation framework based on workshop discussions to identify age-friendly pathways in urban environments.

The Role of Urban Environments in Promoting Active and Healthy Aging: A Systematic Scoping Review of Citizen Science Approaches.

Promoting active and healthy aging in urban spaces requires environments with diverse, age-friendly characteristics. This scoping review investigated the associations between urban characteristics and active and healthy aging as identified by citizen science (CS) and other participatory approaches. Using a systematic scoping review procedure, 23 articles employing a CS or participatory approach (participant age range: 54-98 years) were reviewed. An inductive and deductive thematic analysis was completed to (a) identify local urban barriers and facilitators and (b) map them against the World Health Organization (WHO) Checklist of Essential Features of Age-Friendly Cities. A new Citizen Science Appraisal Tool (CSAT) was developed to evaluate the quality of CS and other participatory approaches included in the reviewed articles. A range of interconnected urban barriers and facilitators was generated by residents across the personal (e.g. perceived safety), environmental (e.g. unmaintained infrastructure), socio-cultural (e.g. cross-cultural activities), economic (e.g. affordable housing) and political (e.g. governmental support to migrant communities) domains. Mapping the barriers and facilitators to the WHO age-friendly checklist underscored the checklist's relevance and elucidated the need to explore barriers for migrant and cross-cultural communities and neighborhood development and alterations. The CSAT demonstrated strengths related to active engagement of residents and study outcomes leading to real-world implications. To advance the potential of CS to enrich our understanding of age-friendly environments, employing co-production to enhance relevance and sustainability of outcomes is an important strategy. Overall, employing CS highlighted the value of systematically capturing the experiences of older adults within studies aimed at promoting active and healthy aging.

A descriptive cross sectional study comparing barriers and determinants of physical activity of Sri Lankan middle aged and older adults.

BACKGROUND: Benefits of physical activities are numerous. Barriers for physical exercise may differ among middle aged and older adults. Therefore, identifying and comparing the barriers for participating in regular physical exercises among middle aged and older adults will be useful in designing age specific physical exercise programmes. METHODS: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among 206 Sri Lankan adults in the age range of 40-84 years in the Colombo North region of Sri Lanka using culturally validated questionnaires to determine and compare the barriers and factors associated with regular physical activity participation. Majority were males (56%) and 54% were < 60 years. People in the age range of 40-59 years were considered as middle age and ≥ 60 years as older adults. Bivariate analysis and multivariate analysis was carried out to determine the significant factors that are associated with regular physical activity participation. RESULTS: Lack of free time (52%), feeling too lazy (26%) and bad weather (29%) were the main barriers for the participants. In < 60 years, high level of income (p = 0.008) and in ≥ 60 years, being a male (p = 0.016), having a high level of education (P = 0.002) and a high BMI (p = 0.002) had a significant negative association with the level of physical activities. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to findings from surveys in several developed countries, this study showed that having a high level of education and being a male were strongly related with lack of physical activity participation.

Perceptions of success of a local UK public health collaborative†.

Summary: Successful public health initiatives require multi-sector collaboration. AVONet was a UK collaborative developed to provide evidence-based strategies for active ageing. This study explored the success of AVONet in the achievement of its objectives as perceived by all partners. A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was employed, utilizing a quantitative survey and qualitative semi-structured interviews. Data collection was undertaken in September 2010, 18 months after establishing the collaborative and 6 months after funding had ceased. AVONet partners (n = 24) completed a 27-item survey. A sub-sample of four academics and four practitioners participated in semi-structured interviews. Quantitative and qualitative comparisons were made between academics' and practitioners' perceptions of success, potential for sustainability and satisfaction with structure and relationships. Participants perceived the AVONet collaborative positively. Significant between-group (academic v practitioner) differences in survey responses were observed for success (U = 19.5; p = 0.003) and structure (U = 125.5; p = 0.001). Strong positive correlations were observed between success and structure and balance between information transfer and exchange (r = 0.756; p < 0.001). Interviews confirmed positive perceptions and perceived importance of the collaborative and highlighted the need for further integration and tangible outcomes for practitioners. Suggestions to enhance sustainability were provided, such as smaller working groups and local council-led governance. Perceived success in building a multi-sectoral collaborative can be achieved during a 10-month period, despite differing needs of contributors. For collaboratives developed as a result of external funding aimed primarily at facilitating research, involvement of practitioners at an early stage may help set more comprehensive goals, supportive communication strategies, and increase potential for sustainability.

Sequence-based identification, genotyping and EUCAST antifungal susceptibilities of Trichosporon clinical isolates from Greece.

