Relationship between physical activity, screen time and weight status among young adolescents

It is well established that lack of physical activity and high bouts of sedentary behaviour are now associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity participation, overall screen time and weight status amongst early Irish adolescent youth. Participants were a sample of 169 students: 113 boys (mean age = 12.89 ± 0.34 years) and 56 girls (mean age = 12.87 ± 0.61 years). The data gathered in the present study included physical activity (accelerometry), screen time (self-report) and anthropometric measurements. Overweight and obese participants accumulated significantly more minutes of overall screen time daily compared to their normal-weight counterparts. A correlation between physical activity and daily television viewing was evident among girls. No significant interaction was apparent when examining daily physical activity and overall screen time in the prediction of early adolescents’ body mass index. Results suggest the importance of reducing screen time in the contribution towards a healthier weight status among adolescents. Furthermore, physical activity appears largely unrelated to overall screen time in predicting adolescent weight status, suggesting that these variables may be independent markers of health in youth. The existing relationship for girls between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and time spent television viewing may be a potential area to consider for future intervention design with adolescent youth

Promoting physical literacy in Irish adolescent youth: the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) intervention

In their most contemporary model, strategic plan and call to action, the Aspen Institute have encouraged a cross-sector embrace towards the concept of â physical literacyâ , specifically defined as the â ability, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.â This proposed physical literacy definition is a welcome addition to policy and practice for health, considering the unprecedented prevalence in recent years of topical areas such as physical inactivity, movement inefficiency and unhealthy weight gain during childhood. Aligned with the United States primary objective of creating conditions for all youth to be physically literate by the middle schools years, the inception of the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) programme in Ireland is of particular consideration. The Y-PATH school-based physical education (PE) intervention for adolescent youth was developed in 2011, as guided by the contextual Irish need for physical activity (PA) promotion and the subsequent wealth of literature surrounding this thematic field. In this evidence-based study, the reader will be introduced to the guiding principles of the intervention, specifically the educational focus of promoting physical literacy for adolescent youth. The Y-PATH intervention consists of a multi-component whole-school approach to PA promotion in second level education. In terms of originality, the PE component of the intervention addresses psychosocial, health related activity (HRA) and fundamental movement skills (FMS) as particular strategies for increasing adolescent PA participation. All of the intervention components are grounded within a cost-efficient and feasible approach to overall physical literacy promotion

Evidence for the efficacy of the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) intervention

The physical education environment is a key opportunity to intervene because of access to children and adolescents for the purpose of increasing physical activity participation and improving fundamental movement skill proficiency. A non-randomised controlled trial involving two schools in a rural Irish town was carried out in September 2011 to evaluate the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) intervention. Data were collected on 12 to 14 year olds (n = 174) at 3 time points (pre, post and retention). Data collected included measured height and weight, physical activity measured by accelerometry and by self-report and fundamental movement skill performance. Both the control and intervention school showed significant increases in daily physical activity and gross motor skill proficiency over time. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant interaction effect between school attended and time for physical activity (F (2, 38) = 6.177, p = .005) and fundamental movement skills (F (2, 100) = 4.132, p = .019), with a significantly greater increase in physical activity and fundamental movement skills observed in the intervention school. Preliminary findings from this study suggest a positive effect for the Y-PATH intervention and provide support for its potential in increasing physical activity and fundamental movement skill levels of adolescent youth. Further research involving a definitive randomised controlled trial with a larger sample size is warranted

The relationship between actual fundamental motor skill proficiency, perceived motor skill confidence and competence, and physical activity in 8–12-year-old Irish female youth

