Physical activity behaviours of highly active preschoolers

Background: Understanding the physical activity behaviour of young children who are highly active mayprovide important guidance for promoting physical activity in preschools.Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the movement characteristics of high-active (HA)children during attendance at preschools.Methods: Children in 20 preschools (n = 231) wore accelerometers and were classified into tertiles ofmoderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Children's movement characteristics were observed using the Observational System for Recording Physical Activity in Children – Preschool Version. Mixed-model analyses compared movement types between HA children and lower-active (LA) children during the total school day.Results: HA (n = 77) children were observed to be more active than LA children (n = 154) indoors(P < 0.001), but no differences were observed outdoors. HA children were more frequently observed running, crawling, climbing, jumping, skipping, swinging and throwing across the total school day than LA children. Outdoors, HA children participated in more swinging and throwing and less jumping or skipping than LA children. Indoors, HA children spent more time pulling, pushing and running, and less time walking than LA children.Conclusions: HA children have unique activity patterns. Further interventions to increase physical activity of all preschoolers should increase the time spent outside and include varied activity types throughout the entire school day

Assessing sustainability of Lifestyle Education for Activity Program (LEAP)

Sustained intervention effects are needed for positive health impacts in populations; however, few published examples illustrate methods for assessing sustainability in health promotion programs. This paper describes the methods for assessing sustainability of the Lifestyle Education for Activity Program (LEAP). LEAP was a comprehensive school-based intervention that targeted change in instructional practices and the school environment to promote physical activity (PA) in high school girls. Previous reports indicated that significantly more girls in the intervention compared with control schools reported engaging in vigorous PA, and positive long-term effects on vigorous PA also were observed for girls in schools that most fully implemented and maintained the intervention 3 years following the active intervention. In this paper, the seven steps used to assess sustainability in LEAP are presented; these steps provide a model for assessing sustainability in health promotion programs in other settings. Unique features of the LEAP sustainability model include assessing sustainability of changes in instructional practices and the environment, basing assessment on an essential element framework that defined complete and acceptable delivery at the beginning of the project, using multiple data sources to assess sustainability, and assessing implementation longitudinally

Age-Related Change in Physical Activity in Adolescent Girls

Purpose - To determine the annual rate at which physical activity changes in girls during middle school using both objective and self-report measures of physical activity. Methods - Participants were 6th and 8th grade girls from the control schools in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG). Random cross-sectional samples initially were drawn from 6th grade girls (n=786) and two years later from 8th grade girls (n=1545). A cohort of 501 girls was in both the 6th and 8th grade samples. The girls wore an accelerometer for six days and completed the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall (3DPAR). Data were summarized using 3.0-4.6- and 6.5-MET cutpoints for accelerometry and self-reported physical activity. Analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA in PROC MIXED. Results - More than 40% of the girls were White, approximately 20% were African-American, and 20% were Hispanic. The annual percent decrease in physical activity in the cross-sectional sample was approximately 4% (-1.76 min MVPA/day), using accelerometer data. The percent decrease in physical activity based on self-report data was higher, 6-13%, depending on the physical activity variable. Declines tended to be larger in African-American girls, but the ethnic differences were not statistically significant. Conclusions - Based on comparisons of cross-sectional samples of 6th and 8th grade girls, objectively-measured physical activity declined at a rate of 4% per year

Commercial venues as supports for physical activity in adolescent girls

The purposes of this study were to describe the types and availability of commercial facilities for physical activity (PA) in six diverse geographic areas (Washington DC and Maryland; South Carolina; Minnesota; Louisiana; Arizona; and California) and to assess the relationship between those facilities and the non-school PA of adolescent girls

School-Level Intraclass Correlation for Physical Activity in Sixth Grade Girls

The Trial for Activity in Adolescent Girls (TAAG) is a group-randomized trial (GRT) to reduce the usual decline in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among middle school girls. We report the school-level intraclass correlation (ICC) for MVPA from the TAAG baseline survey of sixth grade girls and describe the relationship between the schedule of data collection and the ICC

