ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8119-4171
Current Organisations
Universidade do Porto
,
Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
,
Communication Partners International
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Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2006
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-02-2012
DOI: 10.1007/S10552-012-9903-3
Abstract: The burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in India is substantial, with smokeless tobacco being the predominant form of tobacco use. Use of smokeless tobacco (for ex le gutkha, paan, khaini, and pan masala) is linked to a host of socioeconomic and cultural factors including gender, regional differences, educational level, and income disparities. Given the scale of the problem, a national social marketing c aign was developed and implemented. The creative approach used testimonials from a surgeon and patients at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. The communication message approach was designed to reflect the realities of disfiguring, disabling, and fatal cancers caused by smokeless tobacco. Evaluation of the c aign identified significant differences across a range of c aign behavioral predictors by audience segments aware of the c aign versus those who were "c aign unaware". Significant findings were also identified regarding vulnerable groups by gender (female/male) and rural/urban disparities. Findings are discussed in relation to the powerful impact of using graphic, emotive, and testimonial imagery for tobacco control with socially disadvantaged groups.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 23-07-2015
DOI: 10.1007/S40279-015-0351-6
Abstract: In 2008, Stodden and colleagues took a unique developmental approach toward addressing the potential role of motor competence in promoting positive or negative trajectories of physical activity, health-related fitness, and weight status. The conceptual model proposed synergistic relationships among physical activity, motor competence, perceived motor competence, health-related physical fitness, and obesity with associations hypothesized to strengthen over time. At the time the model was proposed, limited evidence was available to support or refute the model hypotheses. Over the past 6 years, the number of investigations exploring these relationships has increased significantly. Thus, it is an appropriate time to examine published data that directly or indirectly relate to specific pathways noted in the conceptual model. Evidence indicates that motor competence is positively associated with perceived competence and multiple aspects of health (i.e., physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and a healthy weight status). However, questions related to the increased strength of associations across time and antecedent/consequent mechanisms remain. An in idual's physical and psychological development is a complex and multifaceted process that synergistically evolves across time. Understanding the most salient factors that influence health and well-being and how relationships among these factors change across time is a critical need for future research in this area. This knowledge could aid in addressing the declining levels of physical activity and fitness along with the increasing rates of obesity across childhood and adolescence.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 20-04-2012
Abstract: Smokeless tobacco consumption in India is a significant source of morbidity and mortality. In order to educate smokeless tobacco users about the health harms of smokeless tobacco and to denormalise tobacco usage and encourage quitting, a national television and radio mass media c aign targeted at smokeless tobacco users was aired for 6 weeks during November and December 2009. The c aign was evaluated with a nationally representative household survey of smokeless tobacco users (n = 2898). The effect of c aign awareness was assessed with logistic regression analysis. The c aign affected smokeless tobacco users as intended: 63% of smokeless-only users and 72% of dual users (ie, those who consumed both smoking and smokeless forms) recalled the c aign advertisement, primarily through television delivery. The vast majority (over 70%) of those aware of the c aign said that it made them stop and think, was relevant to their lives and provided new information. 75% of smokeless-only users and 77% of dual users said that it made them feel concerned about their habit. C aign awareness was associated with better knowledge, more negative attitudes towards smokeless tobacco and greater cessation-oriented intentions and behaviours among smokeless tobacco users. Social marketing c aigns that utilise mass media are feasible and efficacious interventions for tobacco control in India. Implications for future mass media tobacco control programming in India are discussed.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-06-2016
DOI: 10.1111/CCH.12359
Abstract: It is important to assess young children's perceived Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS) competence in order to examine the role of perceived FMS competence in motivation toward physical activity. Children's perceptions of motor competence may vary according to the culture/country of origin therefore, it is also important to measure perceptions in different cultural contexts. The purpose was to assess the face validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity of the 12 FMS items in the Pictorial Scale for Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children (PMSC) in a Portuguese s le. Two hundred one Portuguese children (girls, n = 112), 5 to 10 years of age (7.6 ± 1.4), participated. All children completed the PMSC once. Ordinal alpha assessed internal consistency. A random subs les (n = 47) were reassessed one week later to determine test-retest reliability with Bland-Altman method. Children were asked questions after the second administration to determine face validity. Construct validity was assessed on the whole s le with a Bayesian Structural Equation Modelling (BSEM) approach. The hypothesized theoretical model used the 12 items and two hypothesized factors: object control and locomotor skills. The majority of children correctly identified the skills and could understand most of the pictures. Test-retest reliability analysis was good, with an agreement ration between 0.99 and 1.02. Ordinal alpha values ranged from acceptable (object control 0.73, locomotor 0.68) to good (all FMS 0.81). The hypothesized BSEM model had an adequate fit. The PMSC can be used to investigate perceptions of children's FMS competence. This instrument can also be satisfactorily used among Portuguese children.
Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)
Date: 2010
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 13-12-2015
DOI: 10.1136/TOBACCOCONTROL-2012-050946
Abstract: New media c aigns hold great potential to grow public awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and advance tobacco control policies, including in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have shared in a decade of explosive growth in mobile and internet penetration. With the majority of deaths from the tobacco epidemic occurring in LMICs, new media must be harnessed both as an advocacy tool to promote social mobilisation around tobacco issues and to build public support for MPOWER policies. This paper examines three consecutive new media advocacy c aigns that used communication channels such as mobile SMS, Facebook and online advertising to promote tobacco control policies. It includes some of the lessons learned, such as the pitfalls of relying on viral growth as a strategy for obtaining reach and c aign growth the challenge of translating strategies from traditional media to new media and the importance of incorporating marketing strategies such as paid advertising, community organising or public relations. It also identifies some of the many knowledge gaps and proposes future research directions.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 31-08-2011
DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2011.601395
Abstract: Antitobacco mass media c aigns have had good success at changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with respect to smoking in high-income countries provided they are sustained. Mass media c aigns should be a critical component of tobacco control programs in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Mounting evidence shows that graphic c aigns and those that evoke negative emotions run over long periods of time have achieved the most influence. These types of c aigns are now being implemented in low- and middle-income countries. The authors provide 3 case studies of first-ever graphic warning mass media c aigns in China, India, and Russia, 3 priority high-burden countries in the global Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. In each of these countries, message testing of core messages provided confidence in messages, and evaluations demonstrated message uptake. The authors argue that given the initial success of these c aigns, governments in low- and middle-income countries should consider resourcing and sustaining these interventions as key components of their tobacco control strategies and programs.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-10-2016
DOI: 10.1111/SMS.12789
Abstract: Available data on the associations between motor competence (MC) and flexibility are limited and result inconclusive. This study aims to examine the relationship between flexibility and MC in children. The s le comprised 596 Portuguese children (47.1% girls) aged 9.7 ± 0.6 years. Motor competence was evaluated with the body coordination test, Körperkoordination Test für Kinder. Cardiorespiratory fitness (20-m shuttle run), muscular strength (curl-up and push-up tests), and flexibility (back-saver sit and reach and trunk-lift tests) were evaluated using the Fitnessgram Test Battery. Z-scores by age and gender for the physical fitness tests were constructed. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were performed. Participants in the healthy zone groups of both flexibility tests exhibited significantly better scores of MC than the participants under the healthy zone (P < 0.001). Back-saver sit and reach and trunk-lift Z-scores, either in idually or as a sum, were significant predictors of MC (P < 0.05 for all) after adjustments for the other physical fitness components, age, body mass index, and socioeconomic status, in both genders. Our findings highlight the importance of promoting and developing flexibility, as well as the other health-related physical fitness components in schoolchildren to reach adequate levels of MC.
