Search Results (23)

(1) Background: Adolescence is a critical period in human life, particularly in relation to the development of a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity, body composition and adherence to healthy dietary patterns are key indicators for preventing adolescent overweight and obesity. The aim of this study is to explore the associations between systematic engagement in physical activity, dietary habits and body composition in a sample of Greek adolescents. (2) Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 292 adolescent volunteers, aged 12 to 18 years, from high schools in the Attica region (169 boys [57.9%] and 123 girls [42.1%]) participated. The participants’ socio-demographic characteristics and physical activity levels were assessed through self-reported questionnaires. Their dietary habits were evaluated using the KIDMED questionnaire, and their body composition was determined via bioelectrical impedance analysis. (3) Results: The majority of the students (80.8%) was involved in organized exercise, either as part of a team or in individual sports activities. Physically active participants had significantly improved body composition profiles compared to their non-active peers. No significant differences were observed in the KIDMED scores between boys and girls. However, significantly higher KIDMED scores were found in the group of physically active adolescents compared to the non-active group, with this difference being more pronounced among boys. (4) Conclusions: Engagement in organized physical activity is associated with healthier dietary choices, contributing to a more favorable overall lifestyle profile among adolescents. Full article

The promotion of geological heritage can significantly contribute to geoeducation. As geosites are areas that can be visited by everyone and not just experts on the field, a good comprehension of the processes under which they were formed can improve their understanding of the Earth in general. In this work, we have selected two Greek regions, namely Samaria Gorge (Crete) and Mount Pentelicus (Attica), and their sites of geological interest were mapped. Subsequently, some georoutes are proposed, covering both these sites and other locations of cultural, historical, archaeological, and/or religious interest. Through a detailed description of each site and its georoutes, we intend to promote the two areas’ geological heritage on the one hand, and contribute to the development of geoeducation on the other hand. For this purpose, we have also created an online story map and a Virtual Reality (VR) application for each one of them, both addressed to the general public. Full article

This paper studies the Greek interregional road network (GRN) using network, statistical, and empirical analysis. The research aims to extract the socioeconomic information embedded in the topology of the GRN and to interpret to what extent this network serves and promotes regional development. The analysis reveals that the topology of the GRN is subject to spatial constraints, relevant to the theoretical model of the lattice network but with some geographically dispersed hub-and-spoke modules. It also reveals that the network structure is described by an adjusted gravitational pattern, with priority given to serving regions according to their population and, secondarily, geographical remoteness, and that its association with regional variables outlines an elementary pattern of “axial development through road connectivity”. Interesting contrasts between metropolitan and non-metropolitan (excluding Attica and Thessaloniki) cases emerge from the study. Overall, this paper highlights the effectiveness of complex network analysis in modeling spatial-economic and, in particular, transportation networks and promotes the network paradigm in transportation research. Full article

Being intertwined with economic development, urbanization determines the present and future development path of regions and countries. The intimate relationship between urban expansion and economic development is of particular interest in the case of large regions with complex (and mostly non-linear) socio-demographic dynamics and a relevant primacy in the metropolitan system of a given country. Typical examples of advanced economies with settlement systems characterized by a high degree of city primacy are peripheral and disadvantaged European countries such as Portugal and Greece. For instance, the administrative region of Attica—centered on Athens, the Greek capital city—represents the largest metropolitan area of the country, hosting almost 3.8 million inhabitants in 2021 (36.2% of the Greek population). In this context, this study investigates the internal redistribution of the resident population in metropolitan Athens and the progressive development of satellite cities over a relatively longtime interval, testing the assumptions of the Spatial Cycle Theory (SCT) between 1951 and 2021 and predicting future development paths up to 2051. To investigate past, present, and future intra-regional population trends, we used data released from decadal (1951–2021) censuses and demographic forecasts for the years 2031, 2041, and 2051. Being in line with the SCT, the empirical results of our study document how demographic dynamics of individual centers influence largely—and independently—the long-term development of metropolitan regions, both with policy/planning regulation and in conditions of non-intervention (spontaneous urban growth). Full article

