Physical activity and sedentary behaviours in Greek-Cypriot children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are no data on physical activity and sedentary behaviours of Greek-Cypriot children and adolescents, and no study to date examined the association between these two behaviours in this population. The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence of physical activity and sedentary behaviours among Greek-Cypriot adolescents and examine the association between physical activity and a range of sedentary behaviours. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between physical activity and sedentary behaviours.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study among 1,966 Greek-Cypriot children and adolescents was conducted in 2008/2009. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire across primary, middle, high and technical/vocational schools.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overall 52.3% and 52.4% of the participants met physical activity and television viewing guidelines respectively. Boys and younger children were more likely to meet guidelines. Boys who attended sports clubs for two or more times per week were more likely to be physically active (OR = 3.4), and those who listened to music for one or less than one hour per day were less likely to be physically active (OR = 0.6). Girls who attended sports clubs for two or more times per week and who watched television for two or less than two hours per day were more likely to be physically active, (OR = 3.0 and OR = 1.5 respectively). Girls who reported travelling by car/bus/motorbike for one or less than one hour per day were more likely to actively travel to school (OR = 1.8).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Findings from this study provide limited support for the displacement hypothesis whereby sedentary behaviours displace physically active time. About 50.0% of Greek children and adolescents in Cyprus meet existing physical activity and television viewing guidelines. Encouraging children to attend sports clubs for at least two times per week may markedly improve their physical activity levels.</p

Correlates of Physical Activity in a Cypriot Sample of Sixth-Grade Children

This study examined the association between self-reported physical activity and a number of potential correlates in a sample of 256 Grade 6 children. Physical activity was assessed in both summer and winter, and children and parents completed questionnaires assessing potential correlates of physical activity. Analyses revealed that gender, time spent playing outside, self-efficacy in overcoming barriers, and number of items of exercise equipment at home were variables associated with physical activity in both seasons. School location was a variable associated with physical activity only in the summer, whereas private-lesson attendance, sports-club attendance, and best friend's physical activity were variables associated with physical activity only in winter. Variance explained in physical activity were 42% and 51% in winter and summer, respectively

Population-Based Estimates of Physical Activity for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cautionary Tale of Potential Confounding by Weight Status

At a population level, the method used to determine those meeting physical activity guidelines has important implications, as estimating “sufficient” physical activity might be confounded by weight status. The objective of this study was to test the difference between three methods in estimating the prevalence of “sufficient activity” among Canadian adults with type 2 diabetes in a large population sample (N = 1614) while considering the role of weight status as a potential confounder. Our results revealed that estimates of physical activity levels vary by BMI categories, depending on the methods examined. Although physical activity levels were lower in the obese, their energy expenditure estimates were not different from those who were overweight or of a healthy weight. The implications of these findings are that biased estimates of physical activity at a population level may result in inappropriate classification of adults with type 2 diabetes as “sufficiently active” and that the inclusion of body weight in estimating physical activity prevalence should be approached with caution

The physical activity levels of Cypriot children and correlates of their activity

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Associations between Parental and Friend Social Support and Children’s Physical Activity and Time Spent outside Playing

The purpose of this study was to examine the structural validity of a parent and a child questionnaire that assessed parental and friends’ influences on children’s physical activity and investigate the associations between the derived factors, physical activity, and time spent outside. Children (N=154, mean age = 11.7) and 144 of their parents completed questionnaires assessing parental and friends’ influences on children’s physical activity. Children wore a pedometer for six days. Exploratory factor analyses revealed four factors for the parental and five for the child’s questionnaire that explained 66.71% and 63.85% of the variance, respectively. Five factors were significantly associated with physical activity and five significantly associated with time spent outside. Higher correlations were revealed between “general friend support,” “friends’ activity norms,” and physical activity (r=0.343 and 0.333 resp., p<0.001) and between “general friend support” and time spent outside (r=0.460, p<0.001). Obtaining information relating to parental and friends’ influences on physical activity from both parents and children may provide a more complete picture of influences. Parents and friends seem to influence children’s physical activity behavior and time spent outside, but friends’ influences may have a stronger impact on children’s behaviors

Social-cognitive theories for predicting physical activity behaviours of employed women with and without young children

