Reliability and validity of the system for observing children\u27s activity and relationships during play (SOCARP)

Background: Children frequently engage in diverse activities that are broadly defined as play, but little research has documented children&rsquo;s activity levels during play and how they are influenced by social contexts. Assessing potentially modifiable conditions that influence play behavior is needed to design optimal physical activity interventions. Methods: System for Observing Children&rsquo;s Activity and Relationships during Play (SOCARP) was developed to simultaneously assess children&rsquo;s physical activity, social group sizes, activity type, and social behavior during play. One hundred and fourteen children (48 boys, 66 girls; 42% overweight) from 8 elementary schools were observed during recess over 24 days, with 12 days videotaped for reliability purposes. Ninety-nine children wore a uni-axial accelerometer during their observation period. Results: Estimated energy expenditure rates from SOCARP observations and mean accelerometer counts were significantly correlated (r = .67; P &lt; .01), and interobserver reliabilities (ie, percentage agreement) for activity level (89%), group size (88%), activity type (90%) and interactions (88%) met acceptable criteria. Both physical activity and social interactions were influenced by group size, activity type, and child gender and body weight status. Conclusions: SOCARP is a valid and reliable observation system for assessing physical activity and play behavior in a recess context.<br /

Factors Affecting Implementation of the California Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CA-CORD) Project, 2013.

IntroductionEcological approaches to health behavior change require effective engagement from and coordination of activities among diverse community stakeholders. We identified facilitators of and barriers to implementation experienced by project leaders and key stakeholders involved in the Imperial County, California, Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project, a multilevel, multisector intervention to prevent and control childhood obesity.MethodsA total of 74 semistructured interviews were conducted with project leaders (n = 6) and key stakeholders (n = 68) representing multiple levels of influence in the health care, early care and education, and school sectors. Interviews, informed by the Multilevel Implementation Framework, were conducted in 2013, approximately 12 months after year-one project implementation, and were transcribed, coded, and summarized.ResultsRespondents emphasized the importance of engaging parents and of ensuring support from senior leaders of participating organizations. In schools, obtaining teacher buy-in was described as particularly important, given lower perceived compatibility of the intervention with organizational priorities. From a program planning perspective, key facilitators of implementation in all 3 sectors included taking a participatory approach to the development of program materials, gradually introducing intervention activities, and minimizing staff burden. Barriers to implementation were staff turnover, limited local control over food provided by external vendors or school district policies, and limited availability of supportive resources within the broader community.ConclusionProject leaders and stakeholders in all sectors reported similar facilitators of and barriers to implementation, suggesting the possibility for synergy in intervention planning efforts

Assessment of measures of physical activity of children with cerebral palsy at home and school: a pilot study

ABSTRACTHome and school are important settings where children can accrue health promoting physical activity (PA). Little&nbsp;is known about the PA levels and associated environmental characteristics at home and school in children with&nbsp;cerebral palsy (CP). An observational tool - Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Children&rsquo;s Health Evaluation System&nbsp;(BEACHES) - offers potential for providing information.Objective: To validate BEACHES against Actigraph accelerometer and to document PA of children with CP at&nbsp;a special residential school facility for children with physical disabilities.Methods: Five children with CP (2 girls, 3 boys; aged 9.82 &plusmn; 2.39 years) in Level I of the Gross Motor Function&nbsp;Classification System (GMFCS) participated. PA monitoring was conducted once a week during four consecutive&nbsp;weeks at morning recess at school and during after school hours at the children&rsquo;s residence. Estimates of time&nbsp;spent being sedentary and being active were derived from the Actigraph and compared to estimates obtained with&nbsp;BEACHES.Results: Children&rsquo;s PA observed using BEACHES was comparable to the Actigraph estimations. In general,&nbsp;children were more active at recess than after school and the physical locations assessed by BEACHES were&nbsp;associated with objectively measured PA time.Conclusion: This pilot study indicates that BEACHES appears to be a suitable measure of PA for children with&nbsp;CP in both home and school settings. Additional study with a larger and more diverse sample is recommended to&nbsp;verify the results.</div

Children's Use of Electronic Games: Choices of Game Mode and Challenge Levels

Introduction. Interactive electronic games are popular and are believed to contribute to physical activity accrual. The purpose of this study was to examine children's electronic game use during conditions in which they had free access to selecting interactive and seated screen-based versions of electronic games and during the interactive versions had free choice in making adjustments to the activity intensity. Methods. We systematically observed 60 Hong Kong primary school children during two 60-minute game sessions while simultaneously recording their game mode choices and physical activity levels using SOFIT (System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time). Results. When given free choice, children spent more than half of their available time participating in interactive versions of games. These versions of games provided significantly more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and greater energy expenditure than the computer screen versions. Children with the opportunity to modify intensity levels spent more time playing the interactive versions and accrued more physical activity. Conclusions. The tenets of behavioral choice theory were supported. Access to new-generation interactive games, particularly those with modifiable intensity levels, may facilitate children's participation in physical activity

