Australian researchers have found that young teens who spend more than two hours in front of the TV or computer each day showed less endurance during a standard running test than their peers.
Archive for category Physical Activity
The report will address how the physical environment influences behaviour, and how this environment can be changed in ways that increase cancer-protective behaviour. It is intended for Multinational Bodies, National and International Civil Society Organisations, Governments, Workplaces and Institutions, Schools, Health and Other Professionals, Media and Food, Drink, Physical Activity and Allied Industries.
Indoor Recess Solution
Jan 7
Why not teach children playground games and rules by showing the new Peaceful Playgrounds DVD.
Canadian researchers made a brief review of active commuting and obesity. Active transportation is more frequent in some European countries with dedicated cycle and pedestrian paths, but in most developed societies, active transportation has declined in recent years. A weekly gross energy expenditure of at least 4 MJ is recommended to reduce all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. This can be achieved by walking 1.9 km in 22 minutes twice per day, 5 days per week, or by cycling at 16 km/h for 11 minutes twice per day, 5 days per week. More information is needed on active commuting, and the impact of such commuting on overall attitudes towards PA. It is also necessary to find better methods of involving the sedentary population, through both counselling and changes in urban design.
Building design and grounds might contribute to physical activity. The size of school grounds, and in-school physical activity were compared of 1566 sixth-grade girls. On average, the school footprint size accounted for 4% of all light physical activity and 16% of all moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during school hours. School design appears to be associated with physical activity, but it is likely that programming (eg, physical education, intramurals, club sports), social factors, and school siting are more important determinants of total physical activity.
Researchers from Loyola University compared African American women in Chicago with women in rural Nigeria. On average, the Chicago women weighed 184 pounds and the Nigerian women weighed 127 pounds. Researchers had expected to find that the slimmer Nigerian women would be more physically active. To their surprise, they found no significant difference between the two groups in the amount of calories burned during physical activity. We would love to say that physical activity has a positive effect on weight control, but that does not appear to be the case, said one of the researchers.
12 male strength/power athletes underwent two testing sessions. They got either 120 ml of a high energy drink (Redline Extreme) or 120 ml of a placebo. After training they answered questions on their feelings of energy, fatigue, alertness and focus for that moment. Results indicate a significant increase in reaction performance, with no effect on anaerobic power performance. In addition, ingestion of this supplement significantly improves subjective feelings of focus and energy in male strength/power athletes.
This intervention promoted stair use among people attending the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting in 2001. After 3 days of observation a prominent sign stating “Be a role model. Use the stairs!” was posted. 16,978 observations were made. Stair use increased from 22% to 29%. Active choices (stair use or walk up escalator) increased from 28% to 40%. CONCLUSIONS: Relatively few conference attendees were persuaded to stair-use behavior. Health professionals should be encouraged to be “active living” role models.
Gender differences in response to a physical activity intervention in overweight and obese children
Jan 7
This study evaluated the effects of gender on response to a behavioral intervention that rewarded increases in PA with increases in access to TV viewing. 30 overweight or obese, 8- to 12-year-old children wore accelerometers every day for 8 weeks. Intervention kids accumulating 400 counts of PA on accelerometers earned 1 hour of TV time. Controls wore activity monitors but had free access to TV. Neither boys nor girls in the control group showed significant changes in overall PA or intensity of PA. Wearing an accelerometer in combination with rewarding PA with TV might be a more effective intervention for increasing overall PA and time spent in MVPA in overweight and obese boys than it is for overweight or obese girls.
Postal questionnaires from 742 members of of the general population of Geneva, Switzerland in 1996. And 1487 in 2006. Participants rated 13 different health problems. Smoking, poor diet and lack of physical activity were more likely to be perceived as priorities in 2006 than in 1996, whereas priority ratings decreased for AIDS. The prevention of sexual abuse of children was perceived as the highest priority by all respondent groups.