Defining Meaningful Literacy: Findings from a Socially-oriented Literacy Intervention for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

The current study is a qualitative analysis of the results of a literacy skills intervention with a group comprising of three individuals with Down syndrome and three individuals with other developmental disabilities. The intervention was developed to address the concern that individuals in this population are often only exposed to functional literacy experiences (i.e. those building only literacy skills required for daily functioning and survival), at the expense of more enriched experiences that engage personal meaning. As a result, it included both reading and writing activities designed to invite personal investment in literacy experiences. In this vein, the data collected derives primarily from the participant’s own writing, and has been supplemented with other qualitative measures (e.g. parental questionnaires, participant focus group responses, field notes). The current article discusses the impact and implications of this intervention for future literacy interventions of this kind, in terms of the themes, which emerged from these data; with a particular emphasis on the participants’ own experiences.     

How acceptable do older adults find the concept of being physically active? A systematic review and meta-synthesis

Despite the significant health benefits of regular physical activity for older adults, only a minority achieve recommended levels. To develop effective interventions, the reasons for the low levels of physical activity in this population must be understood. The present review identifies and synthesizes qualitative studies concerning the acceptability of physical activity to community dwelling older adults. A systematic search of four electronic databases identified 10 studies meeting inclusion criteria. These were appraised, and findings were combined and compared using thematic synthesis. Older adults construed physical activity as a by-product of other activities, rather than as a purposeful activity within itself. This seemed to be linked to their self-perception as an ageing member of society, with physical activity considered irrelevant, and competing roles and responsibilities (e.g., family) taking precedence. Additionally, older adults appeared to experience conflict between maintaining their autonomy and accepting the physical and social vulnerabilities associated with ageing. As older adults do not see physical activity as purposeful within itself, interventions promoting moderate or vigorous physical activity are likely to have limited success. As even small increases in physical activity benefit older adults, future interventions may wish to target the reduction of sedentary behaviour in this population.     

国外图书馆老年人服务研究主题及脉络分析

[目的/意义]了解国外图书馆老年人服务的研究主题及发展脉络,为我国图书馆老年人服务提供借鉴。[方法/过程]通过文献调研,梳理1938-2017年国外图书馆老年人服务的研究主题及发展脉络。[结果/结论]国外图书馆老年人服务研究可划分为3个发展阶段,呈现出研究用户不断扩大与细分,研究视角由关注图书馆转向关注老年人需求的特点。服务方式由单一简单服务转向多元化和创新性服务,研究理念也逐渐由服务老年人向老年人的积极参与转变。同时,研究也呈现出一定的不足,如过多关注馆内老年用户而忽视馆外老年用户,缺乏代表性项目的介绍及其评估等。     

Cultural adaptation,translation and validation of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool – Retrospective Version (ICAST-R) for young adults in Sri Lanka

The aim of the present study was to adapt and validate the ISPCAN child abuse screening tool-retrospective version (ICAST-R) in Sri Lanka with a view to investigating the experiences of physical, sexual and emotional abuse during childhood.The adaptation was performed using qualitative research methods with young adults, parents, teachers, and a multidisciplinary group of experts. The translation to Sinhala (the local Sri Lankan dialect) was carried out by a nominal group technique. A multidisciplinary team of experts assessed the Sinhala ICAST-R (SICAST-R) for its content validity. Moreover, acceptability, reliability and construct validity were determined by conducting a validation study among 200 schooling young adults. The principal component analysis (PCA) technique was used to assess the construct validity. Response rates for each item were taken as evidence of acceptability. The internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability after two weeks was assessed using Cohen's kappa coefficient.The adaptation of ICAST-R included the introduction of an objective manner by which to measure severity of abuse and the inclusion of a set of questions regarding help-seeking behavior following physical and emotional abusive experiences.The SICAST-R showed adequate content validity and high acceptability, with response rates ranging from 90.3% to 99.5%. The minimum Cohen’s kappa coefficient was 0.76, indicating good test-retest reliability. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) for the total tool was 0.708, with the three constructs being 0.398, 0.844 and 0.637 for physical, sexual and emotional abuse, respectively. The PCA demonstrated good reproducibility for sexual and emotional abuse with the hypothesized structure.Overall, the SICAST-R showed adequate validity for the assessment of experiences of physical, sexual and emotional abuse during childhood among Sri Lankan young adults.     

Wrist-based cut-points for moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity for the Actical accelerometer in adults

Wrist-based accelerometers are increasingly used to assess physical activity (PA) in population-based studies; however, cut-points to translate wrist-based accelerometer counts into PA intensity categories are still needed. The purpose of this study was to determine wrist-based cut-points for moderate- and vigorous-intensity ambulatory PA in adults for the Actical accelerometer. Healthy adults (n = 24) completed a four-phase treadmill exercise protocol (1.9, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.2 mph) while wearing an Actical accelerometer on their wrist. Metabolic equivalent of task (MET) levels were assessed by indirect calorimetry. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were generated to determine accelerometer counts that maximised sensitivity and specificity for classification of moderate (≥3 METs) and vigorous (>6 METs) ambulatory activity. The area under the ROC curves to discriminate moderate- and vigorous-intensity ambulatory activity were 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.90–0.97; P < 0.001) and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94–0.99; P < 0.001), respectively. The identified cut-point for moderate-intensity ambulatory activity was 1031 counts per minute, which had a corresponding sensitivity and specificity of 85.6% and 87.5%, respectively. The identified cut-point for vigorous intensity ambulatory activity was 3589 counts per minute, which had a corresponding sensitivity and specificity of 88.0% and 98.7%, respectively. This study established intensity-specific cut-points for wrist-based wear of the Actical accelerometer which are recommended for quantification of moderate- and vigorous-intensity ambulatory activity.     

