Use of pedometers to promote improvement in selected physiological measurements in an older female Mexican American population

The problem of this study was to determine if pedometers promoted daily walking exercise reflected by changes on selected physiological measurements in older Mexican American females. Significance in the study was determined at the 95% level of confidence. The researcher offered the null hypothesis of no difference in results from the pretest to the posttest in both the control and treatment groups for the selected physiological measurements. The subjects of this study were 55 Mexican-American females ages 60 to 75. The subjects were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) method was used to treat the data for significance of difference between group means. The null hypothesis was rejected for the following variables: weight, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, predicted Max VO2 and waist girth. The null hypothesis was not rejected for BMI and resting heart rate

Priekabiavimo ir patyčių prevencija jaunių krepšinio komandose

Tyrimu siekta nustatyti priekabiavimo ir patyčių paplitimą jaunių krepšinio komandose, puolimo veiksmų pobūdį bei naudojamas prevencijos ir pagalbos aukoms priemones. Straipsnyje siūlomos organizacinės ir individualios prevencijos priemonės, kurios apribotų priekabiavimo ir patyčių galimybes bei leistų laiku suteikti veiksmingą pagalbą kenčiantiems ir nukentėjusiems. Šiuo tyrimu taip pat siekiama išplėsti priekabiavimo ir patyčių tyrimų sferos analizę, įtraukiant į ją popamokinę sportinę paauglių veiklą bei potencialių sporto profesionalų rengimą, siekiant gilinti mokslines šios srities įžvalgas šioje. Tyrimui buvo pasirinktas kiekybinis metodas, panaudotas adaptuotas klausimynas, kuriame atskirtas priekabiavimas ir patyčios bei įvertinti praktikoje taikomi prevencijos metodai. Apklausos metu nustatyti tokie pagrindiniai akcentai: priekabiavimo ir patyčių paplitimas bei požymiai sporto komandose, negatyvios nuomonės formavimas ir sportinių užduočių pobūdis, komandos narių fizinė savijauta ir pasekmės. Dėmesys nukreiptas į pagalbą suteikusius asmenis ir prevencines priemones, naudotas mažinti priekabiavimą ir patyčias krepšinio komandose. Empirinio tyrimo metu gavus rezultatus apie tai, kaip priekabiavimas ir patyčios atsiskleidžia jaunių krepšinio komandose, suformuluotos išvados. Teigtina, kad egzistuojanti konfliktų sprendimo sistema nėra veiksmingąją taikant aukų puolimo prevencijai. Dėl pasirinkto mokslinių tyrimo metodo tyrimo rezultatai neišsamūs. Todėl panašaus pobūdžio tyrimus atliekant skirtingos kultūros šalyse, mokslininkams siūloma atlikti giluminius kokybinius tyrimus įvertinant kultūrinius skirtumus. Tyrimas originalus, kadangi analizuota paauglių popamokinė veikla priekabiavimo ir patyčių kontekste. Potencialūs krepšinio profesionalai ugdomi sporto komanduose po pamokų. Straipsnio rezultatai papildo esamą literatūrą patyčių ir priekabiavimo tarp 8-11 klasės vaikų tema ir suteikia popamokinės veiklos problemų sprendimo galimybių.The work aims at identifying the extent of the incidence Iя Revision: April, 2015 0j- bullying and harassment; furthermore, it will help understand the 2nd Revision: February, 2016 offensive nature of the action and identify prevention measures for Accepted: August, 2016 helping victims in youth basketball teams. It suggests organisational and individual preventive measures to limit possible attack and can help the victims identify available assistance resources. In order to expand the scientific literature in this area, this study wishes to broaden the field of bullying and harassment research to include after-school teen-sports activities and potential professional athletes. Quantitative analysis method was selected using a developed questionnaire which distinguished bullying and harassment and evaluated prevention methods that were applied in practice. The developed questionnaire helped identify the following topics: bullying and harassment prevalence and characteristics in sports teams, formation of negative opinion and the nature of the sport tasks, physical well-being of team members and consequences. The paper provides empirical conclusions on how bullying and harassment affects youth basketball teams. It is argued that existing conflict management systems are not effectively exploited in the prevention of bullying and harassment. The article expands the literature on bullying and harassment at school age from 8Л to II'* grade and provides novel opportunities for problem solving in assessing after-school activities. Research limitations - for this investigation, conclusions may lack depth. To address this issue, we proposed to conduct in-depth qualitative studies and evaluation of similar efforts in samples of different ethnic and cultural background. The originality of the study will produce novel results on bullying and harassment in junior relations, the situation in extra-curricular activities - basketball teams, where future potential / professional players are developed, revealing the dynamics of relationship between team members, the role of coaches. This represents the lack of utilisation of proven methods in prevention of bullying and harassment for both teams as well as others. This investigation will address the lack of scientific research and create a more meaningful connection between teen sports, bullying and harassment issues

