Exploring the Relationship Between Daily Steps, Body Mass Index and Physical Self-Esteem in Female Australian Adolescents

Current research suggests that a decline in physical activity occurs some time during the adolescent years, but at what specific age is unknown. Determination of the age at which physical activity levels decline and possible contributors to this phenomenon, are needed to increase Australian healthcare knowledge. The participants involved in the study were female adolescents (n = 297) aged 13-15 years from a high school in Southeast Queensland, Australia. The purpose of this study was to: (a) determine mean steps per day, using pedometers, for grade 8 through 10 girls, (b) determine body mass index (BMI) by measuring height (cm) and weight (kg), and (c), using the Children and Youth Physical Self-Perception Profile (CY-PSPP) questionnaire, identify determinants of physical self-worth in Australian female adolescents and their relationship to activity level and BMI. The study revealed that a significant drop-off in pedometer-determined mean daily steps occurred at grade ten, or approximately 15 years of age. A significant inverse relationship between mean daily steps and BMI was found (r = ¯.251, p<.0001). The study also revealed negative correlations between BMI and all self-perceptions (p<.05), except strength, which showed a positive correlation (p<0.05). A positive correlation was found between level of physical activity and all self-perceptions, except Global Self-Worth, which showed no significant difference

Habitual physical activity (HPA) as a factor in sustained executive function in Alzheimer-type dementia: a cohort study

Evidence from studies on healthy older adults and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) populations suggests that physical activity interventions have a positive effect on executive function. In this study, we consider whether HPA is positively associated with executive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Eighty-two participants with a diagnosis of mild to moderate AD completed six measures of executive function. Objective measures of physical status were taken. In addition, informants completed questionnaires on the participants’ HPA and other lifestyle factors. A composite measure of executive function was the primary outcome. A multistage multiple regression was used to determine how much variance HPA accounted for. The final model comprised disease severity, cognitive reserve, cognitive activities, neuropsychiatric status and HPA status. The final model accounted for a total of 57% of the variance of executive performance, of which HPA itself accounted for 8% of the variance. HPA status is associated executive performance in an AD population even after controlling for key covariates. The findings encourage clinicians to recommend HPA and its cognitive benefits to AD patients and their carers

Reliability and validity of a domain-specific last 7-d sedentary time questionnaire

Purpose: The objective of this study is to examine test-retest reliability, criterion validity, and absolute agreement of a self-report, last 7-d sedentary behavior questionnaire (SIT-Q-7d), which assesses total daily sedentary time as an aggregate of sitting/lying down in five domains (meals, transportation, occupation, nonoccupational screen time, and other sedentary time). Dutch (DQ) and English (EQ) versions of the questionnaire were examined. Methods: Fifty-one Flemish adults (ages 39.4 +/- 11.1 yr) wore a thigh accelerometer (activPAL3 (TM)) and simultaneously kept a domain log for 7 d. The DQ was subsequently completed twice (median test-retest interval: 3.3 wk). Thigh-acceleration sedentary time was log annotated to create comparable domain-specific and total sedentary time variables. Four hundred two English adults (ages 49.6 +/- 7.3 yr) wore a combined accelerometer and HR monitor (Actiheart (R)) for 6 d to objectively measure total sedentary time. The EQ was subsequently completed twice (median test-retest interval: 3.4 wk). In both samples, the questionnaire reference frame overlapped with the criterion measure administration period. All participants had five or more valid days of criterion data, including one or more weekend day. Results: Test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (95% CI)) was fair to good for total sedentary time (DQ: 0.68 (0.50-0.81); EQ: 0.53 (0.44-0.62)) and poor to excellent for domain-specific sedentary time (DQ: from 0.36 (0.10-0.57) (meals) to 0.66 (0.46-0.79) (occupation); EQ: from 0.45 (0.35-0.54) (other sedentary time) to 0.76 (0.71-0.81) (meals)). For criterion validity (Spearman rho), significant correlations were found for total sedentary time (DQ: 0.52; EQ: 0.22; all P <0.001). Compared with domain-specific criterion variables (DQ), modest-to-strong correlations were found for domain-specific sedentary time (from 0.21 (meals) to 0.76 (P < 0.001) (screen time)). The questionnaire generally overestimated sedentary time compared with criterion measures. Conclusion: The SIT-Q-7d appears to be a useful tool for ranking individuals in large-scale observational studies examining total and domain-specific sitting

Objective assessment of functional and motor-cognitive outcomes among asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism patients undergoing parathyroidectomy using wearable technologies: a pilot study towards better informed clinical decision-making