Chronic disease interventions for women have been understudied in the workplace domain. Understanding the role of cognitions in individual behaviour can help motivate change and suggest directions for achieving improvements in health. The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial constructs and social-cognitive theories [e.g. Transtheoretical model (TTM), Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)] that are most salient for explaining physical activity behaviour among employed women (n = 1183). Demographic information, and social-cognitive measures related to physical activity, intention and behaviours (e.g. stage of change, energy expenditure) were assessed. A series of multiple regression analyses predicting intention, energy expenditure and stage of change were conducted separately for: (1) women with young children (n = 302), and (2) women without young children (n = 881) for each of the respective social-cognitive theories. Although taken as a whole the results were relatively similar between the two sub-groups of women for each of the socio-cognitive theories examined in this study, differences were observed in the relative contributions of the theoretical constructs between the two sub-groups. Results also indicate that self-efficacy and intention were the strongest predictors of behaviour among both women with and without young children. The explained variances (R2) for the theories examined in this study for different sub-groups ranged from 16 to 60%, generally reflecting what has been reported in other studies within the physical activity domain. The results of this study could be useful in guiding future research and in designing physical activity intervention programs for these specific population groups. Integrating approaches of individual lifestyle change while addressing issues related to creating supportive environments for women in various life stages is a suggested strategy for future work in this area

Pedometer-assessed physical (ambulatory) activity in Cypriot children

Mesure de l'activité physique au moyen d'un podomètre chez des enfants d'école primaire (âgés de 6 ans en moyenne). Variations selon le sexe, la saison (été ou hiver), le contexte quotidien (activité scolaire ou extra-scolaire)

Social, attitudinal and behavioural correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among Cypriot adolescents

Objective: To examine the prevalence and correlates of fruit and vegetable (FV)consumption in Cypriot adolescents. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: The Republic of Cyprus. Subjects: A total of 1966 adolescents with a mean age of 14.7 (SD 2.2) years from nine elementary (n 448), six middle (n 657), five high (n 475) and five technical/vocational schools (n 386) in Cyprus. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing FV consumption using a two-item screening measure and a number of social, attitudinal and behavioural correlates of FV consumption. Results: Overall, 19.3% of adolescents reported consuming five or more portions of FV daily, with elementary and middle school students more likely to meet recommendations (23.8% and 24.4%, respectively) compared with high and technical/vocational school students (14.0% and 12.5%, respectively). Consuming five or more portions of FV was associated with preference for FV (OR=2.2),family eating patterns (OR=1.5), friends’ FV consumption (OR=1.2) and school support for FV consumption (OR=0.8). Consuming at least one portion of fruit daily was significantly associated with preference for FV (OR=2.0) and family eating patterns (OR=1.7). Consuming at least one portion of vegetables daily was associated with preference for FV (OR=4.2) and eating while watching television (OR=0.8). Conclusions: Targeting individual and family-based components may enhance the effectiveness of intervention programmes to promote FV consumptionObjective: To examine the prevalence and correlates of fruit and vegetable (FV)consumption in Cypriot adolescents. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: The Republic of Cyprus. Subjects: A total of 1966 adolescents with a mean age of 14.7 (SD 2.2) years from nine elementary (n 448), six middle (n 657), five high (n 475) and five technical/vocational schools (n 386) in Cyprus. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing FV consumption using a two-item screening measure and a number of social, attitudinal and behavioural correlates of FV consumption. Results: Overall, 19.3% of adolescents reported consuming five or more portions of FV daily, with elementary and middle school students more likely to meet recommendations (23.8% and 24.4%, respectively) compared with high and technical/vocational school students (14.0% and 12.5%, respectively). Consuming five or more portions of FV was associated with preference for FV (OR=2.2),family eating patterns (OR=1.5), friends’ FV consumption (OR=1.2) and school support for FV consumption (OR=0.8). Consuming at least one portion of fruit daily was significantly associated with preference for FV (OR=2.0) and family eating patterns (OR=1.7). Consuming at least one portion of vegetables daily was associated with preference for FV (OR=4.2) and eating while watching television (OR=0.8). Conclusions: Targeting individual and family-based components may enhance the effectiveness of intervention programmes to promote FV consumptio