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African Infrastructure projects worth US$ 223 billion underway
By Helen Wright06 December 2013
There are currently 322 infrastructure projects underway in Africa with an individual project value of over US$ 50 million and a combined value of US$ 223 billion, according to research from business adviser Deloitte.
These projects – all of which had broken ground by, but not yet been commissioned at, 1 June 2013 – highlight the continent's huge potential in terms of development. The top sectors by investment value are energy and power, transport, mining, real estate and water, followed by oil and gas.
According to Deloitte, 36% of the total number of large projects under construction at 1 June, 2013, fell into the energy and power sector, and 25% were in transport.
In terms of geography, development is strongly concentrated in Southern and East Africa, with projects in Southern Africa representing 38% of the total, followed by East Africa with 29%. West Africa has 21% of the total number of projects while North Africa and Central Africa lag at 7% and 5% respectively.
Deloitte said 56% of the projects it identified were owned by governments, while 4% of total projects collected were jointly owned by governments and public private partnerships, while private investors owned 39% of the projects.
As far as private investors are concerned, 17% were European and US investors, while private domestic ownership represented 10%. Private companies from Brazil, Russia, India and China represented 2% of the ownership.
Deloitte also found that development finance institutions such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) funded 36% of the projects.
Indeed, the AfDB and Made In Africa Foundation (MIAF) this year launched an infrastructure fund for the continent that aims to raise up to US$ 500 million by the first half of 2014. The AfDB has reported that investment of US$ 93 billion a year was needed to 2020 to close Africa's infrastructure deficit.
Meanwhile, Deloitte said domestic governments funded 8% of projects in Africa, while European and US-based investors funded a further 15%, and Chinese investors funded 10% of projects.
Private domestic investors funded 11% of the projects collected and 7% of projects were funded by foreign institutional investors.
Across the continent, European and US contractors are building 37% of projects and Chinese construction corporations are building 12%. The balance of contracting parties came from private domestic companies and contractors from countries such as Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia and South Africa, according to Deloitte.
But Deloitte warned that the infrastructure boom on the continent remained fragile. It said political instability and turmoil overshadow developments in Central and North Africa, making short- and medium-term outlooks for infrastructure development in these countries uncertain.
Nevertheless, this is not to say that the demand for development does not exist, according to Deloitte.
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Sarah Spivey, Modulift managing director, shares her experience of implementing a clear strategy and quickly adapting to the changes caused by 2020's global events
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Senior Training is Back
Tue 13 Jul 2021 14:33
Last Thursday our Seniors kicked off their Pre Season Training with a brilliant ice breaker session. The lads relished being back at the club training again, enjoying a BBQ and refreshments post session.
Training for the senior team (age 17+) now continues every Tuesday and Thursday 7 - 8:30pm.
If you're looking to join a rugby club or interested in trying a new sport, S&L RFC warmly welcomes you to Occupation Road. Come along to one of our training sessions, give rugby a go and, no matter your ability, there's a place for you at S&L RFC.
If you would like some more information please contact us on 01536 400317, email info@stewartsandlloydsrfc.com or message any of our social media DMs.
Match Report: U14s v Peterborough Lions
Sunday saw the U14s travel over to Peterborough for a game against Peterborough Lions, a side they have only really played at festivals so didn't know what to expect. It was also … view
You will soon see some new signs popping up around the pitch at the club as we look to encourage local businesses to promote themselves to club members and passers by. There are … view
Fri 17 Dec 2021 11:06
Hi Everybody I hope you are all safe and well and for those that are currently suffering I wish you a speedy recovery. It's been a while since we last had a chat and it would appear … view
S&L RFC U16s v Peterborough - Match Report
S&L RFC U16s (36) v (24) Peterborough Following some late call-offs for the visitors this past Sunday, the game went ahead at 13-a-side with some assistance from the home side to … view
S&L RFC U14s v Wellingborough - Match Report
Sun 12 Dec 2021 23:07
S&L U14s made the relatively short trip to Wellingborough on Sunday to play against a team they've come up against numerous times over the past 5-6 years. The sides have always been … view
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Francis Ngannou Believes he Matches up "Pretty Good" With Jon Jones
Some things have to fall into place before Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou fight. But, the feared striker likes his changes against 'Bones'.
Published on Jan 10, 2021 at 12:32 PM
by MMA Frenzy Staff
Francis Ngannou is focused on fighting Stipe Miocic and taking the UFC's heavyweight title. But, if he ends up facing Jon Jones afterward, he clearly is confident he'll hand 'Bones' his first, legitimate loss.
Image Credit: UFC / YouTube
Ngannou weighs-in on a potential fight with Jones
For multiple weeks last year, there was talk about the possibility of Ngannou and Jones fighting, after the latter called for the fight. The UFC and Jones, however, couldn't come to terms for the contest.
A brief, contractual dispute occurred, but ultimately Jones ended up vacating the light heavyweight title in advance of a heavyweight run.
The expectation is that Jones will get an immediate title shot at heavyweight. But, UFC President Dana White has said several times that Ngannou is next for the champ, Miocic.
Well, recently Ngannou spoke with MMA Fighting, and he was asked about Jones.
"It's obviously something that everyone would love to see," Ngannou said. "If I were to say myself, I would have liked to see that fight.
I wanted it to happen. If this fight would have happened, I would have been active by now.
If I have two positive things, which is fighting Jon Jones, who is probably the greatest of all time, the No. 1 pound-for-pound in the world in my opinion, but the main thing I would stay active.
"Because right now, right here, it's just lacking. I don't know where I am. I don't know what I am doing exactly.
Having a fight is a good fight and having a big fight is a great thing. That's something I'm looking forward to."
And while weighing-in on how that fight would play out, the feared striker said this.
"I think I match up pretty well with Jon Jones," Ngannou said. "He's gaining weight now. He seems really big and strong, but I think I match up pretty good.
He has some good skills that he can match my power. It's going to be different."
Fascinating match-up
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So, first things first, and Ngannoun needs to get by Miocic.
It's possible, of course, that even if he loses to Miocic for a second time he could end up fighting Jones down the line. But, things would get much more uncertain, in terms of Jones – Ngannou materializing.
As far as how the fight could play out: anytime you're taking about Ngannou – one of the hardest-hitting fighters in the game – he has a chance to win, and a very good one at that.
