ABSTRACT
Background: Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour is associated with worse clinical and inflammatory outcomes and impaired quality of life in people with severe asthma (pwSA) (Cordova-Rivera et al. JACI:IP 2018;6(3):814-22). Since March 2020, national lockdowns have been periodically implemented in the UK to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, however, the impact of these restrictions on physical activity in pwSA has yet to be evaluated. Aim(s): To compare physical activity levels prior to and during COVID-19 lockdown in pwSA. Method(s): A preliminary retrospective analysis of physical activity (step count objectively assessed via an in-built smartphone pedometer (Reilly et al. J Asthma 2021:1-9)) between March-June 2019 (usual daily living) versus March-June 2020 (first UK lockdown) in adults attending a specialist asthma service Results: Twelve adults with severe asthma receiving biological therapies (male: n = 4) (age: 52 +/- 16;FEV % predicted: 64 +/- 16) were recruited. A significant and clinically meaningful reduction in daily step count was observed between 2019 and 2020 for all months: March (-25%) (P=0.02);April (-40%) (P=0.02);May (-33%) (P = 0.04);June (-38%) (P = 0.001). Total absolute reduction in daily step-count: 4627 +/- 1833 versus 3054 +/- 1967 (-34%) (P<0.001). Conclusion(s): COVID-19 restrictions reduced step-based physical activity by approximately one-third in pwSA. These findings underline the importance of monitoring and promoting physical activity during routine asthma review given the potential adverse impact on health and disease-related outcomes.
ABSTRACT
The Australian Government is financially incentivising work integrated learning (WIL) to enhance graduate employability. As such, universities are currently expanding WIL pedagogies and practices from their traditional domain of professional degrees, to be incorporate into almost all university degrees. Using Kemmis' Theory of Practice Architecture, this study investigated the practices of established WIL practitioners in universities and uncovers what can be referred to as a WIL ecology of practice. This ecology comprises of key WIL practices, including: networking and selling, negotiating, collaborating and innovating and legitimising. The findings from this study offer important insights into how higher education institutions may develop a WIL ecology of practice, and critically, achieve WIL funding objectives, which has arguably become ever more important given the challenges COVID-19 has presented to university operational budgets.