A comparison of accelerometry analysis methods for physical activity in older adult women and associations with health outcomes over time

ABSTRACT

This study compared five different methods for analyzing accelerometer-measured physical activity (PA) in older adults and assessed the relationship between changes in PA and changes in physical function and depressive symptoms for each method. Older adult females (N = 144, M_age = 83.3 ± 6.4yrs) wore hip accelerometers for six days and completed measures of physical function and depressive symptoms at baseline and six months. Accelerometry data were processed by five methods to estimate PA: 1041 vertical axis cut-point, 15-second vector magnitude (VM) cut-point, 1-second VM algorithm (Activity Index (AI)), machine learned walking algorithm, and individualized cut-point derived from a 400-meter walk. Generalized estimating equations compared PA minutes across methods and showed significant differences between some methods but not others; methods estimated 6-month changes in PA ranging from 4 minutes to over 20 minutes. Linear mixed models for each method tested associations between changes in PA and health. All methods, except the individualized cut-point, had a significant relationship between change in PA and improved physical function and depressive symptoms. This study is among the first to compare accelerometry processing methods and their relationship to health. It is important to recognize the differences in PA estimates and relationship to health outcomes based on data processing method.

Abbreviation: Machine Learning (ML); Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB); Center of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D); Physical Activity (PA); Activity Index (AI); Activities of Daily Living (ADL)     

Listening to young people with autism: learning from researcher experiences

This study explores the opportunities and dilemmas that have been encountered by researchers seeking the views of young people with autism. Twelve researchers were interviewed about their experiences in this field. Through exploration of the complex methodological and ethical issues that they encountered, this study aims to better understand how researchers can improve the way they listen to, and engage with, the views of children and young people with autism. This article discusses four themes that emerged from the interviews: power dynamics; building rapport; communication; and meaningful processes and outputs.     

Promoting Early Literacy and Student Investment in the African Storybook

ABSTRACT

Research has found that reading achievement is strongly associated with opportunities for children to engage actively with print. This article addresses research on a digital initiative called the African Storybook, which provides a website with over 1,000 openly licensed children’s picture storybooks in more than 150 African languages, as well as the official languages of English, French, and Portuguese (africanstorybook.org). The article draws on a 2014 study conducted in Uganda that sought to examine the extent to which teachers and children were invested in the African Storybook stories. Of central interest in this article is the extent to which teachers sought to encourage young children to engage actively with the African Storybook stories. The findings suggest that use of the stories promoted greater ownership of meaning for the young readers, as well as shifts of identity for both students and teachers.     

Working with childhood sexual abuse: a survey of mental health professionals

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish the views of a group of mental health professionals from various disciplines working in mental health service in a British hospital about the needs of clients who had experienced childhood sexual abuse. METHOD: Staff members were asked to complete an anonymous survey which asked questions relating to knowledge of sexual abuse and its effects, and the needs of clients and staff in working with this client group. A total of 54 people responded to the survey, 42 were female, 11 male. Most (72%) reported having over 10 years experience working in mental health, working in both in-patient and out-patient settings. RESULTS: While respondents were reasonably knowledgeable about childhood sexual abuse, they were not very comfortable, competent or supported in their work with this client group. There were no differences in responses according to the age or gender of respondents, but less experienced staff were more likely to feel supported. Those that had received training and/or supervision felt significantly more capable in working with this client group. CONCLUSIONS: The study offers some support for the development of specialist training, consultancy and supervision programs for mental health staff in the area of child sexual abuse.     

Mobiles for literacy in developing countries: An effectiveness framework

In recent years, the advent of low-cost digital and mobile devices has led to a strong expansion of social interventions, including those that try to improve student learning and literacy outcomes. Many of these are focused on improving reading in low-income countries, and particularly among the most disadvantaged. Some of these early efforts have been called successful, but little credible evidence exists for those claims. Drawing on a robust sample of projects in the domain of mobiles for literacy, this article introduces a design solution framework that combines intervention purposes with devices, end users, and local contexts. In combination with a suggested set of purpose-driven methods for monitoring and evaluation, this new framework provides useful parameters for measuring effectiveness in the domain of mobiles for literacy.     

Library project management in a collaborative web-based working environment

This paper discusses the emerging paradigm of project management performed in a web-based working environment. It highlights how project management and its associated features are strongly linked to fulfilling quality and value criteria for customers, and it examines how collaborative working environments can greatly reduce the administrative burden of managing large projects, especially and almost paradoxically, when resources are limited. Specifically, the paper examines the application of a project management methodology (PRINCE2) together with the use of a collaborative web-based working environment over a number of pilot projects at Leeds University Library. It describes the pilot phase of a library management decision to run a series of major Library projects using project management methodology, while continuing to run other projects through the existing locally developed planning mechanisms and describes the pitfalls of these latter alternatives, less sophisticated project management tools, and describes the main issues that this change in practice has brought to light. It draws preliminary conclusions about the effectiveness of this change in practice in one of the UK's largest academic libraries.     

An Examination of Coursera as an Information Environment: Does Coursera Fulfill its Mission to Provide Open Education to All?

In terms of international education, the concept of online education seems to be a growing trend. Edxonline.org, Minervaproject.com, and Udacity.com are all new massive online open courses (MOOCs)—education websites similar to Coursera offering students the ability to receive the best education from elite universities entirely online. The most tantalizing promise of a company like Coursera is the role it might play in improving education for the world's have-nots: high school dropouts, the global poor, and those less able to self-teach.     

Organizational Dissent as a Function of Organizational Justice

This study examined the relationships between perceptions of organizational justice and enacting organizational dissent. Participants were 107 full-time employees working in various organizations. Results indicated that employee perceptions of distributive and interpersonal justice negatively predicted latent dissent, while perceptions of informational justice positively predicted latent dissent. Perceptions of interpersonal justice were the strongest predictor of latent dissent. Perceptions of justice were not related to articulated or displaced dissent. Future research should continue to explore triggering agents of dissent in organizations.