So, it would be fascinating to see how Jones approaches the feared slugger. Chances are we'd see Jones fighting at range, using lots of kicks, and mixing in his wrestling.
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José Ramón Fernández José Ramón Fernández Álvarez was a Cuban Communist leader who was a Vice-President of the Council of Ministers. Cuban Communist leader 95 1
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Louis Robichaud Louis Joseph Robichaud , popularly known as "Little Louis" or "P'tit-Louis", was the second Acadian premier of New Brunswick, serving from 1960 to 1970. Canadian politician 79 15
Joe Slovo Joe Slovo was a South African politician, and an opponent of the apartheid system. South African politician 68 25
Heinrich Gattineau Heinrich Gattineau was a German economist, Sturmabteilung leader, director of IG Farben and defendant during the Nuremberg trials. German economist 80 35
Reuben Henry Tucker III Major General Reuben Henry Tucker III was a highly decorated senior officer in the United States Army. Recipient of the Purple Heart medal 58 50
John Manners Smith Lieutenant-Colonel John Manners Smith VC CIE CVO was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross 55 100
Joseph A. Mower Joseph Anthony Mower was a Union general during the American Civil War. Union Army general 42 150


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Q: Can't add a new field to the body of the request I have a small problem. In a PreFilter I get the currentContext and I'm able to read the body value like that:
RequestContext context = RequestContext.getCurrentContext();
context.getRequest().getParameter("key-example")).

All good for that, but I want to add a new field to the request body and I'm not able to do that, because there isn't such a method that can help me. How can I perform this? Thank you in advance!

A: There could be many ways to achieve this. Either using AOP to modify the argument before the method is called or Servlet Filter.
For the case of Filter, it requires you to create a request wrapper class which extends from HttpServletRequestWrapper and override the getInputStream method to return the request body as your desire.
An alternative way which is way simpler to use request attribute instead by
request.setAttribute("customAttribute", value)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Maw Pin Tan
University of Malaya, Malaysia
Enver E. Roshi
University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania
Williams Agyemang-Duah
Queen's University, Canada
Front. Public Health, 28 February 2022
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 10 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.777217
Health Behaviors and Health Literacy: Questing the Role of Weak Social Ties Among Older Persons in Rural and Urban Ghana
Padmore Adusei Amoah1*, John Musalia2 and Kwaku Abrefa Busia3
1Department of Applied Psychology, School of Graduate Studies, Institute of Policy Studies, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong SAR, China
2Department of Sociology and Criminology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, United States
3Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong SAR, China
Background: Older persons are one of the most vulnerable groups as regards low health literacy. However, little is known about the extent of limitations and multi-faceted nature of their health literacy, such as its characteristics and social and geographical dimensions. Additionally, most existing studies have predominantly treated health literacy as a risk factor of health and wellbeing of older persons as opposed to an outcome that must be pursued.
Objectives: This study investigated the moderating role of weak social ties (bridging social capital) in the relationship between health behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol intake, voluntary body check-up and physical exercise, and health literacy among older persons in rural and urban Ghana.
Methods: Data was drawn from a cross-sectional survey comprising 522 respondents across five administrative regions in Ghana. Ordinary Least Squares regression technique was used to analyse the data.
Results: Older persons in urban areas had higher health literacy [Mean/Standard deviation (SD) = 9.1/4.1 vs. 10.1/4.2] as well as higher bridging social capital (Mean/SD = 2.0/1.2 vs. 1.6/0.9) than their rural counterparts. Bridging social capital was negatively associated with the health literacy of urban residents (B = −0.997, p < 0.01). We found evidence that smoking (B = −0.787, p < 0.05) and undertaking physical activities (B = 0.812, p < 0.01) were associated with health literacy of older persons in rural areas. Having voluntary body check-ups (B = 0.155, p < 0.01) was associated with health literacy in urban areas. Bridging social capital negatively moderated the association of smoking with health literacy in rural areas (B = −5.032, p < 0.01), but it instead positively modified the relationship between alcohol intake and health literacy in urban areas (B = 0.185, p < 0.05).
Conclusion: For policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote older persons' health literacy as a public health asset at individual and community levels, an important starting point to achieving such goals is to understand the fundamental indicators (e.g., health behaviors) and the role that social and geographical factors play in shaping their health literacy.
Health literacy (HL) "entails people's knowledge, motivation and competence to access, understand, appraise, and apply health information in order to make judgments and take decisions in everyday life concerning healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion to maintain or improve quality of life during the life course" [(1), p. 3]. It is predominantly considered a primary determinant of health (1–3). Low HL is associated with poor health service utilization practices (4, 5), increased likelihood of deleterious health behaviors (6–8), poor health status and chronic illnesses (9–11), higher health care costs due to higher hospitalization rates (5, 10, 12), and increased likelihood of mortality (13–15).
Older persons are considered one of the most at-risk populations regarding low health literacy (6, 12). Low health literacy among older persons is widely attributed to inevitable aging-related cognitive decline and high rates of illiteracy (5, 6, 15–17). However, research on the extent of limitations and multi-faceted nature of older persons' health literacy in terms of its characteristics, confounders, and social and geographical dimensions are underdeveloped (3, 18–21). Extant evidence from Ghana and other countries indicate that rural and urban residents have different levels of health literacy, and their social environments (e.g., social capital) are critical to their health-related well-being (22–24). This is because the physical and social environment that people find themselves can influence how they seek to translate and apply health information (25–28). Such influences on health-related knowledge and its application often lead to an inconsistent conceptualization of health literacy (29). Unfortunately, the dynamics of how factors such as different forms of social capital affect health literacy, its potential determinants and the geographical dimensions to such influence are less understood among older persons.
