Evidence for the efficacy of the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) intervention

The physical education environment is a key opportunity to intervene because of access to children and adolescents for the purpose of increasing physical activity participation and improving fundamental movement skill proficiency. A non-randomised controlled trial involving two schools in a rural Irish town was carried out in September 2011 to evaluate the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) intervention. Data were collected on 12 to 14 year olds (n = 174) at 3 time points (pre, post and retention). Data collected included measured height and weight, physical activity measured by accelerometry and by self-report and fundamental movement skill performance. Both the control and intervention school showed significant increases in daily physical activity and gross motor skill proficiency over time. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant interaction effect between school attended and time for physical activity (F (2, 38) = 6.177, p = .005) and fundamental movement skills (F (2, 100) = 4.132, p = .019), with a significantly greater increase in physical activity and fundamental movement skills observed in the intervention school. Preliminary findings from this study suggest a positive effect for the Y-PATH intervention and provide support for its potential in increasing physical activity and fundamental movement skill levels of adolescent youth. Further research involving a definitive randomised controlled trial with a larger sample size is warranted

Promoting physical literacy in Irish adolescent youth: the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) intervention

In their most contemporary model, strategic plan and call to action, the Aspen Institute have encouraged a cross-sector embrace towards the concept of â physical literacyâ , specifically defined as the â ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.â This proposed physical literacy definition is a welcome addition to policy and practice for health, considering the unprecedented prevalence in recent years of topical areas such as physical inactivity, movement inefficiency and unhealthy weight gain during childhood. Aligned with the United States primary objective of creating conditions for all youth to be physically literate by the middle schools years, the inception of the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) programme in Ireland is of particular consideration. The Y-PATH school-based physical education (PE) intervention for adolescent youth was developed in 2011, as guided by the contextual Irish need for physical activity (PA) promotion and the subsequent wealth of literature surrounding this thematic field. In this evidence-based study, the reader will be introduced to the guiding principles of the intervention, specifically the educational focus of promoting physical literacy for adolescent youth. The Y-PATH intervention consists of a multi-component whole-school approach to PA promotion in second level education. In terms of originality, the PE component of the intervention addresses psychosocial, health related activity (HRA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS) as particular strategies for increasing adolescent PA participation. All of the intervention components are grounded within a cost-efficient and feasible approach to overall physical literacy promotion

Relationship between physical activity, screen time and weight status among young adolescents

It is well established that lack of physical activity and high bouts of sedentary behaviour are now associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity participation, overall screen time and weight status amongst early Irish adolescent youth. Participants were a sample of 169 students: 113 boys (mean age = 12.89 ± 0.34 years) and 56 girls (mean age = 12.87 ± 0.61 years). The data gathered in the present study included physical activity (accelerometry), screen time (self-report) and anthropometric measurements. Overweight and obese participants accumulated significantly more minutes of overall screen time daily compared to their normal-weight counterparts. A correlation between physical activity and daily television viewing was evident among girls. No significant interaction was apparent when examining daily physical activity and overall screen time in the prediction of early adolescents’ body mass index. Results suggest the importance of reducing screen time in the contribution towards a healthier weight status among adolescents. Furthermore, physical activity appears largely unrelated to overall screen time in predicting adolescent weight status, suggesting that these variables may be independent markers of health in youth. The existing relationship for girls between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and time spent television viewing may be a potential area to consider for future intervention design with adolescent youth

The relationship between actual fundamental motor skill proficiency, perceived motor skill confidence and competence, and physical activity in 8–12-year-old Irish female youth

This study examines the relationship between actual fundamental motor skill (FMS) proficiency, perceived motor confidence and competence, and physical activity (PA) among female children (n= 160; mean age = 10.69 ± 1.40 years). The Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd Edition (TGMD-2) was used to assess seven FMSs (locomotor, object-control, and stability). Motor confidence and competence were assessed using a valid skill-specific scale, and a modified version of the Self-Perception Profile for Children. PA levels were assessed using self-report (PA Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C)) and classified as low, moderate, and high active. One-way and two-way ANOVAs (post-hoc honest significant difference (HSD)) and correlation coefficients were used to analyse the data. Findings indicate that the majority of youth (71.8%) were not meeting the minimum 60 min of daily PA recommended for health, and that 98.1% did not achieve the FMS proficiency expected for their age. While there were high levels of perceived physical self-confidence (PSC) reported within FMS skill-specific tasks, there was no significant correlation observed between actual FMS proficiency and perceived PSC among the cohort. Results show that low, moderately, and highly active female participants differ significantly in terms of their overall FMS (p = 0.03) and locomotor (LOC) control scores (p = 0.03). Results from a two-way between-groups analysis of variance also revealed no statistically significant interaction effect between PA grouping and physical performance self-concept (PPSC) on overall FMS proficiency levels. Results of a multiple linear regression indicate that perceived PSC is a significant predictor (beta = 0.183) of participants’ overall PA levels. Data show a need for targeting low levels of PA, and low FMS proficiency in female youth, and for developing interventions aiming to enhance perceived PSC levels

Moving well-being well: evidence and background to the development of the MWBW physical literacy intervention for children

