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Clinician Perspectives on Incorporating Physical Activity and Sleep Prescriptions Using eHealth for Youth With Comorbid Psychiatric Disorders: Qualitative Focus Group Study
No full textBackground: Physical activity and sleep prescriptions are indicated for the treatment of psychiatric disorders among youth. However, there is limited clinical adoption of these practices. Exergaming (ie, games that require physical activity) is a feasible intervention to promote physical activity and sleep hygiene and is appealing to youth given their interest in video gaming. Integrating exergaming prescriptions into clinical mental health practices may offer an opportunity to expand access to these interventions, yet pragmatic considerations for adopting these programs are poorly understood.
Objective: This study aimed to gain feedback from practicing clinicians on adopting GamerFit, an app-based intervention that incorporates exergames, step and sleep tracking, and online coaching to promote physical activity and sleep, as a tool in treatment plans for youth aged 13 to 17 years with psychiatric disorders.
Methods: Mental health clinicians participated in 2 online focus groups. A semistructured interview collected information on perceptions of the importance of physical activity and sleep, considerations for using GamerFit with clients, and approaches for incorporating GamerFit into standard care. Qualitative analysis included a hierarchical thematic coding system of isolated quotes, with the structure, frequency, and interrelationships of the coded quotes used for analysis.
Results: All clinicians (8/8, 100%) endorsed physical activity and sleep prescriptions as important interventions, although they were not typically a focus of treatment. Clinicians reported varying levels of self-efficacy in encouraging physical activity goals (6/8, 75%) and, to a lesser extent, sleep hygiene (4/8, 50%). Most perceived eHealth approaches positively (7/8, 88%) and noted their appeal given the accessibility of this physical activity option via gaming (2/4, 50%). Clinicians were optimistic about the feasibility of using GamerFit; the exergame and health coaching aspects of GamerFit were perceived favorably (5/8, 62%). Clinicians desired to access app data in electronic health systems to incorporate in therapeutic sessions (4/8, 50%) and recommended using the app in residential settings with continued use at home (2/8, 25%). Clinicians expressed concern regarding the implementation of GamerFit with families with low technology literacy, noting that some patients would likely require parental assistance to help with reminders and technology use (1/8, 12%). Suggestions for improvement included a greater variety of exergames and features to increase adolescents\u27 engagement (6/8, 75%). There was a considerable willingness to incorporate this technology into clinicians\u27 clinical practices and a strong desire for insurance provisions to cover coaching and technological components (7/8, 88%).
Conclusions: Clinicians perceived GamerFit as a feasible and acceptable clinical approach to physical activity and sleep prescriptions for youth with psychiatric disorders. The remote delivery of this intervention was perceived to be of interest to patients and provided helpful guidance for clinicians who were short on time to address many important topics within limited session time frames
Unraveling the role of OsPIP1;3 in arsenic transport in rice (Oryza sativa L.)
No full textRice is the main diet for more than half of the world’s population; thus, it gains special interest to ensure it is safe for consumption. Growing rice, especially in flooded paddy fields where the soil or irrigation water is contaminated with Arsenic (As) favors rice to accumulate it in biomass and edible grains. Thus, rice is the primary source of dietary As contamination, which is a major health hazard. Understanding the mechanism of As uptake and developing approaches to restrict the movement of As from soil to different plant tissues are necessary to limit As accumulation in rice. This study investigates the role of rice plasma membrane intrinsic protein, OsPIP1;3, in As transport and translocation from root to shoot in rice. Suppression of OsPIP1;3 expression using RNAi (Ri) technology decreases As accumulation in the shoots of transgenic OsPIP1;3 Ri plants by (45.3–45.6%), with no noticeable effect on root arsenic levels. In contrast, constitutive overexpressing (OE) OsPIP1;3 increased As in shoots of rice seedlings by 8–29%, with no significant change in root As content compared with WT. At the maturity stage, OsPIP1;3 Ri plants accumulated (29–36%) and (5–21%) less As in shoot and flag leaves, respectively, while grains show a slight reduction. Similar to the seedling stages, OsPIP1;3 OE mature plants accumulated significantly high As levels in their shoots, flag leaves, and grains compared to WT. Together, these results suggest that OsPIP1;3 contribute to As transport from root to shoot in rice. This finding could add to the current knowledge of As transporters, which are collectively considered a major genetic source for manipulation to reduce As accumulation in rice and other food crops for improved human and environmental health
Examining Effective Translation and Implementation Methods for Equitable Access and Scaling of Nutrition Programs—A Report From the “Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development: Knowledge Indicating Dietary Sufficiency (BOND-KIDS)” Project Working Group 4
