‘PE should be an integral part of each school day’: parents’ and their children’s attitudes towards primary physical education

Formation of positive attitudes is an objective in primary physical education. Children are more likely to engage in physical activity if they adopt positive attitudes towards physical education and parents play a large role in their development. This study explores parents’ and children’s attitudes toward their school’s physical education provision. Overall, parents and children had positive attitudes towards their school’s physical education programme. Children and parents valued fun and enjoyment in the physical education programme (affective component). Health and fitness as well as team sport discourses were felt important by parents, but they had little knowledge of the content of their child’s physical education programme (cognitive component). There was little difference in either of the affective or cognitive components of attitude across gender or class groups in each of the areas explored except in responses about what physical education does and should do in their child’s school. The school community must explore ways to inform parents about, and support their child’s learning in, physical education ensuring positive attitudes (cognitive and affective) are fostered and encouraged towards influencing positive physically active behaviours

Exercise and the prevention of frailty – evidence from a community-based medical exercise intervention

We were interested to read the paper by ‘Moloney et al on Frailty, COVID-19 Disease Severity and Outcome Among Hospitalised Older Adults’, in which frail patients were more likely to be admitted despite having mild Covid. We wish to describe some of our work in this are

Feasibility study of the secondary level active school flag programme: study protocol

Taking part in regular physical activity (PA) is important for young adolescents to maintain physical, social and mental health. Schools are vibrant settings for health promotion and the complexity of driving a whole-school approach to PA has not been tested in the Irish school context. The feasibility of the pilot programme of the Department of Education and Skills second level Active School Flag (SLASF) is needed. SLASF is a two year process that consists of the Active School Flag (ASF) certificate programme (year 1) and the ASF flag programme (year 2). This protocol paper is specific to the first year certificate process. Three schools around Ireland were recruited as pilot schools to carry out the year-long SLASF programme with 17 planned actions involving the entire school. Students in the transition year programme have a particular role in the promotion of PA in SLASF. Data collection consists of physical measures, accelerometers, survey data and interviews at the beginning and the end of the academic year. The primary focus on the feasibility of the programme is through process evaluation tools and fidelity checks consisting of implementation of the SLASF programme through whole-school surveys, focus group discussions of key stakeholder groups, as well as one-to-one interviews with a member of management at each school and the SLASF coordinator of the school. Secondary outcomes include PA levels and its social cognitive theories based correlates through physical health measures, surveys carried out pre- and post-intervention, as well as focus group discussions of the students. The results of this study are needed to improve the development of the SLASF through a predetermined stopping criteria and inclusion into systems thinking approaches such as the Healthy Ireland Demonstration Project

Barriers and facilitators to changes in adolescent physical activity during COVID-19

Objectives COVID-19 restrictions reduced adolescents’ opportunities for physical activity (PA). The purpose of this study was to examine how adolescent PA changed during school closures, to identify the key barriers and facilitators for these changes during lockdown and to use this information to understand how to manage future crises’ situations positively to prevent physical inactivity. Methods Irish adolescents (N=1214; ages 12–18 years) participated in an online cross-sectional study during April 2020, including items on PA level, changes in PA and reasons for change in an open-ended format. Numeric analyses were through multiple binary logistic regressions, stratified by changes in PA during lockdown and inductive analysis of open coding of text responses. Results Adolescents reported they did less PA (50%), no change (30%) or did more PA during lockdown (20%). Adolescents who did less PA were more likely to be overweight (OR=1.8, CI=1.2–2.7) or obese (OR=2.2, CI=1.2–4.0) and less likely to have strong prior PA habits (OR=0.4, CI=0.2–0.6). The most cited barriers to PA were coronavirus, club training cancelled and time. Strong associations for doing more PA included participation in strengthening exercises at least three times in the past 7 days (OR=1.7, CI=1.3–2.4); facilitators were more time, coronavirus and no school. Conclusion COVID-19 restrictions were both a barrier to and an opportunity for PA. Parents, schools, public health, communities and industries must collaborate to prevent physical inactivity at times of crisis, especially for vulnerable groups

Test-retest reliability of survey items on ownership and use of physical activity trackers