Operationalising physical literacy and generating meaningful, measurable empirical research will determine what physical literacy is and how it works. Recent research suggests that Irish adolescents are not displaying the attributes of physical literacy that would see them adopt and understand to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life (Belton et al, 2014). The purpose of this study was to develop from previous work by assessing the current level of physical literacy in Irish primary school children (5-13 years), with an intervention established following data collection and analysis. Cross-sectional data on Whiteheadian physical literacy constructs (Whitehead, 2010), physical activity levels (using self and proxy reports, and accelerometers), anthropometric characteristics, perception of body figure, well-being, and fundamental movement skill proficiency of 2098 children (53% male, 9.17 ± 2.04 years) were collected. Findings indicate that the majority of children (77.5%) did not achieve the fundamental movement skill proficiency expected for their age. Children above population average on self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation scales scored significantly higher on (p < 0.01) the gross motor quotient (GMQ; Ulrich, 2000) than those who fell below the population average. Regardless of their GMQ, children had a poor knowledge and understanding of why it is important to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life. In contrast to previous studies the intervention will not predominantly target low levels of physical activity as a primary outcome but will focus on affecting the constructs of physical literacy. Empirical research is one method of gaining a greater understanding of the concept of physical literacy and examining it helps to identify how a concept can be operationalised. Thus, when this intervention created the research team wanted an empirically supported intervention, yet a subtlety in maintaining the philosophical assumptions of physical literacy. Therefore, the majority of the intervention will follow a structure related with Epstein’s (1989) and Ames’ (1992) TARGET structures, with particular focus on the teachers’ efficacy

Stand up and fight: a case study of a professional rugby club negotiating a COVID-19 crisis, a talent development perspective

A wealth of literature examines the role of challenge from an individual psychological perspective, but research investigating how a talent development system can proactively support athletes to successfully meet the ever-increasing demands of top-level professional sport is less prevalent. This study takes advantage of a naturally occurring but highly atypical developmental challenge as a result of COVID-19 to examine factors influencing the efficacy and effectiveness of the talent development pathway at Munster Rugby. Players and staff (n = 12) took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their experiences of the build-up to the event, the game itself, and the impact post-event. The data were subsequently analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Players and coaches highlight the groundwork undertaken to establish alignment and coherence, both horizontally and vertically across the talent development environment, and how this contributed to navigating the challenge successfully. The findings support the necessity of both the player and the talent development system being prepared to enable players to perform at the highest level. The findings point to an overlap between the development and performance phases of a player’s journey and the need to integrate short- and long-term objectives within a talent development syste

Moving well, being well: an intervention aimed at increasing fundamental movement skills in Irish primary school children, while also increasing teacher confidence in delivering physical activity based lessons.

Physical Activity (PA) has long been positively linked with health benefits. Recent research shows that 67% of adolescents are not getting the recommended one hour of moderate to vigorous activity (MVPA) per day. In addition, 99.5% of the same sample did not achieve the level of Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS) proficiency expected of their age. In young children FMS proficiency is hypothesised to correlate with increased PA in later life, and these skills are best developed throughout the early school going years. To address these alarming statistics, phase one of the Moving Well-Being Well project has assessed a nationwide sample (n=2148) of primary school children (5-13 years) in Ireland. The range of assessments covered all aspects of the currently accepted physical literacy model: competence, motivation, confidence, and knowledge and understanding. The results show that 77.5% of primary school children were classed as ‘very poor’ or ‘below average’ in FMS proficiency (n=2098, Male 53%). The findings also show significantly higher (p<0.001) FMS proficiency for children who achieve high levels of MVPA, over those who are less active. Confidence and motivation both saw significant increases (p<0.05) for those categorised as highly active, compared to those in the low activity group. There was significant difference between these groups for knowledge and understanding, and 54.8% did not know the minimum recommended MVPA guidelines. These findings have been used to develop the intervention aiming at addressing these deficiencies. The intervention targets increasing teacher confidence in delivering FMS programmes through an innovative school’s in-service training program

Validity of a two-item physical activity questionnaire for assessing attainment of physical activity guidelines in youth

Background: As physical activity is important for health and well-being, it is essential to monitor population prevalence of physical activity. Surveillance is dependent on the use of valid and reliable measurement tools. The PACE+ questionnaire is used globally in youth and has acceptable reliability; however it has not been validated in a European sample. The purpose of this study is to validate this instrument in a sample of 10-18 year old Irish youth. Methods: Participants (n=419, 45.7 % male) completed the PACE+ two-item questionnaire and were asked to wear an Actigraph accelerometer for eight consecutive days. Freedson cut-points were used to estimate moderate to vigorous physical activity from accelerometer counts. Analyses compared self-report and accelerometry data in participants with (1) ≥5 and (2) seven valid accelerometer days. Calculations were performed for the whole sample, and were stratified by sex and school level (primary; post-primary). Results: Spearman correlations between self-reported physical activity levels and accelerometry derived minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day were small (r=0.27; seven valid days) to moderate (r=0.34; ≥5 valid days). Higher correlations were found in older participants (post-primary r=0.39; primary r=0.24) and females (r=0.39; males r=0.27) using ≥5 valid days. The agreement level was high (68-96 %). The accuracy of classifying those not meeting the guidelines (specificity) was moderate to high (59-100 %). Conclusions: The PACE+ self-report instrument has acceptable validity for assessing non-achievement of the adolescent physical activity recommendations. The validity is higher in females and increases with age. The continued use of the tool is recommended and will allow for comparability between studies, tracking of physical activity over time including trends in youth population prevalence