For the past 40 years, most patients with Primary Hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) have presented with the asymptomatic form of PHPT. Despite the dominance of the asymptomatic PHPT phenotype, current National Institutes of Health (NIH) indications for parathyroidectomy fail to identify as many as 80% of patients afflicted with asymptomatic PHPT. To date, studies of the therapeutic benefits of parathyroidectomy among asymptomatic PHPT patients have relied on general health questionnaires and patient reports of their satisfaction with the surgery. The purpose of the present study was to implement objective, quantifiable metrics in assessing whether or not asymptomatic PHPT patients experience improvements in domains salient to them such as mobility and cognitive function following parathyroidectomy. This information may help set the foundation for more accurately identifying patients who would benefit from parathyroidectomy. We hypothesized that asymptomatic patients would exhibit improvement in motor-cognitive outcomes following successful parathyroidectomy. We performed a single-center prospective assessment of gait, frailty, and motor-cognitive function among patients diagnosed with PHPT. Demographics, medical history, and perioperative labs were recorded. Pre- and post-surgical measures included the Fried frailty criteria, the PROMIS 10 Global Health Scale, and gait analysis under habitual (ST), walking while performing working memory test (dual-task: DT), and fast-walking conditions, an upper extremity frailty (UEF) test, and an interactive trail-making task (iTMT) . Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared, 2-sample t tests, and repeated measures analysis of variance were applied where appropriate. 22 parathyroidectomy patients (male 7; 31.8%); median age of 54.9 (standard deviation=15.5) years participated. The prevalence of frailty/pre-frailty was 60% at baseline and reduced to 33% at 3 weeks post-op. PROMIS 10 physical health improved significantly by 3 months post-op (d=0.93, p=0.010). DT and fast walk velocities were significantly increased by 3 weeks post-op (p<0.050) with highest effect size observed during DT conditions (24%, Cohen's effect size d=1.30 , p=0.017). ST velocity increased but not significantly (17.5%, d=0.46, p=0.422). Results from UEF tests and iTMT did not achieve statistical significance at any visit date. Asymptomatic PHPT patients experience significant resolution of motor-cognitive symptoms as measured by DT gait and PROMIS 10 Global Health Scale following parathyroidectomy performed by a skilled surgeon

Predicting active school travel : the role of planned behavior and habit strength

Despite strong support for predictive validity of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) substantial variance in both intention and behavior is unaccounted for by the model's predictors. The present study tested the extent to which habit strength augments the predictive validity of the TPB in relation to a currently under-researched behavior that has important health implications, namely children's active school travel. Participants (N = 126 children aged 8-9 years; 59 % males) were sampled from five elementary schools in the west of Scotland and completed questionnaire measures of all TPB constructs in relation to walking to school and both walking and car/bus use habit. Over the subsequent week, commuting steps on school journeys were measured objectively using an accelerometer. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to test the predictive utility of the TPB and habit strength in relation to both intention and subsequent behavior. The TPB accounted for 41 % and 10 % of the variance in intention and objectively measured behavior, respectively. Together, walking habit and car/bus habit significantly increased the proportion of explained variance in both intention and behavior by 6 %. Perceived behavioral control and both walking and car/bus habit independently predicted intention. Intention and car/bus habit independently predicted behavior. The TPB significantly predicts children's active school travel. However, habit strength augments the predictive validity of the model. The results indicate that school travel is controlled by both intentional and habitual processes. In practice, interventions could usefully decrease the habitual use of motorized transport for travel to school and increase children's intention to walk (via increases in perceived behavioral control and walking habit, and decreases in car/bus habit). Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for changing these antecedents of children's active school travel

Differential Relationship between Physical Activity and Intake of Added Sugar and Nutrient-Dense Foods: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