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 06-2017
DOI: 10.1123/JSEP.39.3.S1
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-11-2022
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 08-06-2018
Abstract: Background. Tobacco use contributes to an estimated 14.6% of male and 5.7% of female deaths in Bangladesh. Aims. We examine the determinants of tobacco-related quit attempts among Bangladeshis with and without awareness of the synergized “People Behind the Packs” (PBTP) communication c aign used to support the introduction of pack-based graphic warning labels (GWLs) in 2016. Method. Data from 1,796 adults were collected using multistage s ling and a cross-sectional face-to-face survey. Analyses used a normalized design weight to ensure representativeness to the national population of smokers within Bangladesh. Results. For the overall s le, the multivariable logistic regression model revealed quit attempts were associated with having seen the pack-based GWLs, recalling ≥1 PBTP c aign message, higher levels of self-efficacy to quit, and recognizing more potential side-effects associated with using tobacco products. Conversely, the likelihood of quitting attempts were lower among dual tobacco users (relative to smokers) and those using tobacco at least daily (vs. less than daily). The hierarchical multivariable logistic regression model among those aware of ≥1 PBTP c aign message indicated quitting attempts were positively associated with recalling more of the c aign messages and discussing them with others. Conclusion. This national evaluation of pack-based GWLs and accompanying PBTP c aign within Bangladesh supports the efficacy of using synergized communication messages when introducing such labels. That quit attempts are more likely among those discussing PBTP c aign messages with others and recalling more PBTP c aign messages highlights the importance of ensuring message content is both memorable and engaging.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 08-2012
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-09-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 26-04-2016
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2016.1172724
Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between objectively measured total sedentary time and academic achievement (AA) in Portuguese children. The s le comprised of 213 children (51.6% girls) aged 9.46 ± 0.43 years, from the north of Portugal. Sedentary time was measured with accelerometry, and AA was assessed using the Portuguese Language and Mathematics National Exams results. Multilevel linear regression models were fitted to assess regression coefficients predicting AA. The results showed that objectively measured total sedentary time was not associated with AA, after adjusting for potential confounders.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-07-2022
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 12-2016
Abstract: The purpose is to explore relationships among moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary behavior (SB), and actual gross motor competence (MC) and perceived motor competence (PMC) in young children. Data were collected in 101 children ( M age = 4.9 ± 0.93 years). MVPA was measured with accelerometry. Gross MC was assessed with the Portuguese version of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children. PMC was evaluated with the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children. Regressions were used to determine predictive relationships related to the following research questions: (a) Can gross MC predict perceived motor competence, (b) can actual and perceived gross MC predict MVPA, and (c) can actual and perceived gross MC predict SB? Results showed no association between gross MC and PMC and between these constructs and MVPA and SB. This lack of association in the early ages is probably due to the young children’s cognitive inability to make accurate self-judgments and evaluations. A child might have low levels of actual gross MC but perceive her- or himself as skillful.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1016/J.JPED.2014.05.005
Abstract: This study aimed to determine the ability of different measures of adiposity to discriminate between low/high motor coordination and to evaluate the relationship between different measures of adiposity and motor coordination. This study included 596 elementary school children aged 9 to 12 years (218 females - 47.1%). Weight, height, and waist circumference were objectively measured by standardized protocols. Body fat percentage was estimated by bioelectric impedance. Body mass index and waist-to-height ratio were computed. Motor coordination was assessed by the Körperkoordination Test für Kinder. Cardiorespiratory fitness was predicted by a maximal multistage 20 m shuttle-run test of the Fitnessgram Test Battery. A questionnaire was used to assess the maternal educational level. The receiver operating characteristic performance of body fat percentage in females and waist circumference in males presented a slightly better discriminatory accuracy than body mass index, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio in predicting low motor coordination. After adjustments, logistic regression analyses showed that body mass index (β=2.155 95% CI: 1.164-3.992 p=0.015 for girls β=3.255 95% CI: 1.740-6.088 p<0.001 for males), waist circumference (β=2.489 95% CI: 1.242-4.988 p=0.010 for girls β=3.296 95% CI: 1.784-6.090 p<0.001 for males), body fat percentage (β=2.395 95% CI: 1.234-4.646 p=0.010 for girls β=2.603 95% CI: 1.462-4.634 p<0.001 for males) and waist-to-height ratio (β=3.840 95% CI: 2.025-7.283 p<0.001 for males) were positively and significantly associated with motor coordination in both sexes, with the exception of waist-to-height ratio in girls (β=1.343 95% CI: 0.713-2.528 p=0.381). Body fat percentage and waist circumference showed a slightly better discriminatory accuracy in predicting low motor coordination for females and for males, respectively.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.HUMOV.2012.05.005
