Search Results (10)

Citizen science has emerged as a potent approach for environmental monitoring, leveraging the collective efforts of volunteers to gather data at unprecedented scales. Within the framework of the I-CHANGE project, MeteoTracker, a citizen science initiative, was employed to collect meteorological measurements. Through MeteoTracker, volunteers contributed to a comprehensive dataset, enabling insights into local weather patterns and trends. This paper presents the analysis and the results of the validation of such observations against the official Italian civil protection in situ weather network, demonstrating the effectiveness of citizen science in generating valuable environmental data. The work discusses the methodology employed, including data collection and statistical analysis techniques, i.e., time-series analysis, spatial and temporal interpolation, and correlation analysis. The overall analysis highlights the high quality and reliability of citizen-generated data as well as the strengths of the MeteoTracker platform. Furthermore, our findings underscore the potential of citizen science to augment traditional monitoring efforts, inform decision-making processes in environmental research and management, and improve the social awareness about environmental and climate issues. Full article

This study describes a novel species of Diploderma (Squamata, Agamidae) from the lower valley of the Dadu River of the Sichuan Province of Western China based on its distinct morphological features and molecular evidence. D. daduense sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by its tympanum concealed; head mainly green-yellow, supplemented by black; skin folds under the nuchal and dorsal crest obviously present in adult males only, its vertebral crest discontinuous between nuchal and dorsal sections with a distinct gap; transverse gular fold present but not obvious in some individuals; gular spot absent in both sexes; dorsolateral stripes green-yellow anteriorly, cyan in the center and blurry off-white posteriorly in adult males, the upper edge of dorsolateral stripes strongly jagged in adult males; no radial stripes around the eyes; inner-lip coloration smoky-white, and the coloration of the tongue and oral cavity as a light-flesh color in life; bright green-yellow transverse stripes on dorsal body in males; black patches are evenly distributed along the vertebral line between the dorsolateral stripes from the neck to the base of the tail in males; beech-brown or gray-brown line along the vertebral line with heart-shaped or diamond-shaped black patches on the dorsal body in females; and supratemporals fewer than four on at least one side. The phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial ND2 sequences indicates that D. daduense sp. nov. forms an independent clade with strong support 1/100 in ML bootstrap/Bayesian posterior probability and is the sister group to D. splendidum. At the inter-species level, the p-distance is at least 6.95%, further confirming that an independent species had been identified. Our work raises the number of species within the genus Diploderma to 47. Full article

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy may be regarded as a new pandemic hindering the elimination of or coping with COVID-19. This study assessed reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy using the I-Change Model (ICM) by considering the role of informational and psychosocial factors. A cross-sectional online survey using a convenience sample was conducted among Dutch adults (n = 240). The questionnaire assessed information factors, predisposing factors, awareness factors, motivational factors, preparatory actions, and vaccination intention. Vaccine hesitant participants (n = 58, 24%) had lower levels of education, more often paid work, and tended to have a religion other than Catholicism. They used written media less often and tended to visit websites of public health organizations less often, but used messaging services like WhatsApp more frequently. All participants had neutral intentions towards checking information credibility. Vaccine hesitant respondents had less knowledge about vaccination, lower perceived severity of getting sick and dying of COVID-19, and reported fewer exposures to cues about the advantages of COVID-19 vaccination. They were less convinced of the emotional and rational advantages of COVID-19 vaccination and expressed more negative feelings about it. They also reported more negative social norms concerning COVID-19 vaccination, and lower self-efficacy to get vaccinated and to cope with potential side-effects. The regression model explained 58% of the variance in vaccination intention. The results suggest that strategies are needed to: 1. Reduce fake news and stimulate information checking to foster well-informed decision-making; 2. Target both rational and emotional consequences of COVID-19, in addition to strategies for optimizing levels of knowledge. Campaigns should acknowledge the perceptions of the emotional disadvantages and increase perceptions of emotional advantages of COVID-19 vaccinations, such as reducing feelings of regret, and increasing feelings of freedom and reassurance. Full article

An adequate protein intake is important for healthy ageing, yet nearly 50% of Dutch community-dwelling older adults do not meet protein recommendations. This study explores protein intake in relation to eight behavioral determinants (I-Change model) among Dutch community-dwelling older adults. Data were collected through an online questionnaire from October 2019–October 2020. Protein intake was assessed by the Protein Screener 55+, indicating a high/low chance of a low protein intake (<1.0 g/kg body weight/day). The behavioral determinants of cognizance, knowledge, risk perception, perceived cues, attitude, social support, self-efficacy and intention were assessed by evaluating statements on a 7-point Likert scale. A total of 824 Dutch community-dwelling older adults were included, recruited via online newsletters, newspapers and by personal approach. Poisson regression was performed to calculate quartile-based prevalence ratios (PRs). Almost 40% of 824 respondents had a high chance of a low protein intake. Univariate analyses indicated that lower scores for all different behavioral determinants were associated with a higher chance of a low protein intake. Independent associations were observed for knowledge (Q4 OR = 0.71) and social support (Q4 OR = 0.71). Results of this study can be used in future interventions aiming to increase protein intake in which focus should lie on increasing knowledge and social support. Full article

