Addressing violence against children: A case review in the state of Qatar.

Introduction: Violence against children (VAC) is a critical public health issue that affects billions of children worldwide. The combination of its prevalence and severity of effects on children creates an urgent need for effective interventions. Multiple studies associate VAC with lifelong implications that affect children through adulthood. In Qatar, multiple approaches such as legislation are being used to protect children from all forms of violence. Despite the gravity of the issue, there is still low readiness for the prevention of VAC in Qatar. This review aimed to map approaches to addressing VAC in Qatar from the panelists' perspectives on current approaches to addressing VAC. Methods: The review obtained data from a recorded video entitled "A Public Health Approach to Addressing Violence Against Children." The panel discussion in this video clip was organized as a side event of the WISH virtual summit by UNICEF and WISH on World Children's Day, held in Qatar in November 2020. The video was transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: It shows the importance of both global and national level interventions in addressing VAC. The review uses the socioecological model to show relationships among different levels of interventions addressing VAC in Qatar. The findings highlight the national approaches to addressing VAC using public health, and legislative and policy approaches. Discussion: The interventions addressing VAC at different levels in Qatar are interconnected. Delineating each level is key to the formation of holistic interventions that leverage global, regional, national, communal, familial, and individual factors that support interventions to address VAC.

Adherence and retention to the self-managed community-based Step Into Health program in Qatar (2012-2019).

Purpose: Investigate adherence and retention to the "Step Into Health (SIH)" initiative (www.stepintohealth.qa [website access only available from within the State of Qatar]), a Qatari self-managed community-based health program, from 2012 to 2019. Methods: Participants (16,711; 16-80 years; 37% females, 34% Qatari) used a pedometer or smartphone application (app) to measure step count. Absolute adherence (ADH) and retention (RET) were calculated, with ADH (%) the ratio between number of days data and SIH enrollment length (RET). Linear Mixed Models identified differences in ADH between RET groups, main effects (i.e., sex, device, age, BMI, nationality) and interaction effects for ADH (RET entered as a covariate). Results: Average ADH and RET to SIH (irrespective of sex, age, device and BMI) was 50% (±31%), and 16% (±20%), respectively, with ADH differing significantly between RET groups (F = 460.2, p < 0.001). RET (as a covariate) revealed a significant main effect for device (F = 12.00, p < 0.001) and age (F = 4.31, p = 0.001) on ADH observed. There was a significant association between RET and sex (p < 0.001), device (p < 0.001), and age groups 16-25 y (p < 0.001), and 26-35 y (p < 0.001). There were no significant main effects for sex or BMI on ADH, and no interaction effects (p ≥ 0.21) observed. Conclusions: Follow-up data (e.g., interviews, focus groups, etc.) determining why differences in ADH and RET are observed appears prudent. To convert those that lapsed and/or abandoned SIH/PA into committed long-term PA adherers. This would be a first step to develop targeted public health promotions and initiatives to enhance health outcomes at a population level.

COVID-19 Lockdown: A Global Study Investigating the Effect of Athletes' Sport Classification and Sex on Training Practices.

PURPOSE: To investigate differences in athletes' knowledge, beliefs, and training practices during COVID-19 lockdowns with reference to sport classification and sex. This work extends an initial descriptive evaluation focusing on athlete classification. METHODS: Athletes (12,526; 66% male; 142 countries) completed an online survey (May-July 2020) assessing knowledge, beliefs, and practices toward training. Sports were classified as team sports (45%), endurance (20%), power/technical (10%), combat (9%), aquatic (6%), recreational (4%), racquet (3%), precision (2%), parasports (1%), and others (1%). Further analysis by sex was performed. RESULTS: During lockdown, athletes practiced body-weight-based exercises routinely (67% females and 64% males), ranging from 50% (precision) to 78% (parasports). More sport-specific technical skills were performed in combat, parasports, and precision (∼50%) than other sports (∼35%). Most athletes (range: 50% [parasports] to 75% [endurance]) performed cardiorespiratory training (trivial sex differences). Compared to prelockdown, perceived training intensity was reduced by 29% to 41%, depending on sport (largest decline: ∼38% in team sports, unaffected by sex). Some athletes (range: 7%-49%) maintained their training intensity for strength, endurance, speed, plyometric, change-of-direction, and technical training. Athletes who previously trained ≥5 sessions per week reduced their volume (range: 18%-28%) during lockdown. The proportion of athletes (81%) training ≥60 min/session reduced by 31% to 43% during lockdown. Males and females had comparable moderate levels of training knowledge (56% vs 58%) and beliefs/attitudes (54% vs 56%). CONCLUSIONS: Changes in athletes' training practices were sport-specific, with few or no sex differences. Team-based sports were generally more susceptible to changes than individual sports. Policy makers should provide athletes with specific training arrangements and educational resources to facilitate remote and/or home-based training during lockdown-type events.

Training During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Practices of 12,526 Athletes from 142 Countries and Six Continents.

OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to explore the training-related knowledge, beliefs, and practices of athletes and the influence of lockdowns in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). METHODS: Athletes (n = 12,526, comprising 13% world class, 21% international, 36% national, 24% state, and 6% recreational) completed an online survey that was available from 17 May to 5 July 2020 and explored their training behaviors (training knowledge, beliefs/attitudes, and practices), including specific questions on their training intensity, frequency, and session duration before and during lockdown (March-June 2020). RESULTS: Overall, 85% of athletes wanted to "maintain training," and 79% disagreed with the statement that it is "okay to not train during lockdown," with a greater prevalence for both in higher-level athletes. In total, 60% of athletes considered "coaching by correspondence (remote coaching)" to be sufficient (highest amongst world-class athletes). During lockdown, < 40% were able to maintain sport-specific training (e.g., long endurance [39%], interval training [35%], weightlifting [33%], plyometric exercise [30%]) at pre-lockdown levels (higher among world-class, international, and national athletes), with most (83%) training for "general fitness and health maintenance" during lockdown. Athletes trained alone (80%) and focused on bodyweight (65%) and cardiovascular (59%) exercise/training during lockdown. Compared with before lockdown, most athletes reported reduced training frequency (from between five and seven sessions per week to four or fewer), shorter training sessions (from ≥ 60 to < 60 min), and lower sport-specific intensity (~ 38% reduction), irrespective of athlete classification. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19-related lockdowns saw marked reductions in athletic training specificity, intensity, frequency, and duration, with notable within-sample differences (by athlete classification). Higher classification athletes had the strongest desire to "maintain" training and the greatest opposition to "not training" during lockdowns. These higher classification athletes retained training specificity to a greater degree than others, probably because of preferential access to limited training resources. More higher classification athletes considered "coaching by correspondence" as sufficient than did lower classification athletes. These lockdown-mediated changes in training were not conducive to maintenance or progression of athletes' physical capacities and were also likely detrimental to athletes' mental health. These data can be used by policy makers, athletes, and their multidisciplinary teams to modulate their practice, with a degree of individualization, in the current and continued pandemic-related scenario. Furthermore, the data may drive training-related educational resources for athletes and their multidisciplinary teams. Such upskilling would provide athletes with evidence to inform their training modifications in response to germane situations (e.g., COVID related, injury, and illness).

Ramadan daily intermittent fasting reduces objectively assessed habitual physical activity among adults.

BACKGROUND: Muslims around the world practice intermittent fasting during the month of Ramadan each year. We hypothesized that daily physical activity could be reduced among Muslims due to the inability to refuel and rehydrate in the fasting state. METHODS: A cohort study design among adults registered with national physical activity community program. Data from a pedometer-based community program was used to extract 3 months of daily step counts before, during, and after Ramadan for the past years (2013-2019). A survey was conducted among participants to determine fasting practice and other health and environmental factors. RESULTS: A total of 209 participants completed the survey and provided valid data on physical activity. During Ramadan, the average steps per day decreased significantly (- 385 ± SE 158) among participants who fasted (n = 151) p = 0.046 and increased (+ 731 ± SE 247) for the non- fasting participants (n = 58) p = 0.010. Fasting participants preferred before sunset (33.8%) or evening (39.7%) for physical activity. Whereas, non-fasting participants preferred early morning (34.5%). CONCLUSION: Fasting during Ramadan impacts the daily physical activity behavior among Muslims. Interventions should focus on creating awareness of the importance of maintenance of adequate physical activity for adults fasting during Ramadan.

Home-based exercise can be beneficial for counteracting sedentary behavior and physical inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic in older adults.

The novel pandemic called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as a global public health emergency, seems to be having a major impact on physical activity (PA) behaviors. Older adults are at high risk of death from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2). Health authorities around the world have been implementing preventive health measures, including quarantine and self-isolation, to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak. This period is characterized by the cessation of outdoor exercising. During this period of lockdown, PA has been one of the rare reasons for going out in some countries. To avoid the harmful effects of periods of exercise cessation, PA could be prescribed to older adults, which is of great importance for breaking their sedentary lifestyle and improving their immunity. The present review discusses the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on sedentary behavior and physical inactivity in older adults. The importance of performing PA to reduce the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed, and useful recommendations on home-based exercise for the older adults to maintain their level of independence, physical and mental health as well as their well-being are provided.

The Associations between Mental Well-Being and Adherence to Physical Activity Guidelines in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: Results from the Scottish Health Survey.

The association between physical activity (PA) and mental well-being in individuals with a cardiovascular disease (CVD) is poorly studied. The objective of this study was to assess the association between mental well-being and adherence to the recommended guidelines for PA in a Scottish adult population with CVD. The study used data from 3128 adults who had CVD conditions (1547 men and 1581 women; mean age 63.29 years) who participated in the Scottish Health Survey between 2014 and 2017. The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) was used as a surrogate measure of mental health. PA was classified as "met" or "unmet" on the basis of the recommended PA guidelines (150 min of moderate activity or 75 min of vigorous activity per week). The relationship between PA guidelines being met and the WEMWBS score was explored using hierarchical linear regression accounting for a set of health and sociodemographic characteristics. Of the participants, ~41.8% met the recommended PA levels. Among those with CVD, the mean (SD) WEMWBS scores of individuals who did not have a long-standing illness (51.14 ± 7.65 vs 47.07 ± 9.54; p < 0.05), diabetes (48.44 ± 9.05 vs 46.04 ± 10.25; p < 0.05), or high blood pressure (48.63 ± 9.08 vs 47.52 ± 9.47; p < 0.05) were significantly higher than those of individuals with such conditions. Meeting PA recommendations was significantly associated with a higher mean WEMWBS score (50.64 ± 7.97 vs 46.06 ± 9.75; p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis of health-related behaviors improved the prediction of mental well-being over and above meeting the recommended PA levels. Mental well-being was strongly correlated with PA adherence in CVD patients. It seems that for patients with CVD, PA should be tailored to meet patients' health conditions in order to promote mental well-being and improve overall health.