Moreover, health literacy research evidence among older persons and theoretical positions on health literacy are dominated by positions that present health literacy as a risk or causal factor in health and welbeing (2, 30–32). Health literacy research and practice that leans toward the risk factor perspective focuses on the relationship between low literacy, health and interventions to mitigate the effects of low literacy, which position health literacy as a potential risk factor for poor health outcomes that need to be managed as part of health and social care provisions (30). This approach is usually criticized for ignoring the need to understand health literacy as an asset that health systems and gerontological researchers must pursue. Consideration of health literacy as an asset— "an outcome to health education and communication that supports greater empowerment in health decision-making" [(30), p. 2,074], offers a needed impetus to design interventions to generate and promote health literacy for its public health benefits (31). Recent reports indicate that governments and researchers are gradually turning attention toward not only addressing "…the practical challenges of low health literacy in clinical settings," but also "describe approaches to improving health literacy in different clinical and community populations" [(31), p. 902]. Given recent global efforts toward promoting active and productive aging (33, 34), there is a need for health practitioners and researchers to have a better understanding of the health-related opportunities available to older persons, particularly on understudied issues such as health literacy, which provide people "…a route to greater autonomy and control over health decision-making" [(31), p. 902].
Aims of the Study
This study explores the moderating effect of weak social ties, referred to as 'bridging social capital' on the associations between a set of health behaviors such as smoking, alcohol intake, body check-ups and physical exercise, and health literacy, as shown in Figure 1. The study of the influence of social ties contributes to the theoretical and empirical discourse about the social determinants of health literacy. Additionally, the study of the behavioral correlates of health literacy is a significant shift from the predominant approach of considering health literacy as a predictor of health and health-related behaviors (6–8). Thus, this study conceptualizes health literacy as an asset (or outcome) [see (2, 30)]. In addition to contributing to the existing empirical literature on health literacy research, this study offers another step toward establishing a causal association between health literacy and health-related outcomes by complementing existing studies that have examined the effect of health literacy on health behaviors in the literature. More importantly, by examining the specified relationships in Figure 1, this study will expand current health literacy research in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa in general. This region has seen little focus on older persons, except for the work of Amoah (16).
Figure 1. A heuristic framework of the study.
Health Behaviors, Social Capital, and Health Literacy Among Older Persons: Theoretical Perspectives and Literature Review
Having sufficient health literacy is associated with positive health behaviors among older adults (35–37). Older persons with sufficient health literacy are likely to be non-smokers, eat a balanced diet, abstain from alcohol, avoid sedentary lifestyles, and pay attention to their hygiene (8, 36, 37). However, some older persons lead a sedentary lifestyle and consume alcohol regularly despite having adequate health literacy (35). More importantly, the behavioral correlates of health literacy have geographical and several contextual dimensions (22, 23) that must be understood and incorporated in health literacy analyses of older persons. This points to a complex relationship between health behaviors and health literacy, which suggests a need to study the nature of older persons' health literacy from a multi-dimensional perspective. This is accomplished using the social-ecological model (26, 27, 38).
The social-ecological model places health outcomes, health-related behaviors, and health literacy in the context of the personal and socio-physical environments of people (26–28). It specifies five broad factors that shape health outcomes and health knowledge. These factors include individual capacities (e.g., knowledge, and educational attainment), interpersonal factors (i.e., social networks and support systems), institutional arrangements (e.g., organization of health services), community factors (social norms, practices, and beliefs of a place), as well as public policies (e.g., health-related policies) (26, 27, 39). Importantly, these factors interact and reinforce each other to affect health-related outcomes (26, 40). Thus, the social-ecological model offers a framework to empirically analyse the relationship between health behaviors and health literacy in a more holistic manner (26), as this study seeks to do. This study considers the socio-demographic characteristics (individual factors), health behaviors (individual and community factors), social capital (interpersonal factors), and geography (community factors) and their relations with health literacy (individual factors and, to some extent, community, and institutional factors).
Interpersonal characteristics such as social capital can affect how health behaviors are associated with health literacy (10, 22, 41). In this study, social capital refers to the resources (this can be information, tangible support, emotional support) that people receive or offer to others within their immediate and distant social networks, often because of the trusting relationships they possess (42–44). There are several types of social capital distinguished by the characteristics and strengths of the social networks involved. Specifically, resources emerging through weak ties are said to be more likely to promote changes in behavior compared to strong ties [see (42, 45)]. However, all of them have been found to influence health outcomes and behaviors significantly (43, 44, 46, 47). A unique aspect of social capital is bridging social capital, which concerns the resources emerging from weak social ties, including "a friend of a friend," acquaintances, people of different socioeconomic status and class, and people of different religious and ethnic groups (42, 47). Bridging social capital can introduce new resources such as health information given its diversity in membership compared to, say bonding social capital (resources through family and close friends) (47). The diversity in bridging social capital makes it enormously influential in shaping health behaviors and health literacy. Having diverse sources of bridging social capital have been found in different places to negatively influence the relationship between smoking and health literacy (35, 48). However, extant evidence suggests that bridging social capital can propel people with low health literacy to behave in ways favorable to their health and access to accurate health information by tapping into the knowledge and resources of others (41).
Given these empirical observations and considering the spatial variations in the relations between social capital and health issues (24, 25), we hypothesize that bridging social capital will positively moderate the associations between health behaviors and health literacy among rural and urban residents. In Ghana, the components and effects of bridging social capital between rural and urban residents differ in terms of diversity in the socio-economic characteristics of people involved in the networks (25, 49). This implies that the interactions and process of reinforcement between health behaviors, health literacy, and bridging social capital as gauged through the social-ecological model are likely to differ relative to various health-related behaviors across rural and urban populations. Notwithstanding, the extent to which such differences affect health literacy and associated health behaviors have not received adequate attention in existing research, and this study fills this gap.
The present study is part of a broader research project that examined the social aspects of health and wellbeing among youth, middle-aged and older persons in rural and urban Ghana. This study includes data from five of the former ten regions of Ghana. The five regions included Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra, Northern and Eastern Regions. Using a multi-stage cluster sampling approach, respondents were selected from 29 districts and 128 communities/areas (including 51 rural and 77 urban areas). The regions, districts and communities were purposively selected to obtain an adequate representation of rural and urban populations. This purposive approach ensured that regions, districts, and communities of different socioeconomic profiles (e.g., high and low economic areas), geographical (e.g., rural and urban areas and different parts of the country—southern, middle and northern parts; districts within the regions; and different areas of selected communities); and religious and ethnic profile of the country. A systematic sampling technique was used to select respondents to interview at the community level. This was to ensure a fair representation of the target populations in each community.
