Current Awareness Updates
WHO reviews effect of physical activity on enhancing academic achievement at school.
World Health Organization (WHO); 2021.
(Today children and adolescents aged 5–17 years spend nearly two thirds of their time at school in sedentary activities and only five percent of school time doing physical activities. According to the WHO/Europe review, increasing the amount of physical activity can have a positive impact not only on children’s health and well-being, but also on their performance in the classroom.)
New data show vaccines reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults Public Health England (PHE); 2021
(New data show both Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines significantly reduce severe COVID-19 in older adults.)
A window of opportunity for Public Health NHS Providers; 2021
(A new briefing by NHS Providers looks at the risks and opportunities which may arise from the dissolution of PHE and the creation of the National Institute for Health Protection. It outlines considerations for a new public health system, along with the role of Trusts and Integrated Care Systems.)
NHS entitlements: migrant health guide.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
(Advice and guidance for healthcare practitioners on the health needs of migrant patients. 17 February 2021: Updated links to COVID-19 migrant health guidance, dental health, and access to healthcare for migrant and/or undocumented children.)
Healthy weight environments: using the planning system.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
[How local authorities’ public health and planning teams can promote healthy weight environments.]
Physical activity: understanding and addressing inequalities.
Public Health England (PHE); 2021.
(Evidence-based guidance for addressing inequalities in physical activity locally. This guidance can be used by local level practitioners and commissioners to begin tackling inequalities in physical activity across and within protected characteristic groups. It presents the findings of a review, analysis and research aimed at understanding the enablers, barriers and opportunities for increasing physical activity across inequality groups.)
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Keeping children safe from abuse and harm.
Home Office, Public Health England, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, and Department for Education; 2021.
(Advice for parents and carers about the main risks children may be particularly vulnerable to at this time and information about available help and support.)
COVID-19 in children and the role of school settings in transmission – first update.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC); 2020.
(The aim of this document is to provide an update on the knowledge surrounding the role of children in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and the role of schools in the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience in the EU from August–December, 2020. This document also addresses transmission to and from staff in school settings, school-related mitigation measures including risk communication, testing, contact tracing and the efficacy of partial and full school closures.)