A life course examination of the physical environmental determinants of physical activity behaviour: A “Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity” (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review

Background: Participation in regular physical activity is associated with a multitude of health benefits across the life course. However, many people fail to meet PA recommendations. Despite a plethora of studies, the evidence regarding the environmental (physical) determinants of physical activity remains inconclusive. Objective: To identify the physical environmental determinants that influence PA across the life course. Methods: An online systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus and SPORTDiscus. The search was limited to studies published in English (January 2004 to April 2016). Only systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of observational studies, that investigated the association between physical determinants and physical activity outcomes, were eligible for inclusion. The extracted data were assessed on the importance of determinants, strength of evidence and methodological quality. Results: The literature search identified 28 SLRs and 3 MAs on 67 physical environmental characteristics potentially related to physical activity that were eligible for inclusion. Among preschool children, a positive association was reported between availability of backyard space and outdoor toys/equipment in the home and overall physical activity. The availability of physical activity programs and equipment within schools, and neighbourhood features such as pedestrian and cyclist safety structure were positively associated with physical activity in children and adolescents. Negative street characteristics, for example, lack of sidewalks and streetlights, were negatively associated with physical activity in adults. Inconsistent associations were reported for the majority of reviewed determinants in adults. Conclusion: This umbrella SLR provided a comprehensive overview of the physical environment determinants of physical activity across the life course and has highlighted, particularly amongst youth, a number of key determinants that may be associated with overall physical activity. Given the limited evidence drawn mostly from cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies are needed to further explore these associations. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42015010616

Socio-cultural determinants of physical activity across the life course: A \u27Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity\u27 (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review

Objective: Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of disease and premature death. Knowing factors associated with PA might help reducing the disease and economic burden caused by low activity. Studies suggest that socio-cultural factors may affect PA, but systematic overviews of findings across the life course are scarce. This umbrella systematic literature review (SLR) summarizes and evaluates available evidence on socio-cultural determinants of PA in children, adolescents, and adults. Methods: This manuscript was drafted following the recommendations of the \u27Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses\u27 (PRISMA) checklist. The MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases were searched for SLRs and meta-analyses (MAs) on observational studies published in English that assessed PA determinants between January 2004 and April 2016. The methodological quality was assessed and relevant information on socio-cultural determinants and any associations with PA was extracted. The available evidence was evaluated based on the importance of potential determinants and the strength of the evidence. Results: Twenty SLRs and three MAs encompassing 657 eligible primary studies investigated potential socio-cultural PA determinants, with predominantly moderate methodological quality. Twenty-nine potential PA determinants were identified that were primarily assessed in children and adolescents and investigated the micro-environmental home/household level. We found probable evidence that receiving encouragement from significant others and having a companion for PA were associated with higher PA in children and adolescents, and that parental marital status (living with partner) and experiencing parental modeling were not associated with PA in children. Evidence for the other potential determinants was limited, suggestive, or non-conclusive. In adults, quantitative and conclusive data were scarce. Conclusions: A substantial number of SLRs and MAs investigating potential socio-cultural determinants of PA were identified. Our data suggest that receiving social support from significant others may increase PA levels in children and adolescents, whereas parental marital status is not a determinant in children. Evidence for other potential determinants was limited. This was mainly due to inconsistencies in results on potential socio-cultural determinants of PA across reviews and studies. Trial registrations: This umbrella SLR was recorded on PROSPERO (Record ID: CRD42015010616)

Behavioural determinants of physical activity across the life course: a "Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity" (DEDIPAC) umbrella literature review

Background Low levels of physical activity (PA) are a global concern and increasing PA engagement is becoming a priority in current public health policies. Despite the large number of studies and reviews available, the evidence regarding the behavioral determinants of PA is still inconclusive. Thus, the aim of this umbrella systematic literature review (SLR) was to summarize the evidence on the behavioral determinants of PA across the life course. Methods A systematic online search was conducted on MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases. The search was limited to studies published in English from January, 2004 to April, 2016. SLRs and meta-analyses (MAs) of observational studies that investigated the behavioral determinants of PA were considered eligible. The extracted data were assessed based on the importance of the determinants, the strength of evidence, and the methodological quality. The full protocol is available from PROSPERO (PROSPERO 2014:CRD42015010616). Results Seventeen reviews on 35 behavioral determinants of PA were eligible for this umbrella SLR. Regardless of age, the most investigated determinants were those related with ‘screen use’ and ‘smoking’. For youth, probable positive evidence emerged for ‘previous PA’ and ‘independent mobility and active transport’ among children and adolescents. For the adult population, ‘transition to university’ and ‘pregnancy/having a child’ showed probable negative associations. Conclusions Although the majority of the evidence was limited and most of the determinants were not associated with PA, this umbrella SLR provided a comprehensive overview of the associations between behavioral determinants and PA. Youth should be physically active in the early years and increase active transportation to/from school, independent mobility, and ‘free-range activities’ without adult supervision, whilst adult PA behaviors are mostly influenced by the life events. Finally, more research is needed that incorporates prospective study designs, standardized definitions of PA, objective measurement methods of PA assessment, and the use of interactionist and mediational approaches for the evaluation of different behavioral determinants influencing PA behaviors

