by Peter D. Hart
Original Research
Background: The 2018 (2nd edition) Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans states that adults should participate in muscle strengthening activity (MSA) of at least moderate intensity using all major muscle groups on two or more days a week. However, these guidelines do not promote specific types of MSA such as muscular strength training or muscular endurance training. This ambiguity, in part, is due to the lack of evidence linking specific types of MSA to health outcomes. And this lack of evidence, in part, is due to the inability to measure varying MSA behavior. This study reports the construct validity evidence for the MSA Scale (MSAS). Methods: The following research consists of a second development stage presenting validity evidence for the MSAS. Previous research indicates that seven items can measure three MSA dimensions: a three-item muscular strengthdimension, a three-item muscular endurancedimension, and a single-item body weight exercise dimension. The current research used both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the MSAS construct validity. Results: EFA indicated a two-factor structure explained 100% of the common variance among the 6 strength and endurance items (3 items per factor with all loadings > .52). The first factor was defined as strength and the second endurance. CFA indicated the two-factor MSAS measurement model had adequate fit (χ2/df = 4.24, GFI = 0.97, CFI = 0.92, and RMSEA = 0.09) with strength and endurancesignificantly (p < .001) predicting all observed variables. Factor strengthscores were strongly correlated with strengthsum scale scores and weakly correlated with endurance and body sum scale scores. Similarly,factor endurance scores were strongly correlated with endurance sum scale scores and weakly correlated with strengthand body sum scale scores. Conclusion: The seven-item MSAS is a simple and valid tool for measuring MSA behavior in adults. Two additional items are included in the MSAS to quantify MSA participation.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2019, 7(5), 189-193. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-7-5-4
Pub. Date: November 10, 2019
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by M. Felicia Cavallini and David J. Dyck
Mini Review
Most American and Canadian adults do not obtain the recommended PA guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and muscle-strengthening activity each week. Decades of attempting to increase PA within the adult population have clearly fallen short. What do we know about adult preferences, barriers and perceptions to PA and exercise that can influence the way we promote, connect and educate communities to move in a way that is more meaningful for them and likely to continue throughout adulthood and beyond? The purpose of this mini-review is to provide a rationale for the need to promote community lifestyle PA in a variety of ways based on research findings that can help educate, inspire and motivate all populations to become more engaged in PA. Customized, tailored, community PA visuals which are culturally and environmentally specific will be presented. Community graphics representing a small town (MyGaffney Activity), a mid-size town (MyGuelph Activity), a US state (MySouthCarolina Activity), and an airport (MyAirport Activity) will be introduced. The ultimate goal is to incorporate an effective PA intervention through a lifestyle PA paradigm addition, which will emulate a more realistic, doable, enjoyable, and natural form of PA in addition to the already established traditional exercise model for the benefit of the public to increase PA levels and improve health outcomes.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2019, 7(5), 182-188. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-7-5-3
Pub. Date: October 17, 2019
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by Begna Dugassa
Original Research
Background: In the Horn of Africa, the oral stories and written records show that famine has been periodically occurring in the region. In their daily prayers, when the Oromo elders say, give us peace, preclude us from extreme war, poverty, famine, and epidemic diseases, they are stating their longtime wishes and hopes. By that, on the one hand, they are acknowledging that famine is a longstanding public health problem, on the other, they are teaching the young generation the need to prevent war, poverty, famine, and diseases. In this paper, following the footstep of the blessing of Oromo elders, I want to synthesize knowledge and explore the intermingled relationships between famine, poverty, war, and diseases. Objectives: The primary objective of this paper is to explore the primary, secondary, and tertiary effects of famine on population health. Methods: Using knowledge synthesis methods, I conduct a systemic review, contextualize, and integrate different findings and interpret the results. Results: The public health impacts of famine are multifold. It is responsible for several infectious and chronic diseases, nutritional deficiency disorders, instability, environmental degradation, and poverty. Those problems manifest in the short term and long term, in the first generation, second and third generations. Conclusion: In the Horn of Africa, famine is a major public health problem. The people need to learn from the past and envision the need for transformative leadership and institutions that enable them to guarantee food security and improve public health conditions.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2019, 7(5), 171-181. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-7-5-2
Pub. Date: October 06, 2019
4954 Views939 Downloads
by Onyema Malachy Chizoba, Nwafor Johnbosco Ifunanya, Oliobi Wendy Chinwe, Okoye Paschal Chijioke, Nweke Assumpta Nnenna and Uche-Nwidagu Bridget Nkiruka
Original Research
Background: Subdermal contraceptive implant is one of the major forms of long acting reversible progestogen-only contraceptives. It is very reliable and its acceptance is on the increase globally. There is a need to evaluate its use among women of reproductive age group in Abakaliki. Aim: To review the uptake and discontinuation of Subdermal contraceptive implants-Jadelle and Implanon at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki. Materials and Methods:This was a 3-year retrospective study undertaken between 1stJanuary 2013 to 31stDecember, 2015 which involved 516 study participants. Client characteristics, the reason for implant uptake and reason for discontinuation of contraceptive implants were collected using a specially designed proforma. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 22. Result: The implant acceptance rate over the study period was 50.2%, and it represents the highest contraceptive uptake in the facility. The mean age of the clients was 31.87±4.94 years, while the mean parity was 4.75±2.33. Majority (326/516) 63.2% had Jadelle while the remaining 190 clients (36.8%) had Implanon inserted. Most of the clients were aged between 20 and 34 years, and were multiparous. Majority (61.7%) of the clients got the information from health care personnel, while the media was the least source of contraceptive information. The discontinuation rate for implants in the facility was 20.2%, (16.1% for Jadelle and 4.1% for Implanon). There was no pregnancy recorded among the client during the study period. The commonest reasons given for discontinuation of the contraceptive method was the desire for more pregnancies. Conclusion:Contraceptive implants are the commonest form of contraceptive uptake in our facility. The pearl index was 0% with a high discontinuation rate.
American Journal of Public Health Research. 2019, 7(5), 167-170. DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-7-5-1
Pub. Date: August 28, 2019
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