Perceptions of neighborhood characteristics and reported use of facilities were related to physical activity, with stronger associations for women than for men. Interventions to increase levels of PA among Texans should be informed by multilevel assessments including environmental characteristics.
Archive for category Physical Activity
Predictors of Increased PA
Dec 16
1,963 participants from 9 community-based organizations in the US took part in a 6-month telephone-based or a 20-week group-based behavioral physical activity program. The least active group improved the most, which suggests that the programs worked especially well for participants most in need.
Inactivity among active kids
Dec 16
Data was collected from 25,060 Canadian students in grades 9 through 12 from 76 secondary schools in Ontario. Low active-high sedentary boys were 60% more likely to be overweight than high active-low sedentary boys. Girls who were low active-high sedentary had more than double the risc of high active-low sedentary girls to be overweight. Sedentary behavior may moderate the relationship between physical activity and overweight. Developing a better understanding of sedentary behavior in relation to physical activity and overweight is critical for preventing and reducing overweight among youth.
Enjoy video from Bucharest in Romania, Bolzano in Italy and Bromley near London. Ehere Eu assisted to promote the bicycle as an alternative to polluting transport and to make cyclists’ lives easier.
The effectiveness of the playground environment to promote PA has been considered as a complementary setting to physical education. Energy expenditure and physical activity levels have increased during playtime following the implementation of playtime-based interventions. In order to advance knowledge of children’s PA during playtime, a number of key issues for consideration in future research are detailed. Research on children’s use of playtime to be physically active and the extent of the contribution of playtime to daily PA guidelines is warranted. This 2006 study is from Liverpool.
The purpose of this 2005 investigation was to examine whether painting playgrounds with multicolored markings would increase the percent of recess time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) in Liverpool girls and boys. Multicolor playground markings can be a low-cost method of increasing children’s daily physical activity levels in the short term. If these increases were sustained, then school playgrounds with multicolor markings would make a valuable contribution to physical activity recommendations for young people.
PA and school recess time
Dec 14
The aims of this 2005 study from Portugal were: 1) to observe participation in moderate-to-vigorous PA during school recess periods; 2) to determine the relative importance of PA during recesses to overall daily PA; and 3) to examine differences in PA between the sexes during unstructured recess periods. Only 10 boys and 12 girls aged 8-10 years participated. The results of this study suggest that school recess time is an important setting to promote moderate-to-vigorous PA and contributes to daily PA in young children, especially in girls.
116 boys and 112 girls (aged 5-10 years) from 23 schools had their physical activity during recess quantified using a uniaxial accelerometer during three recess breaks on one school day in this UK study published in 2005. On average, children in this study did not achieve 50% of recess time in physical activity. Interventions for increasing the physical activity of children in the playground are warranted.
634 children aged 7-Â11 years participated in this 2001 study from Leeds. The intervention included teacher training, modification of school meals, and the development of school action plans targeting the curriculum, physical education, tuck shops, and playground activities. Main outcome include BMI, diet and physical activity. Vegetable consumption by 24 hour recall was higher in children in the intervention group than the control group. There was no difference in body mass index, other psychological measures, or dieting behaviour between the groups.
In a 2000 study the physical activity levels of 47, 5- to 7-year-old children were assessed before and after a school playground was painted with fluorescent markings. Results suggest that while playground markings had a significant and positive influence on children’s physical activity, factors other than playground markings may also influence children’s physically active play.