As part of the systematic sampling approach, an adult from every second house was interviewed in rural areas due to low population size and density compared to urban areas. Trained personnel interviewed one adult from every fifth house within various suburbs in the selected urban areas in line with related studies conducted in Ghana (50, 51). The choice of houses instead of households or individuals was meant to reduce similarities in responses as people who share the same housing arrangements tend to be similar in socioeconomic characteristics and experiences [see (50)]. The broader research on which the current study is based generated a sample of 2,097 using the formula Ns = (Np)(p)(1–p)/(Np −1)(B/C)2 + (p)(1–p); where Ns = total sample size needed; Np = size of the population; p = proportion expected to answer a certain way; B = acceptable level of sampling error; C = Z statistic associated with confidence interval. A confidence level of 95%, sample error of 0.05, and an assumption that 50% of respondents would provide consistent responses (52). Detailed information about the study design and sampling had been reported elsewhere (53, 54).
The study analyses the responses of 522 respondents, including 229 rural and 293 urban respondents. While the sample for each group is relatively low, the models constructed for the analyses were not overfitted as evaluated by the formula 50 + 8n (where n is the number of predictors) (55). With a maximum of 17 predictors (see Table 2) for all models, a minimum sample of 186 was required, but samples for both rural and urban areas exceeded the benchmark. This study focused on those who were 50 years and older. The age criterion is consistent with the practice of existing studies in Ghana and the relatively low life expectancy in Ghana and other developing countries [see (51)]. Written and, where necessary, oral informed consent was obtained from all respondents prior to enrolling them into the study. The Research Ethics Committee of Lingnan University approved the study protocol (EC-043/1718), while the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana provided in-country approval (RPN 005/CSIR-IRB/2018).
The focal independent variables, namely, health behaviors, was captured through four variables, including alcohol consumption, frequency of smoking, frequency of undertaking physical activities aside from work (i.e., exercising), and frequency of voluntary body check-up. Each of the variables was measured using one-item instruments. For the first three behaviors, respondents were asked how often they smoked, consumed four or more glasses of alcoholic drink, and undertook physical activities, aside from their routine activities or work, in the past 12 months. A five-point Likert scale which was coded as (1) "daily," "several times a week," "several times a month," "once a month" and (5) "never" was used for all these questions. The responses were treated as ordinal variables in the regression analyses. Regarding voluntary body check-up, respondents were asked whether they had voluntarily visited a healthcare provider for a routine health check in the past 24 months preceding the study. Response to this question was (1) "yes" or (0) "no."
Health literacy was measured using the 16-item European Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q16). Variants of this instrument have been used in both developed and developing regions to measure health literacy among different population groups (56, 57). Respondents were asked the question: "how easy or difficult is it for you to": (i) find information about treatments for illnesses that concern you; and (ii) understand what your doctor says to you. Their response was on a four-point Likert scale ranging from (1) "very difficult," (2) "difficult," (3) "easy," to (4) "very easy." To have a breakdown of the health literacy status of respondents, the responses were categorized as follows in the descriptive analyses: "very difficult" and "difficult" were scored as "0," and "easy" and "very easy" scored "1." A summative index was created, ranging from 0 to 16, with low values reflecting difficult and high values denoting easy. This conception of the dependent variable was then used in Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS). The health literacy instrument had a Cronbach alpha of 0.85. For the purposes of conducting descriptive statistics, the data were classified as follows: inadequate health literacy (scores 0–8), problematic health literacy (scores 9–12), and sufficient health literacy (scores 13–16) (58).
We used the Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool (S-ASCAT) to measure bridging social capital (42). Respondents were given a list comprising several common examples of sources of bridging social capital and were asked to select as many as applicable (or state other sources) where they had received any form of support (information, tangible help, or emotional support) in the past 12 months. The responses were summed to form a bridging social capital score, with high scores representing more social capital and vice versa.
We controlled for the following demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that the literature has shown to influence health literacy (23, 56, 57, 59): age (in completed years), sex (1-male and 0-female), household size (absolute number), subjective socioeconomic status (rated from 1, low to 10, high), educational attainment [1-never been to school (reference category), 2-primary school, 3-middle school, 4-secondary school including O'Level and A'Level, and 5-tertiary education], employment status (employed, pensioned/retired, unemployed), religiosity (seven-point scale from 1-extremely non-religious, very non-religious, somewhat non-religious, neither religious nor non-religious, somewhat religious, very religious, to 7-extremely religious), marital status (1-married and 0-unmarried), and region of residence [Ashanti (reference category), Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Northern, and Greater Accra regions]. We also measured their self-perceived health status (ranked from poor, fair, good, very good, to excellent). Table 1 contains more information about these variables.
Table 1. Descriptive statistics of the variables in the study by rural and urban respondents.
The analyses comprised two parts. The first part involved descriptive statistics, which provided an overview of the respondents' sociodemographic characteristics, and their status as regards the independent, dependent, and moderating variables. A few variables had missing responses (mostly < 3% of total responses). These missing responses were replaced by the mean where necessary. Chi-square and independent samples t-test techniques were used to evaluate association and the differences between older persons in rural and urban areas with respect to the main variables used in the study. Spearman's rank correlation analyses for rural, urban, and overall populations were undertaken (see Appendix 1) to identify initial relations between all variables in the study and health literacy as the responses to the dependent variable were not normally distributed.
In the second part of the analysis, an OLS regression technique was used to evaluate the associations of health behaviors and bridging social capital with health literacy. This part also assessed the association between the interaction terms of each health behavior and bridging social capital with health literacy among rural and urban residents. The models for rural and urban residents comprised only variables that were significantly associated with health literacy in Spearman's rank correlation analyses. For each group of residents, two original regression models were constructed. The first included the covariates, and the second included the independent variables, moderators, and interaction terms. The interaction terms showing significant association with health literacy were further evaluated through slope analysis to identify the association between health behaviors and health literacy at different levels of bridging social capital. The evaluation was done at one standard deviation below and above the mean of bridging social capital to represent low and high levels, respectively. We used the software provided by Dawson (60) to prepare and test the simple slopes.
