Innovative teaching units and activity trackers for the promotion of healthy physical activity habits in physical education

The innovative teaching units effectively improve some factors influencing the acquisition of students’ healthy physical activity and sedentary behavior habits, overcoming some limitations related to planning in Physical Education. However, other strategies such as proposed longer programs, complementing them with other extracurricular physical activity plans for leisure time, structured programs for recess, or including consumer-wearable activity trackers for providing students real-time feedback seem necessary to improve students’ objective habitual physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior levels. This knowledge could help Physical Education teachers to design effective and feasible intervention programs to increase students’ daily physical activity levels and reduce sedentary behavior from the Physical Education setting.Las unidades didácticas innovadoras son eficaces para mejorar algunos factores que influyen en la adquisición de hábitos saludables de actividad física y conducta sedentaria de los escolares, superando algunas limitaciones relacionadas con la planificación en Educación Física. Sin embargo, parece necesario adoptar otras estrategias, tales como llevar a cabo programas más largos, complementarlos con otros planes de actividad física extraescolar para el tiempo libre, programas estructurados para el recreo escolar, o la inclusión de monitores portátiles de fitness que proporcionen a los estudiantes información en tiempo real para incrementar los niveles habituales de actividad física y reducir los niveles de conducta sedentaria de los escolares medidos objetivamente. Este conocimiento podría ayudar a los profesores de Educación Física a diseñar programas de intervención eficaces y viables para incrementar los niveles de actividad física diarios y reducir la conducta sedentaria de los escolares desde el contexto de la Educación Física.Tesis Univ. Granada.Ministerio de Universidades, Gobierno de España FPU16/03314Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2019-110179GB-I00Unión Europea y Junta de Andalucía B-SEJ-029-UGR18Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de la Universidad de Granada. Plan Propio de Investigación 2019 Programa de Proyectos de Investigación Precompetitivos para Jóvenes Investigadore

Are Wrist-Worn Activity Trackers and Mobile Applications Valid for Assessing Physical Activity in High School Students? Wearfit Study

The purpose was to examine the validity of three wrist-worn commercial activity trackers (Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, Apple Watch Series 5, and Xiaomi Mi Band 5) and six mobile apps (Pedometer and Pacer for android and iPhone mobiles, Google Fit for android, and Apple Health for iPhone mobiles) for estimating high school students’ steps and physical activity (PA) under freeliving conditions. A sample of 56 (27 females; mean age = 14.7 years) and 51 (25 females; mean age = 14.0 years) high school students participated in Study 1 and 2, respectively. Study 1: Students performed a 200-meter course in four different conditions while wearing the wearables. Step counting through a video record was used as the golden standard. Study 2: Students wore the three wrist-worn commercial activity trackers during the waking time of one day, considering ActiGraph model wGT3X-BT accelerometers as a standard of reference. Afterward, the agreement between the PA scores measured by the commercial activity trackers and the video (study 1) or accelerometers (study 2) were calculated as follows: Equivalence test, Limits of Agreement (LOA); Mean Absolute Error (MAE); Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE); and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Results showed that all the wearables presented excellent validity for assessing steps in structured free-living conditions (study 1; MAPE < 5%), although their validity was between poor-excellent based on ICC (95% confidence interval) values (ICC = 0.56- 1.00). Regarding Study 2, the Xiaomi wristband and the Samsung Watch presented acceptable-excellent (MAPE = 9.4-11.4%; ICC = 0.91-0.97) validity for assessing steps under unstructured freeliving conditions (study 2). However, the Apple Watch presented questionable-excellent validity (MAPE = 18.0%; ICC = 0.69- 0.95). Regarding moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and total PA, only the Apple Watch showed low-acceptable validity for MAPE value and questionable-excellent validity for the ICC values for MVPA assessment (MAPE = 22.6; ICC = 0.67-0.93). All wearables checked in this study have shown adequate validity results in order to assess steps in both structured and unstructured free-living conditions for both continuous and dichotomous variables. Moreover, for assessing MVPA, only the Apple Watch reported valid results for compliance or non-compliance with the daily PA recommendations. However, the results showed low validity for total PA and MVPA as continuous variables. In conclusion, depending on the user’s/researcher’s aim and context, one or another wearable activity tracker could be more adequate, mainly because of its valid measurements and its costs.FEDER/Regional Government of Andalusia-Ministry of Economy and Knowledge B-SEJ-029-UGR1

