Community-Based Approaches to Reducing Health Inequities and Fostering Environmental Justice through Global Youth-Engaged Citizen Science.

Growing socioeconomic and structural disparities within and between nations have created unprecedented health inequities that have been felt most keenly among the world's youth. While policy approaches can help to mitigate such inequities, they are often challenging to enact in under-resourced and marginalized communities. Community-engaged participatory action research provides an alternative or complementary means for addressing the physical and social environmental contexts that can impact health inequities. The purpose of this article is to describe the application of a particular form of technology-enabled participatory action research, called the Our Voice citizen science research model, with youth. An overview of 20 Our Voice studies occurring across five continents indicates that youth and young adults from varied backgrounds and with interests in diverse issues affecting their communities can participate successfully in multiple contributory research processes, including those representing the full scientific endeavor. These activities can, in turn, lead to changes in physical and social environments of relevance to health, wellbeing, and, at times, climate stabilization. The article ends with future directions for the advancement of this type of community-engaged citizen science among young people across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Children's Out-of-School Independently Mobile Trips, Active Travel, and Physical Activity: A Cross-Sectional Examination from the Kids in the City Study.

BACKGROUND: The study aim was to determine the association between children's objectively assessed moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and active trips (AT) and independently mobile trips (IM) during out-of-school hours. METHODS: Children aged 9 to 13 years (n = 254) were recruited from 9 schools in Auckland, New Zealand between 2011 and 2012. Children completed travel diaries and wore accelerometers for 7 days. Parents provided demographic information. Geographic information systems-derived distance to school was calculated. Accelerometer data were extracted for out of school hours only. Percentage of time spent in MVPA (%MVPA), AT, and IM were calculated. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine the relationship between daily %MVPA and AT and between daily %MVPA and IM, accounting for age, sex, ethnicity, distance to school, day of the week, and numeric day of data collection. RESULTS: A significant positive relationship was observed between %MVPA and both AT and IM. For every unit increase in the daily percentage of trips made that were AT or IM, we found an average increase of 1.28% (95% CI 0.87%, 1.70%) and 1.15% (95% CI 0.71%, 1.59%) time in MVPA, respectively. CONCLUSION: Children's AT and IM are associated with increased MVPA during out-of-school hours.

Continued improvement in hypertension management in England: results from the Health Survey for England 2006.

This study evaluate whether blood pressure management has improved in England between 2003 and 2006, using cross-sectional, nationally representative, random samples of 8834 (in 2003) and 7478 (in 2006) noninstitutionalized adults (aged > or =16 years) of mean age 46 (in 2003) and 47 (in 2006) years. Overall mean blood pressure levels in 2006 were 130.8/74.2 mm Hg in men and 124.0/72.4 mm Hg in women. Awareness of hypertension increased significantly in the overall population (from 62% in 2003% to 66% in 2006; P<0.001), the increase being significant in women (from 64% in 2003% to 71% in 2006; P<0.001) but not in men (from 60% to 62%; P=0.26). Similarly, the proportion treated had risen significantly overall (from 48% to 54%; P<0.001) and in women (from 52% to 62%; P<0.001) but not in men (from 43% to 47%; P=0.05). Control rates (<140/90 mm Hg) were higher in 2006 than in 2003 (from 22% to 28%; P<0.001) and had increased more among women than men: from 23% to 32% in women (P<0.001) and from 21% to 24% in men (P=0.02). Among those on treatment, control rates increased from 46% to 52% (P<0.001; from 44% to 53% in women, P<0.001; and from 48% to 52% in men, P=0.18). The most common agents used for monotherapy have changed since 2003 and were angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Where > or =2 drugs were used, the most common antihypertensive class used varied by age and ethnicity. Awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension increased between 2003 and 2006, particularly in women, but opportunities for further improvement remain.