Socio-cultural determinants of physical activity across the life course: a 'Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity' (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review

Objective Regular physical activity (PA) reduces the risk of disease and premature death. Knowing factors associated with PA might help reducing the disease and economic burden caused by low activity. Studies suggest that socio-cultural factors may affect PA, but systematic overviews of findings across the life course are scarce. This umbrella systematic literature review (SLR) summarizes and evaluates available evidence on socio-cultural determinants of PA in children, adolescents, and adults. Methods This manuscript was drafted following the recommendations of the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses’ (PRISMA) checklist. The MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases were searched for SLRs and meta-analyses (MAs) on observational studies published in English that assessed PA determinants between January 2004 and April 2016. The methodological quality was assessed and relevant information on socio-cultural determinants and any associations with PA was extracted. The available evidence was evaluated based on the importance of potential determinants and the strength of the evidence. Results Twenty SLRs and three MAs encompassing 657 eligible primary studies investigated potential socio-cultural PA determinants, with predominantly moderate methodological quality. Twenty-nine potential PA determinants were identified that were primarily assessed in children and adolescents and investigated the micro-environmental home/household level. We found probable evidence that receiving encouragement from significant others and having a companion for PA were associated with higher PA in children and adolescents, and that parental marital status (living with partner) and experiencing parental modeling were not associated with PA in children. Evidence for the other potential determinants was limited, suggestive, or non-conclusive. In adults, quantitative and conclusive data were scarce. Conclusions A substantial number of SLRs and MAs investigating potential socio-cultural determinants of PA were identified. Our data suggest that receiving social support from significant others may increase PA levels in children and adolescents, whereas parental marital status is not a determinant in children. Evidence for other potential determinants was limited. This was mainly due to inconsistencies in results on potential socio-cultural determinants of PA across reviews and studies

A life course examination of the physical environmental determinants of physical activity behaviour: A “Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity” (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review.

Background: Participation in regular physical activity is associated with a multitude of health benefits across the life course. However, many people fail to meet PA recommendations. Despite a plethora of studies, the evidence regarding the environmental (physical) determinants of physical activity remains inconclusive. Objective: To identify the physical environmental determinants that influence PA across the life course. Methods: An online systematic literature search was conducted using MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus and SPORTDiscus. The search was limited to studies published in English (January 2004 to April 2016). Only systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs) of observational studies, that investigated the association between physical determinants and physical activity outcomes, were eligible for inclusion. The extracted data were assessed on the importance of determinants, strength of evidence and methodological quality. Results: The literature search identified 28 SLRs and 3 MAs on 67 physical environmental characteristics potentially related to physical activity that were eligible for inclusion. Among preschool children, a positive association was reported between availability of backyard space and outdoor toys/equipment in the home and overall physical activity. The availability of physical activity programs and equipment within schools, and neighbourhood features such as pedestrian and cyclist safety structure were positively associated with physical activity in children and adolescents. Negative street characteristics, for example, lack of sidewalks and streetlights, were negatively associated with physical activity in adults. Inconsistent associations were reported for the majority of reviewed determinants in adults. Conclusion: This umbrella SLR provided a comprehensive overview of the physical environment determinants of physical activity across the life course and has highlighted, particularly amongst youth, a number of key determinants that may be associated with overall physical activity. Given the limited evidence drawn mostly from cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies are needed to further explore these associations