Effects of Consumer‑Wearable Activity Tracker‑Based Programs on Objectively Measured Daily Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior Among School‑Aged Children: A Systematic Review and Meta‑analysis

Carolina Casado-Robles is supported by a research grant from the Spanish Ministry of Universities [Grant Number: FPU16/03314]. This publication is part of the WearFit project (Reference B-SEJ-029-UGR18), funded by the FEDER/Regional Government of Andalusia-Ministry of Economy and Knowledge. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Background: The popularity of consumer-wearable activity trackers has led the scientific community to conduct an increasing number of intervention studies integrating them to promote physical activity (PA) and to reduce sedentary behavior (SB) levels among school-aged children. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to estimate the effects of consumer-wearable activity tracker-based programs on daily objectively measured PA and SB among apparently healthy school-aged children, as well as to compare the influence of participants’ and programs’ characteristics. Methods: Eligibility criteria were: (1) participants: apparently healthy school-aged children (< 18 years old); (2) intervention: aimed to promote PA and/or to reduce SB incorporating consumer-wearable activity trackers; (3) comparator: baseline measurements and/or a control/traditional group; (4) outcomes: objectively measured daily PA and/or SB levels; (5) study design: pre-experimental, quasi-experimental, and true-experimental trials. Relevant studies were searched from eight databases up to December 2020, as well as from four alternative modes of searching. Based on the Cochrane Risk-of-bias tool 2, the risk of bias was assessed following four domains: (1) randomization process; (2) missing outcome data; (3) measurement of the outcomes; and (4) selection of the reported results. Based on a comprehensive systematic review, meta-analyses of the Cohen’s standardized mean difference (d) and 95% confidence interval (CI) with a random-effects model were conducted to estimate the overall effects, as well as the within- and between-study subgroups analyses effects, of the programs on daily total steps, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), total PA and SB. Results: Forty-four publications (i.e., 45 studies) were included in the systematic review (5,620 unique participants; mean age = 12.85 ± 2.84 years) and 40 publications (i.e., 41 studies) in the meta-analysis. Programs had a mean length of 11.78 ± 13.17 weeks and most used a waist-worn consumer-wearable activity tracker (77.78% waist-worn; 22.22% wrist-worn). Programs characteristics were: goal-setting strategies (64.06%); participants’ logbooks (56.25%); counseling sessions (62.50%); reminders (28.13%); motivational strategies (42.19%); and exercise routine (17.19%). Results showed a statistically significant moderate favorable effect on daily total steps (d = 0.612, 95% CI 0.477–0.746), small favorable effect on daily MVPA (d = 0.220, 95% CI 0.134–0.307), trivial favorable effect on daily total PA (d = 0.151, 95% CI 0.038–0.264) and trivial unfavorable effect on daily SB (d = 0.172, 95% CI 0.039–0.305). Subgroups analyses showed a higher effect for daily total steps and daily MVPA levels in females and the physically inactive for daily total steps (p = 0.003–0.044). Programs with educational counseling and/or goal-setting strategies, as well as a greater number of strategies, were more effective for improving children’s daily total steps, and wrist-worn activity trackers were more effective than waist-worn trackers for improving their daily MVPA levels (p = 0.001–0.021). Conclusions: Consumer-wearable activity tracker-based programs seem to be effective in promoting school-aged children’s daily total steps and MVPA levels, especially for females and those that are physically inactive. These programs should include specific goal-setting, educational counseling, and wrist-worn trackers as especially effective strategies. However, due to the certainty of evidence being from “low” to “moderate”, future well-designed primary research studies about the topic are needed.Spanish Government FPU16/03314FEDER/Regional Government of Andalusia-Ministry of Economy and Knowledge B-SEJ-029-UGR1

Evolution of research about physical activity in the natural environment in physical education: Results in Web of ScienceTM from 1990 to 2016

Monográfico con el título: "Actividades Físicas en el Medio Natural (1ª parte)"Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónTítulo, resumen y palabras clave también en inglésSe pretende analizar la evolución del número de publicaciones sobre actividad física en el medio natural en educación física. Para ello, se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en la base de datos Web of ScienceTM desde 1990 hasta 2016. Los términos de búsqueda usados se basaron en dos conceptos: 1) actividad física en el medio natural y 2) educación física. Se encontraron un total de 116 resultados, con una media de 4,3 publicaciones por año, observándose una tendencia a aumentar el número de publicaciones a lo largo de los años, especialmente desde 2011 hasta la actualidad. En cambio, del total de estudios sobre educación física desde 1990 hasta 2016, solo el 5% trataron sobre actividades en el medio natural, con una media de 0,2% de publicaciones por año. En general, se observó una cantidad relativa de publicaciones muy similar desde 1990 hasta 2016. Se concluye afirmando que se produce un aumento absoluto significativo en la producción de publicaciones sobre actividad física en el medio natural en educación física, especialmente desde 2011. En cambio, si se tiene en cuenta la evolución relativa a la investigación sobre la educación física, la producción científica sobre el contenido de medio natural se mantiene estable.ES

