337 research outputs found
Recruiting Participants into Pilot Trials: Techniques for Researchers with Shoestring Budgets
Limited research has focused on recruitment strategies for health promotion researchers conducting smallscale pilot studies. Such research is important because small studies often have limited funding streams and personnel resources. Accordingly, many techniques implemented by large-scale studies are of limited use to smaller research projects. This article provides an overview effective participant recruitment techniques for pilot studies with limited funds and personnel resources. Recruitment techniques were derived from the first authorâs experience in recruiting participants during his doctoral and postdoctoral studies, the over 25 years of research experience of each of the co-authors, and an extensive review of the literature. Five key recruitment techniques are discussed: 1) leverage existing social networks and personal contacts, 2) identify and foster collaborations with community gatekeepers, 3) develop a comprehensive list of potential recruitment platforms and venues, 4) create recruitment materials that succinctly describe the purpose of the study, and 5) build respectful and trusting relationships with potential participants. Implementation of the proposed techniques can lead to enhanced recruitment, as well as retention among study participants
Development of a Compendium of Energy Expenditures for Youth
Background
This paper presents a Compendium of Energy Expenditures for use in scoring physical activity questionnaires and estimating energy expenditure levels in youth.
Method/Results
Modeled after the adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the Compendium of Energy Expenditures for Youth contains a list of over 200 activities commonly performed by youth and their associated MET intensity levels. A review of existing data collected on the energy cost of youth performing activities was undertaken and incorporated into the compendium. About 35% of the activity MET levels were derived from energy cost data measured in youth and the remaining MET levels estimated from the adult compendium.
Conclusion
The Compendium of Energy Expenditures for Youth is useful to researchers and practitioners interested in identifying physical activity and energy expenditure values in children and adolescents in a variety of settings
Physical Activity among Older American Indians and Alaska Natives
Introduction: Life style behaviors contribute to poor health among older Americans Indians/Alaska Native (AI/AN) in the United States, with low levels of physical activity (PA) particularly tied to the chronic disease profile of this population. Searched reviews of physical activity among AI/ANs are limited in assessing prevalence and correlates to PA among older adults \u3e 40 years.
Methods: A literature search of reported physical activity studies among older AI/AN was assessed for prevalence and predictive factors associated with levels of physical activity.
Results: Fourteen studies were included in this review that either specifically quantified the amount of physical activity among older adult AI/ANs or discussed factors that were associated with physical activity. Being younger, employed, male, perceiving social support are associated with higher levels of physical activity. Urban versus rural living shows varying effects, possibly due to different types of activities not represented on standard physical activity reporting tools.
Discussion: There is a trend for physical activity levels among older AI/ANs to be less than the recommended levels. Reports of physical activity across a wide range of tribes and localities vary with measurement methods contributing to the unevenness in reporting.
Conclusion: Findings may serve to guide physical activity research toward more localized and culturally relevant assessment and inform practice agendas among older AI/AN
Perceptions of Environmental Supports for Physical Activity in African American and White Adults in a Rural County in South Carolina
INTRODUCTION: This study examined the association between perceptions of social and safety-related environmental attributes and physical activity (PA) and walking in African American and white adults. METHODS: In a random-digitâdial telephone survey, 1165 adults in a rural county in South Carolina answered questions about their perceptions of social and safety-related environmental supports for PA and their overall PA and walking behavior. Social perceptions included whether neighbors could be trusted or were perceived to be physically active. Safety-related perceptions included neighborhood safety, the safety of public recreation facilities, problems with unattended dogs, traffic volume, and streetlight quality. Logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between environmental supports and PA and walking stratified by race. RESULTS: No association between perceived neighborhood environmental supports and PA or walking was observed in African Americans. Among whites, individuals who perceived their neighbors as active were twice (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19â3.25) as likely to report meeting the recommendation for PA compared with individuals who did not report their neighbors as active. Whites who perceived their neighbors as active were 2.5 times (95% CI, 1.54â4.08) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not, and whites who perceived their neighborhoods as safe were 1.8 times (95% CI, 1.03â3.12) as likely to report meeting the recommendations for walking than whites who did not. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that perceptions of certain social and safety-related environmental supports were strongly associated with meeting the recommendations for PA and walking among white but not African American adults
Physical Activity Minimum Threshold Predicting Improved Function in Adults With LowerâExtremity Symptoms
Objective
To identify an evidenceâbased minimum physical activity threshold to predict improved or sustained high function for adults with lowerâextremity joint symptoms. Methods
Prospective multisite data from 1,629 adults, age â„49 years with symptomatic lowerâextremity joint pain/aching/stiffness, participating in the Osteoarthritis Initiative accelerometer monitoring substudy were clinically assessed 2 years apart. Improved/high function in 2âyear gait speed and patientâreported outcomes (PROs) were based on improving or remaining in the best (i.e., maintaining high) function quintile compared to baseline status. Optimal thresholds predicting improved/high function were investigated using classification trees for the legacy federal guideline metric requiring 150 minutes/week of moderateâvigorous (MV) activity in bouts lasting 10 minutes or more (MVâbout) and other metrics (total MV, sedentary, light intensity activity, nonsedentary minutes/week). Results
