Correlates of sexual abuse and smoking among French adults

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine the association between sexual abuse (SA) and initiation, cessation, and current cigarette smoking among a large representative adult population in France. METHOD: A random sample size of 12,256 adults (18-75 years of age) was interviewed by telephone concerning demographic variables, health practices and beliefs, and health status--for which SA and tobacco questions were included. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Nearly 46% of SA survivors were current smokers compared to 34% of non-abused persons (p<.001). Survivors of SA consumed more cigarettes per day than non-abused individuals (14.5 vs. 12.4, p<.01). Survival analysis showed an increased risk of smoking initiation for respondents abused before 18 (adjusted relative hazard=1.55; p<.0001) with referent to the non-abused group. SA was not found to be a significant predictor of current smoking status among those who began smoking after the first incident of SA. Respondents who were not sexually abused were 1.8 times (95% CI, 1.12-2.99) more likely to quit smoking than people who began smoking after they were sexually abused. CONCLUSIONS: The early identification and treatment of sexually abused persons is critical to decrease smoking among adolescents and adults because of the association of SA with both smoking initiation and decreased cessation rates. It may be more difficult to detect an association between SA and current smoking due to the high rates of smoking and lower rates of quitting among the general French population.     

Display and interaction features of instructional texts and computers

The design of instructional texts is an area of educational technology which is attracting considerable interest, much of it centered on the display of information and on student-text interaction. This article discusses whether techniques found useful in text design can be transposed to the display of CAL materials. Each medium has its problems and advantages; at present, little is directly transferable from one medium to the other. The computer-presented 'dynamic book' concept provides an example of how to combine giving learners control over the presentation with book-style indexing and browsing.     

Modes of learning and profitability in Colombian and Mexican SMEs

The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of different modes of learning on innovation and profitability in SMEs in two Latin American countries; Mexico and Colombia. The data were obtained using a sample of 250 companies in the industrial sector operating in both countries. Results show that an integrated mode of learning based on internal and external knowledge supported by technological infrastructure have positive and significant effects on the degree of innovation and the profitability in SMEs However this effect appears to be not significantly different from the traditional SMEs mode of learning based mainly on market orientation.     

The impact of Nordic walking training on the gait of the elderly

The purpose of the current study was to define the impact of regular practice of Nordic walking on the gait of the elderly. Thereby, we aimed to determine whether the gait characteristics of active elderly persons practicing Nordic walking are more similar to healthy adults than that of the sedentary elderly. Comparison was made based on parameters computed from three inertial sensors during walking at a freely chosen velocity. Results showed differences in gait pattern in terms of the amplitude computed from acceleration and angular velocity at the lumbar region (root mean square), the distribution (Skewness) quantified from the vertical and Euclidean norm of the lumbar acceleration, the complexity (Sample Entropy) of the mediolateral component of lumbar angular velocity and the Euclidean norm of the shank acceleration and angular velocity, the regularity of the lower limbs, the spatiotemporal parameters and the variability (standard deviation) of stance and stride durations. These findings reveal that the pattern of active elderly differs significantly from sedentary elderly of the same age while similarity was observed between the active elderly and healthy adults. These results advance that regular physical activity such as Nordic walking may counteract the deterioration of gait quality that occurs with aging.     

Injuries in formal and informal non-professional soccer – an overview of injury context,causes, and characteristics

The objective of this study is to analyse context, causes, and characteristics of injuries in non-professional soccer. Therefore, a retrospective telephone survey was carried out with persons who were injured while playing soccer and who reported this accident to the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (Suva). Based on these data, an analysis of 708 soccer injuries was performed. The findings show that 30.1% of the injuries occurred during informal soccer play, and 75.4% of the injured persons were soccer club members. 53.0% of all injuries were caused by contact and 29.5% by foul play. Foul play was not associated with injury severity. With respect to injury severity, twisting/turning and being tackled by an opponent were identified as the most influental injury causes. Moreover, the risk of being severely injured was particularly high players of the 30+/40+ amateur leagues. In conclusion, the findings highlight that 30+/40+ league players are a major target group for the prevention of severe soccer injuries. Soccer clubs may constitute an appropriate multiplier for implementing prevention strategies such as fair play education, healthy play behaviours, and prevention programmes. Finally, a better understanding of injury situations leading to severe injuries is needed to improve injury prevention.     

Self-belief does make a difference: A reciprocal effects model of the causal ordering of physical self-concept and gymnastics performance

Abstract

A large body of research in support of the reciprocal effects model of causal ordering demonstrates that prior academic self-concept predicts subsequent academic achievement beyond what can be explained in terms of prior achievement. Here we evaluate the generalizability of this support for the reciprocal effects model to a physical activity context in which achievement is reflected in gymnastics skills on a standardized gymnastics performance test evaluated by expert judges. Based on the responses of 376 adolescents collected at the start (T1) and end (T2) of a gymnastics training programme, there is support for a reciprocal effects model in which there are significant paths leading from both T1 gymnastics self-concept to T2 gymnastics skills and from T1 gymnastics skills to T2 self-concept. Although there were gender and age effects (girls and older participants had better gymnastics skills, boys had higher self-concepts), multiple group structural equation models indicated that support for the reciprocal effects model generalized over responses by boys and girls. In summary, self-concept and performance are both determinants and consequences of each other.     

Solving Local Environmental Problems in Environmental Education: A Brazilian case study

A discussion is developed regarding the ideological implications of the use of local environmental problem solving as a methodology suggested by UNESCO at the Tbilisi Conference, as well as in various Brazilian federal policy documents. Whether understood as a theme-generator or an end-in-itself, environmental education practice may be divided into two types, with different ideological repercussions as regards their very essence; namely a commitment to transform contemporary society's values.     

Learning in multiple contexts: are there intra-, cross- and transcontextual effects on the learner’s motivation and help seeking?

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the majority of 15?C19-year olds follow vocational education programmes within a dual-track system, spending most of their time in a company and going to school only 1?day each week. With their separate aims, content and sociological organisation, the company and the school can be considered as two distinct contexts within which apprentices have to acquire the various skills and competencies of their future occupation. In this paper, the development of apprentices?? learning intentions and motivation to learn, subjective competence, perceived utility of what is learned and estimated learning place attractiveness (study 1) as well as their readiness to seek help in these different contexts over the year of training (study 2) is analysed using both longitudinal and cross-sectional data. The findings show significant differences in apprentices?? motivation, their beliefs and their readiness to seek help in the different contexts throughout the training. Moderate (cross-different contexts, same time) as well as transcontextual (different contexts, different times) influences can also be seen. These results emphasise the importance of a careful delimitation of contexts when studying the impact of contextual factors on learners?? motivation and behaviours; they also suggest that motivation within one of these contexts can indirectly affect the learner??s motivation within another of these contexts. It is therefore likely that, by using these various dynamics appropriately, educators might temporarily sustain learners?? motivation in an unappreciated context by having recourse to a better accepted one.