The purpose of this paper is to describe the protocol for the design, implementation, and evaluation of an animation- versus text-based computer tailoring game intervention aimed at preventing alcohol consumption and binge drinking (BD) in adolescents. A cluster-randomized controlled trial (CRCT) is carried out in students aged 14–19 enrolled in 24 high schools from Andalusia (Spain), which are randomized either to experimental (EC-1, EC-2) or waiting-list control conditions (CC). EC-1 receives an online intervention (Alerta Alcohol) with personalized health advice, using textual feedback and several gamification techniques. EC-2 receives an improved version (Alerta Alcohol 2.0) using animated videos and new gamification strategies. Both programs consist of nine sessions (seven taking place at high school and two at home): session 1 or baseline, sessions 2 and 3 that provide tailored advice based on the I-Change Model; sessions 4, 5, 7, and 8 are booster sessions, and sessions 6 and 9 are follow-up questionnaires at six and twelve months. The CC completes the baseline and the evaluation questionnaires. The primary outcome is BD within 30 days before post-test evaluations, and as secondary outcomes we assess other patterns of alcohol use. The findings should help the development of future alcohol drinking prevention interventions in adolescents. Full article

Preventive care and telemedicine are expected to play an important role in reducing the impact of an increasingly aging global population while increasing the number of healthy years. Virtual coaching is a promising research area to support this process. This paper presents a user-centered virtual coach for older adults at home to promote active and healthy aging and independent living. It supports behavior change processes for improving on cognitive, physical, social interaction and nutrition areas using specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-limited (SMART) goal plans, following the I-Change behavioral change model. Older adults select and personalize which goal plans to join from a catalog designed by domain experts. Intervention delivery adapts to user preferences and minimizes intrusiveness in the user’s daily living using a combination of a deterministic algorithm and incremental machine learning model. The home becomes an augmented reality environment, using a combination of projectors, cameras, microphones and support sensors, where common objects are used for projection and sensed. Older adults interact with this virtual coach in their home in a natural way using speech and body gestures on projected user interfaces with common objects at home. This paper presents the concept from the older adult and the caregiver perspectives. Then, it focuses on the older adult view, describing the tools and processes available to foster a positive behavior change process, including a discussion about the limitations of the current implementation. Full article

Education and healthcare professionals are crucial in detecting and reporting child abuse and neglect. However, signs of child abuse are often undetected, and professionals tend to underreport their suspicions of abuse and neglect. This qualitative study aimed to examine experiences, attitudes, perspectives, and decision-making skills of healthcare and education professionals with regard to identifying and reporting child abuse and to gain insight into how detection and reporting can be improved. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 49 Dutch professionals working in child health care, mental health care, primary schools, and secondary schools. The I-Change model was used as a theoretical framework to organize the results. Many professionals believe they miss child abuse signs in their daily work, partially due to a lack of focus on child abuse. Further, professionals indicated having insufficient knowledge of child abuse, and lack communication skills to detect or discuss signs indicative of child abuse in conversations with parents or children. As for risk assessment, professionals barely use structured instruments even though these are regarded as very helpful in the decision-making process. Finally, professionals experience deficits in the cooperation with child welfare organizations, and in particular with Child Protective Services (CPS). Various directions for improvement were discussed to overcome barriers in child abuse detection and reporting, including developing tools for detecting and assessing the risk of child abuse and improving communication and information transfer between organizations. Full article

Background: Critically testing and integrating theoretical models can aid health promotion research and intervention planning. This study aimed to critically compare and integrate Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Integrated-Change Model (ICM) for explaining physical activity behaviour. Methods: A dataset was used with Dutch adults, consisting of information on demographics and socio–cognitive and behavioural determinants. There were three measurements over a period of six months, with the baseline sample consisting of 1867 participants. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the reliability of the items and their corresponding scales. To examine cognitive pathways, we applied Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Results: For SDT, none of the pathways were significant but the model fit was decent (R² = 0.20; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.91). For ICM, the model fit was similar (R² = 0.19; RMSEA = 0.07; CFI = 0.73), with many significant pathways, as stipulated by the theory. The integration of STD and ICM constructs revealed similar explained behavioural variance (R² = 21%), with no significantly different model fit. Conclusion: The integration of SDT and ICM added no value as a prediction model. However, the integrated model explains the underlying mechanism of STD constructs, as well as the determinants of attitude, social influences, and self-efficacy. In the context of intervention design, ICM or the integrated model seem most useful as it reveals the stages and pathways to behaviour change. Full article

Binge drinking in adolescents is a worldwide public healthcare problem. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions about determinants of binge drinking in Spanish adolescents from the perspective of adolescents and parents. A qualitative study using fourteen semi-structured focus groups of adolescents was conducted during the 2014/2015 school year (n = 94), and four with parents (n = 19), based on the I-Change Model for health behaviour acquisition. Students had a low level of knowledge and risk perception and limited self-efficacy. Girls reported more parental control, and when they get drunk, society perceives them worse. Adolescents suggested focus preventive actions to improve self-efficacy and self-esteem. Parents were permissive about alcohol drinking but rejected binge drinking. They offered alcohol to their children, mainly during celebrations. A permissive family environment, lack of control by parents, adolescents’ low-risk perception, low self-esteem and self-efficacy, as well as the increase of binge drinking in girls as part of the reduction of the gender gap, emerge as risk factors for binge drinking. Future health programmes aimed at reducing binge drinking should focus on enhancing motivational factors, self-esteem, and self-efficacy in adolescents; supervision and parental control; as well as pre-motivational factors by increasing knowledge and risk awareness, considering gender differences. Full article