Background: Researchers are interested in using digital tools, such as physical activity trackers (PAT), to promote and measure physical activity. PAT is a fast-growing research area that measures movement therefore, reliable questions on the ownership and use of PATs among adolescent populations need to be developed. Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct an intra-rater test-retest reliability study on PAT survey items used for surveillance purposes among young adolescents in ownership and use of smartphone applications (apps) and heart rate monitors (HRM). Methods: Young adolescents (N = 755; 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds) in the Olomouc region of the Czech Republic were recruited to complete the questionnaire with a three-week gap during autumn 2017. Kappa statistics were used for measuring reliability. Results: When items were dichotomised into owners and non-owners, there was moderate agreement for boys (apps Kappa = .563, HRM Kappa = .575) and girls (apps Kappa = .447, HRM Kappa = .443).Conclusions: Measures in ownership and use of PAT can be assumed reliable among young adolescents

The (mis)alignment between young people's collective physical activity experience and physical education curriculum development in Ireland

Major curriculum changes have recently occurred in Ireland, including redeveloping the primary curriculum and the enactment of the Junior Cycle Framework (DES, 2015). Positive and negative experiences affect the attitudes which contribute to determining the quality of curricular experiences. Framed in the work of Fullan, M. (1991. The New Meaning of Educational Change. Toronto: Teachers College Press) and Dewey, J. (1997. Experience and Education. New York, NY: Touchstone), this study aims to understand how young people’s experiences of collective physical activity can inform physical education curriculum development and enactment. Focus group interviews were conducted in three primary and three post-primary schools. The young people’s experiences reflected the features of meaningful physical education: fun opportunities, preferably outside; to socially interact with friends; provision of activities that are both competitive and non-competitive; activities focused on team sport and alternative forms of movement such as yoga; differentiated activities and teams and choice, beyond choosing between team sports only. We argue that the young person’s voice has the potential to inform policy and practice, as well as enforce and advocate for policy and practice that positions young people at the centre of the learning experience

A systematic literature review of peer-led strategies for promoting physical activity levels of adolescents

Background. Low levels of physical activity (PA) in adolescents highlight the necessity for effective intervention. During adolescence, peer relationships can be a fundamental aspect of adopting and maintaining positive health behaviors. Aim. This review aims to determine peer-led strategies that showed promise to improve PA levels of adolescents. It will also identify patterns across these interventions, including training provided and the behavior change techniques (BCTs) employed. Method. Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, PubMed, PsychINFO, and Scopus were searched using key concepts of peer, PA and adolescent for articles that examined interventions that had a peer-led component and reported on at least one PA outcome in 12- to 19-year-olds. Following title and abstract screening of 1,509 studies, and full text review stage, 18 progressed to data synthesis. Methodological quality was assessed using an adapted scale. Results. Quality assessment identified 11 studies as high quality. Half of the included studies (n = 9) reported improved PA outcomes in the school setting. The most prominent behavioral change techniques were social support, information about health consequences, and demonstration of the behavior. Older adolescents leading younger peers and younger adolescents leading those of the same age showed potential. Seldom have older adolescents been targeted. Gender-specific interventions showed the most promise. Conclusion. Peer leadership requires careful planning and in the school setting can be a resourceful way of promoting adolescent PA

Electronic health physical activity behavior change intervention to self-manage cardiovascular disease: qualitative exploration of patient and health professional requirements

