Personal and environmental factors associated with active commuting to school in Switzerland

Objective. To assess whether prevalence of active commuting and regular car trips to school varies across communities and language regions in Switzerland and to determine personal and environmental correlates. Methods. During the school year 2004/2005, 1345 parental questionnaires (response rate 65%) of children attending 1st, 4th and 8th grades were completed, 1031 could be linked to a GIS environmental database. A German-speaking, a French-speaking and a bilingual study area were included. Usual mode of transportation and frequency of regular car trips to school were assessed. Associations with personal and environmental factors were evaluated with multivariate regression models. Results. Seventy-eight percent of the children actively traveled to school. Twelve percent were regularly driven at least once a week by car. Major road crossings and distance were significantly related to usual mode of transportation, but not to regular car trips. Age, daycare attendance, parental safety concerns, number of cars in the household and belonging to French-speaking population were significantly associated with increased regular car trips. Conclusion. Objective predictors are main deciding factors for active commuting to school as main mode of transport whereas personal and lifestyle factors are important factors associated with frequency of car use. Not only objective but also differing cultural attitudes should be considered when promoting non-motorized travel

Differences in weight status and energy-balance related behaviors among schoolchildren in German-speaking Switzerland compared to seven countries in Europe

BACKGROUND: Overweight in children and adolescents have increased significantly and are a major public health problem. To allow international comparisons, Switzerland joined the European study 'ENERGY' cross sectional survey consortium that investigated the prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as selected dietary, physical and sedentary behaviors of 10--12 years old pupils across seven other countries in Europe. The aims of the present study was to compare body composition and energy-balance related behaviors of Swiss schoolchildren to those of the seven European ENERGY-countries and to analyze overweight and energy-balance related behaviors of Swiss children according to socio-demographic factors. METHODS: A school-based cross-sectional study among 10--12 year old children was conducted in Switzerland and seven other European countries using a standardized protocol. Body height, weight and waist-circumference were measured by trained research assistants. Energy-balance related behaviors - i.e. selected dietary, physical activity and screen-viewing behaviors were assessed by questionnaires. Weight status and behaviors in Switzerland were compared to the seven European ENERGY countries. Within the Swiss sample, analyses stratified by gender, parental education and ethnicity were performed. RESULTS: Data of 546 Swiss children (mean age 11.6+/-0.8y, 48% girls) were obtained and compared to the EN

Cross-Sectional but Not Prospective Association of Accelerometry-Derived Physical Activity With Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents.

Objectives: This study aims to quantify the cross-sectional and prospective associations between quality of life (QoL) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods: This study was based on the Swiss children's Objectively measured PHYsical Activity cohort. The primary endpoint is the overall QoL score and its six dimensions. The main predictor is the average time spent in MVPA per day. Linear mixed effects and linear regression models respectively were used to investigate the cross-sectional and prospective associations between MVPA and QoL. Results: There were 352 participants in the study with complete data from baseline (2013-2015) and follow-up (2019). MVPA was positively associated with overall QoL and physical wellbeing (p = 0.023 and 0.002 respectively). The between-subject MVPA was positively associated with the overall QoL, physical wellbeing, and social wellbeing (p = 0.030, 0.017, and 0.028 respectively). Within-subject MVPA was positively associated with physical wellbeing and functioning at school (p = 0.039 and 0.013 respectively). Baseline MVPA was not associated with QoL 5 years later. Conclusion: Future longitudinal studies should employ shorter follow-up times and repeat measurements to assess the PA and QoL association

Participation in organised sports and longitudinal development of physical activity in Swiss youth: the population-based SOPHYA cohort.

Maintaining physical activity throughout life is crucial for overall health and wellbeing. Yet the age-related decline in average physical activity, a natural phenomenon also observed in animals, poses a challenge. This study aimed to investigate whether participation in organised sports supported by the Swiss Youth+Sports (Y+S) programme is associated with sustaining or enhancing physical activity among children and adolescents during 5 years of follow-up. The longitudinal study was nested in the population-based SOPHYA (Swiss children's Objectively measured PHYsical Activity) cohort. Participants aged 6-16 years at SOPHYA1 (2014) with complete accelerometer data from baseline and follow-up assessment (SOPHYA2, 2019) were included. The primary exposure was participation in organised sport during the follow-up period, calculated by linkage with the Y+S database as the number of days with at least one activity in Y+S-offered programmes for ages 5 to 20 years. The primary outcome was the categorisation of participants into physical activity "improvers" or "worseners". Improvers in the respective physical activity categories - total activity counts per minute (CPM), minutes in moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA), minutes in light activity (LPA) and minutes in sedentary behaviour (SB) - increased or maintained their active physical activity during the 5 follow-up years. Information on confounders and effect modifiers (sex, age, body mass index (BMI), language region, household income, education) was obtained by self-report at baseline. Logistic regressions examined the relationship between organised sport participation and the probability of being a physical activity improver in each physical activity intensity category separately. Covariates for the final models were selected through a stepwise procedure based on the Bayesian information criterion from a maximal model containing all covariates as well as all two-way interactions with organised sport and between them. All models were a priori adjusted for technical variables (season of measurement; wear time; duration of follow-up). The analysis included 432 participants. There was a strong CPM, MVPA and LPA decline from 2014 to 2019, but an increase in SB. Nevertheless, the prevalence of improvers was 22.5% for CPM, 9.5% for MVPA, 26.9% for LPA and 9.7% for SB. Engagement in organised sport between 2014 and 2019 was positively associated with CPM, MVPA and SB, but not with LPA improver status. For 30 additional days of participation in organised sport over the five years of the study, the odds of being an improver vs being a worsener increased by 4.0% for CPM (95% CI: 0.13-7.69), 6.2% for MVPA (95% CI: 0.82-11.54) and 6.0% for SB (95% CI:-1.49-13.97). The results provide supporting evidence that organised sport in the context of the Swiss Y+S programme may empower the young to maintain an active lifestyle and even offset the age-related decline in physical activity

