School Holidays Research Articles

Effects of the Practice of the Game of Lipato in the Water on the Body Composition in High School Collegians

The main objective of this study was to show the effects of the practice of extra-curricular activities based on the game of "lipato" on the body composition and blood pressure values ??of high school students. It involved 64 subjects, aged between 19 and 22, divided into two groups: GE (32) experimental group and GT (32) control group, experimental protocol of the “lipato” game during 3 months of school holidays. The anthropometric variables of height and weight were determined with a measuring rod and a bathroom scale and the body composition variables – with the impedance meter. All these measurements are taken before and after the experiment. The results obtained show an improvement in anthropometric variables, composition in favor of the experimental group respectively (weight 25.80 ± 4.27 vs 29.90 ± 3.89, BMI 21.67 ± 1.52 vs 24.41 ± 1.39, muscle mass 25.74±4.71 vs 29.97±3.89, water mass 10.27±3.44 vs 12.35±3.60). These results suggest that the optimal practice of the "lipato" game during the holidays favors the reduction of the prevalence of overweight.

The Nutritional Quality of Food Provision at UK Government-Funded Holiday Clubs: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Energy and Nutrient Content.

A large proportion of children are at risk of food insecurity during school holidays in the UK. The government-funded Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme provides free holiday clubs offering at least one healthy meal/day to eligible children and adolescents. This study aims at evaluating the nutritional quality of food provision at HAF holiday clubs, particularly hot/cold and vegetarian/non-vegetarian meals. Menu variants (n = 2759) from 49 HAF holiday clubs were assessed for adherence to School Food Standards (SFS) and their notional compositional quality, which was scored utilising a novel nutrient-based meal quality index. The median adherence to SFS across all available menus was 70% (IQR 59-79%). Overall, hot variants scored statistically higher menu quality scores than cold variants for both 5-11y (92.3 (80.7-102.7) vs. 80.4 (69.3-90.6)) and 11-18y (73.5 (62.5-85.8) vs. 58.9 (50.0-70.7)) criteria. Cold and hot menu variants tended to score differentially for quality sub-components. These findings highlight areas for potential future improvement in HAF holiday club provision with a tendency for food provision to appear less ideal for attendees for those aged 11-18. Ensuring that children from low-income households have access to a healthy diet is crucial to reduce UK health inequalities.

Perempuan dalam Dunia kuliner di Kawasan Wisata Tanggo Rajo Jambi

: This research is historical research with the theme of women's history which examines the involvement, role, and contribution of women in the non-formal economic sector, namely those who become culinary traders in the Tanggo Rajo Ancol Tourism Area, Jambi. Meanwhile, the research method is historical method by following the stages of heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The conclusions of the research show that women who become culinary traders in this tourist area successfully carry out their dual roles both in the domestic, household and public sectors. In the domestic sector, they have succeeded in acting as housewives who take care of and serve the needs of their husbands and children, while in the public sector they can generate their own money from selling various kinds of culinary delights in the Tanggo Rajo Ancol Tourism Area, Jambi. The findings of the study show that women culinary traders in the Tanggo Rajo Ancol Tourism Area, Jambi, have been selling for decades before the area became known as a tourist area. Furthermore, it is known that the income of culinary traders will increase compared to their daily income if it coincides with important moments such as school holidays, the month of Ramadan, holidays, celebrations of the Indonesian Independence Day and Jambi Province Anniversary, and festivals with cultural nuances. Next, culinary traders in the Tanggo Rajo Ancol Jambi Tourism Area are concentrated in two locations, namely under the Gentala Arasy Bridge to the Tanggo Rajo Gate and from the Jambi Police Chief's House to Kasang Port / Pasir Harbor

Children's exposure to indoor and outdoor black carbon and particulate matter air pollution at school in Rwanda, Central-East Africa

