Physical activity of preschool age children with and without Down syndrome.

Physical activity in children is at the forefront of national health priorities. The research literature on the physical activity of children with intellectual disabilities is minimal. The purpose of this dissertation was to (a) determine if there are differences in physical activity between of preschool age children with Down syndrome (DS) (n=42), compared to children with typical development (TD) who were matched for chronological age (CA) (n=36), and mental age (MA) (n=31), (b) to explore the relationship between fundamental motor skills and physical activity in children with and without DS, and (c) identify the free play motor behaviours that children with and without DS engage in during free play and modify those play behaviours using an environmental intervention. Results indicated that children with DS spent significantly less time in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity/day (MVPA), and have less proficient motor skills compared to children matched for CA. There were no significant differences in physical activity or motor skills between the DS and MA groups. However, the children with TD who were matched for MA spent more time, on average, in MVPA/day. There were no differences in sedentary or light activity for any of the groups. Locomotor skills were found to be significantly related to time in MVPA for the children with and without DS; and this relationship was significantly stronger for children with DS. This indicates that programs to promote MVPA should target increasing locomotor proficiency. Eight 4-year old children (4 with DS and 4 with TD), participated in two videotaped free play-sessions. During the first exploratory play-session the children with DS jumped less frequently. For the second play-session, an environmental manipulation designed to stimulate jumping was implemented. Results indicate that the children in both groups increased their jumping frequency by 74%. In conclusion, preschool age children with DS spend less time in MVPA/day for their age, but activity levels seem to be appropriate for cognitive level. The relationship between locomotor skills and MVPA is stronger in children with DS; and an environmental manipulation designed to increase task specific practice of jumping was effective in both groups.Ph.D.Health and Environmental SciencesPhysical therapyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/127020/2/3305026.pd

Self-regulation of sport specific and educational problem-solving tasks by children with and without developmental coordination disorder

The purpose was to examine the domain specificity of the self-regulatory skills of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) compared to their peers without DCD. Participants included 10 children with DCD and 10 without. A sport specific problem-solving task (shooting at a hockey net) and an educational problem-solving task (peg solitaire) were compared. Zimmerman's (2000) social cognitive model of self-regulation was used; it has three phases (a) forethought, (b) performance or volitional control, and (c) self-reflection. Participants were taught to think aloud during both tasks to access cognitive processes (Ericsson & Simon, 1984/1993). Codes were developed under five major categories, (a) goals, (b) knowledge, (c) emotion, (d) monitoring, and (e) evaluation. Verbalizations were transcribed and coded using the NUD*IST Vivo software. Results indicated that children with DCD have decreased knowledge in the motor domain, may have general difficulties with planning and set less challenging goals. The findings also support previous research regarding their negative emotions attached to motor tasks

Association of poverty and social exclusion with Body Mass Index among Special Olympics athletes in Europe

Objectives To examine the association of a risk of poverty and social exclusion (AROPE), age, and gender with the body mass index (BMI) status of European Special Olympics athletes. Methods BMI records were available for 1905 children and youth and 5517 adults from the Special Olympics International (SOI) Health Promotion database. AROPE was extracted from EU Eurostat statistics. Logistic regression analyses were used to predict BMI status. Results For children/youth and adults, respectively, 9.4 and 6.3% were underweight and 25.3 and 44.6% were overweight/obese. Being underweight was significantly associated with higher AROPE rates. Being female and lower AROPE rates were significantly associated with overweight/obesity for both children/youth (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.07–1.50 and OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.96–0.98) and adults (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.39–1.72 and OR 0.96; 95% CI 0.95–0.98). Conclusions The Europe 2020 “platform against poverty” strategy aims to ensure that those experiencing poverty and social exclusion share the benefits of economic growth. These findings suggest that SOI health promotion efforts to foster healthy BMI are needed and should be tailored to specific social and economic circumstances in Europe.peerReviewe

Age and sex-based differences in functional strength of adults participating in Special Olympics

Muscular strength is a critical component of physical health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine age- and sex-based differences in functional strength and rates of referral for education in a large international sample of Special Olympics athletes. A total of 30,358 (male = 19,661) adult (20–69 years old) athlete functional strength records were utilized from the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes database. Descriptive statistics were computed for the following tests: timed sit to stand, partial sit-up, grip strength, and seated push-up. Analyses of variance with Fisher-Hayter pairwise comparisons generally supported age-related decreases in strength among both males and females in this study. Overall, male participants were stronger than the female participants. However, significantly fewer women were referred for education based on their grip strength scores. The rates of referral for education are a concern regarding core- and leg strength for more than one-third of athletes over the age of 30. These findings suggest that a substantial proportion of Special Olympics athletes would benefit from additional strength and conditioning training.peerReviewe