PESS e-Zine vol 6 Autumn 2015

On behalf of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences (PESS) I wish to welcome you to the next edition of the PESS e-Zine. My thanks to all those involved in the editing and contribution of submissions to the e-Zine. Through the UL Beo initiative, PESS is supporting the inaugural Pat Duffy Lecture on the 5th October 2015. As you may recall, a tribute to Pat Duffy appeared in the last edition of the PESS e-Zine. The university community is invited to attend the event and Baroness Sue Campbell CBE (Chair of Youth Sport Trust UK and former Chair of UK Sport) and Dr. Keith Wood (former Ireland and Lions Rugby Captain and Chair of the Healthy Ireland Council). Further information on the event is noted in this edition of the PESS e-Zine. I would like to welcome Dr. Tom Comyns (Lbb in Human Movement Science), Dr. Giles Warrington (SL in Sport and Exercise Science), Dr. Orla Power-Grant (EHS Research Funding Officer), Alan Griffin (Sport and Exercise Science Teaching Assistant), Rosemary Daniel (Applied Sport Experimental Officer) and Sharon Nolan (Senior Administrator) to PESS. The role of Orla’s post, jointly funded by PESS and GEMS, is to provide dedicated support to researchers within PESS, the Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS) and the wider EHS Faculty. Orla aims to assist researchers in identifying funding opportunities and supporting them in preparing applications for external research funding. It is envisaged that collaborations across PESS and GEMS and across EHS will lead to synergistic partnerships and make a contribution to the strategic development of faculty research outputs and thus support the EHS Research Strategy and the University’s Strategic Plan. I encourage those interested in exploring research connections and / or collaborations with PESS to contact me at [email protected] or contact Orla at [email protected] I would encourage students and staff to forward information on student and staff achievements (your own or others) to Michelle.Hyland @ul.ie so that such achievements can be celebrated and promoted. I trust you will find the sixth edition of PESS e-Zine as informative and engaging as previous additions

Parent and family context effects on physical activity among Irish children: an analysis of growing up in Ireland data

Interventions and policies focusing on family and parental influences on physical activity have had limited success, indicating the need to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that may influence effective intervention and policy design. This thesis, using Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) data, examines factors influencing 9-year-olds (Wave 1, n=4984) and 13-year-olds (Wave 2, n=3853) physical activity behaviour and presents this examination across three empirical studies.Study one examined the enactment of physical activity parenting (PAP) through interviews recorded with 9-year-old children and their parents, aiming to understand the role of PAP within a socioecological context. Study two explored family (n=11) and parent (n=26) factors influencing 9-year-olds’ participation in ‘Physical Play, Sport, and Physical Exercise’ (PPSE), analysing both the extent of participation and its duration through logistic and linear regression. It also highlights how integrating qualitative and quantitative findings enhances our understanding of family and parental influences on children’s physical activity behaviour. Study three examined family (n=9) and parental (n=34) factors influencing 13-year-olds’ PPSE participation, focusing on extent and duration, echoing the approach and analysis of study two.Qualitative findings indicate that parental encouragement, involvement, and facilitation enhance children’s structured physical activity participation, and co-participation benefits unstructured activity. Social class, family structure, family size, and community factors influence enactment of PAP practices. Cross-sectional findings on 9 and 13-year-olds revealed gender disparities in physical activity, with girls participating less frequently and for shorter times in PPSE than boys. Parent factors had a greater impact on PPSE behaviour compared to family factors. For 9-year-olds, boys’ PPSE participation correlates with increased closeness between mother and child, less dependent maternal relationships, mother’s perception of unfair household task equity, higher maternal education, and negative sibling rapport. Girls’ PPSE participation correlates with maternal work hours, maternal perception of daughter’s body weight, and co-activity. Duration factors differ: less maternal dependency increases 9-year-old boys’ participation, while closer mother-daughter relationships extend girls’ participation. For 13-year-olds, boys’ PPSE participation is shaped by household income, external family time, and maternal factors (monitoring, age), while girls’ participation is negatively influenced by maternal depression and number of screens in the bedroom. Factors impacting PPSE duration vary: family size reduces girls’ participation, and more males in the household reduce boys’ involvement. Boys participation duration is negatively linked to maternal discipline and conflict, whereas for girls, less maternal responsiveness, and more screens in the bedroom correlate with shorter participation duration.In addition to the findings outlined, this thesis presents recommendations based on a rigorous examination of the most impactful significant factors. These recommendations aim to inform interventions that enhance physical activity among children and adolescents, providing guidance for policymakers, practitioners, and parents, and presenting directions for future research.</p

