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Benchmarking is one of the tools that enables health care professionals to measure and identify inconsistencies in patient care practices. Understanding these inconsistencies enables the health care team to develop processes that are innovative and efficient. National pressure ulcer prevalence surveys provide a benchmark to evaluate an individual facility's care and treatment of patients at risk for pressure ulcer development. Success, however, lies in the health care professional's ability to take the information and apply it to clinical practice. Through the use of a benchmarking approach, performance gaps can be identified, processes can be put into place, and improved patient outcomes can be monitored and maintained.

Obesity as well as bariatric surgery may increase the risk for vitamin D deficiency. We retrospectively compared vitamin D levels in obese patients (n = 123) prior to bariatric surgery and 1 year postoperatively. We also evaluated parathyroid hormone levels (PTH) 1 year after surgery. A higher percentage of patients had baseline vitamin D deficiency (86%), defined as 25-hydroxy vitamin D <32 ng/mL, compared with the 1-year (post-surgical) levels, (70%; p < 0.001). Body mass index (BMI) inversely correlated with vitamin D deficiency at baseline (r = -0.3, p = 0.06) and at the postoperative follow-up (r = -0.2, p = 0.013). One third of the postoperative population had secondary hyperparathyroidism, defined by a serum PTH level >62 pg/mL; however, postoperative PTH and vitamin D levels were unrelated (r = -0.001, p = 0.994). Pre- and postoperative vitamin D levels were inversely correlated with BMI. Secondary hyperparathyroidism was observed in 33% of patients postoperatively; however, this did not correlate with vitamin D.

Academic research is increasingly driven by research assessment exercises (in the UK, by the Research Excellence Framework). These aim to compare outputs of researchers in each university with those elsewhere, but evaluation efforts have suffered from widespread criticism. The status of pedagogic research in HE-once described as the 'Cinderella' of academia, but now an increasing part of university research activity-has also prompted some controversy. Both policy-makers and academics have raised questions about whether such research is appropriate for submission, and confusion exists over the distinction between pedagogic research and 'scholarship of teaching and learning'. This project, funded by the UK Higher Education Academy, explored the experiences of HE pedagogic researchers in REF2014, and found evidence of barriers to participation. These included concerns about quality, expertise of reviewers, and local and intra-institutional politics, all of which may have limited the inclusion of HE pedagogic research.

Background: Sedentary lifestyles and poor physical fitness are major contributors to the current obesity and cardiovascular disease pandemic. Hypothesis: Daily physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness are correlated in morbidly obese individuals in their free-living environment. Methods: Ten morbidly obese participants continuously wore an activity sensor that measured caloric expenditure, minute-by-minute physical activity, and steps/day over a 72-h period. Following collection of the device data, structured cardiorespiratory fitness testing was performed on each subject. Results: Mean caloric expenditure for all individuals was 2,668±481 kcal/d. On average, subjects took 3,763±2,223 steps. On average 23 h and 51.6 min per d were spent sleeping or engaged in sedentary activity (<3 metabolic equivalents [METs]) and the remaining 8.4 min were spent in moderate activity (3-6 METs). Average peak VO 2 was 16.8±4.7 mL/kg/min. Higher peak VO 2 correlated with higher total caloric expenditure (TCE; r = 0.628, p = 0.05) and trended with higher steps/day (r = 0.591, p = 0.07). Conclusions: Most morbidly obese participants in this study were markedly sedentary. These study results may provide important links between obesity, poor fitness, and cardiovascular disease.

Our findings suggest that adolescents lack knowledge regarding the risk of cardiovascular disease and do not perceive themselves at risk for cardiovascular disease. These data will be useful in designing future preventive strategies and interventions aimed at this target population.

Purpose -This paper aims to investigate students' energy literacy at a UK university, and recommends ways in which it can be enhanced using a behaviour change model. Developing students' energy literacy is a key part of the "greening" agenda, yet little is known about how students develop their ideas about energy use and energy saving at a university. Design/methodology/approach -The research utilised a mixed-methods approach including an online survey (with 1,136 responses) and focus groups. Findings -The research identified strengths and weaknesses in students' energy literacy, and noted the relative influence of formal and informal curricula. The potential for aligning these curricula is highlighted through the 4Es model of enable, engage, exemplify and encourage. Research limitations/implications -The research involved a single instrumental case-study site. The wider applicability of the findings should therefore be tested further in other institutions. Practical implications -The research suggests ways in which universities might better support their students in making more sustainable energy-related behaviour choices, and it indicates the importance of knowledge as well as attitudes. Social implications -The research may have implications for the energy-saving behaviours of individuals in the wider society. Originality/value -Attempts to reduce energy use in higher education are widely seen in campus operations. This research provides an indication of the potential for enhancing energy-saving through different forms of curricula.