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate healthcare professionals’ attitudes and practices when it comes to their recommendations on exercise during the first trimester of pregnancy and to highlight the factors that influence or predict these attitudes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2022 and March 2023, on a sample of 237 Greek healthcare professionals (midwives and obstetricians) employed in healthcare settings in Attica/Greece. In the statistical analysis, eight independent models of multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. Results: Only half of the participants (54.89%) report that they recommend exercise to pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy. The majority do not routinely recommend a specific frequency and duration of exercise. Participants who believe that exercise during pregnancy is of little benefit to pregnant women were less likely to recommend the following, in the first trimester of pregnancy: (a) exercise in general (p = 0.002), (b) resistance/muscle strengthening exercises (p = 0.039), (c) relaxation exercises (p = 0.002), and (d) a specific exercise duration (p = 0.011). Those who report being very familiar with the international guidelines are (a) more likely to recommend exercise in general (p = 0.013), as well as aerobic exercises (p = 0.023); (b) less likely to not recommend a specific frequency (p = 0.027); and (c) more likely to recommend a duration of 30–45 min of exercise in the first trimester (p = 0.017). Conclusions: I this study, a significant proportion of health professionals’ attitudes appear to diverge from the recommendations set forth by international scientific bodies regarding exercise during pregnancy. Furthermore, health professionals’ beliefs regarding the benefits of exercise during pregnancy, along with their familiarity with international guidelines, appear to influence their usual practices in recommending exercise during the first trimester of pregnancy to pregnant women. Full article

Background: Healthcare professionals appear to play a key role in shaping pregnant women’s views and attitudes towards lifestyle issues, such as exercise. The aim of this study is to investigate the views and beliefs of Greek midwives and obstetricians regarding exercise during pregnancy. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted during the period of January 2022–March 2023. For this study, 237 Greek midwives and obstetricians employed in healthcare settings in Attica, Greece completed an anonymous and self-report questionnaire. Four different/independent models of multivariate analyses of variance were conducted. Results: The vast majority of these healthcare professionals (88.6%) believed that exercise during pregnancy is generally beneficial. According to the multivariate analyses, healthcare professionals with postgraduate/doctoral studies were more likely to believe that (a) exercise is generally beneficial (p = 0.03), (b) pregnant women should be informed about it (p = 0.028), (c) informing pregnant women is necessary/useful (p = 0.023), and (d) pregnant women showed interest in it (p = 0.034). Also, freelance midwives were more likely to believe that pregnant women should be informed about exercise (p = 0.006), and that they showed interest in it (p = 0.034). In addition, (a) freelance midwives (p = 0.050), and those who had experience in antenatal counselling (p = 0.037), as well as (b) obstetricians who were largely experienced in monitoring normal pregnancies (p = 0.001), were less likely to associate exercise during pregnancy with the occurrence of placental abruption. Conclusion: Alongside healthcare professionals’ educational level, their professional setting and professional experience emerge as key factors and need to be considered when designing innovative interventions to support exercise during pregnancy. Full article

Vitis vinifera, an economically significant grapevine species, is known for wine, juice, and table grape production. The berries of wine grapes host a diverse range of microorganisms influencing both grapevine health and the winemaking process. Indigenous to Greece, the emblematic variety Assyrtiko, renowned for high-quality white wines, originated from Santorini and spread to various Greek regions. Despite existing studies on the microbiota of several varieties, the carposphere microbiota of Assyrtiko grapes remains unexplored. Thus, we conducted a spatiotemporal metagenomic study to identify the epiphytic microbial community composition of Assyrtiko grapes. The study was conducted in two consecutive vintage years (2019 and 2020) across three different and distinct viticulture regions in Greece (Attica, Thessaloniki, Evros). We performed amplicon sequencing, targeting the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria and the ITS region for fungi, with subsequent comprehensive bioinformatic analysis. Our data indicate that the distribution and relative abundance of the epiphytic carposphere microbial communities of the Assyrtiko variety are shaped both by vintage and biogeography. Full article

We examined the extent to which companies in the paper processing sector, operating in printing, packaging, labeling, and paper bagging, comply with the requirements of Greek legislation for reporting information on ESG issues. The overall average compliance rating of the sector, which is 45.86% for the year 2021 and 46.20% for the year 2020, is below 50% (baseline), which means that the sector should improve in reporting on ESG issues. It should also be noted that there has been a deterioration in the average compliance rating between the two years. There is a very high statistically significant correlation between the compliance rating average and the average total assets (r² = 0.897) and the average number of employees (r² = 0.922), a high correlation, though not statistically significant, between the compliance rating average and the average results (r² = 0.648), and a moderate statistically significant correlation between the compliance rating average and the average revenues (r² = 0.570). There is an obvious positive relationship between holding ISO certificates and external auditor involvement and the average compliance rating of companies; these are both qualitative features favorable to effective governance. The companies that are active in paper bagging and cardboard box (food packaging) usage have also developed a greater environmentally friendly culture, which results in a higher average compliance rating in comparison with the other two activities of the sector. The companies in the region of Attica have a higher compliance rating than the companies in other regions because they operate in an environment that is much more polluted than the rest of Greece, due to its high concentration of people and companies; thus, they have become more sensitive to ESG issues. The companies that have been operating longer have also achieved a higher average compliance rating because younger companies are trying to gain market share and are not devoting their time and resources to ESG issues. Full article

Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment (PSHA) was carried out for the administrative region of Attica (Greece). Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) and Peak Ground Velocity (PGV) values were calculated for return periods of 475 and 950 years for five sub-areas covering the entire region. PGA hazard curves and Uniform Hazard Spectra (UHS) in terms of spectral acceleration (S_a) values were generated for Athens, Methana, and the capitals of each island of Attica (Salamina, Aegina, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, Kythira, and Antikythira). Area sources were adopted from the Euro-Mediterranean Seismic Hazard Model 2013 (ESHM13) and its update, ESHM20, taking into account both crustal and slab tectonic environments. Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs) proposed for the Greek territory were ranked for PGA and PGV. Each GMPE was reconstructed as a weighted model, accounting for normal and non-normal focal mechanisms for each area source. PGA, PGV, and S_a values were computed using a logic tree, integrating the seismotectonic models as major branches and sub-logic trees, comprised of multiple ranked GMPEs for each area source, as minor branches. The results showed higher seismic hazard values in sub-areas near the Gulf of Corinth and the slab interface, which could indicate a need to revise the active building code in Attica. Full article

Since 2021, the prefectural authorities of the Attica Region in Greece have been operating a rewarding recycling program for the collection of clean recyclable waste in collaboration with the “Specialist Integrated Association of the Prefecture of Attica” (EDSNA, in Greek) and private contractors, called “THE GREEN CITY”. This program mobilizes almost 30 mobile green points (MGPs) daily, which are self-propelled trucks that collect clean recyclable materials from citizens and businesses across the Attica Region. After one year of operation, this program has shown promising results, having more than 100,000 registered citizens and having already collected over 500 tons of clean recyclable municipal solid wastes in more than 60 municipalities of Attica. However, these promising results are accompanied by some significant financial and environmental costs. This study presents two different practical improvement scenarios for THE GREEN CITY recycling program’s current situation that ensure (a) the shortening of the annual kilometers and time on the remote routes of all programs, (b) the annual fuel-cost decrease for the MGPs and (c) the annual reduction of their CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere. Afterwards, we compare these two scenarios and conclude that the “first improvement scenario with main depot decentralization” is more realistic, feasible and has a bigger total sum of positive impacts than the second one. Therefore, this study strongly suggests the implementation of the “first improvement scenario with main depot decentralization” and opens the road to future improvement scenarios for various waste-management systems or recycling programs. Full article

Recently, among European Union (EU) member states, but also globally, there have been available and successful recycling and treatment practices of Municipal Solid Wastes (MSW). Greece has currently implemented low recycling levels, 21%, of the annually produced MSW, compared to the EU regulations. In 2021 the prefectural authorities of Attica Region launched a pilot program of rewarding recycling with source Separation called “THE GREEN CITY”. This program consists of 60 mobile green points (MGPs) that serve at a unified citizen awareness and MSW collection at 7-streams network throughout the prefecture of Attica. In this study, the whole design analysis of “THE GREEN CITY” pilot recycling program contained estimations and calculations of (a) the distances of all waste collection remote itineraries (basic analysis); (b) the annual fuel cost of the MGPs for the realization of all waste collection remote itineraries (financial-based analysis); and (c) the annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions into the atmosphere from the IVECO MGPs during the coverage of all waste collection remote itineraries (environmental-based analysis). Then a research synthesis of all these analyses revealed and evaluated the pilot recycling program’s real capabilities and limitations in alignment with: (a) its ultimate goal to help Greece achieve the setting target of Directive 2018/851 for at least 55% by weight recycling and reuse of the total annually generated Greek MSW by 2025 and (b) the MGPs proven ability to support environmental sustainability in densely populated prefectures such as Attica. Full article