Could an intermittent Physical Education-based fitness teaching unit affect secondary school students’ motivation, autotelic experience, and physical self-concept? A cluster-randomized controlled trial

The authors want to thank you to all the students and the Physical Education teachers who made this research possible. We also thank Aliisa Hatten for the English revision of the manuscript. Santiago Guijarro-Romero and Carolina Casado-Robles are supported by a research grant from the Spanish Ministry of Universities [grant number: FPU15/02387 and FPU16/03314, respectively].Objective: The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of traditional and intermittent physical fitness-based teaching units on secondary school students’ motivation toward Physical Education, autotelic experience, and physical self-concept. Methods: Six classes [126 students (57.9% females) aged 13-15 years], balanced by grade, were cluster-randomly assigned into control (n = 40), traditional (n = 34) and innovative (n = 52) groups. The traditional group performed a physical fitness teaching unit twice a week for nine weeks (35-40 minutes of the main part of each session). The innovative group worked during the first half of the sessions’ main part (18-20 minutes) similarly to the traditional group, and during the second half they worked on invasion sports. Before and after the intervention, students’ motivation toward Physical Education and physical self-concept were measured through the Perceived Locus of Causality-II Scale and the short form of the Physical Self Description Questionnaire. Results: The Multilevel Linear Model showed that the control group students decreased statistically significantly in the integrated, introjected, and controlled motivation compared to those from the innovative and traditional groups (p 0.05). Conclusion: Regardless of the teaching unit structure applied (i.e., traditional or intermittent), it could be necessary that Physical Education teachers apply specific strategies for improving these psychological variables of the students.Spanish Ministry of Universities FPU15/02387Spanish Ministry of Universities FPU16/0331

Validity of the Xiaomi Mi Band 2, 3, 4 and 5 Wristbands for Assessing Physical Activity in 12-to-18-Year-Old Adolescents under Unstructured Free-Living Conditions. Fit-Person Study

Authors thank Aliisa Hatten for the English revision. This study is part of the doctoral thesis of Carolina Casado-Robles, as well as of the I + D + i Fit-Person project (Reference: PID2019-110179GB-100), funded by the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. There is no conflict of interest. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, de- cision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The present study com- plies with the current laws of the country in which it was performed. The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author, who was an organizer of the studyThe purpose was to assess the validity of four generations of Xiaomi Mi Band wristbands for the assessment of step count and physical activity (PA) levels among adolescents aged 12-18 years under free-living conditions. One hundred adolescents were invited to participate in the present study. The final sample consisted of 62 high-school students (34 females), aged 12 18 years old (Mage = 14.1 +/- 1.6 years), who wore an ActiGraph accelerometer on their hip (PA and step count reference measures) and four activity wristbands (Xiaomi Mi Band 2, 3, 4, and 5) on their non dominant wrist during the waking time of one day. Results showed that the agreement between daily PA levels (i.e., slow, brisk, and slow-brisk pace walking, total PA and moderate-to vigorous PA) measured by Xiaomi Mi Band wristbands and the accelerometer were poor (ICC, 95% CI = 0.06 0.78, 0.00 0.92; MAPE = 50.1 150.6%). However, agreement between daily step count measured by the accelerometer and the Xiaomi Mi Band wristbands were between acceptable (MAPE = 12.2 13.6%) to excellent (ICC, 95% CI = 0.94 0.95, 0.90 0.97). Furthermore, the Xiaomi Mi Band wristbands have a good to excellent validity for correctly classifying adolescents as meeting or not meeting the recommended 10,000 steps per day (P = 0.89 0.95, k = 0.71 0.87) and the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous PA per day (P = 0.89 0.94, k = 0.69 0.83). Furthermore, comparability between the four Xiaomi Mi Band generations were poor to excellent (ICC, 95% CI = 0.22 0.99, 0.00 1.00) for the daily PA levels outputs, although it was excellent (ICC, 95% CI = 0.99 1.00, 0.96 1.00; MAPE = 0.0 0.1%) for daily step count. Different models of Xiaomi Mi Band wristbands were comparable and presented good validity for measuring adolescents' step count, and they accurately classified adolescents as meeting or not meeting the PA recommendations under free-living conditions.PID2019-110179GB-100MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50110001103