Schoolchildren are a high-risk population, and their exposure to air pollution at school has been documented in high-income countries. As a result, school siting policies to protect children from air pollution have been established in those countries. Such policies are, however, non-existent in Africa where the air pollution problem is growing and gravely under-studied due to the lack of funding to install reliable ground-level monitoring networks and lack of air quality standards. The present study, the first of its kind to be conducted in Africa, measured Black Carbon (BC) and its related sources: fossil fuels (BCff) and biomass burning (BCbb). BC and fine particles (PM2.5) were measured simultaneously indoors and outdoors at schools over a 12-month period in Rwanda. The annual concentrations of BC in classrooms (8.15 µg/m3) and outdoor schoolyards (9.22 µg/m3) were higher than simultaneous concentrations recorded at Kigali urban background site (7.78 μg m3). The annual mean PM2.5 concentrations in classrooms and outdoor school were more than eight times higher than the World Health Organization's safe limits. The results demonstrated a more than two-fold increase in the concentrations of BCff during drop-off hours compared to off-peak hours, indicating the dominant contribution of vehicles queuing on the school premises. However, higher indoor than outdoor BC levels were recorded in some instances, 2 hours after an outdoor peak during drop-off times. The exposure peaks inside the classrooms were more pronounced for BC than PM2.5.The highest reduction of 24% and 19% were observed for BCff during weekends and school holidays in classrooms compared to regular days. No reduction was observed for BCbb concentrations. This study shows that BC and PM2.5 levels are considerably higher in schoolyards, and that further investigation of air pollution exposure at schools is warranted in Africa to promote improved drop-off/pick-up behaviours at and around school environments.

Association of public health and social measures on the hand-foot-mouth epidemic in South Korea

BackgroundSchool based-measures such as school closure and school holidays have been considered a viable intervention during the hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) epidemic. The aim of this study was to explore the association of nationwide public health and social measures (PHSMs) including planned school vacation on the transmissibility and attack rate of the HFMD epidemic in South Korea. MethodsIn this study, we used Korean national surveillance data on HFMD from 2014 to 2019 to estimate the temporal changes in HFMD transmissibility (instantaneous reproductive number, Rt). Furthermore, to assess the changes in the HFMD attack rate, we used a stochastic transmission model to simulate the HFMD epidemic with no school vacation and nationwide PHSMs in 2015 South Korea. ResultsWe found that school vacations and 2015 PHSMs were associated with the reduced Rt by 2–7 % and 13 %, respectively. Model projections indicated school vacations and 2015 PHSMs were associated with reduced HFMD attack rate by an average of 1.10 % (range: 0.38–1.51 %). ConclusionsPHSMs likely have a larger association with reduced HFMD transmissibility than school-based measures alone (i.e. school vacations). Preventive measures targeting preschoolers could be considered as potential options for reducing the future burden of HFMD.

Cost comparison of a rapid results initiative against standard clinic-based model to scale-up voluntary medical male circumcision in Kenya.