Bullying and harassment prevention in youth basketball teams

The work aims at identifying the extent of the incidence of bullying and harassment; furthermore, it will help understand the offensive nature of the action and identify prevention measures for helping victims in youth basketball teams. It suggests organisational and individual preventive measures to limit possible attack and can help the victims identify available assistance resources. In order to expand the scientific literature in this area, this study wishes to broaden the field of bullying and harassment research to include after-school teen-sports activities and potential professional athletes. Quantitative analysis method was selected using a developed questionnaire which distinguished bullying and harassment and evaluated prevention methods that were applied in practice. The developed questionnaire helped identify the following topics: bullying and harassment prevalence and characteristics in sports teams, formation of negative opinion and the nature of the sport tasks, physical well-being of team members and consequences. The paper provides empirical conclusions on how bullying and harassment affects youth basketball teams. It is argued that existing conflict management systems are not effectively exploited in the prevention of bullying and harassment. The article expands the literature on bullying and harassment at school age from 8th to 11th grade and provides novel opportunities for problem solving in assessing after-school activities. Research limitations - for this investigation, conclusions may lack depth. To address this issue, we proposed to conduct in-depth qualitative studies and evaluation of similar efforts in samples of different ethnic and cultural background. The originality of the study will produce novel results on bullying and harassment in junior relations, the situation in extra-curricular activities - basketball teams, where future potential / professional players are developed, revealing the dynamics of relationship between team members, the role of coaches. This represents the lack of utilisation of proven methods in prevention of bullying and harassment for both teams as well as others. This investigation will address the lack of scientific research and create a more meaningful connection between teen sports, bullying and harassment issues

Use of pedometers to promote physical activity in older mexican american females

The rates of obesity and related health conditions are rising at an alarming rate, especially among minority populations. Nutrition and physical activity have been particularly linked to the high rates of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. This study was to determine if pedometers promoted daily walking exercise reflected by changes on selected physiological measurements in older Mexican American females. Significance in the study was determined at the 95% level of confidence. The participants for this study were 55 Mexican American females ages 60 to 75 randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. An analysis of covariance was used to examine the data for significance of difference between group means. The variables weight, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, predicted Max VO2 and waist girth were influenced by the treatment. The variables BMI and resting heart rate were not influenced by the treatment

Assessing Overweight/Obesity, Dietary Habits, and Physical Activity in Hispanic College Students

Objectives This study examined the overweight, obesity, dietary habits, and physical activity among Hispanic college students. Methods Eighty seven (n=87, age= 24.03 ± 5.69) Hispanic college students participated in the study. Descriptive and anthropometric measurements including resting heart rate (RHR), resting blood pressure (RBP), height, weight, body mass index (BMI), circumference measurements [waist at narrowest point (Xiphoid), and hip at widest point (Hip), body composition (BC) were collected. Subjects completed the Dietary Screener Questionnaire (DSQ). PA was estimated via Godin’s (2011) Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire. Results The mean BMI was 27.29±6.20 kg/m2, in the overweight range. The mean WC for males was 90.86±13.23 and for females was 82.35±14.61. Independent t-test showed that males had significantly higher values in height (p\u3c0.01), weight (p\u3c0.01), WC (p\u3c0.01), and PA (p\u3c0.01) compared to females. DSQ data indicated that participants consumed fruits, green leafy or lettuce salad, and milk less than recommended amount. It also showed high intake of sugary food. Conclusions Hispanic young adults are in a poorest condition regarding the level of obesity as opposed to White and African American counterparts. This may be due to the decrease in PA. Diet behavior; less consumption of dairy, fruits and vegetable but frequent consumption of high sugary might be related to obesity in Hispanic young adults

Social and Health Risk Factor Levels of Preschool Children Living Along the Texas-Mexico Border

BACKGROUND Childhood obesity is a public health concern that disproportionately affects populations from low socioeconomic status (SES) and minority groups. Evaluation of social and health risk factors of preschool children living along the Texas-Mexico border provides feedback to design health interventions. METHODS South Texas Early Prevention Study-PreK (STEPS-PreK) is a cluster randomized trial designed to assess the effect of the Bienestar coordinated school health program on children\u27s health outcomes. Family characteristics, dietary intake, fitness, and anthropometric data were collected from 1277 preschool students enrolled in 28 preschools. RESULTS The response rate was 67%. Overall, 57% of families lived in poverty. The mean age of students was 4.7 years, 95% were Hispanic, and 51% were male. The average serving of fruits and vegetables per day were 1 and 1/3, respectively. Of these, students consumed 39.7% of fruits and 18.9% of vegetables. Obesity prevalence for boys was 19.2% and for girls 16.8%. Nearly one-half reported some form of food insecurity. CONCLUSIONS Children living in low-income areas are affected by high levels of social and health risk factors. It is these families who should be targeted with early-age and culturally appropriate health programs

The Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Food Assistance Program Participation in Families of Preschool Children in the Rio Grande Valley

The South Texas Early Prevention Study-PreK, a cluster randomized trial, explored the Bienestar Coordinated School Health Program’s influence on health variables in South Texas children. Factors associated with food insecurity (FI) were analyzed. Income-to-poverty ratio, income, and food assistance (FA) program participation were all associated with FI. Forty percent of families (257/643) reporting FI did not utilize FA. Of those families with FI, but who reported no FA participation, 31.8% were FA eligible. Families experiencing FI may underutilize FA programs, despite eligibility. Curtailing obstacles preventing FA program participation and matching those who are eligible with FA programs are crucial