This study examines the relationship between actual fundamental motor skill (FMS) proficiency, perceived motor confidence and competence, and physical activity (PA) among female children (n= 160; mean age = 10.69 ± 1.40 years). The Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd Edition (TGMD-2) was used to assess seven FMSs (locomotor, object-control, and stability). Motor confidence and competence were assessed using a valid skill-specific scale, and a modified version of the Self-Perception Profile for Children. PA levels were assessed using self-report (PA Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C)) and classified as low, moderate, and high active. One-way and two-way ANOVAs (post-hoc honest significant difference (HSD)) and correlation coefficients were used to analyse the data. Findings indicate that the majority of youth (71.8%) were not meeting the minimum 60 min of daily PA recommended for health, and that 98.1% did not achieve the FMS proficiency expected for their age. While there were high levels of perceived physical self-confidence (PSC) reported within FMS skill-specific tasks, there was no significant correlation observed between actual FMS proficiency and perceived PSC among the cohort. Results show that low, moderately, and highly active female participants differ significantly in terms of their overall FMS (p = 0.03) and locomotor (LOC) control scores (p = 0.03). Results from a two-way between-groups analysis of variance also revealed no statistically significant interaction effect between PA grouping and physical performance self-concept (PPSC) on overall FMS proficiency levels. Results of a multiple linear regression indicate that perceived PSC is a significant predictor (beta = 0.183) of participants’ overall PA levels. Data show a need for targeting low levels of PA, and low FMS proficiency in female youth, and for developing interventions aiming to enhance perceived PSC levels

Levels of wellbeing, resilience, and physical activity amongst Irish pre-service teachers: a baseline study

The current study examines the wellbeing, resilience and physical activity (PA) levels among Irish pre-service teachers. Participants were a sample of 128 higher education students (29% male; 71% female; mean age range 18–27 years old) who completed a self-report questionnaire, using a combination of established instruments for wellbeing, resilience, and PA. Descriptive data revealed that 39.1% presented with low levels of resilience, and 74% were not meeting the PA guidelines for health. One sample t-tests further revealed the sample population of higher education students had lower wellbeing (t (127) = −3.05, p = .003) and resilience (t (127) = −6.48, p = .003) levels, when compared to the population normative data. Results from the existing study suggest that a structured mental health and PA education awareness intervention for Irish pre-service teachers may be warranted, specifically to increase the lower than expected levels of resilience. The existing sample of pre-service teachers are at a critical time of transition, as they move forward into a profession where self-awareness of wellbeing is required at the beginning of their careers to sustain health both inside and outside of the classroom

The design, development, implementation and evaluation of the Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health (Y-PATH) intervention

Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that young people are insufficiently active to benefit their current and future health, and of particular note is the age related decline occurring during adolescence. Underpinning the necessity of an active lifestyle, fundamental movement skills (FMS) are deemed the building blocks for movement. Most recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) identified the need for school-based policy interventions to increase physical activity (PA). Purpose: The purpose of this research was the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a targeted whole school PA intervention (Y-PATH: Youth-Physical Activity Towards Health) for early adolescent youth (12 to 14 years) in Irish post-primary schools. Methods: Information was gathered on participants (n = 256) levels of PA, BMI, and FMS proficiency. A sub sample of participants (n = 59) also participated in focus group interviews to explore their perceptions of health. Based on this data, and an exploration of the literature, the Y- P A TH intervention was developed. A quasi-experimental, non-randomised controlled trial involving two schools was implemented to evaluate the Y -P A TH intervention efficacy. Participants’ data (n=174) was collected at 3 time points (pre, post and retention) on the following variables; PA levels, FMS proficiency and BMI. Results: Both schools showed significant increases in daily PA and FMS proficiency over the three time periods. A repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant interaction effect between school attended and time for PA (F(2, 38)= 6.177, p=0.005) and FMS (F(2, 100)=4.132, p=0.019), with a significantly greater increase in PA and FMS observed in the intervention school. Conclusion: Preliminary findings provide support for the simultaneous focus on health related activity (HRA) and FMS in school PE class, along with parent and teacher involvement, in efforts to improve PA levels of adolescent youth. Further research involving a randomised trial with a larger sample size is warranted