Physical Literacy Knowledge Questionnaire: feasibility, validity, and reliability for Canadian children aged 8 to 12 years

Abstract Background Physical literacy is defined as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge and understanding to engage in physical activity for life. Physical literacy knowledge and understanding encompasses movement (how to move), performance (evaluation of movement), and health and fitness (value of exercise, need for relaxation and sleep, etc.). This paper describes the development and evaluation of a standardized assessment of physical literacy knowledge and understanding for Canadian children in grades 4, 5, and 6. Methods Proposed Physical Literacy Knowledge Questionnaire (PLKQ) content was identified through expert consultation and a review of provincial/territorial physical education curricula for grades 4 to 6. Open-ended questions verified language and generated response options. Feasibility was assessed via completion time and error frequency. Item validity assessed scores by age, gender, and teacher ratings of student knowledge. Test-retest reliability was assessed over short (2-day) and long (7-day) intervals. Results Subsets of 678 children (54% girls, 10.1 ± 1.0 years of age) completed the feasibility and validity assessments. Response errors (missing or duplicate responses, etc.) were minimal (2% or less) except for one question (7% error) about the use of safety gear during physical activity. A Delphi process among experts in children’s physical activity and fitness achieved consensus on the core content and supported an item analysis to finalize item selection. As expected, knowledge scores increased with age (partial eta2 = 0.07) but were not related to gender (p = 0.63). Teacher ratings of children’s knowledge of physical activity behaviour (r = 0.13, p = 0.01) and fitness (r = 0.12, p = 0.03), but not movement skill (r = 0.07, p = 0.19) were associated with PLKQ scores. Test-retest reliability for PLKQ score and individual questions was substantial to excellent for 71% of comparisons over a 2-day interval, but lower over a 7-day interval (53% substantial or excellent). Items with low reliability had high or low proportions of correct responses. Conclusions This study provides feasibility and validity evidence for the Physical Literacy Knowledge Questionnaire as an assessment of physical literacy knowledge for Canadian children in grades 4, 5, and 6. Completion rates were high and knowledge scores increased with age. Streamlining of the content in accordance with Delphi panel recommendations would further enhance feasibility, but would also focus the content on items with limited reliability. Future studies of alternative item wording and responses are recommended to enhance test-retest reliability

Muscular strength of adult Special Olympians by country economic status

There is a strong relationship between economic prosperity and health as well as between muscle strength and health (morbidity and mortality). However, very little research has concomitantly examined economic prosperity and muscular strength in the general population, and no studies have simultaneously examined these factors in a population of adults with intellectual disabilities. This study examined grip strength among adult Special Olympics participants by country economic status. A total of 12,132 (men = 65%) right and left hand grip strength records were available from the Special Olympics International (SOI) FUNFitness database. The 127 countries within the SOI dataset were grouped by economy according to The World Bank’s gross national income per capita as: low-income countries (n = 11), lower middle-income countries (n = 27), upper middle-income countries (n = 38), and high-income countries (n = 51). There was a significant overall effect of country economic status for both males and females for right and left hand grip strength. Although the grip strength of both men and women did not differ between low-income and low-middle income countries, the general trend was to observe greater grip strength with increased economic prosperity among both men and women. However, to advance our knowledge of the importance of muscle strength for persons with intellectual disabilities, research linking grip strength to health outcomes, functional status, and successful participation activities of daily living is needed.peerReviewe

The utility of \u3ci\u3eShewanella japonica\u3c/i\u3e for microbial fuel cells

Shewanella-containing microbial fuel cells (MFCs) typically use the fresh water wild-type strain Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 due to its metabolic diversity and facultative oxidant tolerance. However, S. oneidensis MR-1 is not capable of metabolizing polysaccharides for extracellular electron transfer. The applicability of Shewanella japonica (an agar-lytic Shewanella strain) for power applications was analyzed using a diverse array of carbon sources for current generation from MFCs, cellular physiological responses at an electrode surface, biofilm formation, and the presence of soluble extracellular mediators for electron transfer to carbon electrodes. Critically, air-exposed S. japonica utilizes biosynthesized extracellular mediators for electron transfer to carbon electrodes with sucrose as the sole carbon source