Voluntary male medical circumcision (VMMC) reduces HIV acquisition by up to 60%. Kenya has successfully scaled up VMMC to an estimated 91% of eligible men and boys in certain regions in combination due to VMMC and cultural circumcisions. VMMC as a program is implemented regionally in traditionally non-circumcising counties where the prevalence is still below 91%, ranging from 56.4% to 66.7%. Given that funding toward VMMC is expected to decline in the coming years, it is important to identify what models of service delivery are most appropriate and efficient to sustainably meet the VMMC needs of new cohorts' eligible men. To this end, we compared the costs of facility-based VMMC and one within a rapid results initiative (RRI), a public health service scheduled during school holidays to perform many procedures over a short period. We employed activity-based micro-costing to estimate the costs, from the implementer perspective, of facility-based VMMC and RRI-based VMMC conducted between October 2017 and September 2018 at 41 sites in Kisumu County, Kenya supported by the Family AIDS care & Education Services (FACES). We conducted site visits and reviewed financial ledger and programmatic data to identify and quantify resources consumed and the number of VMMC procedures performed during routine care and RRIs. Ledger data were used to estimate fixed costs, recurring costs, and cost per circumcision (CPC) in United States dollar (USD). A sensitivity analysis was done to estimate CPC where we allocated 6 months of the ledger to facility-based and 6 months to RRI. Overall, FACES spent $3,092,891 toward VMMC services and performed 42,139 procedures during the funding year. This included $2,644,910 in stable programmatic costs, $139,786 procedure costs, and $308,195 for RRI-specific activities. Over the year, 49% (n = 20,625) of procedures were performed as part of routine care and 51% (n = 21,514) were performed during the RRIs. Procedures conducted during facility-based cost $99.35 per circumcision, those conducted during the RRIs cost $48.51 per circumcision, and according to our sensitivity analysis, CPC for facility-based ranges from $99.35 to $287.24 and for RRI costs ranged from $29.81 to $48.51. The cost of VMMC during the RRI was substantially lower than unit costs reported in previous costing studies. We conclude that circumcision campaigns, such as the RRI, offer an efficient and sustainable approach to VMMC.

Children's activity and diet behaviours in the summer holidays versus school year.

Evidence shows children gain more weight during the summer holidays versus the school year. To examine within-child differences in activity and diet behaviours during the summer holidays versus the school year. Children (mean age 9.4 years; 37% male) wore accelerometers (GENEActiv; n= 133), reported activities (Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adolescents; n= 133) and parents reported child diet (n= 133) at five timepoints over 2 years capturing school and summer holiday values. Mixed-effects models were used to compare school and summer holiday behaviours. Children spent less time in moderate- to vigorous-physical activity (-12 min/day; p= 0.001) and sleep (-12min/day; p< 0.001) and more time sedentary (+27 min/day; p< 0.001) during summer holidays versus the school year. Screentime (+70 min/day; p< 0.001), domestic/social activities (+43 min/day; p= <0.001), self-care (+24 min/day; p< 0.001), passive transport (+22 min/day; p= 0.001) and quiet time (+16 min/day; p= 0.012) were higher during the summer holidays, compensating for less time in school-related activities (-164 min/day; p< 0.001). Diet quality was lower (-4 points; p< 0.001) and children consumed fewer serves of fruit (-0.4 serves; p< 0.001) during the summer holidays versus the school year. Children are displaying poorer activity and diet behaviours during the summer holidays, which may contribute to accelerated weight gain over the holiday period.

Sosialisasi dan Pendampingan Masyarakat dalam Memajukan Ekowisata Pantai Batu Burung Kota Singkawang Kalimantan Barat

Pantai Batu Burung Singkawang is one of the tourist destinations that is visited by local tourists from the Singkawang and surrounding areas, especially on Sundays and school holidays or Eid holidays. With the characteristic distribution of granite along the coast, it adds to the natural beauty of the beach. The Community Service Activities (PKM) which are carried out in September-November in the area aim to advance Pantai Batu Burung tourism through assisting the local community in terms of maintaining the cleanliness of the beach including the tidiness and order of the street vendors, being friendly to visitors and promoting the beauty of ecotourism Pantai Batu Burung through social media. This activity was attended by 20 residents of the Sedau Village community, 15 of whom were culinary business owners in the coastal area. Based on the evaluation and monitoring during the activity, it shows that the business community on this beach has carried out a beach cleaning program regularly so that the beach and its surroundings always look clean, always maintain hospitality to visitors and have participated in promoting the Pantai Batu Burung tourist destination through social media with share beach profile videos and infographics.Keywords : Pantai Batu Burung, ecotourism, granite, infographics, Sedau

Sleep regularity in healthy adolescents: Associations with sleep duration, sleep quality, and mental health.