Effect of a school-based active play intervention on sedentary time and physical activity in preschool children

Early childhood is a critical time for promoting physical activity. Few studies have investigated the effect of interventions in this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a school-based active play intervention on preschool children’s sedentary time and physical activity. Preschool children were recruited from randomly selected preschools. Schools were randomly assigned to an intervention or comparison group. One teacher per intervention school received training from active play professionals in the delivery of a 6-week active play programme. Comparison schools continued their usual practice. Children wore a uni-axial accelerometer for 7 days at baseline, immediately after and at 6-month post-intervention. No significant intervention effects were observed for sedentary time or physical activity. However, sex and hours spent at school were significant predictors of physical activity. Children who spent fewer hours (half-day children) at school were significantly more active than their full-day counterparts. Physical activity during the intervention classes was high even though neither daily physical activity nor sedentary time changed. Notably children who spent more time at preschool were less active suggesting that preschool was not as conducive to physical activity engagement as other environments

Evaluation of movements of lower limbs in non-professional ballet dancers: hip abduction and flexion

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The literature indicated that the majority of professional ballet dancers present static and active dynamic range of motion difference between left and right lower limbs, however, no previous study focused this difference in non-professional ballet dancers. In this study we aimed to evaluate active movements of the hip in non-professional classical dancers.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We evaluated 10 non professional ballet dancers (16-23 years old). We measured the active range of motion and flexibility through Well Banks. We compared active range of motion between left and right sides (hip flexion and abduction) and performed correlation between active movements and flexibility.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a small difference between the right and left sides of the hip in relation to the movements of flexion and abduction, which suggest the dominant side of the subjects, however, there was no statistical significance. Bank of Wells test revealed statistical difference only between the 1^stand the 3^rdmeasurement. There was no correlation between the movements of the hip (abduction and flexion, right and left sides) with the three test measurements of the bank of Wells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>There is no imbalance between the sides of the hip with respect to active abduction and flexion movements in non-professional ballet dancers.</p

School's out: what are urban children doing? The Summer Activity Study of Somerville Youth (SASSY)

Background: Research indicates that in the United States, children experience healthier BMI and fitness levels during school vs. summer, but research is limited. The primary goal of this pilot study was to assess where children spend their time during the months that school is not in session and to learn about the different types of activities they engage in within different care settings. A secondary goal of this pilot study was to learn what children eat during the summer months. Methods: A nine-week summer study of 57 parents of second and third grade students was conducted in an economically, racial/ethnically and linguistically diverse US urban city. Weekly telephone interviews queried time and activities spent on/in 1) the main caregiver’s care 2) someone else’s care 3) vacation 4) and camp. Activities were categorised as sedentary, light, moderate, or vigorous (0-3 scale). For each child, a mean activity level was calculated and weighted for proportion of time spent in each care situation, yielding a weighted activity index. On the last phone call, parents answered questions about their child’s diet over the summer. Two post-study focus groups were conducted to help interpret findings from the weekly activity interviews. Results: The mean activity index was 1.05 ± 0.32 and differed between gender (p = 0.07), education (p = 0.08) and primary language spoken in the household (p = 0.01). Children who spent a greater percentage of time in parent care had on average a lower activity index (β = -0.004, p = 0.01) while children who spent a greater percentage of time in camp had a higher activity index (β = 0.004, p = 0.03). When stratified into type of camp, percentage of time spent in active camp was also positively associated with mean activity index (β = 0.005, p =\u3c 0.001). With regards to diet, after adjusting for maternal education, children who attended less than five weeks of camp were four times more likely to eat their meals in front of the TV often/almost all of the time (OR = 4.0, 95%CI 1.0-16.2, p \u3c 0.06). Conclusions: Summer activities and some dietary behaviours are influenced by situation of care and sociodemographic characteristics. In particular, children who spend a greater proportion of time in structured environments appear to be more active. We believe that this pilot study is an important first step in our understanding of what children do during the summer months

