Enhancing Physical Activity Through SEESAW: Exploring Effectiveness and Educators' Perceptions

Preschoolers are generally assumed to be innately active (Santrock, Mackenzie-Rivers, Malcomson, & Leung, 2011). However, ParticipACTION (2018) found only 62% of preschoolers are engaging in the recommended amount of at least 180 minutes of physical activity each day. Guided by the belief that interpersonal relationships directly influence children’s physical activity (Stokols, 1996), this mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of SEESAW on preschooler’s physical activity and asked: i. How does SEESAW impact preschool children’s physical activity behaviours? ii. What is the nature of educators’ beliefs and practices in relation to children’s physical activity and their role in promoting that activity? iii. Are these beliefs and practices impacted by a resource such as SEESAW, and if so, how? iv. How effective is the SEESAW resource from educators’ perspectives? Data collection occurred once in Autumn 2018 and again in Winter of 2019 using the OSRAC-P, IPAQ, and semi-structured interviews. Paired-samples t-tests found children’s standing and gross motor behaviours significantly changed after SEESAW was implemented, while educators’ physical activity did not. No significant results were found when variables associated with SEESAW were tested as predictors to children’s activity. Thematic analysis of educator interview scripts found educators’ beliefs and practices increased after SEESAW was implemented

The role of growth and maturation during adolescence on team-selection and short-term sports participation

Background: During adolescence, deselection from sport occurs during team try-outs when month of birth, stage of growth and maturation may influence selection.Aim: The purpose of this study was to identify differences in growth and maturity related factors between those selected and deselected in youth sports teams and identify short-term associations with continued participation.Subjects and methods: Eight hundred and seventy participants, aged 11–17 years, were recruited from six sports try-outs in Saskatchewan, Canada: baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer and volleyball. Two hundred and forty-four of the initial 870 (28%) returned for follow-up at 36 months. Chronological (years from birth), biological (years from age at peak height velocity (APHV)) and relative (month of birth as it relates to the selection band) ages were calculated from measures of date of birth, date of test, height, sitting height and weight. Parental heights were measured or recalled and participant’s adult height predicted. Reference standards were used to calculate z-scores. Sports participation was self-reported at try-outs and at 36-month follow-up.Results: There was an over-representation of players across all sports born in the first and second quartiles of the selection bands (p < 0.05), whether they were selected or deselected. z-scores for predicted adult height ranged from 0.1 (1.1) to 1.8 (1.2) and were significantly different between sports (p < 0.05). Height and APHV differences (p < 0.05) were found between selected and deselected male participants. In females only weight differed between selected and deselected female hockey players (p < 0.05); no further differences were found between selected and deselected female participants. Four per cent of deselected athletes exited sports participation and 68% of deselected athletes remained in the same sport at 36 months, compared with 84% of selected athletes who remained in the same sport.Conclusions: It was found that youth who attended sports team’s try-outs were more likely to be born early in the selection year, be tall for their age, and in some sports early maturers. The majority of both the selected and deselected participants continued to participate in sport 36 months after try-outs, with the majority continuing to participate in their try-out sport

IMPROVING PHYSICAL LITERACY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL INDIGENOUS AND NON-INDIGENOUS STUDENTS

Physical activity levels in Canadian youth are decreasing. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on improving physical literacy in middle school Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in a Northern Ontario urban school. The Daily Physical Activity (DPA) policy in Ontario public elementary schools has achieved about 50% fidelity in classrooms since its inception in 2005 (Allison, et al., 2016; Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2015, p. 60). Leading a physically active lifestyle is essential for education outcomes, public health, and general health and wellbeing. Improving physical literacy in youth increases their motivation to be physically active, and through a Quality Daily Physical Education (QDPE) program, can also increase student achievement significantly (Dudley, 2019, October 8; PHE, 2020). Students engaged in physical education programming where learning is prioritized are more motivated to learn across all subjects (Dudley, 2018). From a public health perspective, the urgency for Canadians to become more active has never been more critical. The rate of non-communicated diseases (NCDs) can be reduced significantly by meeting the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) physical activity guidelines. At the current rate, 50% of non-Indigenous and 80% of Indigenous youth will develop diabetes in their lifetime (Diabetes Canada, 2018). Currently, only 35% of five to seventeen-year-olds, and under 16% of 18-79 year-olds, are meeting CSEP’s physical activity guidelines (ParticipACTION, 2018). This OIP explores how a culturally responsive framework along with community connections are essential in improving physical literacy in middle school Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Developing physically literate youth is essential for the future of our youth, education system, and public healthcare