Daily Step-Based Recommendations Related to Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Adolescents

Among adolescents empirical studies examining the total daily steps translation of the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity recommendation are scarce and inconsistent, and there are no previous studies with cadence-based steps and related to sedentary behavior. The main objective of the present study was to establish and compare the accuracy of daily step-based recommendations related to the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sedentary behavior thresholds in adolescents. The present study followed a cross-sectional design. A total of 126 adolescents (56 girls) aged 12-15 years old were assessed by ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers for eight consecutive days (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, sedentary behavior, and steps) and the multistage 20-meter shuttle run test (cardiorespiratory fitness). ROC curve analyses showed that total daily steps (AUC = 0.94, 0.89- 0.99; Threshold ≥ 11,111 steps/ day; P = 0.93; k = 0.67; p < 0.001) was a more appropriate indicator than cadence-based daily steps for distinguishing between physically active and inactive adolescents. Daily step-based thresholds represent a promising way to translate a total daily sedentary behavior threshold (e.g., total daily steps, AUC = 0.87, 0.81-0.93; Sensitivity = 0.87; Specificity = 0.70). Adolescents who met a favorable combination of stepbased recommendations related to both physical activity and sedentary behavior thresholds had a higher probability of having a healthy cardiorespiratory fitness profile than those who did not meet either of them (e.g., risk ratio = 5.05, 1.69-15.08) or only the one related to physical activity (e.g., risk ratio = 4.09, 1.36- 12.29). These findings may help policy-makers to provide accurate daily step-based recommendations that would simplify the physical activity and sedentary behavior thresholds for adolescents

An intermittent physical fitness teaching unit only improves cardiorespiratory fitness levels of students with an unhealthy physical fitness profile

El objetivo del presente estudio fue comparar el efecto de una unidad didáctica intermitente de acondicionamiento físico en Educación Física sobre los niveles de actividad física y capacidad cardiorrespiratoria entre estudiantes con un perfil saludable/no saludable de capacidad cardiorrespiratoria. Ochenta estudiantes de 2º-3º curso de Educación Secundaria fueron asignados aleatoriamente al grupo control y grupo experimental. El grupo experimental, dividido en perfiles saludable/no saludable, realizó una unidad didáctica intermitente de acondicionamiento físico para mejorar la capacidad cardiorrespiratoria. El grupo control trabajó un contenido diferente durante el mismo tiempo y con la misma frecuencia, pero sin hacer hincapié en la mejora de la capacidad cardiorrespiratoria. Antes y después de la intervención, la capacidad cardiorrespiratoria se evaluó objetivamente mediante el test de ida y vuelta de 20 metros. Los niveles de actividad física fueron medidos objetivamente a través de un pulsómetro durante las clases de Educación Física. Ambos perfiles tuvieron mayores niveles de actividad física durante las clases de Educación Física que el grupo control (p < .001). Sin embargo, solo los estudiantes con un perfil no saludable mejoraron significativamente sus niveles de capacidad cardiorrespiratoria tras la unidad didáctica (p < .01). Aunque una unidad didáctica intermitente de acondicionamiento físico parece tener un efecto similar en los niveles de actividad física de todos los perfiles de capacidad cardiorrespiratoria de los estudiantes, solo mejora la capacidad cardiorrespiratoria de los estudiantes con un perfil no saludable.The purpose of the present study was to compare the effect of a Physical Education-based physical fitness intermittent teaching unit on physical activity levels and cardiorespiratory fitness among students with healthy/unhealthy cardiorespiratory fitness profile. Eighty students from 2º-3º grades of Secondary Education were randomly assigned to the control group and experimental group. The experimental group, divided into healthy/unhealthy profiles, performed a physical fitness intermittent teaching unit to improve the cardiorespiratory fitness. The control group worked a different content during the same time and with the same frequency, but without emphasizing cardiorespiratory fitness improvement. Before and after the teaching unit, students’ cardiorespiratory fitness was objectively measured by the 20-meter shuttle run test. Participants’ physical activity levels were measured objectively using a heart rate monitor during Physical Education lessons. Students from both profiles had higher physical activity levels during Physical Education lessons than the control group (p < .001). However, only students with an unhealthy cardiorespiratory fitness profile statistically improved their cardiorespiratory fitness levels after the teaching unit (p < .01). Although an intermittent physical fitness teaching unit seems to have similar effect on physical activity levels of students from all cardiorespiratory fitness profiles, it only improves the cardiorespiratory fitness of those with an unhealthy one

