CABI Blogs: hand picked... and carefully sorted

Alcohol and sport: "drinking culture" affects youth health

Building the beer tower at Lord's during England vs Sri Lanka.
Photo: Wendie Norris

We went to Lord’s cricket ground to see England play Sri Lanka recently [14/6/14]. In our Lower Compton stand, the cricket was incidental to the main sport of drinking & talking. When did cricket at Lord’s get like this? Apparently at least since 2011 according to The Guardian’s Barney Ronay:  Sozzled - how English cricket got lost in drink

Our enjoyment was marred by the constant hubbub and noise: you could not hear bat on ball.

A group of young men in front of us, with one prime instigator (who somehow never got caught), in great good humour started a “feed the snake”… plastic beer cups were collected into one stack or beer tower and passed through the stand to be added to, while particpants shouted “feed the snake”. Great cheers would start up from the crowded stand - nothing to do with what was happening on the pitch - but because of these precarious beer towers.  For me, it was amusing only the once: repetitions were distracting and required constant security intervention.

What hit me from the beer towers was how many beers our stand had clearly been through between 11am and 2pm. Aided no doubt by the cardboard drinks holders enabling people to carry at least four pints in one hand. And not just beer… 4 lads behind us went through 3 bottles of champagne in the afternoon’s play.

Who was in the stand? All ages, but our stand was particularly full of young people (mostly lads) in their mid-twenties, good humouredly drinking themselves silly but not aggressive. Just silly enough to lose a sense of proportion and consideration for others in the stand.

Most of the drink on the day was bought at the venue, and there was plenty of advertising sponsorship linked to alcohol. The UK government’s minimum pricing for different drinks (April 6, 2014) to stop extreme discounting of alcohol in England and Wales, wouldn’t have helped at Lords.

Back at work I decided to investigate the health facts behind the “drinking culture” amongst young people and in particular young sports fans.

Working out how to work out: do we understand physical activity levels?

The World Health Organization and many national governments issue guidelines as to how much exercise we should all do to stay healthy. Current exercise recommendations from the WHO for 18- to 64-year-olds include "at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity." But do we understand exactly what counts as moderate or vigorous exercise? A recent study from Canadian researchers suggests that many people overrate how hard they work out or underestimate what moderate intensity exercise actually means.

Animal machines: 50 years on

A symposium organized by CABI and the Royal Veterinary College to mark the 50^th anniversary of Animal Machines, by Ruth Harrison, reviewed how far we have come in understanding and improving animal welfare since the publication of the book, which marked the start of the movement for welfare of animals in intensive production.

“Would Ruth be pleased with the progress that has been made so far?” asked the panel of international experts on animal welfare, ethics and sustainability. The general consensus of opinion was that there are many things she would be pleased about (e.g. EU-wide bans on veal crates, sow stalls and barren battery cages), but she would be disappointed with the slow speed at which improvements are being made, particularly in countries outside the EU. However, it was suggested that she would be ‘delighted’ by the thought-provoking discussions that took place during the symposium, which highlighted important questions that remain to be addressed.

 

CABI Switzerland Scientists take home WSSA Award

Selected for their contribution to the Outstanding Paper in Invasive Plant Science and Management 2014, two CABI scientists took home this prestigious award at the Weed Science Society of America Annual Meeting in Vancouver. The event was held jointly with the Canadian Weed Science Society (CWSS) between 3-6 February 2014. Dr Hariet Hinz (left) and Dr Esther Gerber (right) collaborated with lead author Dr. John Gaskin (USDA, ARS, Sidney, MT, USA) on the paper called "Genetic identity and diversity of perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) in its native and invaded ranges"  focusing on research which should reduce the risk of any resistance to successful biological control of this invasive weed in North America.

 

“Land Belongs to the Future, Let’s Climate Proof It” – World Day to Combat Desertification 2014

June 17 has been designated by the United Nations as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (WDCD).  The slogan of this year's WDCD is 'Land Belongs to the Future, Let’s Climate Proof It’, which aims to ‘highlight the benefits of mainstreaming sustainable land management policies and practices into our collective response to climate change’.  The objectives of this year’s WDCD are to increase the attention given to land and soil within climate change adaptation; mobilise support for sustainable land management and call for the inclusion of land and soil and their role in food security into national climate adaptation policies.

Why recreational soccer is good for you – whatever your age

The FIFA World Cup starts in Brazil this week, and for the next month the elite of the world's soccer players will be on display. For most of us watching, any dream of playing on the big stage will have long since vanished (if indeed it ever existed). But a series of papers from the University of Copenhagen suggests both that lifelong participation in soccer has a major impact on health in later life, and that even senior men who haven't previously played the game can benefit from soccer training.

World Environment Day 2014 – “Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level”

World Environment Day (WED) on June 5th is used by the United Nations to encourage global awareness and stimulate action to protect the environment.  It was established in 1972 on the same day that the UN Conference on the Human Environment began and the first WED was celebrated in 1973. Each year it is hosted in a different city with a different theme.   This year’s WED will focus on ‘small island developing states and climate change’ in support of the UN designation of 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States.