A pilot intervention to promote walking and wellness and to improve the health of college faculty and staff

There is a need to investigate novel interventions that promote worksite physical activity and wellness. OBJECTIVE: The authors' purpose in this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week walking program supplemented with a pedometer, computer educational program, and weekly e-mails. METHODS: College faculty and staff participated in a one-group pre-posttest study to determine whether the 12-week walking intervention had an effect on body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol. The authors also determined participant-perceived wellness effects. RESULTS: The authors observed differences between baseline and follow-up in BMI (p = .024), blood glucose (p = .06), and total cholesterol (p = .09). The program had a moderate effect on fitness, mood, health awareness, nutrition, and health. CONCLUSIONS: It is incumbent that experts develop innovative worksite physical activity and wellness programs. A pedometer-monitored walking program is one way that a worksite health initiative can improve the health and wellness of its employees and simultaneously reduce health-care costs.     

Predicting 1-year change in body mass index among college students

OBJECTIVE: Despite beliefs about weight gain in college, few researchers have evaluated this phenomenon. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 18- to 31-year-old students at a midwestern university. The dependent variable was body mass index (BMI) change. METHODS: The authors extracted predictor variables from a Health Risk Appraisal. These included clinical, medical history, medical usage, medications, pain or chronic conditions, perceptual measures, and behavioral factors. The authors performed an ordinal regression technique separately by gender. RESULTS: No predictors were significant for men. Women in the BMI gain group were (1) more likely to consume alcohol, use maladaptive coping behaviors, eat foods low in fiber, and consume caffeine; and (2) less likely to be stress-free, to eat cruciferous vegetables, and to refrain from eating high-cholesterol foods. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of research on predictors of and interventions for reducing BMI gain among college students warrants more research.     

Unplanned sexual activity as a consequence of alcohol use: a prospective study of risk perceptions and alcohol use among college freshmen

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to show how risk perceptions regarding unplanned sexual activity following alcohol use are prospectively related to subsequent alcohol consumption. PARTICIPANTS: Undergraduate students (N = 380) completed questionnaires at 2 time points during their freshman year. METHODS: In the middle of the academic year (T1), students estimated their risk of engaging in unplanned sex and reported their alcohol use during the previous term. Four months later (T2), they again reported alcohol use and indicated whether they had engaged in unplanned sex since T1. RESULTS: Students who consumed more alcohol at T1 rated their risk of unplanned sex more highly, suggesting relative accuracy. Those with higher risk perceptions consumed more alcohol at T2 (controlling for T1 use), suggesting that they maintained the high-risk behavior. Last, those who were unrealistically optimistic (ie, estimated low risk at T1 yet had unplanned sex by T2) reported greater alcohol use at T2. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the role that risk perceptions regarding sexual activity may play in college students' alcohol use.     

Functional benefit of power training for older adults

Aging leads to significant losses in muscle mass, strength, and the ability to independently perform activities of daily living (ADL). Typically, standard resistance training (RT) has been used to reduce these losses in function by maintaining or even increasing muscle strength in older adults. Increasing strength does not necessarily, however, result in an increase in the ability to perform ADL. There is now research suggesting that muscle power is more closely associated with the performance of ADL than muscle strength is, so training for muscle power might lead to more beneficial results in functional performance. This review of studies investigating the effect of training on ADL performance in older adults indicated that standard RT is effective in increasing strength in older adults, but power training that contains high-velocity contractions might be a more optimal means of training older adults when the emphasis is on increasing the performance of ADL.     

Comparison style, physical self-perceptions, and fitness among older women

This study examined the relationships between older women's comparison styles, physical self-perceptions, and functional fitness. Participants were community-dwelling women (N = 102, age 65-99) living in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Individuals were categorized as relying primarily on social comparisons, temporal comparisons, or a combination of both styles. Also of interest was whether individuals evaluated themselves positively or negatively when making comparisons. Participants who evaluated themselves positively as compared with others were found to have higher levels of physical self-perception. Analyses revealed that women who relied primarily on temporal comparisons had higher self-perceptions of their functional ability than those who relied on a combination of comparison styles. An avoidance of both temporal and social comparisons was also related to higher levels of physical self-perception.     

细胞培养-Taqman PCR分析法——评估小隐孢子虫消毒

小隐孢子虫(Cryptosporidium parvum)污染是对水工程的一个挑战也威胁到公众健康。在此项研究中,我们开发了一种细胞培养-定量PCR分析法来评估消毒后小隐孢子虫的活性。我们用这种方法对水工程中多种消毒法包括低压紫外光(LP-UV),臭氧,混合氧化剂(MIOX),氯气进行评估。证实该检测方法是可信和敏感的,最低能检测到一个感染卵囊。有效的卵囊消毒(灭活率>2 log10 units)是采用LP-UV(20 mJ/cm2)或2 mg臭氧/公升(10分钟)。MIOX和氯气消毒卵囊效果最差(灭活率<0.1 log10 unit)。这些结果证实了MIOX对小隐孢子虫消毒的无效性。该检测方法是对饮用水和循环水消毒系统有效的评估方法。     

数字营销:过去、现在与将来(一)

数字营销的第一阶段:2000-2004 2000年之所以可以成为数字营销历史的起点,主要有如下几点原因: 首先,关注数字互动营销的学术研究在2000年前后开始大量增加.《直效营销杂志》(Journal of Direct Marketing)在1998年更名为《互动营销杂志》(Journal of Interactive Marketing)并开始发行.     

数字营销:过去、现在与将来(五)

数字营销未来要解决的问题 本篇我们来谈谈数字营销未来可能要面对的问题和风险,下面分三个方面来探讨: 一、碎片化问题 虽然能够从近15年的研究分析中找出周期性的研究主题,但我们也注意到,顶级期刊中关于DSMM的研究主题碎片化程度很高,许多有趣的研究之间可以说毫无相关性.高质量的专业期刊中,要么是宽泛的概念研究,要么是很窄的深度模型研究,缺乏全视野的研究.一般期刊中的研究则倾向于提供片面的理论或模型的片段.我们其实缺乏对前人提出的理论进行深刻或全面的认识,也缺乏支持或反驳先前概念的研究.