OBJECTIVE To identify critical periods in the variation in body composition during a school year and determine possible causes. METHODS A total of 363 boys and girls aged between 10 and 14 years participated in the study. Before and after the Winter Holidays (WIH) and National Holidays (NAH) (July and September, respectively), measurements were taken of body weight, body fat percentage, waist...

BACKGROUND Although stress is known to be a common occupational health issue in the veterinary profession, few studies have investigated its broad domains or the internal validity of the survey instrument used for assessment. METHODS We analysed data from over 500 veterinarians in Queensland, Australia, who were surveyed during 2006-07. RESULTS The most common causes of stress were reported...

BACKGROUND Keelung City has the highest suicide rate in Taiwan. This study aimed to determine whether meteorological and socio-economic factors are associated with suicide mortality in Keelung City, by gender and by means of suicide. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Data on suicides between January 2006 and December 2010 were provided by the Department of Health, Keelung City Government. The suicide vict...

Understanding the spatial interactions of human mobility is crucial for urban planning, traffic engineering, as well prevention and control infectious diseases. Although many models have been developed to model mobility, it not clear whether such could also capture traveling mechanisms across different time periods (e.g. workdays, weekends or holidays). With one-year long nationwide location-ba...

Bikeshare provides important first mile–last mile, commuting, circulation, and sightseeing options in many cities. can also be healthy convenient for users. Throughout the year, holidays occur that change typical bikeshare activity patterns. Existing literature shows mixed results relating to ridership impacts of holidays: some research these days may result higher ridership, whereas others sho...

Across the UK, 1.3 million children access free school meals for around 38 weeks of the year. However, during school holidays, many families face considerable difficulties in providing a consistent and nutritious supply of food for their children, particularly during the extended summer break. In an effort to address this issue, a number of community-based breakfast clubs were set-up across the...