Current evidence points to the importance of sleep for adolescent physical and mental health. To date, most studies have examined the association between sleep duration/quality and health in adolescence. An emerging line of research suggests that regularity in the timing of sleep may also play an important role in well-being. To address this aspect of sleep, the present study investigated daily variability of sleep, quantified using the sleep regularity index (SRI), in 46 adolescents (M=12.78 ± 1.07 years) and its association with depressive symptoms/mental health. Sleep was measured during a 6 month period (M=133.11 ± 36.42 nights) using actigraphs to quantify SRI values calculated for school days, weekends and holidays. Depressive symptoms and general psychopathology were assessed at the beginning (baseline) and end (follow-up) of the actigraphy measurements. Sleep was most regular during school days and associated with a longer total sleep time, shorter sleep onset latency, and higher sleep efficiency. Moreover, a higher SRI on school days was associated with fewer depressive symptoms at follow-up, whereas higher SRI on weekends was associated with less overall psychopathology at follow-up. Furthermore, the change in overall psychopathology, but not depressive symptoms across the two assessments was correlated with sleep regularity index. Our results suggest that regular timing of sleep is associated with sleep that is of longer duration and higher quality and may be protective of adolescent mental health. Therefore, adolescents should be encouraged not only to get enough sleep, but also to retain regular sleeping patterns to promote well-being and mental health.

Measuring light regularity: sleep regularity is associated with regularity of light exposure in adolescents.

Light is the main time cue for the human circadian system. Sleep and light are intrinsically linked; light exposure patterns can influence sleep patterns and sleep can influence light exposure patterns. However, metrics for quantifying light regularity are lacking, and the relationship between sleep and light regularity is underexplored. We developed new metrics for light regularity and demonstrated their utility in adolescents, across school term and vacation. Daily sleep/wake and light patterns were measured using wrist actigraphy in 75 adolescents (54% male, 17.17 ± 0.83 years) over 2 weeks of school term and a subsequent 2-week vacation. The Sleep Regularity Index (SRI) and social jetlag were computed for each 2-week block. Light regularity was assessed using (1) variation in mean daily light timing (MLiT); (2) variation in daily photoperiod; and (3) the Light Regularity Index (LRI). Associations between SRI and each light regularity metric were examined, and within-individual changes in metrics were examined between school and vacation. Higher SRI was significantly associated with more regular LRI scores during both school and vacation. There were no significant associations of SRI with variation in MLiT or daily photoperiod. Compared to school term, all three light regularity metrics were less variable during the vacation. Light regularity is a multidimensional construct, which until now has not been formally defined. Irregular sleep patterns are associated with lower LRI, indicating that irregular sleepers also have irregular light inputs to the circadian system, which likely contributes to circadian disruption.

Isaac hits the road.

