School-based physical activity in children: An evaluation of the Daily Physical Activity program in Ontario elementary schools.

Ontarioimplemented the Daily Physical Activity program in all elementary schools to counteract the recent decline in children’s physical activity levels. The program mandates that all students in kindergarten to grade 8 are provided with 20 minutes of physical activity every day. The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the delivery of Daily Physical Activity as well as identify any supports or barriers to program delivery. Study 1 consisted of a questionnaire investigating the perspectives of the teachers involved in the Daily Physical Activity program. Teachers were questioned about how they implement the DPA program, the supports and barriers to program delivery. Teachers admitted that they do not implement the DPA program as mandated on all days without physical education. They report that time is the single most important barrier to program delivery. Many teachers felt that DPA takes valuable time away from other more important subjects. Study 2 consisted of a questionnaire investigating the perspectives of the students involved in the DPA program. Students confirmed that teachers do not implement the DPA program on all days that it is mandated. They also indicated that there is a lack of intensity in the activities used during DPA. Students however looked very favorably on the DPA program and did not feel that time was a barrier to program delivery. Study 3 consisted of objectively measuring the school-day physical activity of students participating in the DPA program. Students wore accelerometers for 4 days. Results indicate that there is very little meaningful physical activity during the DPA class. Students averaged just over 3 minutes MVPA within the allotted 20 minutes of DPA. The inclusion of DPA in the school day had no effect on the total school-day physical activity of students. In general the DPA program is not being run as intended in regards to time, intensity or frequency. DPA has shown to have very little effect on the physical activity levels of the students. In order to properly address the decreasing levels of physical activity in Canadian children, the Daily Physical Activity program needs significant changes in order to be effective

13th International Conference on Kinanthropology. Sport and Quality of Life

The book of abstracts of the 13th Conference of Sport and Quality of Life 2022 gathers the abstracts of all the oral and poster presenters and keynote speakers. The conference is divided into sections – analysis of human movement; sport training; healthy lifestyle, active aging, nutrition and regeneration in sport; sport and social sciences; sports medicine; and the poster section

Examining Mediators to Physical Activity as a Link to Interventional Efforts Aimed at Increasing Activity Levels and Improving Physical Functioning in Older Adults

The number of older adults living in the United States is growing at an increasingly rapid rate, and is host to a high prevalence of chronic diseases and physical impairments. Physical activity and exercise have been shown to be beneficial in impacting such conditions, yet the majority of older adults remain inactive. The purpose of this dissertation was to employ a sequence of studies to investigate mediators to physical activity, leading to an intervention to increase activity and promote health. The purpose of Project VOICE was to examine whether awareness and utilization of community resources to promote physical activity and exercise differed by residential spatial tiers of increasing distance from the resources. Results showed that approximately 50% of the sample was aware of the resources, yet utilization rates fluctuated around a paltry 3% (there were no differences across spatial tiers). The most notable barriers that influenced participation were interest in resources available, current health status, and transportation to and from community resources. Efforts are warranted to increase interest in using such resources, and/or developing interventions that overcome noted barriers. Extending upon the results of Project VOICE, Project PACE employed a home-based intervention aimed at increasing physical activity and engagement in exercise, to improve physical functioning levels in community-dwelling older adults. An enhanced physical activity prescription of daily step goals (increasing 10% weekly) and resistance band exercises was provided for the intervention group, compared to a standard of care group who were prescribed 10,000 steps/day. The intervention group significantly increased the amount of steps taken daily, compared to the standard of care group, and improved physical functioning. These results were enhanced within those who had greater compliance to the prescribed intervention, however, this included only 25% of the total group sample. Future studies should include a larger sample size and a longer study design with follow up measurements, focusing on improving intervention adherence. Considering the low utilization of community resources for physical activity and exercise, a low-cost, home-based intervention was successful in increasing physical activity and improving physical functioning, demonstrating the potential and advantages of programs easily translatable into everyday life

Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing: An Experimental Inquiry on College Students’ Awareness of, Interest in, and Intention to Participate in a Campus Recreation Special Event

This study examined the effectiveness of social media marketing on college students attending a recreation special event. Facebook and Twitter were assessed via an experimental design. To measure the effectiveness of these applications (through updating statuses) on a college student’s awareness, interest, and intent of attending a special event, three groups were employed (Facebook, Twitter, and Control). A total of 134 participants were recruited via six undergraduate courses and were assigned into three groups based on their social media consumption. Subjects responded to a pre-survey, joined their respective treatment group, and completed a post-survey. Descriptive statistics revealed that awareness increased for those who received Facebook status updates and tweets. The interest level of the treatment groups decreased from the pre to the post-test and the intention of participants to participate increased slightly for the Facebook treatment group, but the intent level of participants in the Twitter and Control groups decreased