Parental awareness and engagement in the Active Kids program across socioeconomic groups.

OBJECTIVES: In 2018, the New South Wales (NSW) Government implemented a State-wide program to reduce the cost barrier to organised sport and physical activity participation. We explored parent/carer's awareness and children's engagement in the Active Kids program across socioeconomic groups and used the NSW Population Health Survey (PHS) to validate engagement in the program. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2018 NSW PHS and the Active Kids program registration database. We compared demographic characteristics of children who had registered for the program in the registration database with children in the weighted NSW PHS. Multinomial regression models were used to determine whether socioeconomic status was associated with parent/carer awareness and children's engagement in the program. RESULTS: Parent/carer's in the most disadvantaged quartile were twice as likely to have never heard of the Active Kids program (OR: 2.04, 95% CIs 1.31, 3.16) or to have heard or the program but not registered (OR: 1.94, 95% CIs 1.26, 3.00), and more than twice as likely to have registered for a voucher, but not followed through and redeemed the voucher (OR: 2.68, 95% CIs 1.27, 5.63) compared with the least disadvantaged quartile. CONCLUSIONS: The Active Kids program has provided financial support for organised sport and physical activity to a large number of children. However, there are still a substantial proportion of socially disadvantaged groups who are unaware or have not engaged in the program. Further targeted work is required to increase the awareness and engagement in the program for socially disadvantaged groups.

Reducing financial barriers through the implementation of voucher incentives to promote children's participation in community sport in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Participation in organised sport and physical activity contributes to health-enhancing levels of leisure time physical activity. In Australia, 58% of children aged 0-14 years participated at least once a week in October 2015 - December 2017. To overcome the frequently cited cost barrier, sports voucher incentives have been widely implemented across Australia. METHOD: The financial value of jurisdictional vouchers and the National median financial value were used to calculate the proportion of total annual expenditure on children's participation in sport supported by sports vouchers. Participation rates using AusPlay data were estimated by age, sex and socio-economic index (SEIFA) at state and national level for children aged 0-14 years. RESULTS: Five States and Territories implemented sports vouchers from 2011 to 2018, with a median value of AU$150. Nationally, median annual expenditure for children's sport participation was AU$447 (IQR $194.2-936), with 27% reported expenditure supported by a sports voucher. The proportion of financial support from sports vouchers increased considerably with social disadvantage, rising to over 60% of total expenditure in the most disadvantaged populations. CONCLUSIONS: Socio-economic status was associated with sports-related expenditure and sports participation amongst children. Sport vouchers should target children in the most disadvantaged areas to promote participation in organised sport and physical activity.

Addressing the tobacco epidemic in the Philippines: progress since ratification of the WHO FCTC.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, and is estimated to kill more than 5 million persons each year worldwide. Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke pose a major public health problem in the Philippines. Effective tobacco control policies are enshrined in the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a legally binding international treaty that was ratified by the Philippines in 2005. Since 2007, Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported the accelerated reduction of tobacco use in many countries, including the Philippines. Progress in the Philippines is discussed with particular emphasis on the period since ratification of the WHO FCTC, and with particular focus on the grants programme funded by the Bloomberg Initiative. Despite considerable progress, significant challenges are identified that must be addressed in future if the social, health and economic burden from the tobacco epidemic is to be alleviated.

L'emploi de tabac est la principale cause évitable de décès et on estime qu'il tue chaque année plus de 5 millions de personnes au niveau mondial. L'utilisation de tabac et l'exposition à la fumée secondaire posent un problème majeur de santé publique aux Philippines. Les politiques efficientes de lutte contre le tabagisme sont garanties dans la Convention Cadre de Lutte contre la Tabagisme (FCTC) de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS), un traité international d'application légale obligatoire qui a été ratifié par les Philippines en 2005. Depuis 2007, Bloomberg Philanthropies a soutenu l'accélération de la réduction de l'utilisation de tabac dans beaucoup de pays, notamment les Philippines. On discute les progrès observés aux Philippines en insistant particulièrement sur la période faisant suite à la ratification de la FCTC de l'OMS et en se focalisant particulièrement sur le programme de dons financé par l'Initiative Bloomberg. En dépit de progrès significatifs, on identifie des défis majeurs auxquels il faut répondre à l'avenir, si l'on veut alléger le fardeau social économique et sanitaire provenant de l'épidémie de tabagisme.