I had not seen Isaac in a while. Severe neurodevelopmental difficulties had made themselves known early in his life. In recent years, Isaac's placid nature had steadily given way to a more agitated state. As a burly teenager, without the power of spoken language, and an increasingly apparent sensitivity to all manner of stimuli and situations, this spelled trouble. Isaac's go-to method to communicate his discomfort was to lash out physically. Towards others. Towards himself. Forcefully. Frequently. Unpredictably. Isaac's world had contracted. Home, school, home again. Family outings beyond this limited arc had become untenable. There had been conversations between us in the past about the adjunctive role that medication might one day play, if required. Isaac's parents had done much to mitigate the need up until now. I had no doubt they would continue to explore multiple ways of assisting their son. They certainly had not been pushing for a psychopharmacological debut. It appeared, however, that now would be as good a time as any. We discussed a judicious trial of a carefully selected agent. We were clear about the ultimate purpose. Not to ‘keep him quiet’……this notion being as abhorrent to myself as it is to Isaac's parents. Instead, a positive, solution-focused goal; to assist Isaac to keep his overwhelming emotions in check, thus allowing him to get out and about once more. To help Isaac expand his horizons. A few weeks later, in a telehealth check-in, an aura of cautious optimism. So far so good. Our next appointment, after the school holidays, was conducted in the office. Isaac arrived with a broad grin on his face, the likes of which I had not previously witnessed. He was still excitable, tapping on my desk like a bongo drum, though without the palpable angst and physical threat that had characterised recent consultations. In the midst of my follow-up questioning, Isaac's dad casually volunteered that things had been going so well, the family had seized the moment, and undertaken ‘a little holiday drive’. A day trip to the Sunshine Coast? A jaunt to Toowoomba during the Carnival of Flowers? As lovely as these outings undoubtedly are, Isaac's parents had dreamed bigger. They turned out of the driveway of their Brisbane home, hit the highway, and kept on going, all the way to Port Douglas, a mere 1700-plus kilometres away. Isaac embraced the journey in full. On parental rating of adaptability, he left his siblings in the shade. The further north they travelled, the more emboldened Isaac's family became. Side adventures were added. A cable car ride to the edge of the Atherton Tablelands, gazing down upon emerald rainforest and the wildness of the Barron Gorge. The reverse journey by rail, with its meandering decline, and an eye-level view of the precious ecosystem. A boat cruise on the sparkling waters inside the Great Barrier Reef. Plans were already in place for the next trip. Heading south this time. It is about the same distance to Melbourne. Why not?! I will never know exactly why Isaac was so obviously happy that day. Perhaps he was recalling a flash of azure, as a Ulysses butterfly weaved its way through the native ginger and fan palms in Kuranda. The soothing, other-worldly chorus of the Torres Strait pigeons, roosting in the trees along the Cairns Esplanade. The feel of tropical ocean spray on his face. Above all, I like to think he was still carrying with him the joy of being somewhere different and beautiful, in the company of his beloved family.

School Holidays: New Opportunities For Educational Recreation Of Students

School Holidays: New Opportunities For Educational Recreation Of Students

Abnormal Returns on Bucharest Stock Exchange during the Winter School Vacations

Abnormal Returns on Bucharest Stock Exchange during the Winter School Vacations

Effects of the vacation period on the health-related physical fitness of schoolchildren

The aim of the study was to verify the effects of the summer vacation period on the health-related physical fitness (HRPF) of students in the 7th and 8th grades of elementary school. The study design is characterized as observational, considered short-term longitudinal. Physical evaluations were carried out before and after the summer school vacation period. The components of physical fitness analyzed were: Cardiorespiratory fitness - 6-minute running or walking test, body composition- measures of body mass index, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio, muscle strength/endurance - abdominal endurance test (sit -up) and flexibility - test of sitting and reaching. As a statistical analysis, the paired t-test was used, adopting p≤0.05. A significant increase was observed in the body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and flexibility after the vacation period. However, there were no significant changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength/endurance. Furthermore, analyzing boys and girls separately, no differences were found for waist-to-height ratio and only girls showed improvements in muscle strength/endurance. It was concluded that the vacation exposure factor improved the levels of flexibility and increased the variables of body composition, not generating significant changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, while muscle strength/endurance improved only in girls.

Characteristics of Traffic Accidents Frequency on Connection Road Between 3 Cities in Riau - Indonesia

The main cause of road accidents in outside of cities is the driver's lack of awareness about road safety. Efforts to reduce these accidents can be done if the characteristics and causes are known. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of road accidents in three areas in Riau province. Analysis used a descriptive quantitative analysis. This study was done to identify the characteristics of traffic accidents occurred from 2014 to 2019 on the connection road between 3 cities in Riau, namely in the Kuantan Singingi, Kampar and Rokan Hulu areas of Riau Province, Indonesia. The analysis used is descriptive quantitative analysis. The greater accidents were occurred in 2018, in which 192 cases. The least accidents were occurred in 2017, in which 115 cases, the month of June had the highest number of accidents since it was a month of school holidays. The percentage of total deaths on traffic accidents reached 60%. Meanwhile, 75.6% of traffic accident victims were injured, with the most accidents occurring on flat and straight roads. The types of vehicles that are often involved are motorcycle, which occur from 06.00 to 11.59 pm.

