A multilevel examination of gender differences in the association between features of the school environment and physical activity among a sample of grades 9 to 12 students in Ontario, Canada

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Creating school environments that support student physical activity (PA) is a key recommendation of policy-makers to increase youth PA. Given males are more active than females at all ages, it has been suggested that investigating gender differences in the features of the environment that associate with PA may help to inform gender-focused PA interventions and reduce the gender disparity in PA. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore gender differences in the association between factors of the school environment and students' time spent in PA.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Among a sample of 10781 female and 10973 male students in grades 9 to 12 from 76 secondary schools in Ontario, Canada, student- and school-level survey PA data were collected and supplemented with GIS-derived measures of the built environment within 1-km buffers of the 76 schools.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Findings from the present study revealed significant differences in the time male and female students spent in PA as well as in some of the school- and student-level factors associated with PA. Results of the gender-specific multilevel analyses indicate schools should consider providing an alternate room for PA, especially for providing flexibility activities directed at female students. Schools should also consider offering daily physical education programming to male students in senior grades and providing PA promotion initiatives targeting obese male students.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Although most variation in male and female students' time spent in PA lies between students within schools, there is sufficient between-school variation to be of interest to practitioners and policy-makers. More research investigating gender differentials in environment factors associated with youth PA are warranted.</p

Activity and Obesity of Colombian immigrants in Canada Who Use a Food Bank

The purpose of this study was to provide some preliminary description of the Latin-Canadian community by reporting the socioeconomic status, physical activity, and weight status (i.e., healthy weight, overweight, or obese status) of Colombians newly immigrated to London, Ontario Canada. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on a convenience sample of 77 adult Colombian immigrant food bank users (46.8% men; mean age 39.9 yr., SD=11.8). Physical activity was gauged using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and self-report Body Mass Index, and sociodemographic data were collected. Of respondents, 47% had a university education, and 97% received social support. 61% met recommended levels of physical activity. Men were more active, being involved in about 130 min. more of exercise per week, and more men were overweight than women (63.9% versus 39.0%, respectively). Of respondents, 73% reported being less active than before coming to Canada. This pilot study indicates that Latin-Canadian immigrants are a vulnerable group in need of acculturational support. Further study is warranted

Prevalence of University Students\u27 Sufficient Physical Activity: A Systematic Review

This study reviewed and analyzed the prevalence of university students\u27 participation in physical activity at the level necessary to acquire health benefits. 19 primary studies (published 1985-2001) representing a total of 35,747 students (20,179 women and 15,568 men) from a total of 27 countries (Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Nigeria, United States, and 21 European countries) are described and the amount of activity identified within each study is analyzed in accordance with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) guidelines for physical activity. With respect to these guidelines, more than one-half of university students in the United States and Canada are not active enough to gain health benefits. Internationally, the same is true, although Australian students appear to have the highest level of sufficient activity (at 60%). Women, and especially African-American women, are among the least active students, and students living off-campus are more active than those on-campus. Insufficient activity is a serious health concern among university students. Appropriate interventions and tools to measure ACSM-recommended physical activity are needed

Protection motivation theory and the prediction of physical activity among adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in a large population sample

Objectives: To investigate the utility of the protection motivation theory (PMT) for explaining physical activity (PA) in an adult population with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Design: Cross-sectional and 6-month longitudinal analysis using PMT. Methods: Two thousand three hundred and eleven individuals with T1D (N =697) and T2D (N =1,614) completed self-report PMT constructs of vulnerability, severity, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and intention, and PA behaviour at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Multi-group structural equation modelling was conducted to: (1) test the fit of the PMT structure; (2) determine the similarities and differences in the PMT structure between the two types of diabetes; and (3) examine the explained variance and compare the strength of association of the PMT constructs in predicting PA intention and behaviour. Results: The findings provide evidence for the utility of the PMT in both diabetes samples (χ²/df = 1.27 − 4.08, RMSEA = .02–.05). Self-efficacy was a stronger predictor of intention (β = 0.64–0.68) than response efficacy (β = 0.14–0.16) in individuals with T1D or T2D. Severity was significantly related to intention (β = 0.06) in T2D individuals only, whereas vulnerability was not significantly related to intention or PA behaviour. Self-efficacy (β's = 0.20–0.28) and intention (β's = 0.12–0.30) were significantly associated with PA behaviour. Conclusions: Promotion of PA behaviour should primarily target self-efficacy to form intentions and to change behaviour. In addition, for individuals with T2D, severity information should be incorporated into PA intervention materials in this population