The respondents were aged 61 years on average, with the majority being males (54%), as shown in Table 1. There were more urban (56.1%) than rural residents (43.9%) in the sample. Urban residents were more likely to be educated and employed than their rural counterparts. The urban residents were more likely to have sufficient health literacy (24.9 vs. 14.8%) and higher bridging social capital (mean of 2.0 vs. 1.6) than rural residents. Urban residents were also more likely to undertake voluntary body check-ups (34.5 vs. 22.2%) and describe their health in more favorable terms than rural residents. However, older persons in rural areas were more likely to indulge in physical activities than urban residents (Table 1).
In Table 2, model 1 represents the main effects and model 2 includes the interaction terms. According to model 2, none of the health behavior variables assessed was directly associated with the health literacy of both urban and rural residents. However, the main effects in Model 1 show that smoking (B = −0.787, p < 0.05) was negatively associated with health literacy and undertaking physical activities (B = 0.812, p < 0.01) had a positive association with health literacy among rural older persons. This indicates that the more an older person smoked, the lower their health literacy. In contrast, regularly indulging in physical activities was an indication of higher health literacy.
Table 2. Socio-demographic and behavioral factors associated with health literacy of older persons in rural and urban areasa.
At the same time, having voluntary body check-ups (B = 0.155, p < 0.01) was positively associated with health literacy of urban older persons. Thus, older persons who voluntarily undertook body-check-ups were likely to have high scores in health literacy. It was also found that having more sources of bridging social capital tended to indicate a lower level of health literacy among urban residents (B = −0.997, p < 0.01). There was no association between bridging social capital and health literacy among rural residents (Table 2, Model 2).
Bridging social capital negatively moderated the association of smoking with health literacy among older persons in rural areas (B = −5.032, p < 0.01). This was confirmed in a subsequent simple slope test (see Figure 2), which showed that when an older person has access to more bridging social capital, it reduces the rate at which the person smokes, which indicates an increased level of health literacy (B = −15.817, t = −3.052, p = 0.000) as evaluated by the resource provided by Dawson (60). In contrast, a non-significant relationship was observed between smoking and health literacy at low levels of bridging social capital (B = −4.828, t = −1.762, p = 0.080). Among older persons in urban areas, having greater access to sources of bridging social capital was significantly associated with more alcohol intake, which points to low health literacy (B = 0.185, p < 0.05). Indeed, the simple slope analysis showed that when bridging social capital is high, frequent (i.e., high) alcohol intake was an indication of high health literacy (B = 0.285, t = 4.828, p = 0.000). However, when bridging social capital was low, a negative relationship (albeit non-significant) between alcohol intake and health literacy was observed. Thus, older persons with low bridging social capital were likely to take less alcohol which indicated a propensity for higher health literacy (B = −0.145, t = −1.345, p = 0.180) as depicted in Figure 3.
Figure 2. Moderating role of bridging social capital in the association between smoking and health literacy of rural older persons. The graph merely projects the relationship. The values on the y-axis are for projection of the figure only. Source of template and accompanying statistics: Dawson (60).
Figure 3. Moderating role of bridging social capital in the association between frequent alcohol intake and health literacy of urban older persons. The graph merely projects the relationship. The values on the y-axis are for projection of the figure only. Source of template and accompanying statistics: Dawson (60).
This study explored the socio-ecological dimensions of the associations between health-related behaviors and health literacy. We found evidence that health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking, undertaking physical activities, and voluntary body-check-up) and bridging social capital are associated with health literacy among older persons in both rural and urban areas. Our hypothesis on the moderating role of bridging social capital returned mixed results as negative and positive influences were observed. Theoretically, the results of this study support the central premise of the social-ecological theory that a multi-dimensional approach to analyzing health literacy and health-related issues are likely to improve our understanding of the personal, sociocultural and institutional context of the phenomenon and offer opportunities for intervention using contextually relevant and evidenced-based approaches (26). The ensuing discussions expand on this standpoint, given the specific findings from the study.
The preliminary results showed that urban older persons were more likely to have sufficient health literacy than those in rural areas. Residents in urban areas in Ghana tend to be more educated; are exposed to proper health information; and have relatively better healthcare services than those in rural areas (22). These favorable conditions ensure that older persons in urban areas are more likely to access accurate health information about preventive and curative health issues. The higher health literacy level may explain health-promoting behaviors such as voluntary body check-ups and older persons' overall positive self-reported health in urban areas. Indeed, this study found evidence that behaviors such as voluntary body check-ups are positively associated with health literacy among older persons in urban areas. This positive association correlates with the observation of those in rural areas where smoking and engaging in physical activities were negatively and positively associated with health literacy, respectively. These positive associations are consistent with existing literature (2, 6, 36). While most existing research has presented behaviors as a consequence of health literacy (2, 30, 61), our analyses point to an alternative way of understanding the relations between health literacy and health behaviors by considering health literacy as an asset. This empirical observation lends support to extant theoretical proposals about a causal relationship between health literacy and health-related wellbeing (32). Health behaviors can be an important indicator of health literacy status among older persons in urban areas. Future research should explore evidenced-based interventions to promote positive health behaviors as part of overarching measures to improve health literacy among older persons.
Regarding social capital, older persons in urban areas had comparatively more sources of bridging social capital than their rural counterparts, contrary to what Ziersch et al. (24) observed that rural residents in South Australia have high higher levels of close and distant social networks than urban residents. A potential reason for the difference is the heterogeneity (e.g., in terms of ethnicity, religious affiliations, professional backgrounds of residents) of urban societies vis-à-vis rural areas in Ghana (62). Unlike urban areas, rural societies in most places, including high-income countries, tend to be close-knit. This implies that rural residents generally have homogenous social contacts and less diverse memberships. In Ghana, many rural communities comprise several extended families (22). Such familial composition and other characteristics of rural settings such as low access to health and educational services and professionals exemplify why bridging social capital was low in this study (25, 62).
This study found that bridging social capital negatively moderated the association of smoking with health literacy among older persons in rural areas. Existing studies indicate that bridging social capital limits poor health choices such as smoking while helping others quit smoking successfully through supportive environments (63, 64). Bridging social capital has also been shown to be instrumental in lowering the incidence of health-compromising behaviors (63). While other existing evidence suggests that more social contact can spur behaviors such as smoking due to social pressures (35), this study shows that bridging social capital can promote positive health behaviors among older persons in rural settings. In the context of Ghana, it is documented that some sociocultural norms and practices strongly abhor corrosive lifestyle choices such as smoking and alcohol intake (22, 65, 66). Such norms are dominant in rural settings, and their influence may explain why bridging social capital is sometimes considered as a community attribute (22, 67). Because of the importance of social norms and practices to social relationships and their functions, it is vital that interpretation of the association between health behavior and health literacy be made cautiously as instances of no association were also observed in the study. It is possible that factors relating to social norms and normative practices are stronger determinants of health literacy than health behaviors. Notwithstanding such instances of no association between health behaviors and health literacy of older persons, the study's findings are consistent with research elsewhere (8, 37).