PENINGKATAN PEMAHAMAN PAJAK BERBASIS WEB-GAMES ULAR TANGGA PAJAK PADA SISWA SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEJURUAN LETRIS

Students' understanding of taxation can be achieved not only through print media such as textbooks or learning videos found on existing social media. The purpose of this community service activity is to provide a new way to increase the tax knowledge of Letris Vocational School students by playing online games (Web-Games) in the form of snakes and ladders on one of the sites provided. Web-Games is a technology that is used to play games using a device that is connected to an internet connection. This technology-based Community Service Activity (PkM) of Pembangunan Jaya University begins with a survey conducted by the team, coordinating the time and place of implementation, carrying out user requirements stages, and testing the tax snake ladder web games, and the final stage of evaluation. All stages went well although there was a time constraint on the participants' willingness to remember that the implementation was carried out during the school holidays. This PkM involves 52 Letris Vocational School students who are members of the Accounting Department and participate in the user requirements and socialization stages of this web game. The PkM team conducted a pre-test and post-test on respondents to increase their understanding of tax theory and practice. This comparison was carried out before and after the participants played the game manually and web-based. The results show that the participants' understanding of taxes increases both in terms of theory and practice of taxation in accordance with the provisions of generally accepted tax laws. The evaluation results show that this PkM activity is beneficial for partners, and needs to be expanded not only in one school but in a wider forum.

Factors associated with the time from the first call to emergency medical services to puncture for mechanical thrombectomy for ischaemic stroke patients in Gironde, France, in 2017 and 2018

Background and purposeWhen an ischaemic stroke due to a large vessel occlusion occurs, the sooner Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT) is performed, the better the functional prognosis. However, the organisation of care does not systematically allow rapid access to MT. The aim of our study was to determine the clinical and organisational factors associated with the time to access to MT. MethodsWe conducted a cohort study in Gironde County, France. Patients admitted for MT and regulated by the Gironde Emergency Medical Services (EMS) between 01/01/2017 and 31/12/2018 were included. The time to access to MT was the difference between the first call to EMS and groin puncture for MT. The main explanatory variables were: type of pathway (mothership (MS), drip and ship (DS) with cerebral imaging performed in the local hospital centre (LHC), and DS without imaging in the LHC); NIHSS score; driving distance to MT; time of stroke onset (weekend or holiday, school holidays, other); age and sex. Linear regression models were used to explain time to access to MT. Missing data were handled using a multiple imputation procedure (Full conditional specification, Mice R-Package) carried out in our multivariable linear regression model. A quantitative bias analysis was performed by weighing the imputed time to access to MT and identifying the weight changing the conclusions of our analysis. ResultsAmong the 314 included patients, 152 were women (48.4%), and the mean NIHSS score was 16.4. Two hundred and two (64.3%) patients were managed through the MS pathway. The average time from onset to femoral puncture was 251 minutes.In the multivariate analysis, the time to MT was longer when patients were managed DS with imaging in the LHC pathway (+106 min, p = 0.03), and even longer in the DS without imaging in the LHC pathway (+197 min, p = 0.002), compared with MS. Time from onset to MT decreased with increasing NIHSS score (−6 min per NIHSS point, p <.0001).In our quantitative bias analysis, we multiplied the imputed time in access to MT in the DS pathways only (with or without imaging in the LHC) by weights varying from 0.9 to 0.2 (imputed delays reduced from 10% to 80%). With reduction of 40% or more, there was no longer any difference in time to access to MT between the three studied pathways. ConclusionsThe DS pathway can be shortened by generalizing access to cerebral imaging in LHCs. Optimizing pre-admission orientation toward MT is a major issue in LVOS management.

