The persistent publication glass ceiling: an analysis of gender authorship trends in ANZ Journal of Surgery.

BACKGROUND: women historically have been underrepresented in the field of academic publishing. This study aims to analyse ANZJS gender authorship trends and compare this to the proportion of women in surgery in Australia/NZ using RACS demographic data to provide parity context. METHODS: This is a bibliographic gender analysis of ANZJS publications from 2002 to 2021; articles were analysed using a web-based application classifying gender from names. RESULTS: There were 7265 articles analysed. Gender was predicted for 87% (6303/7265) first-, 89% (5847/6439) last- and 98% (323/329) editorial first-authors. There were 1269/6303 (20%) women first-authors, this increased from 14% to 27% (p = 0.001) over time. Eleven percent (654/5847) of last-authors were women, this proportion remained unchanged (p = 0.09). Eleven (3%) editorials were first-authored by women, with 3/329 (1%) as solo-author. CONCLUSION: Numbers of women authors remain low in ANZJS, although the percentage of women first-authors has increased over time. However, if being last-author serves as a measure of senior academic supervision, and, editorial authorship shows leadership in one's field, women authors in these positions, in ANZJS, represent a small minority.

Understanding Australian adolescent girls' use of digital technologies for healthy lifestyle purposes: a mixed-methods study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about girls' use of a broad range of digital technologies to support a healthy lifestyle, particularly during the later adolescent years when they are expected to take greater responsibility for individually managing their health and wellbeing. The present study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of adolescent girls', 15 to 17 years of age, use of a broad range of digital technologies to support multiple healthy lifestyle purposes. METHODS: This study used a mixed-methods sequential research design (i.e. quantitative and qualitative data in two consecutive phases). A quantitative online survey was conducted to determine the use of digital technologies for healthy lifestyle purposes. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of survey respondents to explore factors influencing their technology use and preferences. RESULTS: Descriptive analysis of survey data (online survey, n = 336) demonstrated the popularity of social media and online video sharing platforms, with evidence that the use of digital technologies does not occur in isolation and girls draw on several resources simultaneously to achieve their desired healthy lifestyle outcomes. Thematic analysis of interview data (semi-structured interviews, n = 29) revealed seven interrelated themes around factors influencing girls' use of, and satisfaction with, different digital technologies: accessibility, social connectivity, credibility, relatability, inspiration, safety, and customisability. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reiterate that one size doesn't fit all girls, and often one size might not even fit one girl, and thus highlight the challenge of catering to such varied use cases. Overall, it appears that current digital technology offerings meet the needs and preferences of adolescent girls for healthy lifestyle purposes, however there may be benefit in allowing greater customisation of use, and consumer driven tailoring of content, according to personal preferences and changing circumstances.

The Use of Digital Platforms for Adults' and Adolescents' Physical Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Our Life at Home): Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Government responses to managing the COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted the way individuals were able to engage in physical activity. Digital platforms are a promising way to support physical activity levels and may have provided an alternative for people to maintain their activity while at home. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine associations between the use of digital platforms and adherence to the physical activity guidelines among Australian adults and adolescents during the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions in April and May 2020. METHODS: A national online survey was distributed in May 2020. Participants included 1188 adults (mean age 37.4 years, SD 15.1; 980/1188, 82.5% female) and 963 adolescents (mean age 16.2 years, SD 1.2; 685/963, 71.1% female). Participants reported demographic characteristics, use of digital platforms for physical activity over the previous month, and adherence to moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) guidelines. Multilevel logistic regression models examined differences in guideline adherence between those who used digital platforms (ie, users) to support their physical activity compared to those who did not (ie, nonusers). RESULTS: Digital platforms include streaming services for exercise (eg, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook); subscriber fitness programs, via an app or online (eg, Centr and MyFitnessPal); facilitated online live or recorded classes, via platforms such as Zoom (eg, dance, sport training, and fitness class); sport- or activity-specific apps designed by sporting organizations for participants to keep up their skills (eg, TeamBuildr); active electronic games (eg, Xbox Kinect); and/or online or digital training or racing platforms (eg, Zwift, FullGaz, and Rouvy). Overall, 39.5% (469/1188) of adults and 26.5% (255/963) of adolescents reported using digital platforms for physical activity. Among adults, MVPA (odds ratio [OR] 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.7), MSE (OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.5-4.5), and combined (OR 2.7, 95% CI 2.0-3.8) guideline adherence were higher among digital platform users relative to nonusers. Adolescents' MVPA (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.3), MSE (OR 3.1, 95% CI 2.1-4.4), and combined (OR 4.3, 95% CI 2.1-9.0) guideline adherence were also higher among users of digital platforms relative to nonusers. CONCLUSIONS: Digital platform users were more likely than nonusers to meet MVPA and MSE guidelines during the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions in April and May 2020. Digital platforms may play a critical role in helping to support physical activity engagement when access to facilities or opportunities for physical activity outside the home are restricted.