The effect of the UP4FUN pilot intervention on objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity in 10-12 year old children in Belgium: the ENERGY-project

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Bakckground</p> <p>The first aim was to examine the effect of the UP4FUN pilot intervention on children’s total sedentary time. The second aim was to investigate if the intervention had an effect on children’s physical activity (PA) level. Finally, we aimed to investigate demographic differences (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, living status and having siblings) between children in the intervention group who improved in sedentary time and PA at post-test and children in the intervention group who worsened in sedentary time and PA at post-test.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The six weeks UP4FUN intervention was tested in a randomized controlled trial with pre-test post-test design with five intervention and five control schools in Belgium and included children of the 5^th and 6^th grade. The children wore accelerometers for seven days at pre- and post-test. Analyses included children with valid accelerometer data for at least two weekdays with minimum 10h-wearing time and one weekend day with 8h-wearing time.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>Final analyses included 372 children (60% girls, mean age = 10.9 ± 0.7 years). There were no significant differences in the change in sedentary time or light PA between intervention and control schools for the total sample or for the subgroup analyses by gender. However, children (specifically girls) in the intervention group had a higher decrease in moderate-to-vigorous PA than children in the control group. In the intervention group, children who lived with both parents and children with one or more siblings were less likely to reduce sedentary time after exposure to the intervention. Older children, girls and children who lived with both parents were less likely to increase light PA after the intervention.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The UP4FUN intervention did not result in an effect on children’s sedentary time. Based on the high amounts of accelerometer-derived sedentary time in this age group, more efforts are needed to develop strategies to reduce children’s sedentary time.</p

Seasonal variation in objectively measured physical activity, sedentary time, cardio-respiratory fitness and sleep duration among 8–11 year-old Danish children: a repeated-measures study

Abstract Background Understanding fluctuations in lifestyle indicators is important to identify relevant time periods to intervene in order to promote a healthy lifestyle; however, objective assessment of multiple lifestyle indicators has never been done using a repeated-measures design. The primary aim was, therefore, to examine between-season and within-week variation in physical activity, sedentary behaviour, cardio-respiratory fitness and sleep duration among 8–11 year-old children. Methods A total of 1021 children from nine Danish schools were invited to participate and 834 accepted. Due to missing data, 730 children were included in the current analytical sample. An accelerometer was worn for 7 days and 8 nights during autumn, winter and spring, from which physical activity, sedentary time and sleep duration were measured. Cardio-respiratory fitness was assessed using a 10-min intermittent running test. Results The children had 5% more sedentary time, 23% less time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and 2% longer sleep duration during winter compared to spring and cardio-respiratory fitness was 4% higher during spring compared to autumn (P < 0.001). Sedentary time was higher and total physical activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sleep duration (boys only) were lower during weekends at all seasons (P ≤ 0.01). Intraclass correlation coefficients between seasons ranged from 0.47-0.74, leaving 45-78% to seasonal variation. Conclusions Overall, sedentary time was higher and physical activity lower during winter and during weekends. The most accurate and unbiased estimates of physical activity came from autumn; however, the considerable intra-individual variation suggests that a single measurement may not adequately characterise children’s habitual sleep and activity

Study protocol of physical activity and sedentary behaviour measurement among schoolchildren by accelerometry - Cross-sectional survey as part of the ENERGY-project

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Physical activity and sedentary behaviour among children should be measured accurately in order to investigate their relationship with health. Accelerometry provides objective and accurate measurement of body movement, which can be

Validity of Internet-Based Longitudinal Study Data:The elephant in the virtual room

Background: Internet-based data collection relies on well-designed and validated questionnaires. The theory behind designing and validating questionnaires is well described, but few practical examples of how to approach validation are available in the literature.Objective: We aimed to validate data collected in an ongoing Internet-based longitudinal health study through direct visits to participants and recall of their health records. We demonstrate that despite extensive pre-planning, social desirability can still affect data in unexpected ways and that anticipation of poor quality data may be confounded by positive validation.Methods: Dogslife is a large-scale, Web-based longitudinal study of canine health, in which owners of Labrador Retrievers were recruited and questioned at regular intervals about the lifestyle and health of their dogs using an Internet-based questionnaire. The Dogslife questionnaire predominantly consists of closed-answer questions. In our work, two separate validation methodologies were used: (1) direct interviews with 43 participants during visits to their households and (2) comparison of owner-entered health reports with 139 historical health records.Results: Our results indicate that user-derived measures should not be regarded as a single category; instead, each measurement should be considered separately as each presents its own challenge to participants. We recommend trying to ascertain the extent of recall decay within a study and, if necessary, using this to guide data collection timepoints and analyses. Finally, we recommend that multiple methods of communication facilitate validation studies and aid cohort engagement.Conclusions: Our study highlighted how the theory underpinning online questionnaire design and validation translates into practical data issues when applied to Internet-based studies. Validation should be regarded as an extension of questionnaire design, and that validation work should commence as soon as sufficient data are available. We believe that validation is a crucial step and hope our suggested guidelines will help facilitate validation of other Internet-based cohort studies