Suchergebnisse

The acute effect of temperature on asthma morbidity in Bangladesh is not well understood. As climate varies extensively in different parts of the world, the relation between temperature and asthma might also differ. We investigated the association between temperature and asthma-related hospital visits in the tropical city of Dhaka. We analyzed information from a total of 5989 asthma patients who received ambulatory care in the form of nebulized medication at the National Asthma Center in Mohakhali, Dhaka from February to November 2013. A time-stratified case-crossover study was conducted to estimate the effect of daily temperature, with consideration of delayed effects and possible confounders such as relative humidity and political strikes. An inverse association was observed between temperature and the number of hospital visits. The effect was delayed for approximately a week. A degree centigrade decrease in mean temperature (averaged across lags 0-6) was associated with an increase of approximately 4.5% (95% CI 1.5, 7.5) in all asthma visits. The association was evident in adult males but marginal in elderly males. A positive association (lag 0) was observed among adult females, whereas no association was observed among children. Strikes significantly modified the effect among the elderly. Findings suggest temperature declines affect asthma outcomes in a warm climate, and this effect can be delayed and vary by sex and age group.

Despite an increasing interest in issues surrounding environmental equity, much research evidence to date is based on studies adopting cross-sectional approaches which do not adequately capture the processes and mechanisms generating inequities. Longitudinal studies may better inform policy measures to remedy inequity between populations, but the few that have been undertaken have mostly been focused solely on environmental risks—ignoring access to amenities. As a case study, we adopt a longitudinal approach in this work to investigate the association between sociodemographic indicators and public park provision over an eighteen-year period in the city of Yokohama, Japan. We show that inequities in park provision are present over the whole time period. Hedonic modelling shows that park accessibility is positively associated with house and land prices in the city. Our results suggested some, relatively weak, evidence of two causal processes: New parks are located in more affluent communities; yet new parks also appear to encourage further move-in of affluent populations. We suggest that park provision by administrative authorities in less-affluent neighbourhoods may be required to maintain equity in access to these valuable community resources. Economic incentives, such as subsidy provision, may have a role to play to encourage park provision by developers.

Bat swing velocity (BSV) is an imperative element of a successful baseball hitting performance. This study aimed to investigate the anthropometric and physiological variables associated with BSV and explore strength and conditioning programs to increase BSV in collegiate baseball players. Seventy-eight collegiate baseball players (mean age ± SD, 19.4 ± 1.0 years) participated in this study. Maximum BSV (km/h) was measured using Blast Baseball (Blast Motion Inc., Carlsbad, CA, USA). The anthropometric and physiological variables measured were height, body mass, lean body mass, grip strength, back muscle strength, the 30 m sprint, standing long jump, and backward overhead medicine ball throwing. Analysis using Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient showed a weak but significant positive correlation between all anthropometric measurements to BSV. Significant relationships existed between physiological variables of hand grip, back muscle strength, and backward overhead medicine ball throwing, but not the standing long jump and 30 m sprint. These data show that BSV is related to anthropometric and physiological variables, particularly upper and lower body strength and full-body explosive power. Based on the results of this study, we designed examples of sound training programs to increase BSV. Strength and conditioning coaches may want to consider using this information when designing a training program for collegiate baseball players.