An Investigation on the Influence of Parental Physical Activity on Physical Activity Behaviours of Children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder

As children grow and develop there are many factors that play a role in influencing a child. Physical activity (PA) is important for children and youth development. Parents are widely acknowledged as significant influences in various aspects of their children’s lives, particularly serving as role models for PA. In the literature pertaining to this topic, multiple findings support the notion of a positive influence of parental PA on their child’s PA (Barkin et al., 2017; 2017; Song et al., 2017; Xu et al., 2018). The aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between parent and child PA over time through device-assessed measures. Additionally, this thesis will examine whether a distinction exists in the relationship between parent PA and PA of typically developing (TD) children and children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). The current study will utilize data from the Coordination and Activity Tracking in children study. This study will look at 330 child-parent dyads (TD=204; DCD=126) by utilizing the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) through path analysis. For this study the APIM looks at the relationship between parent and child PA. The actor effects represent the effect of the participants own PA on their future PA. The partner influences represent the impact of the participants PA on their partners PA. Three models were utilized, the first examining the full sample and then subsequently stratifying the children into TD and DCD groups. For the APIM it was found that there were significant actor effects for both parent and child meaning that their PA was predictive of their future PA, which was consistence across all three models. There were no significant partner influences in each of the APIM models indicating that parent and child PA were not predictive of each other at any timepoint. Overall, the results of this study reveal that there is no evident relationship between parent and child PA over time, regardless of whether they belong to the TD or DCD group. These findings emphasize the need for standardized accelerometer processes to enhance result consistency and reliability when investigating the relationship between parent and child PA

Children’s perspectives on neighbourhood barriers and enablers to active school travel: A participatory mapping study

Children today are spending more sedentary time indoors than time playing and being active outdoors. The daily journey to and from school represents a valuable opportunity for children to be physically active through active school travel. The majority of research on children\u27s active school travel omits children from the research process even though children interpret their environments in fundamentally different ways than adults. Our research uses innovative participatory mapping and qualitative GIS methods to examine how children\u27s perceptions of their environments influence their school journey experiences. Through our thematic analysis of 25 map‐based focus groups, we identified three main themes characterizing barriers and enablers to active school travel: safety‐related, material, and affective features. By positioning children as experts of their environments in our participatory methodology, our findings provide an important counterpoint to the adultist privilege characterizing the majority of research on children\u27s active school travel. Environmental features that mattered for children\u27s school journeys took on multiple meanings in their eyes, demonstrating that children\u27s perspectives must be engaged to inform interventions to promote active school travel. We thus argue that identifying barriers and enablers to active school travel for children requires engaging children\u27s views

Outdoor Time is Not Associated with Metabolically Healthy Overweight and Obesity Phenotype in Canadian Children Aged 6-14 Years

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(2): 383-394, 2020. A large proportion of children living with obesity have favorable cardiometabolic profiles despite their adiposity levels, who are referred to as metabolically healthy overweight or obese (MHO). However, the contribution of active outdoor time to the MHO phenotype is unknown. The purposeof this study was to investigate the association between outdoor time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) with the MHO phenotype. A cross-sectional analysis of overweight/obese children aged 6-14 (n= 386) from the Canadian Health Measures Survey was performed. Outdoor time was self-reported using five questions in relation to the school schedule to produce a computed score ranging from 0-25. MVPA was measured using accelerometers. The MHO phenotype was defined based on the absence of cardiometabolic risk factors: triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and glucose (MHO: 0 cardiometabolic risk factors). The proportion of children living with obesity with the MHO phenotype was 58.5%. No significant differences were observed between MHO and non-MHO according to outdoor time or MVPA (p \u3e 0.05). Logistic regressions indicated that outdoor time was not significantly associated with the MHO phenotype (OR: 0.99, 95% CI = 0.92-1.06; p = 0.694), while MVPA was significantly associated with the MHO phenotype (OR: 1.41, 95% CI = 1.01-1.98; p = 0.047) after adjusting for confounders.We conclude that outdoor time is not associated with the MHO phenotype, even though Canadian children living with obesity are more likely to be MHO with greater amounts of MVPA, regardless of whether these activities are completed outdoors or not