Number of days required for reliably estimating physical activity and sedentary behaviour from accelerometer data in older adults

The purpose of the study was to examine the minimum number of monitoring days for reliably estimating physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) from accelerometer data in older adults. Forty-two older adults from a local senior centre participated in this study. Participants wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT on the right hip for 7 consecutive days. Accelerometer data were downloaded to a computer and converted to activity count data in 60s epochs. Time spent in SB and different PA intensity categories were estimated with commonly used activity count cut-points. Participants with at least 7 valid days of monitoring (≥10 h^.day^?1) were included in the analysis. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated for determining single-day monitoring reliability. The Spearman-Brown prophecy formula was used to estimate the minimum number of monitoring days required for achieving an ICC of 0.80. Single-day ICC values for time spent in SB and PA intensity categories ranged from 0.45 to 0.61. Minimum number of monitoring days required for achieving an ICC of 0.80 ranged from 2.5 to 4.9 days. In this study, a minimum of 5 consecutive days of monitoring was required for reliably estimating SB and PA from accelerometer data in older adults.     

国外图书馆协会老年服务指南的质性研究及对我国的启示

本文以国外图书馆协会老年服务指南文本为研究对象,采用质性研究方法归纳获得指南的内容框架,可归为八个方面:指南目标与编制思想,认识老龄化和老年人,图书馆老年服务原则,了解老年人需求,图书馆规划和经费预算,馆藏与设施设备,馆员与服务,合作与宣传。在对国内外情况进行对比分析的基础上,指出应尽快制定我国的图书馆老年服务规范,确立积极的老龄观和差异化的服务导向,建立对我国老龄化现状及未来趋向的清晰认识,明确公共图书馆老年服务的使命陈述,倡导具体化、整体性、常态化的服务指导。表2。参考文献56。     

中国成年男女国民体质变化特征的比较研究

依据第二次国民体质监测公报的数据,应用科学的研究方法,对中国成年男女的身体形态、机能和素质的相关指标均值的变化特征进行科学的比较与分析,旨在为了解和掌握我国成年男女体质变化特征的相异性,为政府相关部门针对这一年龄群体的体质健康特征制定科学的政策提供理论依据。     

Effect of supramaximal exercise training on metabolic outcomes in obese adults

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of 6 weeks of supramaximal exercise training (SET) on performance variables and metabolic changes in sedentary obese adults.

Twenty-four obese adults were randomly allocated into a non-trained (NT) [n = 12; body mass index (BMI) = 33(3)] and SET group [n = 12; BMI = (33(2)]. After baseline metabolic and fitness measurements, the participants completed a 6-week SET intervention. Metabolic, anthropometric, and fitness assessments were repeated post-intervention.

For SET, fasting glucose (4.64(0.15) vs. 4.32(0.22) mmol · l^–1; P < 0.01), insulin (23.2(4.6) vs. 13.8(3.3) µmol · ml^–1; P < 0.01), homoeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index (4.78(1.2) vs. 2.65(1.5); P < 0.01) and systolic blood pressure (127(3) vs. 120(3) mmHg; P < 0.01) were significantly lower 24-h post-intervention than at baseline and for the NT group, and these changes remained significant at 72-h and 2-weeks post-intervention (P < 0.01, respectively). Interestingly, nonesterified fatty acids (0.62(0.09) vs. 0.71(0.11) mmol · l^–1; P < 0.01) and resting fat oxidation rate (57(11) vs. 63(4)%; P < 0.01) increased significantly from baseline 24-h post-intervention in the SET group and from baseline at 72-h (P < 0.01, respectively) and 2-weeks post-intervention (P < 0.01, respectively). Six weeks of SET improved a number of metabolic and vascular risk factors in obese, sedentary adults, highlighting the potential of SET to provide an alternative exercise model for the improvement of metabolic health in this population.     

广东省成年人体育消费与体质状况关系的分析研究

采用测量、调查和统计方法 ,对广东省不同职业人员及不同年龄组别的男、女共50 1 78人进行了研究。研究结果表明 :1　随着经济的发展 ,发达地区在体育消费上的支出增加较多 ;而发展地区体育消费支出还维持在一个较低的水平上 ,这一结果符合恩格尔定律。 2　在不同组别的体育消费中 ,甲组 ( 1 8— 4 0岁 )明显高于乙组 ( 41— 60岁 )。 3　在不同性别的体育消费中 ,体育消费的投入差别不大。 4　在不同的年龄中 ,体育消费与年龄成反比关系。 5　在不同的职业群体中 ,体育消费水平与文化水平成正比关系。 6　总体上发达地区成年人的体质优于发展地区成年人的体质。其合格率之间存在着明显的差异