Global prevalence and gender inequalities in at least 60 min of self-reported moderate-to-vigorous physical activity 1 or more days per week:An analysis with 707,616 adolescents

Background:Guidelines recommend that adolescents should accumulate an average of 60 min per day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity(MVPA).However,using only this cut-off could hide important information.For instance,from a population-level point of view,increasing physical activity for those with no or low physical activity could provide more health benefits than increasing physical activity for those with intermediate levels.Also,including a more sensitive cut-point of≥1 days per week could be an additional strategy for identifying those with low access/opportunities for physical activity practice.Thus,the current study aims to estimate the prevalence of≥60 min of MVPA≥1 days per week among adolescents globally,and to describe any relevant gender inequalities.Methods:We used representative datasets from 146 countries/territories collected between 2003 and 2019.MVPA was self-reported.Participants were grouped into younger(≤14 years old)and older(>14 years old)adolescents.Crude Poisson regression models were used to identify the relative differences in≥60 min of MVPA≥1 days per week between boys and girls,and random-effects meta-analysis models were used to identify the pooled estimates.Analyses were stratified by country and region.Results:Approximately 80%of both younger and older adolescents reported≥60 min of MVPA≥1 days per week.This prevalence was≥94%in Europe and Central Asia and North America,while the estimates for the other regions were<77%.The prevalence of≥60 min of MVPA≥1 days per week was higher among boys than girls,with the largest differences occurring among the oldest adolescents(Prevalence ratio_(≤14y)=1.04(95%confidence interval(95%CI)):1.03-1.04)vs.Prevalence ratio_(>14y)=1.09(95%CI:1.08-1.10)).Conclusion:Approximately 8 out of 10 adolescents reported accumulating≥60 min of MVPA≥1 days per week,with notable differences between regions.Gender differences were observed in several countries,especially among the oldest adolescents.Priorities for physical activity promotion among adolescents should include increasing access/opportunities for physical activity among those who do not achieve≥60 min of MVPA≥1 days per week and reducing gender inequalities.

Methodology of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in China, 2010

INTRODUCTION The Global Adult Tobacco Survey （GATS） is a component of Global Tobacco Surveillance System （GTSS） under auspices of the Bloomberg philanthropy and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. GATS is a household survey with a standard protocol and its goals are to measure tobacco use, to assess changes due to policy and to facilitate cross country comparison. China is the largest consumer and producer of tobacco in the world. China was selected as one of 14 countries of high burden of tobacco use, large population, and mostly low income, to conduct the GATS.

Association between Active School Travel and Depressive Symptoms among 51,702 Adolescents in 26 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Little is known about the role of active school travel(AST)on mental health among adolescents.Thus,this study aimed to explore the AST-depression association among adolescents aged 12–15 years from 26 low-and middle-income countries(LMICs).Data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey were analyzed in 51,702 adolescents[mean(SD)age 13.8(1.0)years;49.3%boys).Both depressive symptoms and AST were assessed by a single question self-reported measure,respectively.Participants who reported having 5 days or above were considered as AST.Multivariable logistic regression analysis(accounting for sampling weights)was performed while controlling for gender,age,physical activity,sedentary behavior,and food insecurity,and a countrywide meta-analysis was undertaken.The prevalence of depressive symptoms and AST were 30.1%and 37.0%,respectively.Compared with those not having AST,adolescents with AST were less likely to have self-reported depressive symptoms(OR=0.88,95%CI:0.85-0.93)regardless of gender.Countrywide meta-analysis demonstrated that having AST versus not having AST was associated with 12%lower odds for depressive symptoms(OR=0.88;95%CI:0.82-0.94)but with a moderate between-country heterogeneity(I^(2)=59.0%).Based on large samples of adolescents from LMICs,it would be expected that AST may play a critical role in preventing adolescent depression worldwide.However,it is necessary to consider more country-specific factors when implementing AST-related mental health interventions.Future studies should adopt the solid study design to confirm or negate our researchfindings.

Food Insecurity and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents Aged 12–15 Years from Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Purpose:Little is known about the role of food insecurity(FIS)on depressive symptoms among adolescents.Thus,this study aimed to explore the association between FIS and depressive symptoms among adolescents aged 12–15 years from low-and middle-income countries across the world.Methods:Data from the Global school-based Student Health Survey were analyzed in 51,702 adolescents[mean(SD)age 13.8(1.0)years;49.3% girls].Self-reported measures assessed depressive symptoms during the past 12 months,and food insecurity.Partici-pants reporting yes for depressive symptoms.FIS was categorized intofive levels,including‘never’,‘rarely’,‘some-times’,‘most of the time’and‘always’.Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed,and a country-wise meta-analysis was undertaken to compare country difference in the associations between FIS and depressive symptoms.Results:The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 30.0%,respectively.Compared with those reporting never for FIS,adolescents with increased severity of FIS were more likely to report depressive symptoms regardless of gender.Country-wise meta-analysis demonstrated that having FIS versus not having FIS was asso-ciated with 60%greater odds for depressive symptoms(OR=1.60;95%CI:1.52–1.69)but with a moderate between-country heterogeneity(I^(2)=12.7%).Conclusion:The current study indicates that alleviating FIS may be an effective prevention against depressive symptoms among adolescents from LMICs.Future studies should adopt improved study design to confirm or negate our researchfindings,which informs more efficient public mental health interventions.

An empirical comparison of four technology-mediated travel survey methods

The increasing demana for advanced modelling methods, which can reflect complex travel activities of individuals, requires enhanced travel data collection methods. The introduction of GPS-assisted data collection methods has provided an alternative to the conventional methods of travel data collection. GPS-assisted data collection methods improve the accu- racy of data collection and enable capturing more details of individuals＇ travel behaviour. Recent technological advancements in smartphone-based positioning technologies and communication facilities have opened up new opportunities to apply smartphones as the media of GPS-assisted data collection. Although, different GPS-assisted methods have been employed recently, their performance has not been widely evaluated in real-world experi- ments compared to traditional data collection methods. Accordingly, this paper evaluates the performance of three GPS-assisted methods, namely handheld GPS tracking, smart- phone-based GPS tracking and smartphone-based prompted-recall data collection methods, in conjunction with the web-based data collection to shed light on different aspects of GPS- assisted data collection methods. These methods are compared in terms of the quality and accuracy of the collected data, the demographic attributes of participants and the specifi- cations of labelled trips. The results show that an appropriate employment of smartphones enhances the accuracy of data collection. It is also found that putting an extra burden on participants during a travel data collection survey results in lower trip-rates and poor data quality. Finally, it is found that the application of smartphone-assisted data collection methods help reporting non-motorised trips more accurately.