ObjectivesIn spring 2020, the first COVID-19 national lockdown placed unprecedented restrictions on the behaviour and movements of the UK population. Citizens were ordered to ‘stay at home’, only allowed to leave their houses to buy essential supplies, attend medical appointments or exercise once a day. We explored how lockdown and its subsequent easing changed young children’s everyday activities, eating and sleep habits to gain insight into the impact for health and well-being.DesignIn-depth qualitative interviews; data analysed using thematic analysis.SettingSouth West and West Midlands of England.ParticipantsTwenty parents (16 mothers; 4 fathers) of preschool-age children (3–5 years) due to start school in September 2020. Forty per cent of the sample were from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds and half lived in the most deprived areas.ResultsChildren’s activity, screen time, eating and sleep routines had been disrupted. Parents reported children ate more snacks, but families also spent more time preparing meals and eating together. Most parents reported a reduction in their children’s physical activity and an increase in screen time, which some linked to difficulties in getting their child to sleep. Parents sometimes expressed guilt about changes in activity, screen time and snacking over lockdown. Most felt these changes would be temporary, though others worried about re-establishing healthy routines.ConclusionsParents reported that lockdown negatively impacted on preschool children’s eating, activity and sleep routines. While some positive changes were identified, many participants described lack of routines, habits and boundaries which may have been detrimental for child health and development. Guidance and support for families during COVID-19 restrictions could be valuable to help maintain healthy activity, eating, screen time and sleeping routines to protect child health and ensure unhealthy habits are not adopted.

Physical activity (PA) may need to produce high impacts to be osteogenic. The aim of this study was to identify threshold(s) for defining high impact PA for future analyses in the VIBE (Vertical Impact and Bone in the Elderly) study, based on home recordings with triaxial accelerometers. Recordings were obtained from 19 Master Athlete Cohort (MAC; mean 67.6 years) and 15 Hertfordshire Cohort Study (HCS; mean 77.7 years) participants. Data cleaning protocols were developed to exclude artifacts. Accelerations expressed in g units were categorized into three bands selected from the distribution of positive Y-axis peak accelerations. Data were available for 6.6 and 4.4 days from MAC and HCS participants respectively, with approximately 14 hr recording daily. Three-fold more 0.5-1.0g impacts were observed in MAC versus HCS, 20-fold more 1.0-1.5g impacts, and 140-fold more impacts ≥ 1.5g. Our analysis protocol successfully distinguishes PA levels in active and sedentary older individuals.

SummaryThis study assessed the effect of accelerometry-measured higher impacts resulting from habitual weight-bearing activity on lower limb bone strength in older women. Despite higher impacts being experienced rarely in this population-based cohort, positive associations were observed between higher vertical impacts and lower limb bone size and strength.IntroductionWe investigated whether the benefit of habitual weight-bearing physical activity (PA) for lower limb bone strength in older women is explained by exposure to higher impacts, as previously suggested by observations in younger individuals.MethodsFour hundred and eight women from the Cohort for Skeletal Health in Bristol and Avon (COSHIBA), mean 76.8 years, wore tri-axial accelerometers at the waist for a mean of 5.4 days. Y-axis peaks were categorised, using previously identified cutoffs, as low (0.5–1.0 g), medium (1.0–1.5 g), and higher (≥1.5 g) impacts. Mid and distal peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans of the tibia and radius were performed, as were hip and lumbar spine Dual X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) scans. Regressions between (log transformed) number of low, medium and high impacts, and bone outcomes were adjusted for artefact error grade, age, height, fat and lean mass and impacts in other bands.ResultsEight thousand eight hundred and nine (4047, 16,882) low impacts were observed during the measurement week, 345 (99, 764) medium impacts and 42 (17, 106) higher impacts (median with 25th and 75th quartiles). Higher vertical impacts were positively associated with lower limb bone strength as reflected by cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI) of the tibia [0.042 (0.012, 0.072) p = 0.01] and hip [0.067 (0.001, 0.133) p = 0.045] (beta coefficients show standard deviations change per doubling in impacts, with 95 % confidence interval). Higher impacts were positively associated with tibial periosteal circumference (PC) [0.015 (0.003, 0.027) p = 0.02], but unrelated to hip BMD. Equivalent positive associations were not seen for low or medium impacts.ConclusionsDespite their rarity, habitual levels of higher impacts were positively associated with lower limb bone size and strength, whereas equivalent relationships were not seen for low or medium impacts.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00198-016-3863-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This paper uses a novel air pollution modelling technique to capture strong spatial and temporal resolution in order to assign exposure estimates to a large cohort, reducing the risk of exposure misclassification. The association between air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes is quantified in North West England -an area where this has not been investigated before. Affiliation 518Scand J Work Environ Health 2014, vol 40, no 5 Original article Scand J Work Environ Health. 2014;40(5):518-530. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3423 Air pollution exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes in a large UK birth cohort: use of a novel spatio-temporal modelling technique By Kimberly Hannam, PhD,1,2, 3 Roseanne McNamee, PhD, 3 Philip Baker, MD, 4 Colin Sibley, PhD,1, 2 Raymond Agius, MD 5 Hannam K, McNamee R, Baker P, Sibley C, Agius R. Air pollution exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes in a large UK birth cohort: use of a novel spatio-temporal modelling technique. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2014;40(5):518-530 doi:10.5271/sjweh.3423Objectives Previous work suggests an association between air pollution exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes, even at relatively low concentrations. Our aim was to quantify the effect of air pollution having an adverse effect on preterm birth (PTB) and fetal growth in a large UK cohort using a novel exposure estimation technique [spatio-temporal (S-T) model] alongside a traditional nearest stationary monitor technique (NSTAT).Methods All available postcodes from a Northwest England birth outcome dataset during 2004-2008 were geocoded (N=203 562 deliveries). Pollution estimates were linked to corresponding pregnancy periods using temporally adjusted background modelled concentrations as well as NSTAT. Associations with PTB, small for gestational age (SGA), and birth weight were investigated using regression models adjusting for maternal age, ethnicity, parity, birth season, socioeconomic status (SES), body mass index (BMI), and smoking.Results Based on the novel S-T model, a small statistically significant association was observed for particulate matter (PM 10 ) and SGA, particularly with exposure in the first and third trimesters. Similar effects on SGA were also found for nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), particulate matter (PM 2,5 ), and carbon monoxide (CO) in later pregnancy, but no overall increased risk was observed. No associations were found with NO x or the outcomes PTB and reduction in birth weight. ConclusionOur findings suggest an association between air pollution exposure and birth of a SGA infant, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy but not with PTB or mean birth weight change.Key terms England; exposure estimation; preterm birth; SGA; small-for-gestational age; spatio-temporal model. Pregnancy outcome is determined by the ability of the fetus to thrive, which depends on a complex combination of genetic, social, and environmental factors (1). If, during pregnancy, a mother is exposed to increased environmental or social stressors, this could result in an increased risk of re...