Alpine Ski Technique Observation Instrument: Reliability and Validity

The aim of the study was to design an accurate and useful observational instrument for evaluating basic turn techniques in alpine skiing, and to determine its validity and reliability. A multi-step approach was used to design and validate the instrument: a literature revision; an expert meeting; a pilot test; the assessment of intra- and inter-observer reliability; a convergent validity test; and the responsiveness calculation with a pre- post-test. Results showed adequate values of intra-rater (P=0.80-0.83) and inter-rater reliability (P=0.86- 0.97). For the convergent validity, a moderate statistically significant correlation for the speed and trajectory control dimensions were achieved (rho=0.58-0.65, p<0.001), but not for the balance position dimension (rho=0.24, p=0.166). The responsiveness was also acceptable (p<0.05, r=0.46-0.60). In conclusion, the Alpine Ski Technique Observation Instrument is a useful, reliable, valid, and responsive observational tool.El objetivo del estudio fue diseñar un instrumento de observación preciso y útil para evaluar la técnica de cambios de dirección básicos en el esquí alpino, y determinar su validez y fiabilidad. Para diseñar y validar el instrumento se siguieron los siguientes pasos: revisión de la literatura, valoración por comité de expertos, prueba piloto, evaluación de la fiabilidad intra e inter-evaluador, prueba de validez convergente, y cálculo de sensibilidad con una prueba pre y post-intervención. Los resultados mostraron valores adecuados de fiabilidad intra-evaluador (P=0,80-0,83) e inter-evaluador (P=0,86-0,97). Respecto a la validez convergente se obtuvo una correlación moderada para las dimensiones de control de la velocidad y de la trayectoria (rho=0,58-0,65, p<0,001), pero no para la dimensión de posición de equilibrio (rho=0,24, p=0,166). La sensibilidad fue aceptable (p<0,05, r=0,46-0,60). En conclusión, el Instrumento de Observación de la Técnica en Esquí Alpino es una herramienta útil, fiable, válida y sensible.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Universities [FPU16/03314 (Carolina Casado-Robles)]

Effect of an activity wristband-based intermittent teaching unit in Physical Education on studentsʼ physical activity and its psychological mediators: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. School-fit study

ObjectiveThe main objective of the present study was to examine the effects of an intermittent teaching unit based on the use of activity wristbands and behavior modification strategies on high school studentsʼ perceptions of autonomy support, satisfaction of basic psychological needs, motivation toward Physical Education and physical activity, intention to be physically active, and habitual physical activity levels.Materials and methodsAn initial sample of 353 high school students (final sample = 175; 45.7% females; mean age = 13.3 ± 1.2 years) from two public high schools were cluster-randomly assigned into the intermittent (IG, n = 100) and control (CG, n = 75) groups. The IG performed an intermittent teaching unit twice a week for eight weeks. Specifically, the last 15 min of each lesson were used. As the main strategy to promote the practice of regular physical activity, students wore an activity wristband the whole day during the intervention period. Additionally, other behavior modification strategies were also applied (e.g., educational counseling, physical activity goals or reminders). Regarding the CG, during the intervention period (i.e,, the eight weeks that took place the intermittent teaching unit) they also performed two Physical Education sessions, but without using activity wristbands or other behavior modification strategies. Before and after the intervention, as well as at the end of the follow-up period (six weeks), students’ physical activity practice mediators and physical activity levels were measured by validated questionnaires.ResultsThe Multilevel Linear Model results showed that the IG students statistically significantly improved cognitive and procedural autonomy support from pre- to post-intervention (p &lt; 0.05). They also statistically significantly improved autonomy and relatedness basic psychological needs, and autonomous motivation toward physical activity scores from post-intervention to follow-up (p &lt; 0.05). Moreover, the results showed that the IG students statistically significantly improved habitual physical activity scores from pre- to post-intervention, and from post-intervention to follow-up (p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionThe intermittent teaching unit based on the use of activity wristbands and other behavior modification strategies was effective for improving studentsʼ autonomy support and habitual physical activity levels, but not the rest of physical activity practice mediators.Clinical trial registrationhttps://register.clinicaltrials.gov/, ID: NCT05949463