A scoping review of children and adolescents’ active travel in Ireland

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).There appears to be a lack of existing data that comprehensively summarizes the evidence of children and adolescents’ active travel in the Republic of Ireland. In lieu of this, a scoping review was conducted to map the existing literature (2000–2020) on children and adolescents’ active travel in the Republic of Ireland. A scoping review design extracted a total of 19 publications, which show a consistent focus on the identified population’s active travel patterns, mainly to and from school, mostly self-report and cross-sectional research study designs; however, there are few longitudinal data, intervention and participatory studies. Key issues from these identified scoping review studies are discussed with the potential to better inform policy makers, practitioners and researchers to delineate programmes and strategies for promoting active travel among children and adolescents in the Republic of Ireland.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mental fitness in higher education: Intervention Mapping programme design

Purpose: Higher Education Institutions observe that many students are experiencing mental health issues, such as high levels of anxiety and stress. Young adults are recognised as a vulnerable group who carry the burden of mental health problems worldwide. Mental health interventions can be effective in positively influencing students' emotional and behavioural wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach: In the current study, the principles of Intervention Mapping (IM) were applied to guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of a specifically tailored mental health programme for a selected student cohort in a large Higher Education Institute in Ireland. Mixed qualitative (Delphi technique and focus group discussions) and quantitative (survey) data were gathered to gain a broad perspective of mental health concerns and learning needs among a sample of higher education students (n = 99). Findings: Existing evidence guided by theoretical frameworks were blended to create a specifically tailored mental health programme to meet the needs of higher education students in Ireland. Results indicate that the established six-stages of IM provide an empirical process that has the potential to effectively respond to the mental health needs of students in higher education. IM identifies the priority needs of students in higher education and ensures that suitable behaviour change techniques for mental health are addressed. 10; Originality/value: IM is a suitable method to critically and collaboratively develop a mental health intervention for the overall wellbeing of the general higher education student population, both nationally and globally

Self-perceived and Actual Motor Competence in Young British Children

Children’s perception of their own motor competence is an important correlate of their actual motor competence. The current study is the first to examine this association in British children and the first to use both product and process measures of actual motor competence. A total of 258 children (139 boys and 119 girls; aged 4 to 7 years, Mean = 5.6, SD = .96) completed measures of self-perceived motor competence using the Pictorial Scale for Perceived Movement Competence in Young Children. Children were classified as “Low,” “Medium,” or “High” perceived competence based on tertile analysis. Actual motor competence was assessed with the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (a process measure) and a composite of 10-m sprint run time, standing long jump distance, and 1-kg seated medicine ball throw (collectively, a product measure). Data for process and product measures were analyzed using a 2 (sex) × 3 (high, medium, low perceived competence) analysis of covariance, with body mass index, calculated from height and mass, and age controlled. Boys obtained significantly higher scores than girls for both the process ( p = .044) and product ( p = .001) measures of actual motor competence. Boys had significantly ( p = .04) higher scores for perceived competence compared to girls. Compared to children classified as medium and high self-perceived competence, children classified as low self-perceived competence had lower process ( p = .001) and product scores (i.e., medium, p = .009 and high, p = .0001) of actual motor competence. Age ( p = .0001) and body mass index ( p = .0001) were significantly associated with product motor competence. Strategies to enhance actual motor competence may benefit children’s self-perceived motor competence. </jats:p

Coaches' experience of the "Gaelic4Teens" program in Ireland

This paper examines Irish volunteer coaches’ experiences of the content and delivery of the “Gaelic4Teens” coach education initiative, and further seeks to evaluate if participants coaching behavior changed as a result. The Gaelic4Teens program aims to help coaches better understand the female teenage participant through enhancing the coach–athlete relationship, which in turn, seeks to help retain young females in the sport. Qualitative data were gathered over a 16-week period from August to November 2020 and comprised of pre and post online focus groups with eight (three females and five males) volunteer coaches; one from each of the eight rural community sport settings (n = 8) in Ireland. Findings revealed that the coach education program had a meaningful impact on coaches’ abilities to competently work with female adolescents. Specifically, the Gaelic4Teens program is effective as a blended learning coach education program that encouraged a coaching environment that empowered the female athletes. Further analysis, with additional stakeholder input, is warranted to ascertain its long-term effectiveness