Objective: The study aimed at analyzing the relationship between anthropometric characteristics, lifestyle, and dietary habits, as well as the burden of the pandemic on the health-related quality of life among Greek pupils. Research methods and procedures: On the whole, 2088 adolescents aged 12–18 years from Attica, Greece, were enlisted in this school-based cross-sectional study that took place in May–December 2021. Health-related quality of life was estimated through the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire, adherence to the Mediterranean diet—through the KIDMED test. For the empirical and econometric analyses, the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis means comparison tests were utilized; multiple linear regression was used accordingly. Results: The present study provides evidence to the fact that boys, younger adolescents, adolescents living with both parents and with highly educated mothers had a better health-related quality of life. Concerning their eating practices, positive predictors were consuming a better-quality breakfast, having all five meals daily, consuming lunch and dinner with parents, and higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Moreover, sufficient night sleep time, fewer hours spent on screen viewing, more frequent walks, and having hobbies were linked to the health-related quality of life with a positive sign. In contrast, negative predictors were higher body mass index and everyday life difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Conclusions: Greek adolescents’ anthropometric characteristics, BMI, lifestyle and sedentary habits, eating habits, and adherence to the Mediterranean diet were significantly related to their perceived health-related quality of life during the pandemic. Full article

Despite the well-established health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, there are signs that Mediterranean populations are deviating from this traditional pattern. We aimed to evaluate longitudinal changes in adherence to the Mediterranean diet, its determinants and health effects in a representative sample of the adult Greek population. This was a secondary analysis of the ATTICA epidemiological cohort study conducted in 2001/2002 and 2011/2012. The study sample consisted of 3042 men and women free of cardiovascular diseases living in Attica, Greece; of them, 2583 were followed-up for 10 years. Participants were evaluated in terms of sociodemographic, lifestyle and clinical parameters at baseline, and incidence of cardiometabolic diseases was recorded at follow-up. Dietary habits were assessed both at baseline and 10 years through a validated food frequency questionnaire and adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated through the MedDietScore, based on which four trajectories were identified, i.e., low–low, low–high, high–low and high–high. During the study period, 45.6% of participants moved away from the Mediterranean diet (high–low), 9.0% moved closer (low–high), while 18.7% sustained a high adherence (high–high). Participants in the high–high trajectory were younger, mostly women, more physically active, had a higher socioeconomic status, and a more favorable body composition and cardiometabolic profile at baseline, and exhibited lower 10-year incidence rates of hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease compared to other trajectories (all p-values < 0.050). Adherence to the Mediterranean diet is declining among Greek adults. Staying close to the Mediterranean diet is associated with significant health benefits and should be a major target of public health strategies. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on health, economy, society and education. In the effort to return to normalcy, according to the instructions of the Greek Government for the resumption of the operation of schools, a screening Rapid Antigen Detection Test with the method of self-testing is required for students twice per week, for the early identification and isolation of positive cases. We aimed to pivotally investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to self-testing procedures against COVID-19 among Greek students. A questionnaire was distributed to a convenient sample of students in the region of Athens. Information about the vaccination coverage against SARS-CoV-2 was also obtained. Our study included 1000 students, with 70% of them having an average grade at school. Most of the participants were aware of coronavirus (98.6%) and the self-test (95.5%). The vast majority of students (97%) performed self-testing twice per week, with the 70% them being assisted by someone else. Nearly one sixth of the participants had been infected by COVID-19 (14%) while 36% of them have already been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. In conclusion, we report high compliance with the COVID-19 self-testing procedure among students in Attica, Greece. Older age adolescents are more likely to not comply with the regulations of self-testing. Consequently, tailored interventions targeted at older age adolescents are warranted in order to increase the acceptability of self-testing. Full article

Background: Childbirth is a unique experience ina woman’s life and always remains indelibly engraved in her memory. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure appropriate conditions to have a positive birth experience. Thus, guidelines and protocols have been developed by major international organizations that aim to promote normal labor and better care for the mother and fetus without unnecessary interventions. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the international guidelines and protocols are observed in Greek maternity hospitals. Methods: The study involved 124 male and female students from the three departments of Midwifery: University of West Attica, International Hellenic University and University Western Macedonia, which completed an equal number of self-report questionnaires with their socio-demographic data and were then asked to answer questions posed by instructions for normal childbirth. Results: It was observed that many of the guidelines are not followed, such as grooming and enema, prohibition of feeding and fluid intake, application of pressure on the bottom of the uterus, frequent vaginal examination, prohibition in the presence of sessions, continuous cardiotocographic follow-up in low-risk pregnancies, termination of delivery only in a supine gynecological position, routine perineotomy and immediate ligation of the umbilical cord. Conclusions: The purpose of the guidelines is to maintain the natural course of childbirth by avoiding a series of unnecessary acts that alter the naturalness and undermine the rights of women in childbirth. Full article