Association between the physical activity environment in schools and childhood obesity: a view under the light of complex systems

Objective: to analyse the relationship between physical activity (PA) environment at schools and obesity in children, the light of complex systems. Methods: this is a cross sectional study involved 1.200 children (8.1 ± 1.0 years old and 50% boys) from eight public schools from socially vulnerable neighbourhoods of Petrolina, Brazil. Weight and height measurements were assessed to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI) and classified as normal weight and overweight. To assess the PA environment at the school, a questionnaire about the structural and organizational environment of the school was applied through a face-to-face interview with the school´s manager was conducted. The association between the PA environment at school and obesity was tested using a Machine Learning technique (Network Analysis) performed on the Jasp software. Results: positive associations between BMI and Physical Education classes (0.847), physical education teacher (0.349), break duration (0.564) and indoor sports court (0.662) were observed. Negative associations were seen with sex (-0.212) age (- 0.387), extracurricular PA (-0.492) and playground (-0.557). Additionally, the centrality indicators highlighted extracurricular PA (1.789) as the variables with the highest betweenness values, and BMI with the highest closeness (2.239) and strength (1.230) values. Conclusion: Extracurricular PA and the presence of playgrounds at school´s environment are associated with a healthier weight status low-income children

School-Time Movement Behaviors and Fundamental Movement Skills in Preschoolers:An Isotemporal Reallocation Analysis

Little is known of how reallocations of time spent in different movement behaviors during preschool might relate to preschoolers’ fundamental movement skills (FMS), a key predictor of later physical activity (PA). Thus, the aim of this study was to examine (a) whether preschoolers’ school-time movement was associated with their FMS and (b) the effects on FMS of reallocating time between PA and sedentary behavior (SB). This was a cross-sectional study, using intervention data with Brazilian low-income preschoolers. We observed Brazilian preschoolers of both sexes (Mage¼ 4.5, SD¼ 0.8 years-old; 101boys) over 10 hours of school-time and objectively assessed their PA and SB with Actigraph wGT3X and their FMS with the Test of Gross Motor Development – Second Edition. We explored the associations between schooltime movement behaviors and FMS and between reallocated school-time movement behaviors and FES using compositional analysis in R (version 1.40-1), robCompositions (version 0.92-7), and lmtest (version 0.9-35) packages. This isotemporal reallocation showed that, for manipulative skills, reallocating time (5, 10, and 15 minutes, respectively) from light PA to SB was associated with increasing skill (0.14, 0.28, and 0.42 FMS units), raising questions as to whether fine motor activity occurred during SB. Thus, school-time movement significantly predicted FMS, with a modest increase in SB, at the expense of light PA eliciting improved manipulative skills

Impacto da satisfação corporal sobre a motivação à prática de atividade física na comunidade acadêmica da UNIVASF-PE

Este estudo investigou o impacto da satisfação corporal na motivação à prática de atividade física da comunidade acadêmica da Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF). Participaram da pesquisa 659 alunos, docentes e técnicos do sexo masculino e feminino praticantes de musculação no projeto de extensão “Academia Universitária” da Univasf, Petrolina-PE. Como instrumentos foram utilizados a Escala Situacional de Satisfação Corporal (ESSC) e a Escala de Motivação à Práticade Atividades Físicas (MPAM-R26). Na análise dos dados, utilizou-se o teste de Kruskall-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, a correlação de Spearman e a Análise de Equações Estruturais/Regressão (p<0,05). Os resultados evidenciaram que os alunos são mais motivados a praticar atividades físicas por diversão, pela aparência física e para se sentirem competentes em comparação aos docentes e técnicos (p < 0,05). Verificou-se que os alunos se engajam mais em atividades físicas para fazer novas amizades em comparação aos docentes (p < 0,05). Os técnicos são mais insatisfeitos quanto à gordura corporal em comparação aos alunos, enquanto os docentes são mais satisfeitos em relação às partes externas e aos músculos (p < 0,05). A insatisfação com a gordura e as partes externas apresentaram efeito significativo (p < 0,05) sobre os fatores motivacionais nos três grupos, entretanto, o maior impacto foi encontrado para os docentes. Concluiu-se que para o contexto universitário, a insatisfação com a gordura e a satisfação com as partes externas são elementos intervenientes na motivação à prática de atividade física, com maior destaque para os docentes

The sub-basin springs of Poxim river, state of Sergipe: the degradation to restoration