Correlates of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in children attending before and after school care: a systematic review

BackgroundOut of School Hours Care (OSHC) offers structured care to elementary/primary-aged children before and after school, and during school holidays. The promotion of physical activity in OSHC is important for childhood obesity prevention. The aim of this systematic review was to identify correlates of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behaviour in before and after school care.MethodsA systematic search was conducted in Scopus, ERIC, MEDLINE (EBSCO), PsycINFO and Web of Science databases up to December 2021. Study inclusion criteria were: written in English; from a peer-reviewed journal; data from a centre-based before and/or after school care service; children with a mean age < 13 years; an objective measure of physical activity or sedentary behaviour; reported correlations and significance levels; and if an intervention study design these correlates were reported at baseline. Study quality was assessed using the Office of Health Assessment and Translation Risk of Bias Rating Tool for Human and Animal Studies. The PRISMA guidelines informed the reporting, and data were synthesised according to shared correlations and a social ecological framework.ResultsDatabase searches identified 4559 papers, with 18 cross-sectional studies meeting the inclusion criteria.There were a total of 116 physical activity correlates and 64 sedentary behaviour correlates identified. The most frequently reported correlates of physical activity were child sex (males more active), staff engaging in physical activity, an absence of elimination games, and scheduling physical activity in daily programming (all more positively associated). The most frequently reported correlates of sedentary behaviour were child sex (females more sedentary) and age (older children more sedentary).ConclusionsEncouraging physical activity engagement of female children, promoting positive staff behaviours, removing elimination elements from games, and scheduling more time for physical activity should be priorities for service providers. Additional research is needed in before school care services.

Multivariate Demand Forecasting for Rental Bike Systems Based on an Unobserved Component Model

Many German cities, municipalities and transport associations are expanding their bike-sharing systems (BSS) to offer citizens a cost-effective and climate-friendly means of transport and an alternative to private motorized transport (PMT). However, operators face the challenge of generating high-quality predictive analyses and time series forecasts. In particular, the prediction of demand is a key component to foster data-driven decisions. To address this problem, an Unobserved Component Model (UCM) has been developed to predict the monthly rentals of a BSS, whereby the station-based BSS VRNnextbike, including over 2000 bikes, 297 stations and 21 municipalities, is employed as an example. The model decomposes the time series into trend, seasonal, cyclical, auto-regressive and irregular components for statistical modeling. Additionally, the model includes exogenous factors such as weather, user behavior (e.g., traveled distance), school holidays and COVID-19 relevant covariates as independent effects to calculate scenario based forecasts. It can be shown that the UCM calculates reasonably accurate forecasts and outperforms classical time series models such as ARIMA(X) or SARIMA(X). Improvements were observed in model quality in terms of AIC/BIC (2.5% to 22%) and a reduction in error metrics from 15% to 45% depending on the considered model.

WhatsApp Remote Reading Recovery: Using Mobile Technology to Promote Literacy during COVID-19

School closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic affected over a billion young people worldwide and presented a threat to long-term learning, particularly for public school students in low socioeconomic situations. This article offers quasi-experimental evidence on a low-cost strategy for distance learning applied in the Republic of Panama to minimize the negative consequences of the pandemic on public elementary school children’s reading levels. We conducted a 12-week intervention that utilized mobile phone technology and dissemination of reading material through WhatsApp, a cross-platform messaging freeware service, to maintain and improve children’s reading levels during the pandemic school shutdown. The objective was to determine the feasibility of using WhatsApp as a digital tool to facilitate education and inform evolving practice and policy responses. Results among 292 students between the second and sixth grades indicated overall mean gains of up to 10.3% in the number of words read per minute, with statistically significant improvements overall and higher gains among the second and third grades. In addition, the adoption rate was high, with a reported average of 84% completion of the daily readings. The results of this low-tech intervention have immediate and longer-term implications for using mobile technology as a supplemental or complementary learning tool, especially for developing regions and during school closures or school vacations.