Abstract: We aimed to evaluate the relationship between gross motor coordination (MC) and academic achievement (AA) in a s le of Portuguese children aged 9-12 years. The study took place during the 2009/2010 school year and involved 596 urban children (281 girls) from the north of Portugal. AA was assessed using the Portuguese Language and Mathematics National Exams. Gross MC was evaluated with the Körperkoordination Test für Kinder. Cardiorespiratory fitness was predicted by a maximal multistage 20-m shuttle-run test of the Fitnessgram Test Battery. Body weight and height were measured following standard procedures. Socio-economic status was based on annual family income. Logistic Regression was used to analyze the association of gross MC with AA. 51.6% of the s le exhibited MC disorders or MC insufficiency and none of the participants showed very good MC. In both genders, children with insufficient MC or MC disorders exhibited a higher probability of having low AA, compared with those with normal or good MC (p<.05 for trend for both) after adjusting for cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index and socio-economic status.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 15-08-2012
DOI: 10.1002/AJHB.22310
Abstract: This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between objectively measured sedentary behavior (SB) and motor coordination (MC) in Portuguese children, accounting for physical activity (PA), accelerometer wear time, waist-to-height ratio, and mother's education level. A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted on 213 children (110 girls and 103 boys) aged 9-10 in the north of Portugal during the spring of 2010. Accelerometers were used to obtain detailed objective information about daily PA and SB over five consecutive days. MC was measured with a body coordination test (Körperkoordination Test für Kinder). Waist and height were measured by standardized protocols and the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) was calculated. A questionnaire was used to assess mothers' educational levels. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) and logistic regressions were used. ROC analysis showed that sedentary time significantly discriminated between children with low MC and high MC, with a best trade off between sensitivity and specificity being achieved at ≥77.29% and ≥76.48% for girls and boys, respectively (P < 0.05 for both). In both genders, the low sedentary group had significantly higher odds of having good MC than the higher sedentary group, independent of PA, accelerometer wear time, WHtR, and mother's education level (P < 0.05 for both). Our findings suggested that PA levels per se may not overcome the deleterious influence of high levels of SB on MC. Our data stress the importance of discouraging SB among children to improve MC.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 31-08-2021
DOI: 10.1007/S40279-021-01516-8
Abstract: In 2008, a conceptual model explaining the role of motor competence (MC) in children’s physical activity (PA), weight status, perceived MC and health-related fitness was published. The purpose of the current review was to systematically compile mediation, longitudinal and experimental evidence in support of this conceptual model. This systematic review (registered with PROSPERO on 28 April 2020) was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. Separate searches were undertaken for each pathway of interest (final search 8 November 2019) using CINAHL Complete, ERIC, Medline (OVID), PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus and SportDiscus. Potential articles were initially identified through abstract and title checking ( N = 585) then screened further and combined into one review ( n = 152), with 43 articles identified for extraction. Studies needed to be original and peer reviewed, include typically developing children and adolescents first assessed between 2 and 18 years and objective assessment of gross MC and at least one other variable (i.e., PA, weight status, perceived MC, health-related fitness). PA included sport participation, but sport-specific s les were excluded. Longitudinal or experimental designs and cross-sectional mediated models were sought. Strength of evidence was calculated for each pathway in both directions for each domain (i.e., skill composite, object control and locomotor/coordination/stability) by iding the proportion of studies indicating a significantly positive pathway in the hypothesised direction by the total associations examined for that pathway. Classifications were no association (0–33%), indeterminate/inconsistent (34–59%), or a positive ‘+’ or negative ‘ − ’ association (≥ 60%). The latter category was classified as strong evidence (i.e., ++or −−) when four or more studies found an association. If the total number of studies in a domain of interest was three or fewer, this was considered insufficient evidence to make a determination. There was strong evidence in both directions for a negative association between MC and weight status. There was strong positive evidence for a pathway from MC to fitness and indeterminate evidence for the reverse. There was indeterminate evidence for a pathway from MC to PA and no evidence for the reverse pathway. There was insufficient evidence for the MC to perceived MC pathway. There was strong positive evidence for the fitness-mediated MC/PA pathway in both directions. There was indeterminate evidence for the perceived MC-mediated pathway from PA to MC and no evidence for the reverse. Bidirectional longitudinal associations of MC with weight status are consistent with the model authored by Stodden et al. (Quest 2008 (2):290–306, 2008). However, to test the whole model, the field needs robust longitudinal studies across childhood and adolescence that include all variables in the model, have multiple time points and account for potential confounding factors. Furthermore, experimental studies that examine change in MC relative to change in the other constructs are needed. PROSPERO ID# CRD42020155799.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-10-2023