Estudos ambientais em bacias hidrográficas são fundamentais para o entendimento do uso dos recursos naturais e dos problemas relacionados à ocupação do espaço. Em Sergipe, há necessidade de se obter informações para fins de planejamento e gestão futura de suas bacias hidrográficas, uma vez que gradualmente observa-se uma redução do volume produzido nos cursos d'água e da qualidade de suas águas, que são imprescindíveis para o abastecimento humano, a utilização na agricultura e na indústria. Devido ao acelerado processo de supressão da vegetação na sub-bacia hidrográfica do rio Poxim, formada pelos rios Poxim-mirim, Poxim-açu, e Pitanga e seus pequenos tributários, foi realizado um diagnóstico para se verificar o estado de conservação das suas principais nascentes, a situação quanto ao fluxo de água, as formas de uso e ocupação do solo no entorno destas e os tipos fisionômicos de vegetação remanescentes. As informações obtidas serão úteis para a realização de projetos de restauração ambiental, a promoção de melhorias no ambiente e nas comunidades rurais e resgate da diversidade da flora e fauna nestas áreas. Observou-se que as 20 principais nascentes dos rios e tributários que compõem a sub-bacia hidrográfica do rio Poxim, apresentam alterações decorrentes da acelerada antropização (90%), a maioria delas (65%) com elevada degradação (sem raio mínimo de 50m de vegetação) e ocupadas por agricultura (50%) e pastagens (35%). Somente duas nascentes encontram-se preservadas. Quanto à composição florística, as espécies identificadas (43) podem ser utilizadas em projetos futuros para restauração das nascentes e dos cursos d'água nesta sub-bacia hidrográfica. _________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: Environmental studies on river basins are fundamental to understanding the natural resources use and the problems related to the space occupation. In Sergipe, it is necessary to obtain information for planning purposes and future management of their watersheds, once the watercourses volume and its quality are reducing gradually, which are essential for human supply and use in agriculture and industry. Due to the accelerated removal of vegetation in the river Poxim sub-basin, formed by the Poxim-Mirim, Poxim-Açu, Pitanga rivers, and its small tributaries, a diagnosis was carried out to verify the conservation status of their main sources, the situation on the water flow, the different uses, and land use around these sources and the remaining vegetation physiognomic types. The information is useful for carrying out environmental restoration projects, promoting improvements in the environment and in the rural communities and for the flora and fauna diversity rescue in these areas. It was observed that the 20 rivers sources top and tributaries that compose the river Poxim sub-basin showed changes from accelerated human anthropization (90%), most (65%) with high degradation (no vegetation in the minimum radius of 50 m), being occupied by agriculture (50%) and pastures (35%). Only two sources were preserved. The floristic composition, the identified species (43) can be used in future projects for sources and watercourses restoration in this sub-basin

Does parents’ perception of the environment associates with outdoor physical activity duration in low-income preschoolers?

Parents’ perception of the environment may influence the time spent in outdoor physical activities in pre-school children. This study aimed to analyze the association between parents’ perception of the environment and outdoor physical activities outside the school in low-income preschoolers. In total, 129 preschoolers aged 3 to 5 years (4.4 years ± 0.7 years, 50% boys) and their parents participated in the study. An adapted version of the Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale was used to obtain parents’ environmental perceptions. Outdoor physical activities was measured based on two questions considering the usual time spent in these activities during week and weekend days. Information on sociodemographic was collected by interview. Logistic regression was used to analyze the associations. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS, version 21.0. Most preschoolers (76.9%) had ≤ 2 hours/day in outdoor physical activities during the week while at the weekend, 65.9% reached > 2 hours. Parents’ perception of unsafe traffic (OR = 0.39; p = 0.03) was associated with higher chances for a shorter time in outdoor physical activities both during the week and at the weekend (OR = 0.46; p = 0.04). Moreover, preschoolers’ whose parents perceive a lack of places to walk (OR = 0.33; p = 0.02) and unsafe night time (OR = 0.36; p = 0.04) are more likely to spend less time in outdoor physical activities during the week. After adjustments for sociodemographic confounders, the perception of unsafe traffic (OR = 0.26; p = 0.01) and places to walk (OR = 0.15; p = 0.01) were predictors of preschooler’s shorter time in outdoor physical activities during the week. Parents’ perception of unsafe traffic and places to walk were associated with less time in outdoor physical activities in low-income preschoolers