Associations of meeting 24-hour movement behavior guidelines with prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses among children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Vision health is crucial for many aspects of life especially in developing populations such as children and adolescents. However, there is a high proportion of children and adolescents who suffer from visual impairments. Notably, accumulating evidence indicates that meeting the 24-hour movement behaviors (24-HMB) guidelines is associated with positive physical and mental health outcomes in children and adolescents. However, the relationship between being prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses and meeting the 24-HMB guidelines has yet to be investigated. Thus, this study aimed to address this gap in the existing literature by using the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) dataset. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data was retrieved from the 2021 NSCH. A total of 14,193 U.S. children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17 years were included for data analyses. We used items of the NSCH concerning the 24-HMB guidelines (i.e., physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration) and prescription of eyeglasses/contact lenses that were answered by the legal guardian of the children. Binary logistic regression was performed to investigate whether meeting the 24-HMB guidelines is associated with prescription eyeglasses/contact lenses and whether wearing eyeglasses/contact lenses predicts adherence to the 24-HMB guidelines among children and adolescents. RESULTS: More than half of the participants (59.53%) wore eyeglasses/contact lenses and only 8.40% of them met all three of the 24-HMB guidelines. Compared to meeting none of the 24-HMB guidelines, meeting one (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.93, p = 0.008), two (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.43-0.67, p < 0.001), and all three 24-HMB guidelines (OR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.34-0.64, p < 0.001) were associated with a lower risk of being prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses among children and adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the current study provided evidence that the prevalence of U.S. children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17 years who wore eyeglasses/contact lenses was relatively high. Furthermore, meeting the 24-HMB guidelines was associated with a lower risk of being prescribed eyeglasses/contact lenses. Future studies focusing on the effects of 24-HMB interventions on vision health among children and adolescents are needed to better inform public health actions.

Acceptability and feasibility of potential intervention strategies for influencing sedentary time at work: focus group interviews in executives and employees.

BACKGROUND: Occupational sitting can be the largest contributor to overall daily sitting time in white-collar workers. With adverse health effects in adults, intervention strategies to influence sedentary time on a working day are needed. Therefore, the present aim was to examine employees' and executives' reflections on occupational sitting and to examine the potential acceptability and feasibility of intervention strategies to reduce and interrupt sedentary time on a working day. METHODS: Seven focus groups (four among employees, n = 34; three among executives, n = 21) were conducted in a convenience sample of three different companies in Flanders (Belgium), using a semi-structured questioning route in five themes [personal sitting patterns; intervention strategies during working hours, (lunch) breaks, commuting; and intervention approach]. The audiotaped interviews were verbatim transcribed, followed by a qualitative inductive content analysis in NVivo 10. RESULTS: The majority of participants recognized they spend their working day mostly sitting and associated this mainly with musculoskeletal health problems. Participants suggested a variety of possible strategies, primarily for working hours (standing during phone calls/meetings, PC reminders, increasing bathroom use by drinking more water, active sitting furniture, standing desks, rearranging the office) and (lunch) breaks (physical activity, movement breaks, standing tables). However, several barriers were reported, including productivity concerns, impracticality, awkwardness of standing, and the habitual nature of sitting. Facilitating factors were raising awareness, providing alternatives for simply standing, making some strategies obligatory and workers taking some personal responsibility. CONCLUSIONS: There are some strategies targeting sedentary time on a working day that are perceived to be realistic and useful. However several barriers emerged, which future trials and practical initiatives should take into account.

Modes of presentation and pathways to diagnosis of colorectal cancer in Queensland.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the process of colorectal cancer diagnosis in Queensland, and to determine factors associated with time to diagnosis. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study of 1996 patients with colorectal cancer recruited through the Queensland Cancer Registry. Data were collected by computer-assisted telephone interview between May 2003 and August 2005. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to diagnosis: pre-presentation time (time from first noticing a symptom to first presenting to a doctor); and post-presentation time (time between the first presentation and diagnosis). RESULTS: Most patients (90%) had experienced symptoms before being diagnosed with colorectal cancer; only 2% of patients were diagnosed by faecal occult blood testing. Older participants and those who experienced abdominal pain had the shortest time from symptom onset to their first doctor consultation, while participants with a change in bowel habit, or rectal bleeding, and those without private health insurance tended to wait longer to see a doctor. Participants who experienced abdominal pain were diagnosed more quickly, whereas those who experienced a change in bowel habit, women, and those without private health insurance experienced a longer time to diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The strong association between not having health insurance and longer post-presentation times is concerning. The other hypothesised predictors of time to diagnosis were not as strongly associated as we anticipated.

Small-scale randomized controlled trials need more powerful methods of mediational analysis than the Baron-Kenny method.

OBJECTIVE: To devise more-effective physical activity interventions, the mediating mechanisms yielding behavioral change need to be identified. The Baron-Kenny method is most commonly used, but has low statistical power and may not identify mechanisms of behavioral change in small-to-medium size studies. More powerful statistical tests are available. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Inactive adults (N=52) were randomized to either a print or a print-plus-telephone intervention. Walking and exercise-related social support were assessed at baseline, after the intervention, and 4 weeks later. The Baron-Kenny and three alternative methods of mediational analysis (Freedman-Schatzkin; MacKinnon et al.; bootstrap method) were used to examine the effects of social support on initial behavior change and maintenance. RESULTS: A significant mediational effect of social support on initial behavior change was indicated by the MacKinnon et al., bootstrap, and, marginally, Freedman-Schatzkin methods, but not by the Baron-Kenny method. No significant mediational effect of social support on maintenance of walking was found. CONCLUSIONS: Methodologically rigorous intervention studies to identify mediators of change in physical activity are costly and labor intensive, and may not be feasible with large samples. The use of statistically powerful tests of mediational effects in small-scale studies can inform the development of more effective interventions.

Trends in physical activity participation and the impact of integrated campaigns among Australian adults, 1997-99.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether awareness of the moderate physical activity message and prevalence of participation changed among Australian adults between 1997 and 1999, and if changes differed across Australia. METHODS: Data were compared on awareness of the moderate physical activity message and on physical activity participation from identical national physical activity surveys in 1997 and 1999. RESULTS: In 1999, following integrated public health efforts, recognition of the Active Australia campaign was substantially higher in NSW/ACT (61.7%) than elsewhere (29.3%). Knowledge about benefits of moderate activity increased between 1997 and 1999, more so in States with public health campaigns. National participation in 'sufficient physical activity' declined between 1997 and 1999, from 63% to 57%, but the decline was smaller in NSW/ACT (4.4%) than in the other States (6.0%). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Declining trends in physical activity in Australia require increased public health investments, including strategic planning and public education, such as occurred in NSW (1997/98).