No full textSchool-age years (5–19 y) are a critical development period, bridging early childhood and adulthood. Nutrition during this stage is essential for supporting physical, cognitive, and socioemotional/psychological well-being. Moreover, nutritional status in these years has lasting effects on lifelong health, well-being, productivity, and human capital. In 2022, the National Institutes of Health “Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development: Knowledge Indicating Dietary Sufficiency (BOND-KIDS)” Project was launched to explore how to advance the assessment and impact of nutrition programs and policies for school-age children. The aim of this study is to use an ecological approach and available evidence to develop actionable tools for policymakers and program planners that support the design, implementation, and evaluation of equitable, effective, and scalable nutrition programs for school-age children. The BOND-KIDS project convened 4 expert working groups (WGs) to explore biological, environmental, assessment, and implementation dimensions of nutrition during school-age years. WG4 focused on translation and implementation and applied an ecological lens to identify strategies that are fair, effective, and adaptable to meet the needs of communities. WG4 developed 2 tools to support effective nutrition programming for school-age children: 1) a set of 6 overarching principles—equity, developmental relevance, transdisciplinary collaboration, contextual adaptation, sustainability, and systems thinking, and 2) the BOND-KIDS implementation framework. Together, these tools serve as resources for designing, implementing, and evaluating the process and outcomes of nutrition interventions and programs across diverse settings and populations. Strategic investment in nutrition during school-age years is necessary to secure early gains, enable catch-up growth, enhance cognitive development, promote long-term health, and optimize individual and societal productivity. Using the overarching principles and the BOND-KIDS implementation framework can ensure that programs achieve their goals—promoting early nutrition gains, supporting catch-up growth, enhancing cognitive development, and driving human capital transformation
Deepening the Critique: Ecological Modernization and Biocultural Diversity in the Capitalist World-System
No full textThis paper overviews two contrasting approaches, ecological modernization and biocultural diversity, to understanding and responding to the current proliferation of socioecological crises globally. Through a world-systems lens, it becomes apparent that these approaches occupy very different places within the enduring legacies of colonialism and contemporary forms of ecological imperialism/neocolonialism. At closer look, the foundational premises of ecological modernization are not only likely to continue the dynamics of inequality and environmental injustice in the capitalist world-system, but also result in the continued loss of biocultural diversity. While existing critiques of ecological modernization have highlighted neocolonial dynamics of green grabbing, the critique must be deepened to include loss of biocultural diversity, and with it the extinction and closing off of richly diverse, non-capitalist spaces that have evolved for millennia. Biocultural approaches, as opposed to ecological modernization technocratic solutions, also hold practical, grassroots and just approaches to environmental crises that emphasize the rights of indigenous and local communities. Biocultural approaches have developed with long-histories outside the Eurocentric, Cartesian paradigm of ecological modernization, and this paper also discusses the implications of these biocultural perspectives for Left movements seeking radical structural change
Information literacy as resistance: Confronting inequity through critical pedagogy
No full textInformation literacy and social justice are deeply intertwined. The ability to access, evaluate, and use information empowers individuals to recognize inequities and advocate for their rights. As political polarization and systemic oppression intensify in the United States, the need to center diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within information literacy work is more urgent than ever. By promoting information literacy, librarians help ensure that marginalized communities can more fully participate in society, thereby contributing to a more equitable world. This study explores the intersection of information literacy and social justice, focusing on the pivotal role librarians can play in advancing equity in higher education. It also outlines practical strategies that can be used to create more inclusive learning environments in this uncertain political era
From Punk to Pedagogy: Teaching Information Literacy Through a Subversive Lens
No full textTraditional models of information literacy instruction often emphasize compliance, neutrality, and academic conventions that can alienate students and reinforce dominant power structures. This article offers a subversive alternative by drawing on the ethos of punk rock to reimagine the librarian’s role as a radical educator. Rooted in critical information literacy and feminist pedagogy, this approach frames information literacy as an act of resistance that encourages students to interrogate authority, confront systemic injustice, and reclaim agency in their research practices. Through reflective analysis and practical examples, this study explores how punk values such as do-it-yourself (DIY) ethics, anti-authoritarianism, authenticity, and community can inform inclusive, liberatory teaching strategies. From zine-making to teaching with Reddit, this article illustrates how librarians can create spaces for vulnerability, experimentation, and transformation in the classroom. Ultimately, it invites educators to embrace imperfection, question neutrality, and cultivate a pedagogy that is as critical and courageous as the students being served
It’s a lightboard … and a glassboard!
No full textIn this poster I present an innovative lightboard-glassboard design concept and prototype. The device, when not in use as a lightboard, is positioned against a wall in a low-profile configuration and used as an illuminable office glassboard. For video production, the device – supported and guided by a robust anti-tip rail system – is safely rolled away from the wall and used as a lightboard. This device has several advantages over traditional mobile lightboard designs including ease and reliability of setup, elimination of storage and transport issues, usability in modest-sized offices, and functionality as an illuminable glassboard when not in use as a lightboard