Parents’ participation in physical activity predicts maintenance of some, but not all, types of physical activity in offspring during early adolescence : a prospective longitudinal study

Abstract : Purpose: We aimed to examine the longitudinal associations between parents’ and youth’s participation in physical activity (PA). Methods: One hundred and ninety youth completed self-administered questionnaires 3 times per year from 2011 to 2015, and their parents completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire during a telephone interview once in 2011–2012. Data on youth’s and parents’ activities were classified as interdependent or coactive/independent. Results: Youth with one or both parents who participated in interdependent activities were more likely to maintain participation in interdependent activities (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.30–10.17).Youth’s sustained participation in coactive/independent activities was not associated with parents’ participation in coactive/independent activities (HR = 0.97; 95%CI = 0.46–2.06). Conclusion: Longitudinal associations between parents’ and youth’s participation in PA differed across type of PA. Encouraging parents’ participation in interdependent activities may promote sustained participation in interdependent activities in youth

Advancing Understanding of Toddler and Preschooler Sport Participation: A Research Area in its Infancy

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation was to advance understanding of early-years (<6) sport and organized physical activity (OPA) participation. This research involved a scoping review, followed by a qualitative case-study, which drew upon multiple data collection methods (semi-structured interviews, observation) from multiple perspectives (toddlers, preschoolers, parents, coaches; N=27), providing a comprehensive picture of early-years sport (Baxter & Jack, 2008; Creswell, 2012). Specific goals across four manuscripts/studies were to: (1) systematically review and synthesize research examining developmental outcomes associated with early-years sport involvement, (2) explore parents, coaches, and childrens perceived outcomes and experiences of early-years sport, (3) explore early-years sport pathways and patterns of engagement, and (4) explore coaches experiences in early-years sport, focusing on challenges-faced and strategies drawn-upon for effective coaching. Scoping review findings (Study 1) offer preliminary evidence that early sport and OPA participation is related to primarily positive outcomes (e.g., enhanced social skills, pro-social behaviours, self-regulation); however, negative and inconclusive outcomes were also identified. Study 2 showed some alignment between parents, coaches, and childrens perceived outcomes and experiences in early-years sport in the areas of physical activity, energy management, sport skill acquisition, physical literacy, learning to win and lose, and social/life skills. Findings were moderated by childrens age, developmental capacities, sport readiness, and attendance in other programs (e.g., music, preschool). Study 3 offered insight into early-years sport, OPA, and unstructured sport pathways, highlighting common features and engagement patterns within programming (e.g., structure, movement/sport skill focus, play-based activities). Findings suggest existing life-span sport participation/development models may not align with delivery of and experiences within early-years sport programming. Finally, Study 4 highlighted unique challenges and strategies for effective coaching across diverse early-years coaching contexts, showing differences according to program-type (i.e., private and club-based versus community-based). Collectively, this research advances limited understanding of early-years sport and OPA participation, which may help inform key stakeholders decisions around early-years sport programming; several important future research directions are outlined

You don't have to keep score!: a teacher's journey to a new way of being

Researchers in the field of health and physical education have long been concerned about the physical education experiences of female students in their middle and high school years. The purpose of this research was to examine how teaching a female only physical education class deepened my understanding of teaching female students in physical education. In an attempt to meet the needs and interests of female students, a girls-only physical education class was offered. This project used the principles of existential action research. Qualitative data collection methods used for this study included teacher journaling, descriptive “field notes” and a critical “friend”. The following themes emerged from this experience: autopilot, students looking for something new, opportunities for leadership or ownership, guest instructors, changing perspectives on teaching high school physical education, a positive classroom environment, and physical education and life. The findings are not intended to be generalizable to other physical education teaching situations. However, given that there are many ways of being a teacher in physical education, an approach focused on building relationships with students and meeting the needs and interests unique to each class may be more appealing to students. As a result of this research, specifically through the emergence of the themes, I believe I have gained a deeper understanding of teaching female students as it relates to their experiences in physical education