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of premature death worldwide. International guidelines recommend routine delivery of all phases of cardiac rehabilitation. Uptake of traditional cardiac rehabilitation remains suboptimal, as attendance at formal hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation programs is low, with community-based cardiac rehabilitation rates and individual long-term exercise maintenance even lower. Home-based cardiac rehabilitation programs have been shown to be equally effective in clinical and health-related quality of life outcomes and yet are not readily available. Objective: Given the potential that home-based cardiac rehabilitation programs have, it is important to explore how to appropriately design any such intervention in conjunction with key stakeholders. The aim of this study was to engage with individuals with cardiovascular disease and other professionals within the health ecosystem to (1) understand the personal, social, and physical factors that inhibit or promote their capacity to engage with physical activity and (2) explore their technology competencies, needs, and wants in relation to an eHealth intervention. Methods: Fifty-four semistructured interviews were conducted across two countries. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Barriers to the implementation of PATHway were also explored specifically in relation to physical capability and safety as well as technology readiness and further mapped onto the COM-B model for future intervention design. Results: Key recommendations included collection of patient data and use of measurements, harnessing hospital based social connections, and advice to utilize a patient-centered approach with personalization and tailoring to facilitate optimal engagement. Conclusions: In summary, a multifaceted, personalizable intervention with an inclusively designed interface was deemed desirable for use among cardiovascular disease patients both by end users and key stakeholders. In-depth understanding of core needs of the population can aid intervention development and acceptability

The Development of the MedEx IMPACT intervention: A patient-centered, evidenced-based and theoretically-informed physical activity behavior change intervention for individuals living with and beyond cancer

Regular physical activity (PA) can address many of the negative side effects experienced by individuals following cancer treatment and support the optimization of physical and psychosocial well-being. However, many survivors of cancer are not sufficiently active to achieve these health benefits. The purpose of this study was to describe the development of a physical activity behavior change (PABC) intervention, MedEx IMPACT (IMprove Physical Activity after Cancer Treatment), which aims to increase cancer survivors’ PA levels. A review of the literature and focus groups with survivors of cancer were conducted in order to generate recommendations to inform the intervention development process. This process was guided and informed by: (1) the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) framework for the development, evaluation, and implementation of complex interventions, (2) the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), and (3) the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Recommendations for strategies to support habitual PA and adherence to community-based exercise programs, generated by survivors of cancer who participated in 7 focus groups (n¼41), were synthesized with 13 statements of findings that were generated from 10 studies included within the review of the literature. Detailed mapping exercises are presented which outline the link between these sources, the MRC framework, the BCW and TDF, and the intervention content. MedEx IMPACT is the first PABC intervention for survivors of cancer to be developed through the application of the MRC framework, BCW, and TDF. The next phase in this research is to test the acceptability and effectiveness of MedEx IMPACT

Student activity and sport study Ireland: protocol for a Web-based survey and environmental audit tool for assessing the impact of multiple factors on university students’ physical activity

Background: Increasing proportions of the global population transition through a university setting, a setting associated with engagement in behaviors that diminish health such as high levels of physical inactivity. Increasing physical activity (PA) is a key element of health promotion strategies in many countries, but a better understanding of students’ PA and how it is associated with personal, behavioral, and environmental factors is needed. Studies provide protocols to collect information regarding these factors separately; however, none have developed a validated systematic approach to gather information pertaining to all across a whole country. Objective: The purpose of this project is to examine students’ physical activity and how it is associated with personal, behavioral, and environmental factors. Methods: Student Activity and Sport Study Ireland (SASSI) is a university-based cross-sectional study that was carried out across the island of Ireland in 2014. A novel and comprehensive Web-based environmental audit tool (EAT) gathered information pertaining to the environment provided by universities for physical activity. A Web-based student survey (SS) collected information about physical activity beliefs, attitudes, motivations, and behaviors of students. The audit tool and SS were developed through rigorous consultation processes involving international experts. An institutional champion volunteered at each university to recruit, administer, and ensure the completion of both assessments. Results: Data collection was undertaken between May and December 2014. A total of 80% (33/41) of universities completed the EAT, whereas 88.31% (8122/9197) of students (49.10% [3966/8122] male; mean 23.17 [SD 6.75], years) completed the SS sufficiently. Studies are currently underway with the data collected using this protocol. Conclusions: SASSI provides a novel and comprehensive protocol for systematically assessing the PA of students and the related personal, behavioral, and actual environmental factors. The strengths of the SASSI study are presented and include high response rates and a unique dataset that can provide information to relevant stakeholders and policy makers, along with aiding the development of university environments and interventions that promote PA involvement. The weaknesses of the protocol are recognized with suggestions given to overcome them in future research. This protocol is applicable for other countries and has great potential to create harmonization of data, which would allow for direct comparisons across nations