Unlike rural areas, bridging social capital strengthened the association between alcohol intake and health literacy among older persons in urban areas. This is contrary to the hypothesis and the findings of other studies (63, 64). This contrary finding requires in-depth study, particularly using qualitative methods to explore how bridging social capital could potentially increase the propensity of older persons to abuse alcohol despite sufficient health literacy. However, this finding is not unique as other studies surmise that more social contacts can spur behaviors such as smoking due to social pressures (35). Access to diverse social support through different networks that bridging social capital embodies also means that the propensity of negative influence increases (68). This is likely the case among older persons in urban areas in this study, where bridging social capital was higher than rural areas. Obviously, some of those negative influences are empirically exhibited among the older persons in urban areas in this study. This study's findings imply that the value of bridging social capital to how health behaviors relate to older persons' health literacy in urban areas must be assessed in terms of quality (i.e., the value of the support/influence that is generated) instead of focusing on the quantity of support alone (69). Moreover, the inconsistency in the role of bridging social capital in the association of health behaviors and health literacy of older persons, as demonstrated in this study, invites researchers to engage more deeply with the research question across contexts in order to isolate the specific instances in which negative and positive impacts are observed.
These results and arguments emphasize the tenets of the social-ecological theory of health by echoing that health promotion strategies concerning health literacy, and even health behaviors, should not focus on individuals alone. Issues of health-related knowledge and behaviors should be analyzed from a social-ecological perspective. Such perspective allows for consideration of factors at micro, meso and macro levels of society in analyses. Analytical approaches that include these multi-contextual level factors can help inform practices and policies for improving health literacy as part of active aging programmes and measures to achieve global targets such as the third Sustainable Development Goal that deals with good health and wellbeing (70). Efforts to improve health literacy are, however, not an end in themselves but rather a significant step toward reducing health inequities at different levels of societies through good governance, strong local action (at cities and communities levels), and people's empowerment (70). In view of this, the findings from this study provide an important reminder of how local and inter-personal factors such as weak social ties can shape how health literacy can be improved. For instance, while the World Health Organization advocates for inclusive and equitable access to quality education and life-long learning to improve health literacy (70), this study's findings indicate that such strategies are unlikely to be successful if local factors such as bridging social capital are not properly addressed and incorporated into such approaches.
This is the only study examining the association between health behaviors and health literacy among older persons in rural and urban Ghana to the best of our knowledge. While our results are instructive for interventions promoting health efficacy and active aging of older persons, they must be interpreted cautiously. The analyses in this study are based on a cross-sectional survey which makes it difficult to attribute causation. Also, given that the responses are based on subjective evaluations and reports of respondents, it is likely that some respondents may have responded in a manner that corresponds with the prevailing social expectations. For example, some respondents may have under-reported the frequency of their smoking or alcohol intake, which can affect the study's conclusions.
This study examined the association between health behaviors and health literacy and explored whether bridging social capital can modify these relations among rural and urban older persons in Ghana. We found that older persons in urban areas have higher health literacy and bridging social capital than their rural counterparts.
The study has provided empirical evidence of the association between health behaviors and health literacy among older persons in rural and urban Ghana. While research and practice have often considered health behavior an outcome of health literacy, this study shows that a reverse of such analyses achieves consistent results. Perhaps more importantly, the findings can help identify older persons at risk of low health literacy in rural and urban areas by focusing on their common health-related behaviors. Such knowledge can help improve the health literacy of older persons as part of interventions that consider health literacy as a public health asset. However, such potential interventions must take cognisance of the inconsistent observation that has been made regarding the moderating role of bridging social capital in the association between health behaviors and health literacy. Bridging social capital negatively moderated the association between smoking and health literacy in rural areas but positively modified the relationship between alcohol intake and health literacy in urban areas. Thus, for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote older persons' health literacy as a public health asset at individual and community levels, an important starting point to achieving such goals is to understand the fundamental indicators (e.g., health behaviors) and the role that social and geographical factors play in shaping their health literacy. For instance, if well-generated and tailored, support through weak social ties (i.e., bridging social capital) can be an important resource for positive behavioral change as part of health literacy interventions among older persons in rural and urban settings.
The data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors upon request on case by case basis.
The Research Ethics Committee of Lingnan University approved the study protocol (EC-043/1718), while the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana provided in-country approval (RPN 005/CSIR-IRB/2018). The respondents provided their written or oral informed consent to participate in this study.
PA conceived this study and took the lead in preparing the manuscript including data analyses. JM provided support in data analyses and presentation and discussion. KA supported the study through literature review and drafting the background of the article. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
This work was supported by the Lingnan University Faculty Grant (102159) and Lam Woo Research Fund-Individual Grant (Lingnan University) (LWI20014).
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.777217/full#supplementary-material
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56. Amoah PA, Phillips DR. Socio-Demographic and Behavioral Correlates of Health Literacy: A Gender Perspective in Ghana. Women & Health. (2020) 60:123–139. doi: 10.1080/03630242.2019.1613471
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Keywords: health behaviors, health literacy, social capital, weak ties, older persons, rural, urban, Ghana
Citation: Amoah PA, Musalia J and Abrefa Busia K (2022) Health Behaviors and Health Literacy: Questing the Role of Weak Social Ties Among Older Persons in Rural and Urban Ghana. Front. Public Health 10:777217. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.777217
Received: 13 October 2021; Accepted: 24 January 2022;
Published: 28 February 2022.
Maw Pin Tan, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Enver Envi Roshi, University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania
Williams Agyemang-Duah, Queen's University, Canada
Copyright © 2022 Amoah, Musalia and Abrefa Busia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Padmore Adusei Amoah, pamoah@ln.edu.hk; padmoreamoah@yahoo.com


text:
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Is Testosterone a Good or a Bad Guy?