El consumo de tabaco representa la principal causa prevenible de mortalidad y se calcula que provoca la muerte de más de 5 millones de personas cada año en todo el mundo. El tabaquismo y la exposición pasiva al humo del tabaco plantean un problema mayor de salud pública en las Filipinas. El Convenio Marco para el Control del Tabaco (FCTC) de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) consagra las políticas eficaces de control del tabaquismo; este tratado internacional jurídicamente vinculante fue ratificado por las Filipinas en el 2005. Desde el 2007, la iniciativa Bloomberg Philanthropies ha apoyado una disminución acelerada del tabaquismo en muchos países, incluidas las Filipinas. En el presente artículo se examinan los progresos alcanzados en este país, con especial interés en el período posterior a la ratificación del FCTC de la OMS y se hace hincapié en el programa de subsidios financiado por la Iniciativa Bloomberg. Pese a los considerables progresos alcanzados, se destacan retos importantes que exigen una respuesta en el futuro, si se busca aliviar la carga social, sanitaria y económica que representa la epidemia de tabaquismo.

Developments in National Physical Activity Policy: an international review and recommendations towards better practice.

Physical activity (PA) is increasingly considered an important public health issue and as such requires the development of good public health policy. This paper provides a summary of the literature on policy development and defines what a policy on PA may usefully comprise. The results of an international review of national level PA policies, using a defined set of criteria, are reported. Considerable similarities were found in the methods and approaches to policy development on PA across countries, with most adopting an intersectoral approach, with consultation and partnership between sectors occurring at a high level of government. The need for action across the lifespan is recognised, as is the need for multiple strategies across a variety of settings. A review of Australian PA policy found that, after promising strategic developments through Active Australia in the late 1990s, PA policy and the role of the federal health sector has become less clear, with PA policy existing now only as a component part integrated into other chronic disease prevention policy initiatives. Recommendations towards better practice in policy making are made with particular reference to developing a clearly defined integrated national PA policy in the Australian context.

Impact of an Australian mass media campaign targeting physical activity in 1998.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is now a public health priority, but there is only limited evidence on the effectiveness of mass-reach campaigns. INTERVENTION: Paid and unpaid television and print-media advertising, physician mail-outs, and community-level support programs and strategies. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: A mass-media statewide campaign to promote regular moderate-intensity activity was conducted during February 1998. The target group was adults aged 25 to 60 who were motivated but insufficiently active. DESIGN: Cohort and independent-sample, cross-sectional representative population surveys, before and after the campaign. The intervention was conducted in the state of New South Wales, with the other states of Australia as the comparison region. MEASURES: Telephone survey items on physical activity, media message awareness, physical activity knowledge, self-efficacy, and intentions. RESULTS: Unprompted recall of the activity messages in the campaign state increased substantially from 2.1% to 20.9% (p<0.01), with small changes elsewhere in Australia (1.2% to 2.6%). There were large changes in prompted awareness from 12.9% to 50.7% (p<0.0001), much larger than changes elsewhere (14.1% to 16%, p=0.06). Knowledge of appropriate moderate-intensity activity and physical activity self-efficacy increased significantly and only in the campaign state. Compared to all others, those in the target group who recalled the media message were 2.08 times more likely to increase their activity by at least an hour per week (95% confidence interval = 1.51-2.86). CONCLUSIONS: This integrated campaign positively influenced short-term physical activity message recall, knowledge, and behavior of the target population, compared to the population in the region who were not exposed.