PESS e-Zine vol 4 October 2014

On behalf of PESS I would like to welcome you to the fourth edition of the online magazine Physical Education and Sport Sciences e-Zine. Further staffing changes have occurred since the last edition of the e-Zine and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Gary Ryan (Physical Activity Health Lifestyle and Sports (PAHLS) Project Manager), Dr. Matthew Herring (Lecturer in Exercise Psychology) and Ursula McCarthy (Applied Studies Coordinator). David Kelly, Grainne Hayes and Caoimhe Tiernan are welcomed to the Department as Teaching Assistants and Michelle Dillon returns to PESS for a 11-month appointment. The Department is particularly proud to acknowledge that Drs. Brian Carson, Mark Campbell and Mark Lyons were successful in the most recent round of progression. I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the article in this edition of the e-Zine that pays tribute to Professor Pat Duffy. A number of colleagues in the field of physical education, sport and coaching are still struggling with the untimely passing of Pat whose vision, energy and continual hopes for Irish physical education, sport and physical activity provision were unfaultering throughout the years. Again, the calibre of PESS students has been acknowledged at the August 2014 conferring ceremonies with Lisa Bolger, a 2014 graduating year 4 Sport and Exercise Sciences student, receiving the Silver Medal award for the highest scoring student across all Education and Health Sciences programmes. Also acknowledged were James McAssey and Brendan O’Keeffe from the graduating cohort of the Physical Education programme who jointly received the Silver Medal award for the highest scoring students in interfaculty the graduating year of the Physical Education programme, was awarded the School Placement Award 2014. PESS is delighted to be introducing a new Masters programme in January 2015 titled a Masters in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology. Further information on the programme is included in a related article in this edition. I trust you find the information and articles in this edition of PESS E-Zine informative and ask that if you have any interest in collaborating on teaching or research with PESS that you contact me directly at [email protected]

PESS e-Zine vol 4 October 2014

On behalf of PESS I would like to welcome you to the fourth edition of the online magazine Physical Education and Sport Sciences e-Zine. Further staffing changes have occurred since the last edition of the e-Zine and I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Gary Ryan (Physical Activity Health Lifestyle and Sports (PAHLS) Project Manager), Dr. Matthew Herring (Lecturer in Exercise Psychology) and Ursula McCarthy (Applied Studies Coordinator). David Kelly, Grainne Hayes and Caoimhe Tiernan are welcomed to the Department as Teaching Assistants and Michelle Dillon returns to PESS for a 11-month appointment. The Department is particularly proud to acknowledge that Drs. Brian Carson, Mark Campbell and Mark Lyons were successful in the most recent round of progression. I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to the article in this edition of the e-Zine that pays tribute to Professor Pat Duffy. A number of colleagues in the field of physical education, sport and coaching are still struggling with the untimely passing of Pat whose vision, energy and continual hopes for Irish physical education, sport and physical activity provision were unfaultering throughout the years. Again, the calibre of PESS students has been acknowledged at the August 2014 conferring ceremonies with Lisa Bolger, a 2014 graduating year 4 Sport and Exercise Sciences student, receiving the Silver Medal award for the highest scoring student across all Education and Health Sciences programmes. Also acknowledged were James McAssey and Brendan O’Keeffe from the graduating cohort of the Physical Education programme who jointly received the Silver Medal award for the highest scoring students in interfaculty the graduating year of the Physical Education programme, was awarded the School Placement Award 2014. PESS is delighted to be introducing a new Masters programme in January 2015 titled a Masters in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology. Further information on the programme is included in a related article in this edition. I trust you find the information and articles in this edition of PESS E-Zine informative and ask that if you have any interest in collaborating on teaching or research with PESS that you contact me directly at [email protected]

PESS e-Zine vol 3 Feb 2014

Welcome to the third edition of the 'Pess e-Zine'. This issue looks at the breath of some of the research activities, and events that have happened or are ongoing in the Physical Education and Sport Sciences (PESS) Department since September 2013. Many thanks to all our contributors to the February 2014 issue. The inaugural All-Ireland Postgraduate Conference in Sport Science and Physical Education is featured in detail in this issue. A special feature on the inductees of the UL Sports Hall of Fame who were graduates/staff of the department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences is also presented. Louise McCagh (World Taekwondo Champion 2013) describes what is like to be an international athlete and final year Sport and Exercise Sciences student in the department. Biomechanics research on total knee replacement and physical education research on communities of practice for teachers is included as well as a feature on a PESS visit to a primary school in Dublin during Science Week. Sport and Exercise Students also take time out to describe their Co-op placements in 2013. The e-Zine also highlights staff and student achievements since the last edition. We hope you enjoy this edition