Impact of a new bicycle path on physical activity

There has been a great deal of concern about obesity, with many calls for Americans to increase physical activity. In spite of all the attention and exhortations, the Outdoor Industry Foundation reported that bicycling is declining, having dropped from 3.9 billion outings in 2004 to 3.1 billion outings in 2005 (Outdoor Industry Foundation, 2006). The most dramatic drop in outings was for American females, who averaged 18 paved road biking outings in 2005 compared to 28 in 2004. Although new bike paths and roadways are frequently being built, there are few studies using objective measures in the United States that prospectively document increases in physical activity in response to environmental changes (Morrison et al., 2004; Killoran et al., 2006). Studies of the association between bicycling and the built environment have typically been cross-sectional (Nelson and Allen, 1997; Dill and Carr, 2003) and when change in the built environment is assessed for its impact on physical activity, studies have included repeated cross-sectional self-reports (Ogilvie et al., 2006), retrospective accounts of use over time (Boarnet et al., 2005), or simulations of what is expected (Niemeier, 1996)

Park characteristics, use, and physical activity: A review of studies using SOPARC (System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities)

The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) can obtain information on park users and their physical activity using momentary time sampling. We conducted a literature review of studies using the SOPARC tool to describe the observational methods of each study, and to extract public park use overall and by demographics and physical activity levels. We searched PubMed, Embase, and SPORTDiscus for full-length observational studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals through 2014. Twenty-four studies from 34 articles were included. The number of parks observed per study ranged from 3 to 50. Most studies observed parks during one season. The number of days parks were observed ranged from 1 to 16, with 16 studies observing 5 or more days. All studies included at least one weekday and all but two included at least one weekend day. Parks were observed from 1 to 14 times/day, with most studies observing at least 4 times/day. All studies included both morning and afternoon observations, with one exception. There was a wide range of park users (mean 1.0 to 152.6 people/park/observation period), with typically more males than females visiting parks and older adults less than other age groups. Park user physical activity levels varied greatly across studies, with youths generally more active than adults and younger children more active than adolescents. SOPARC was adapted to numerous settings and these review results can be used to improve future studies using the tool, demonstrate ways to compare park data, and inform park promotions and programming

Using Systematic Observations to Understand Conditions that Promote Interracial Experiences in Neighbourhood Parks

We analysed observations from 31 neighbourhood parks, with each park mapped into smaller target areas for study, across five US cities generated using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in the Community (SOPARC). In areas where at least two people were observed, less than one-third (31.6%) were populated with at least one white and one non-white person. Park areas that were supervised, had one or more people engaged in vigorous activity, had at least one male and one female present, and had one or more teens present were significantly more likely to involve interracial groups (p \u3c 0.01 for each association). Observations in parks located in interracial neighbourhoods were also more likely to involve interracial groups (p \u3c 0.05). Neighbourhood poverty rate had a significant and negative relationship with the presence of interracial groups, particularly in neighbourhoods that are predominantly non-white. Additional research is needed to confirm the impact of these interactions. Urban planning and public health practitioners should consider the health benefits of interracial contact in the design and programming of neighbourhood parks

Physical and Social Contexts of Physical Activities Among Adolescent Girls

Background: With limited opportunities for physical activity during school hours, it is important to understand the contexts of physical activities done outside of school time. Given the importance of physical and social aspects of environments, the purpose of this study was to describe where and with whom girls participate in physical activities outside of school. Methods: Participants were 1925 sixth-grade girls in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG). At baseline, they completed a 3-day physical activity recall (3DPAR), reporting the main activity performed during 30-minute intervals and the physical and social contexts of physical activities. Results: The most frequently reported physical activities done outside of school time were house chores, walking (for transportation or exercise), dance, basketball, playing with younger children, and running or jogging. The most common location for these activities was at home or in the neighborhood. With the exception of household chores, these activities were typically done with at least one other person. Conclusions: Interventions that promote physical activities that can be done at or around home or developing supportive social networks for physical activity would be consistent with the current physical activity contexts of adolescent girls

Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescent Girls' Activity Patterns: Understanding the Influence of the Transition to Licensure

The proportion of teens and young adults with driver's licenses has declined sharply in many industrialized countries including the United States. Explanations for this decline have ranged from the introduction of graduated driver licensing programs to the increase in online social interaction. We used a longitudinal cohort study of teenage girls in San Diego and Minneapolis to evaluate factors associated with licensure and whether teens' travel patterns become more independent as they aged. We found that licensure depended not only on age, but on race and ethnicity as well as variables that correlate with household income. Results also showed evidence that teen travel became more independent as teen's age, and that acquiring a license is an important part of this increased independence. However, we found limited evidence that teen's travel-activity patterns changed as a result of acquiring a driver's license. Rather, teen independence resulted in less parental chauffeuring, but little shift in travel patterns. For the larger debate on declining Millennial mobility, our results suggest the need for more nuanced attention to variation across demographic groups and consideration of the equity implications if declines in travel and licensure are concentrated in low-income and minority populations