Low socio-economic environmental determinants of children's physical activity in Coventry, UK: A Qualitative study in parents

AbstractBackgroundChildren's physical activity (PA) is affected by socio-economic status (SES) and the environment. Children are not fully autonomous in their decision making; parental decisions thus affect how children utilise their surrounding environments for PA. The aim was to examine environmental influences on children's PA from a qualitative perspective in parents from low SES wards in Coventry, UK.Method59 parents of children in year 4 (aged 8–9years) completed the ALPHA environmental questionnaire. 16 of these parents took part in focus group discussions examining environmental facilitators and barriers to their child's PA (March–April, 2013).ResultsEmerging themes related to physical (i.e. poor access, safety and quality of the neighbourhood) and social environment (i.e. ‘rough’ neighbourhood due to crime and anti-social behaviour) influences on the PA behaviour of children. The parents believed these environmental factors resulted in the children engaging in greater sedentary activity (watching TV) indoors. The school environment was perceived as a supportive physical environment for children's PA behaviour.ConclusionParent's perceptions of an unsupportive physical and social environment restrict children's opportunities to play outside and be physically active and may lead to increased body fat (BF). Schools provide a supportive environment for children from low SES to be physically active in

Can fundamental movement skill mastery be increased via a six week physical activity intervention to have positive effects on physical activity and physical self-perception?

Previous research has suggested a positive relationship between fundamental movement skills (FMS) mastery and physical activity (PA) level. Research conducted on interventions to improve FMS mastery is equivocal and further research is needed.An intervention group of 82 children (35 boys and 47 girls) and a control group of 83 children (42 boys and 41 girls) were recruited from Years 4 and 5 (mean age ± SD = 8.3 ± 0.4 years) of two schools in Central England. The intervention included a combination of circuits and dancing to music. Pre and post intervention tests were conducted. Tests included: subjective assessment of eight FMS; objective measurement of two FMS; four day pedometer step count recording; height and mass for Body Mass Index (BMI); and the completion of Harter et al.'s (1982) self-perception questionnaire.Following a two (pre to post) by two (intervention and control group) mixed-model ANOVA it was highlighted that the intervention group improved mastery in all eight FMS, and increased both daily steps and physical self-perception.It can be concluded that focussing one Physical Education (PE) lesson per week on the development of FMS has had a positive benefit on FMS, PA level and physical self-perception for the children in this study

Preschool and parental influences on physical activity and fundamental movement skills in preschool children from low socio-economic backgrounds: A qualitative study.

PA levels of children attending different preschools have been reported as varying greatly, with the characteristics of the preschool influencing a child’s PA level (Pate, Pfeiffer, Trost, Ziegler and Dowda, [2004], Pediatrics 114, 1258-1263). Parents and teachers have been known to overestimate the PA levels that children complete and this may place a decreased importance on encouraging and supporting PA in preschool children (Tucker, [2008], Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23, 547-558). Settings with greater space and opportunities for outdoor play and PA are required, as a lack of space is a major cause of being overweight for 10-40% of children in developed countries (Blair, Wood and Sallis, [1994], Preventive Medicine, 23, 558-559). Mastery of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) is a prerequisite to functioning on a daily basis (Venetsanou and Kambas, [2011], Physical Education and Sport, 9, 81-90); they provide the building blocks for future motor skills and PA. Failure to achieve mastery in these skills could prevent preschool children from participating in PA. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate nursery staff and parents’ perceptions of preschool children’s PA, in relation to the environment, facilities, play and barriers to PA. With institutional ethics approval, focus groups were conducted in 4 preschools, with the inclusion of parents and staff of 3-5 year old children (n = 17, parents = 10, staff = 7) from North Warwickshire, England. Thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, [2006], Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101) was used to identify key themes and subthemes from the transcripts. Emergent themes included: outside exercise, outdoor equipment, the responsibility of PA, lack of exercise, modern lifestyles, time, cost, health and safety concerns of staff and staff training. Differences were apparent between preschools when discussing measurement of PA and FMS, PA at home, space in the settings and staff training. The findings suggest that preschools provide good opportunities for PA and FMS, especially for pre-schoolers from low socio-economic backgrounds. However, results also highlighted a need for more extensive training of staff in relation to PA and FMS opportunities. To increase PA and FMS in pre-schoolers, interventions are required which continue with the current levels of PA in preschools, combined with parental involvement to deliver PA; through encouraging indoor and outdoor activities and participating in less sedentary activities in the home environment. Interventions also need to provide staff training to support settings to deliver PA and FMS to preschool children.N/

The impact of a school-based gardening intervention on intentions and behaviour related to fruit and vegetable consumption in children

A total of 77 children (34 boys, 43 girls, mean age ± standard deviation = 9 ± 1 years) participated in this study; 46 children (intervention) undertook a 12-week school gardening programme and 31 children acted as controls. Measures of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and fruit and vegetable consumption were taken pre- and post-intervention. Repeated measures analysis of variance and hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the intervention group increased daily consumption of fruits and vegetables and increased intentions, attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioural control related to fruit and vegetable consumption. Attitudes, norms and perceived behavioural control significantly predicted changes in fruit and vegetable consumption

Do convection-permitting ensembles lead to more skilful short-range probabilistic rainfall forecasts over tropical East Africa?

Convection-permitting ensemble prediction systems (CP-ENS) have been implemented in the mid-latitudes for weather forecasting timescales over the past decade, enabled by the increase in computational resources. Recently, efforts are being made to study the benefits of CP-ENS for tropical regions. This study examines CP-ENS forecasts produced by the UK Met Office over tropical East Africa, for 24 cases in the period April-May 2019. The CP-ENS, an ensemble with parametrized convection (Glob-ENS), and their deterministic counterparts are evaluated against rainfall estimates derived from satellite observations (GPM-IMERG). The CP configurations have the best representation of the diurnal cycle, although heavy rainfall amounts are overestimated compared to observations. Pairwise comparisons between the different configurations reveal that the CP-ENS is generally the most skilful forecast for both 3-h and 24-h accumulations of heavy rainfall (97th percentile), followed by the CP deterministic forecast. More precisely, probabilistic forecasts of heavy rainfall, verified using a neighbourhood approach, show that the CP-ENS is skilful at scales greater than 100 km, significantly better than the Glob-ENS, although not as good as found in the mid-latitudes. Skill decreases with lead time and varies diurnally, especially for CP forecasts. The CP-ENS is under-spread both in terms of forecasting the locations of heavy rainfall and in terms of domain-averaged rainfall. This study demonstrates potential benefits in using CP-ENS for operational forecasting of heavy rainfall over tropical Africa and gives specific suggestions for further research and development, including probabilistic forecast guidance