DOI: 10.1002/HPJA.821
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-03-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 25-09-2013
Publisher: OMICS Publishing Group
Date: 2013
Publisher: Emerald
Date: 20-09-2013
Abstract: – The ethicality of using audience segmentation in social marketing contexts has typically been framed within either a consequentialist or non-consequentialist perspective, leading to a hitherto intractable debate. This paper seeks to shed new light on this debate using two alternative ethical frameworks: the theory of just health care (TJHC) and integrative social contracts theory (ISCT). – The paper uses cross-sectional survey data from a Kenyan social marketing c aign that aimed to increase awareness and support for the use of anti-retroviral therapy (ART), a class of drugs that inhibit the development of HIV. – Application of the TJHC and ISCT to the Kenyan social marketing c aign revealed the use of audience segmentation to be ethically justified. Moreover, the TJHC provided a useful framework for guiding decisions about the selection of target audience(s) in health-related contexts. – In situations where there are known asymmetries in exposure to mass media channels, adopting a non-segmented mass-media approach may unintentionally entrench pre-existing disparities in health knowledge. – The application of the TJHC and ISCT to health-related social marketing contexts offers a means of resolving the longstanding debate about the ethicality of audience segmentation. The ethical principles underpinning the TJHC also provide a decision-making framework to guide discussions about whether audience segmentation should be based on cost-effectiveness (consequentialism) or need (non-consequentialism). This is particularly relevant in social marketing settings, where the resources available for conducting c aigns are often limited and segmentation decisions about the groups that are targeted or excluded can have important health-related implications.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-06-2011
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 18-07-2016
DOI: 10.1136/TOBACCOCONTROL-2016-052968
Abstract: The evidence on the efficacy of tobacco control messages in low and middle-income country (LMIC) settings is limited but growing. Low message salience and disengagement, in the face of tobacco control messages, are possible barriers to self-efficacy and cessation-related behaviours of tobacco users. Although adaptations of existing pretested graphic and emotional appeals have been found to impact on behaviours, more personalised, culturally relevant and compelling appeals may more fully engage message receivers to elicit optimal behavioural responses. The objective of these case studies is to use lessons learnt from high-income country tobacco control communication programmes, and adapt practical approaches to provide cost-effective, culturally nuanced, graphic and personalised messages from tobacco victims to achieve the optimal behavioural impact for population-level communication c aigns in the resource-constrained settings of LMICs. The 'raw and real' messaging approach, which emanated from message pretesting in India, outlines creative and production processes for the production of tobacco victim testimonials, given the need to source patients, facing life-threatening conditions. This cost-efficient approach uses real tobacco victims, doctors and family members in a cinéma vérité style approach to achieve more personalised and culturally resonant messages. The methodological approach, used for the development of a number of patient testimonial messages initially in India, and later adapted for tobacco cessation, smoke-free and graphic health warning communication c aigns in other countries, is outlined. Findings from c aigns evaluated to date are encouraging as a result of the simple fact that true stories of local people's suffering are simply too difficult to ignore.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 21-03-2013
DOI: 10.1071/HE12903
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 20-04-2012
DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-2214.2012.01380.X
Abstract: Several studies have addressed mothers' perceptions of their children's weight status however, there is no investigation on Portuguese children (a country with one of the highest levels of children's overweight and obesity in Europe). The aim of this study was to quantify maternal misclassification of child weight status in a s le of Portuguese children aged 9 to 12 years, according to gender, family income, and maternal weight status, education level and age. Data were collected in a school-based study (school year 2009/2010) in northern Portugal with 499 urban children (236 girls 47.3%). Body mass index was calculated from measurements of height and weight [body mass (kg)/height (m(2))]. Mothers' perceptions of child's weight status, age, height and weight were accessed by a questionnaire. Children's age, gender and socio-economic status were extracted from the schools' administrative record systems. Cohen's Kappa was used to analyse the misperceptions and the agreement between children's objectively measured weight status and mothers' perception of their child's weight status. The prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity in children was 4.6%, 25.5% and 6.4%, respectively. A proportion of 65.2% of underweight and 61.6% of overweight/obese children were misclassified by their mothers. For the majority of variables presented, the values of agreement were fair (k ranged from 0.257 to 0.486), but were statistically significant. Significant differences in the percentages of mothers who correctly classified their children's weight status were only found among the most educated in the overweight/obese group and among the normal-weight mothers in the underweight group. Many mothers do not properly recognize their children's weight status and frequently underestimate their children's body size.
No related grants have been discovered for Tahir Turk.