Trichosporon yeasts constitute emerging pathogens, implicated in organ-specific and systemic infections. In this first, comprehensive study of Trichosporon clinical isolates in Greece, 42 isolates were identified by sequencing the hypervariable D1/D2 domain of the Large Subunit (LSU) rDNA gene, while Trichosporon asahii were genotyped by sequencing the Intergenic Spacer 1 region, and antifungal susceptibilities were determined by the EDef 7.2 (EUCAST) method, in parallel with the CLSI standard. Trichosporon asahii was the primary species (37 isolates) followed by Trichosporon coremiiforme, Trichosporon dermatis, Trichosporon loubieri and Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans. One strain remained unidentified. Seven T. asahii genotypes were recorded. The major genotypes were: genotypes 4 (29%) and 3 (26%) followed by 1, 5 and 7 (9.5% each). Two novel genotypes were identified designated as 10 and 11. EUCAST MIC ≥2 mg/L was recorded in 58% of the isolates (amphotericin B), 41% (itraconazole), 41% (posaconazole) and 38% (voriconazole). Fluconazole MICs of ≥32 mg/L were recorded in 23.8% of the isolates. Analysis of variance performed on absolute values showed that the amphotericin B, itraconazole, posaconazole and voriconazole MICs of T. asahii were equivalent. Typically higher MIC values were displayed by fluconazole. Antifungal susceptibilities of the seven different genotypes were homogeneous. Agreements between EUCAST and CLSI ranged from 88.1 to 97.62%. Overall, the high MICs recorded among the Trichosporon isolates for all tested drugs justify routine susceptibility testing of clinical isolates.

Differences in the epidemiology between paediatric and adult invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections.

In order to investigate for possible differences between paediatric and adult invasive Streptococcus pyogenes (iGAS) infections, a total of 142 cases were identified in 17 Greek hospitals during 2003-2007, of which 96 were children and 46 adults. Bacteraemia, soft tissue infections, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), and necrotizing fasciitis were the main clinical presentations (67·6%, 45·1%, 13·4%, and 12·0% of cases, respectively). Bacteraemia and lymphadenitis were significantly more frequent in children (P=0·019 and 0·021, respectively), whereas STSS was more frequent in adults (P=0·017). The main predisposing factors in children were varicella and streptococcal pharyngotonsillitis (25% and 19·8%, respectively), as opposed to malignancy, intravenous drug abuse and diabetes mellitus in adults (19·6%, 15·2% and 10·9%, respectively). Of the two dominant emm-types, 1 and 12 (28·2% and 8·5%, respectively), the proportion of emm-type 12 remained stable during the study period, whereas emm-type 1 rates fluctuated considerably. Strains of emm-type 1 from children were associated with erythromycin susceptibility, STSS and intensive-care-unit admission, whereas emm-type 12 isolates from adults were associated with erythromycin and clindamycin resistance. Finally, specific emm-types were detected exclusively in adults or in children. In conclusion, several clinical and epidemiological differences were detected, that could prove useful in designing age-focused strategies for prevention and treatment of iGAS infections.

Neighbourhood deprivation and physical activity in UK older adults.

The benefits of regular physical activity for older adults are now well-established but this group remain the least active sector of the population. In this paper, the association between levels of neighbourhood deprivation and physical activity was assessed. A sample of 125 males with a mean age of 77.5 (±5.6) years, and 115 females with a mean age of age 78.6 (±8.6) underwent 7-day accelerometry, a physical performance battery, and completed a daily journeys log. Univariate associations between physical activity parameters and level of deprivation of neighbourhood were extinguished in regression models controlling for age, gender, and level of educational attainment. Age, gender, educational attainment, body mass index, physical function, and frequency of journeys from the home explained between 50% and 54% of variance in activity parameters. These results suggest the importance of strategies to help older adults maintain physical function, healthy weight, and remain active in their communities.

Processes associated with participation and adherence to a 12-month exercise programme for adults aged 70 and older.

This study investigated the processes associated with the engagement of adults aged 70 years and older in a 12-month long research-based structured exercise programme. A sample of 21 participants (Mean age (SD) 75.8 (3.9); 14 females) and six exercise class leaders or researchers involved in the programme participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed with the principles of interpretive qualitative analysis. Our findings suggest that a programme that runs locally, provides individual attention/tailoring, delivers meaningful benefits, offers a staged approach to efficacy building, creates a sense of ownership, and provides intergenerational support and opportunities for social interaction, facilitates exercise engagement in later life.

Prevalence of emm types 1 and 12 from invasive Streptococcus pyogenes disease in Greece--results of enhanced surveillance.

Among a total of 101 isolates from the first systematic multicentre surveillance effort concerning invasive Streptococcus pyogenes disease in Greece, conducted between 2003 and 2005 and covering 38% of the population, emm types 1 and 12 were prevalent, being responsible for 27 and nine cases, respectively. The isolates from the remaining 65 cases were assigned to 26 other emm types. Erythromycin resistance (12 isolates) was primarily mef(A)-mediated, although all emm type 1 strains were susceptible. Tetracycline resistance, due mostly to tet(M), was detected in 26 isolates. Subtyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis yielded 50 chromosomal fingerprints, thus discriminating further among ten of the 28 observed emm types.