Optimal thresholds based on total MV minutes/week predicted improved/high function outcomes more strongly than the legacy or other investigated metrics. Meeting the 45 total MV minutes/week threshold had increased relative risk (RR) for improved/high function (gait speed RR 1.8, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.6, 2.1 and PRO physical function RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.3, 1.6) compared to less active adults. Thresholds were consistent across sex, body mass index, knee osteoarthritis status, and age. Conclusion
These results supported a physical activity minimum threshold of 45 total MV minutes/week to promote improved or sustained high function for adults with lowerâextremity joint symptoms. This evidenceâbased threshold is less rigorous than federal guidelines (â„150 MVâbout minutes/week) and provides an intermediate goal towards the federal guideline for adults with lowerâextremity symptoms
Considerations for Using a Geographic Information System to Assess Environmental Supports for Physical Activity
The use of a geographic information system (GIS) to study environmental supports for physical activity raises several issues, including acquisition and development, quality, and analysis. We recommend to public health professionals interested in using GIS that they investigate available data, plan for data development where none exists, ensure the availability of trained personnel and sufficient time, and consider issues such as data quality, analyses, and confidentiality. This article shares information about data-related issues that we encountered when using GIS to validate responses to a questionnaire about environmental supports for physical activity
âASUKI Stepâ pedometer intervention in university staff: rationale and design
Background We describe the study design and methods used in a 9-month pedometer-based worksite intervention called âASUKI Stepâ conducted at the Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm, Sweden and Arizona State University (ASU) in the greater Phoenix area, Arizona. Methods/design âASUKI Stepâ was based on the theory of social support and a quasi-experimental design was used for evaluation. Participants included 2,118 faculty, staff, and graduate students from ASU (n = 712) and KI (n = 1,406) who participated in teams of 3â4 persons. The intervention required participants to accumulate 10,000 steps each day for six months, with a 3-month follow-up period. Steps were recorded onto a study-specific website. Participants completed a website-delivered questionnaire four times to identify socio-demographic, health, psychosocial and environmental correlates of study participation. One person from each team at each university location was randomly selected to complete physical fitness testing to determine their anthropometric and cardiovascular health and to wear an accelerometer for one week. Study aims were: 1) to have a minimum of 400 employee participants from each university site reach a level of 10, 000 steps per day on at least 100 days (3.5 months) during the trial period; 2) to have 70% of the employee participants from each university site maintain two or fewer inactive days per week, defined as a level of less than 3,000 steps per day; 3) to describe the socio-demographic, psychosocial, environmental and health-related determinants of success in the intervention; and 4) to evaluate the effects of a pedometerbased walking intervention in a university setting on changes in self-perceived health and stress level, sleep patterns, anthropometric measures and fitness. Incentives were given for compliance to the study protocol that included weekly raffles for participation prizes and a grand finale trip to Arizona or Sweden for teams with most days over 10,000 steps. Discussion âASUKI Stepâ is designed to increase the number of days employees walk 10,000 steps and to reduce the number of days employees spend being inactive. The study also evaluates the intra- and interpersonal determinants for success in the intervention and in a sub-sample of the study, changes in physical fitness and body composition during the study
Oxygen Cost of Performing Selected Adult and Child Care Activities
International Journal of Exercise Science 6(1) : 11-19, 2013. Little is known about the oxygen cost of caring for infants and older adults. Many people perform these activities so it is useful to know the energy cost and if the activities are of sufficient intensity to contribute to meeting physical activity recommendations. The purpose of this study was to assess the oxygen cost of four care-related activities in the Compendium of Physical Activities. Nineteen participants (n = 10 women, n = 9 men; Age = 36.4 ± 13.6 y; % Fat = 34.1 ± 10.5; BMI = 28.1 ± 4.5 kg/m2) performed four activities: 1) pushing an infant in a stroller, 2) pushing an adult in a wheelchair, 3) carrying an infant, and 4) bathing and dressing an infant. The oxygen cost was assessed using a portable metabolic unit. Activities were performed in random order for 8 minutes. The oxygen cost and heart rates, respectively, for healthy adults during care related activities were 3.09 METs and 90 ± 8 beats per minute (bpm) for pushing an infant in a stroller, 3.69 METs and 97 ± 9 bpm for pushing an adult in a wheelchair, 2.37 METs and 85 ± 9 bpm for carrying an infant, and 2.00 METs and 87 ± 9 bpm for bathing and dressing an infant. Carrying an infant and bathing an infant are light-intensity physical activities and pushing a wheelchair or a stroller are moderate intensity activities. The latter activities are of sufficient intensity to meet health-related physical activity recommendations
Energy Costs of Chair Sitting and Standing Video Exercises in Chinese Older Adults, Ages 60 to 89 years
International Journal of Exercise Science 16(7): 814-827, 2023. Home-based video exercise interventions improve older adultsâ physiological performance and functional capacity. Little is known about the energy costs of video exercises in older adults. The Compendium of Physical Activities (PAs) has few items with PA metabolic equivalents (METs) in older adults. This study measured the energy costs of four chair and two standing exercises (sitting Tai Chi, Yoga, mobility ball, aerobics: standing, slow aerobics, and fast aerobics). Fifteen females and 14 males, 62-87 years (M ± SD, 73 ± 7.7 years), were categorized into three age groups (60-69, 70-79, 80-89). Oxygen uptake (VO2, ml.min-1.kg-1) and heart rate (HR, b.min-1) were measured by indirect calorimetry and heart rate monitor. MET values were calculated as standard- (activity VO2/3.5), rounded- (significant digit rounded to 0, 3, 5, 8), and corrected METs (individual resting metabolism). Results showed chair Yoga, Tai Chi, and mobility ball ranged from 2.0 to 2.8 rounded METs (light intensity). Chair- and standing aerobics ranged from 3.0 to 4.3 rounded METs (moderate intensity). Averaged HR ranged from 91.9 ± 12.7 b.min-1 to 115.4 ± 19.1 b.min-1 for all PAs. Corrected METs were higher than standard METs (P \u3c .05). Standard METs were similar between age groups (P \u3e .05). In conclusion, this study is unique as it measures the energy costs of sitting and standing video exercises that can be performed by older adults at home or in an exercise facility. Knowing the energy costs of PAs for older adults can provide exercises interventions to prevent sedentary lifestyles
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