A curvilinear relationship exists between physical activity (PA) and dietary energy intake (EI), which is reduced in moderately active when compared to inactive and highly active individuals, but the impact of PA on eating patterns remains poorly understood. Our goal was to establish the relationship between PA and intake of foods with varying energy and nutrient density. Data from the 2009–2010 United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to include a Dietary Screener Questionnaire for estimated intakes of added sugar, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fiber, and dairy. Participants (n = 4766; 49.7% women) were divided into sex-specific quintiles based on their habitual PA. After adjustment for age, body mass index, household income, and education, intakes were compared between PA quartiles, using the lowest activity quintile (Q1) as reference. Women in the second to fourth quintile (Q2-Q4) consumed less added sugar from sugary foods (+2 tsp/day) and from sweetened beverages (+2 tsp/day; all p \u3c 0.05 vs. Q1). In men, added sugar intake was elevated in the highest activity quintile (Q5: +3 ± 1 tsp/day, p = 0.007 vs. Q1). Fruit and vegetable intake increased (women: Q1-Q4 +0.3 ± 0.1 cup eq/day; p \u3c 0.001; men: Q1-Q3 +0.3 ± 0.1 cup eq/day, p = 0.002) and stagnated in higher quintiles. Dairy intake increased with PA only in men (Q5: +0.3 ± 0.1 cup eq/day, p \u3c 0.001 vs. Q1). Results demonstrate a differential relationship between habitual PA and dietary intakes, whereby moderate but not necessarily highest PA levels are associated with reduced added sugar and increased nutrient-dense food consumption. Future research should examine specific mechanisms of food choices at various PA levels to ensure dietary behaviors (i.e., increased sugary food intake) do not negate positive effects of PA

Explaining heterogeneity in utility functions by individual differences in decision modes

The curvature of utility functions varies between people. We suggest that there is a relationship between individual differences in preferred decision mode (intuition vs. deliberation) and the curvature of the individual utility function. If a person habitually prefers a deliberative mode, the utility function should be nearly linear, while it should be curved when a person prefers the intuitive mode. In this study the utility functions of the subjects were assessed using a lottery-based elicitation method and related to a measurement of the habitual mode preference for intuition and deliberation. Results confirm that people who prefer the deliberative mode have a utility function that is more linear than for people who prefer the intuitive mode. Our findings indicate a stronger affective bias of subjective values in intuitive than deliberate decision makers. While deliberative decision makers may have rather used the stated values, intuitive decision makers may have additionally integrated affective reactions towards the stimuli into the decision.

Comparison of the EPIC Physical Activity Questionnaire with combined heart rate and movement sensing in a nationally representative sample of older British adults

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Financial incentives to promote active travel: an evidence review and economic framework

ContextFinancial incentives, including taxes and subsidies, can be used to encourage behavior change. They are common in transport policy for tackling externalities associated with use of motor vehicles, and in public health for influencing alcohol consumption and smoking behaviors. Financial incentives also offer policymakers a compromise between “nudging,” which may be insufficient for changing habitual behavior, and regulations that restrict individual choice.Evidence acquisitionThe literature review identified studies published between January 1997 and January 2012 of financial incentives relating to any mode of travel in which the impact on active travel, physical activity, or obesity levels was reported. It encompassed macroenvironmental schemes, such as gasoline taxes, and microenvironmental schemes, such as employer-subsidized bicycles. Five relevant reviews and 20 primary studies (of which nine were not included in the reviews) were identified.Evidence synthesisThe results show that more-robust evidence is required if policymakers are to maximize the health impact of fiscal policy relating to transport schemes of this kind.ConclusionsDrawing on a literature review and insights from the SLOTH (sleep, leisure, occupation, transportation, and home-based activities) time-budget model, this paper argues that financial incentives may have a larger role in promoting walking and cycling than is acknowledged generally

Effect of a 14-Day Mindfulness Intervention on Daily Desire Experiences and Desire Regulation

A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness, a receptive attentiveness to one’s present moment experiences, has the potential to adaptively regulate habitual behaviors. No prior study has tested the effect of mindfulness interventions on people’s daily desire experiences to inform the potential for adaptive desire regulation. The present exploratory randomized controlled trial examined the effect of a 14-day smartphone-based mindfulness intervention (versus a coping control intervention) on the frequency, intensity, duration, and enactment of everyday desires in 19 participants. The desire domains included basic need-based desires (i.e., for food, drink, sleep) and secondary desires (e.g., for sex, media, social interactions, work), assessed for 7 days pre- and post-intervention through ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Emotion data collected alongside, also through EMA, permitted examining the role of the mindfulness intervention in altering a potential link between experienced emotion (positive and negative) and desire. Results showed that intervention condition significantly predicted post-intervention desire frequency; those in the mindfulness condition experienced a higher frequency of desires post-training, and specifically, increased secondary desire frequency, but not basic desire frequency. Intervention condition did not predict the other desire outcomes (enactment, strength, or duration). Results also revealed that intervention significant moderated the association between positive emotion and overall desire frequency; those in the mindfulness condition experienced fewer desires when experiencing increased positive emotion, whereas there was no association between positive emotion and desire after coping training. Intervention condition did not moderate associations between positive emotions and other desire variables, or negative emotions and any desire variables