Geographical influences upon physical activity participation: evidence of a 'coastal effect'.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between geographical proximity to the coast and physical activity participation levels. METHOD: Using stratified random sampling, a telephone survey was carried out in 1994 with 1,000 adults in each of the 16 health service regions in New South Wales (N = 16,178). Physical activity levels were measured through self-report of the frequency and duration of walking, moderate and vigorous activities in the two weeks preceding the survey. Logistic regression modelling was carried out to examine the association between physical activity and 'coastal' location of residence, adjusting for age, sex, employment status, education level and country of birth. RESULTS: After adjusting for other demographic factors, respondents who lived in a coastal postcode were 23% less likely to be classified as sedentary, 27% more likely to report levels of activity considered adequate for health, and 38% more likely to report high (vigorous) levels of physical activity than those who lived inland. Each of these associations was significant at the 0.05 level. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics of the physical environment in coastal postcodes are related to physical activity participation. IMPLICATIONS: Physical environments may contribute to physical activity participation. Further efforts to conceptualise and measure these environmental influences is warranted. Public health efforts to promote physical activity should consider aspects of the physical environment as part of any intervention.

High frequency (139.5 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance characterization of Mn(II)-H2(17)O interactions in GDP and GTP forms of p21 ras.

As a molecular switch, the ras protein p21 undergoes structural changes that couple recognition sites on the protein surface to the guanine nucleotide-divalent metal ion binding site. X-ray crystallographic studies of p21 suggest that coordination between threonine-35 and the divalent metal ion plays an important role in these conformational changes. Recent ESEEM studies of p21 in solution, however, place threonine-35 more distant from the metal and were interpreted as weak or indirect coordination of this residue. We report high frequency (139.5 GHz) EPR spectroscopy of p21.Mn(II) complexes of two guanine nucleotides that probes the link between threonine-35 and the divalent metal ion. By analysis of high-frequency EPR spectra, we determine the number of water molecules in the first coordination sphere of the manganous ion to be four in p21.Mn(II).GDP, consistent with prior low-frequency EPR and X-ray crystallographic studies. In the complex of p21 with a GTP analog, p21.Mn(II).GMPPNP, we determine the hydration number to be 2, also consistent with crystal structures. This result rules out indirect coordination of threonine-35 in the solution structure of p21.Mn(II).GMPPNP, and implicates direct, weak coordination of this residue as suggested by Halkides et al. [(1994) Biochemistry 33,4019]. The 17O hyperfine coupling constant of H2(17)O is determined as 0.25 mT in the GDP from and 0.28 mT in the GTP form. These values are similar to reported values for 17O-enriched aquo ligands and some phosphato ligands in Mn(II) complexes. The high magnetic field strength (4.9 T) employed in these 139.5 GHz EPR measurements leads to a narrowing of the Mn(II) EPR lines that facilitates the determination of 17O hyperfine interactions.

High frequency (139.5 GHz) electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of the GTP form of p21 ras with selective 17O labeling of threonine.

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at 139.5 GHz has been used to study p21 ras complexed with Mn(II) and guanosine 5'-(beta, gamma-imidotriphosphate), an analog of GTP. The p21 sample studied was selectively labeled with [17O gamma]threonine to a final enrichment of 30%. A Mn(II)-17O hyperfine interaction was observed, but the value of the coupling constant, 0.11 +/- 0.04 mT, is the smallest such value yet reported. Ab initio calculations indicate that this value is consistent with direct coordination of the threonine hydroxyl group and provide an estimate for the Mn(II)-17O bond length of 2.7 A. The measured hyperfine coupling constant and associated bond length starkly contrast with typical values for Mn(II)-17O coordination complexes, namely, approximately 0.25 mT and approximately 2.2 A, respectively. This contrast underscores the peculiar weakness of this Mn(II)-O interaction in p21 and persuasively argues that the nucleotide-induced conformational change, which is known to encompass the region of p21 involving Thr35, is not driven by Mn(II) coordination of the Thr35 hydroxyl group.