A participatory parent-focused intervention promoting physical activity in preschools: design of a cluster-randomized trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>With rates of childhood obesity increasing, physical activity (PA) promotion especially in young children has assumed greater importance. Given the limited effectiveness of most interventions to date, new approaches are needed. The General Systems theory suggests that involving parents as intervention targets may be effective in fostering healthier life styles in children. We describe the development of a parent-focused participatory intervention and the procedures used to evaluate its effectiveness in increasing daily PA in preschoolers.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>Thirty-seven South German preschools were identified for this study and agreed to participate. Using a two-armed, controlled cluster-randomized trial design we test a participatory intervention with parents as the primary target group and potential agents of behavioural change. Specifically, the intervention is designed to engage parents in the development, refinement and selection of project ideas to promote PA and in incorporating these ideas into daily routines within the preschool community, consisting of children, teachers and parents. Our study is embedded within an existing state-sponsored programme providing structured gym lessons to preschool children. Thus, child-based PA outcomes from the study arm with the parent-focused intervention and the state-sponsored programme are compared with those from the study arm with the state-sponsored programme alone. The evaluation entails baseline measurements of study outcomes as well as follow-up measurements at 6 and 12 months. Accelerometry measures PA intensity over a period of six days, with the mean over six days used as the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcomes include childrens' BMI, a sum of averaged skin fold thickness measurements across multiple sites, and PA behaviour. Longitudinal multilevel models are used to assess within-subject change and between-group differences in study outcomes, adjusted for covariates at the preschool and individual levels. Teacher qualitative interviews monitor the intervention implementation process.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Participatory approaches that actively involve parents have the potential to promote PA in ways that might be better tailored to local needs and more sustainable. Our mixed methods approach to assess the intervention efficacy and implementation employing both quantitative and qualitative measures within a cluster-randomized controlled trial may serve as a framework for evaluating public health interventions in preschool settings.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p><b>clinicaltrials.gov No: NCT00987532</b></p

Socio-demographic and lifestyle factors associated with overweight in a representative sample of 11-15 year olds in France: Results from the WHO-Collaborative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents is high and overweight is associated with poor health outcomes over short- and long-term. Lifestyle factors can interact to influence overweight. Comprehensive studies linking overweight concomitantly with several demographic and potentially-modifiable lifestyle factors and health-risk behaviours are limited in adolescents - an age-group characterized by changes in lifestyle behaviours and high prevalence of overweight. Thus, the objective of the current study was to examine the association of overweight with several socio-demographic and lifestyle variables simultaneously in a representative sample of adolescents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A nationally representative sample of 11-15 year-olds (n = 7154) in France participated as part of the WHO-Collaborative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Students reported data on their age, height, weight, socio-demographic variables, lifestyle factors including nutrition practices, physical activity at two levels of intensity (moderate and vigorous), sedentary behaviours, as well as smoking and alcohol consumption patterns using standardized HBSC protocols. Overweight (including obesity) was defined using the IOTF reference. The multivariate association of overweight with several socio-demographic and lifestyle factors was examined with logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The adjusted odds ratios for the association with overweight were: 1.80 (95% CI: 1.37-2.36) for low family affluence; 0.73 (0.60-0.88) for eating breakfast daily; 0.69 (0.56-0.84) for moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA); and 0.71 (0.59-0.86) for vigorous physical activity (VPA). Significant interactions between age and gender as well as television (TV) viewing and gender were noted: for boys, overweight was not associated with age or TV viewing; in contrast, for girls overweight correlated negatively with age and positively with TV viewing. Fruit and vegetable intake, computer and video-games use, smoking and alcohol consumption were not associated with overweight.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In multivariate model, family affluence, breakfast consumption and moderate to vigorous as well as vigorous physical activity were negatively associated with overweight. These findings extend previous research to a setting where multiple risk and protective factors were simultaneously examined and highlight the importance of multi-faceted approaches promoting physical activity and healthy food choices such as breakfast consumption for overweight prevention in adolescents.</p