47 views 2 05/11/2020 Jane Wang
Worldwide epidemiology studies have found higher number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 in men. Moreover, male gender carries a worse prognosis, especially in younger adults. Two opposing theories about androgens have been proposed to explain the gender gap.
Testosterone as a promoter of COVID-19 infection:
Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) is a cellular co-receptor required for SARS-CoV-2 viral spread. TPRSS2's transcription is driven by androgens and is expressed in the lungs.
Male patients have higher angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor levels, which could be mediated by testosterone.
A preliminary observational study has found that 71% of males hospitalized for COVID-19 had clinically significant androgenetic alopecia, reflecting androgen receptor polymorphisms.
The effect of testosterone on the immune system is unclear in the context of COVID-19. Testosterone inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines, which could contribute to an immunosuppressed state leading to poorer outcomes. On the other side, hypogonadism is associated with an inflammatory state that could augment to the cytokine storm.
In mice, estrogens seemed to have a protective effect in SARS-CoV's outcomes.
Prepubescent boys have extremely low prevalence of severe cases.
COVID-19 infection could be associated with low testosterone:
Since ACE2 receptors (implicated in the pathogenesis of COVID-19) are present in testis, impaired testosterone production by the virus has been hypothesized as a cause of poorer outcomes in men.
Delayed viral clearance and long-term effects on male reproductive function will be further assessed by the PROTEGGIMI study.
Comorbidities such as obesity and diabetes, known to predict unfavorable outcomes in COVID-19, are also associated with lower testosterone.
The role of testosterone is still poorly understood in SARS-CoV-2 but further investigation of anti-androgens as a targeted therapy is warranted.
These data come from analysis of 5 publications. The first study observed 41 Caucasian males admitted to 2 Spanish tertiary hospitals with bilateral SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia. A dermatologist diagnosed the presence or the absence as well as the severity of androgenetic alopecia. The second article is a commentary about the sex-specific SARS-CoV-2 mortality. The third study is a review about the roles of testosterone in the context of the pandemic. The fourth article is an opinion letter exposing the rationale of the ongoing PROTEGGIMI study, which is a prospective multidimensional andrological translational research project about the impact of COVID-19 in males. The fifth article is an editorial about androgens and COVID-19.
Goren, A., Vano-Galvan, S., Wambier, C. G., et al (Apr 14th 2020). A preliminary observation: Male pattern hair loss among hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Spain – A potential clue to the role of androgens in COVID-19 severity. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.13443
La Vignera, S., Cannarella, R., Condorelli, R. A., et al (Apr 22 2020). Sex-Specific SARS-CoV-2 Mortality: Among Hormone-Modulated ACE2 Expression, Risk of Venous Thromboembolism and Hypovitaminosis D. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21082948
Pozzilli, P., & Lenzi, A. (Apr 27th 2020). Testosterone, a key hormone in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 108, 154252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2020.154252
Salonia, A., Corona, G., Giwercman, A., et al (May 5th 2020). SARS-CoV-2, Testosterone and frailty in males (PROTEGGIMI): A multidimensional research project. Andrology. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.12811
Sharifi, N., & Ryan, C. J. (Apr 17th 2020). Androgen hazards with COVID-19. Endocrine-Related Cancer, 27(6), E1-e3. https://doi.org/10.1530/erc-20-0133
Tags:ACE2cytokine stormAndrogen Deprivation TherapyAndrogenstestosterone
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Mild Infection
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About How I Treat COVID-19
Our website is dedicated to helping healthcare professionals find accurate and up-to-date information about the best ways to manage and treat patients affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
How I Treat Covid-19 © 2020 Made with ♥ by Mondien


We are an award winning Garden and Landscape Design practice, based in Wiltshire , covering the west country, the UK and abroad.
For over 30 years Great Western Landscaping has been creating beautiful gardens and landscapes around the country and overseas.
Intimate town courtyards to wider country landscapes all receive the same dedicated passion and attention to detail.
Whether you want a new garden designed and built to the highest standard or you have a garden design that you need to be built please review our website and contact us to arrange a meeting.


MedEx answers any queries you might have regarding Sunitinib-50 purchase, shipping and payment terms.
Sunitinib 50mg: instruction for use.
Anti-cancer drug Sunitinib is taken orally, irrespective of the mealtime. Optimal dose is 50 mg a day for 4 weeks, after which you should take a small break for 2 weeks. Accordingly, the full treatment course is 6 weeks.
If for some reason, you skipped the dose, you don't need to compensate for it. Just return to the normal dosing schedule next day.
According to individual characteristics (sensitivity, individual characteristics of an organism), the dose of Sunitinib 50mg can be increased or reduced by 12.5 mg (the daily dose should vary from 37.5 to 87.5 mg).
renal diseases (if the level of creatinine exceeds the upper bound less than twice).
Sunitinib is a targeted drug, intended for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma, islet cell tumours and gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). It can be used for the treatment of other cancers as part of an experimental study.
Sunitinib acts by blocking the signals in the tumor cells that help them grow. Jamming the signals destroys these cells. In addition, Sunitinib can stop tumor cells from creating new blood vessels. This decreases their supply of oxygen and nutrients so the cancer reduces or stops developing. Substances that prevent the formation of blood vessel are referred to as anti-angiogenics.
When to use Sunitinib 50mg?
Sunitinib is intended for the treatment of inoperable and/or advanced renal cell carcinoma, GISTs or islet cell tumors. It can be used for the treatment of other cancers as part of an experimental study.
Consult your doctor before starting the treatment, as only the doctor can define whether Sutinib is suitable for you. Some patients may take it as part of a clinical study. If a medication isn't regularly available on the National Health Service, there may be other ways for you to buy it. Ask your oncologist for advice.
You should take this drug with a full glass of water or other liquid (expect grapefruit juice) at the same time every day (irrespective of the mealtime). Patients usually take Sunitinib 50mg for as long as it controls the tumor growth.
Take the drug strictly according to the doctor's prescriptions to achieve the best effect.
For the treatment of renal cancer or gastrointestinal stromal tumor, you should take Sunitinib 50mg once a day for a month, and then make a 2-week break. Thus, the treatment cycle lasts 6 weeks.
Patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (islet cell tumors) must take the drug once a day for six CONSECUTIVE weeks.


I am grateful and excited to be the school counselor at McCormick Elementary School this 2018-2019 school year.
My position as school counselor provides me opportunities to help students emotionally, socially and academically.
I am a twice graduate of Francis Marion University from where I received Bachelor's of Science and Master's Degrees. In addition, I graduated from the University of South Carolina obtaining an Educational Specialist Degree in School Counseling.
I believe that knowledge, wisdom and understanding with a genuine concern for the well-being of children will lead them on a road to a productive and successful life.


LatinaLista — Beautiful Moon/Bella Luna, written by Dawn Jeffers, is an evoking, beautifully illustrated bilingual children's picture book about a little girl who wants the day to last forever so that she may play and play.
She loves the moon, when everything is cool and fresh, but it's only during the day that she can play with her bike and bunny to her heart's desire. But then, it gets too hot, she gets too tired… and guess what? As much as she'll miss the sun, she's looking forward to her beautiful moon once again!
It's okay to play, but at the end of the day, even an active little girl looks forward to a time of rest.
The illustrations, done in soft colors, are lovely and sweetly capture the essence of day and night, the sun and the moon, bringing forth a mood of serenity. Beautiful Moon/Bella Luna makes a wonderful bedtime story, sure to inspire calm dreams.
Jo Ann Hernández is assistant Bookshelf editor and author of the award-winning "White Bread Competition" and "The Throwaway Piece," as well as, creator and publisher of BronzeWord Latino Authors web site.


text:
Fitbit's Versa 3 and Inspire 2 get a minor refresh while mostly sticking to the same formula
It's more of the same... just slightly better.
By Brenda Stolyar on August 25, 2020
A fitness tracker and a smartwatch with the same goal in mind. Credit: mashable composite / fitbit
> Life > Health & Wellness > Fitness
Fitbit hasn't forgotten about the wearables that have paved its way. The company, which just announced the Sense as its latest flagship, is back with minor refreshes for two of its other popular fitness trackers: the Versa 3 and Inspire 2.
While the updates aren't necessarily groundbreaking when compared to previous iterations, there are a few additional features here worth noting. The Inspire 2 gets longer battery life and some new fitness features, while the Versa 3 now packs built-in GPS (say bye-bye to your phone) and fast charging.
Whether you're in the market for a smartwatch or a basic fitness tracker, here's what you can expect from Fitbit's new Versa 3 and Inspire 2.
The Fitbit Versa 3
For the most part, the Versa 3's design remains unchanged, although it more closely resembles the Fitbit Sense than it does its predecessors. It features a rounded aluminum case with an AMOLED display — all of which is water-resistant up to 50 meters.
The Versa 3 finally has built-in GPS (as opposed to connected GPS on the first two Versa smartwatches) so you can track your workouts without having to worry about carrying your phone. By leveraging the on-device sensor, you can also rest assured that your mileage and pace will be tracked a lot more accurately, too.
The Versa 3 comes in either black or gold aluminum with interchangeable silicone bands. Credit: fitbit
With Active Zone minutes (a feature users may know from the Charge 4), the Versa 3 can now track heart rate zones (i.e., fat burn, cardio and peak) to help users monitor their workout effort.
Meanwhile, with heat maps, the Versa 3 can use the on-board GPS to track the intensity of your workouts using the heart rate zones. So after you've completed your run or biking session, for example, you can review the different zones you hit along your route and analyze where you can improve on various terrain.
The Versa 3 will also offers users the choice between two voice assistants: Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. And this time around, the Versa 3 comes equipped with both a microphone and speaker. So, you'll not only be able to ask your preferred voice assistant questions, but also hear its response rather than simply read it on the display.
As for battery life, Fitbit says the Versa 3 can last over six days on one charge (depending on your usage). But this time around, it comes with fast charging capabilities, which the company claims can give you a full day's worth of juice in only 12 minutes.
Related Video: Here's why the Fitbit Charge 4 is one step closer to the ideal fitness tracker
The Inspire 2
When Fitbit launched its Inspire lineup last year, it offered two options: the Inspire and the Inspire HR. The only difference between the two being that the Inspire HR, as its name suggests, comes with a heart-rate monitor and a $20 price bump.
But this time around, Fitbit's second-generation Inspire is only available in one variation — with the heart-rate sensor included. And it makes sense, seeing as how the heart-rate monitor allowed the company to include a ton of features into the compact device.
In addition to tracking your beats per minute (BPM) throughout the day, during workouts, and at night to help determine your sleep quality, you'll have access to information like your Cardio Fitness Score (which measures how fit you are) and heart rate zones to determine when you're in fat burn, cardio, or peak zones while exercising.
The Inspire 2 looks like a basic fitness tracker but comes with plenty of features built in. Credit: fitbit
Speaking of those heart rate zones, the Inspire 2 also features Active Zone minutes. As with the Versa 3, it allows you to gain a better sense of how hard you're pushing yourself during workouts by notifying you each time you switch zones.
The fitness tracker also tracks over 20 different exercises, reminds you to move throughout the day, and has connected GPS so you can log your pace and distance when going for bike rides, on walks, or for runs.
At night, you can wear it to track your sleep quality (including sleep stages like REM, deep, and light sleep) and then monitor your Sleep Score each morning to see how well you slept.
The most notable change is the battery life, which Fitbit has doubled to last ten days. While that all depends on how much you actually use the Inspire 2, it still means you can very likely squeeze over a week out of it before having to place it back on the charger.
Additionally, those who purchase the Inspire 2 will also receive a one-year subscription to Fitbit Premium for free so you'll have access to more in-depth data on your health and fitness along with an extensive library of workouts.
Both the Versa 3 and Inspire 2 are currently on pre-order for $99.95 and $229, respectively, with full availability set for late September.
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The preview version of an invited review article on attosecond physics phenomena at nanometric tips has just appeared. While the final version will contain a number of additions and minor changes, we follow Journal of Physics B and advertise this non-edited and non-final version already here. The article will be published in a special J. Phys. B issue on "25 years of re-collision physics", edited by Kenneth Schafer (Louisiana State University, USA), Marc Vrakking (Max Born Institute, Germany) and Zhiyi Wei (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China).