Developing Life Skills through Physical Activity: A Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model Approach

Ethnographic methods were used to study a weekly after-school physical activity program over an eight-month period. Based on Hellison’s Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) model, the program sought to foster positive life skills amongst youth. The study investigated how the developed program influenced this life skills education experience. Several themes were identified from the data revolving around culture, life skills, pedagogy, and lessons learned. Data suggests that the positive environment developed within the program positively influenced youths’ life skill education experience. The topic of ethnicity as it relates to the experience of marginalized youth in physical activity settings is also discussed. This study supports TPSR literature and suggests that effort to establish caring relationships and empower youth contribute to the establishment of a positive atmosphere where life skills education can occur. Beyond this, practical tools were developed through this study to help others deliver life skill education.

Five-year predictors of physical activity decline among adults in low-income communities: a prospective study

Affiliation: J. O'Loughlin: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre de recherche CHUM, Université de Montréal

Parent-youth associations of physical activity and the influence of family and neighbourhood social factors

Objectif: Examiner le lien entre la participation des parents aux activités physiques (AP) de leur enfant et les habitudes de vie et le statut pondéral de ces derniers. Méthode: Les données proviennent de l’Enquête Sociale et Santé des Enfants et des Adolescent Québécois (1999), comprenant des échantillons représentatifs de jeunes de 9, 13 et 16 ans (n=2511). L’implication des parents est définie par aucun, 1 seul, ou 2 parents faisant de l’AP avec leur enfant ≥1/semaine. Un rappel 7 jours a servi à classer les jeunes selon leur niveau d’AP, soit faible, modéré ou élevé. Le temps d’écran a été défini par: ≤14 vs. >14 heures/semaine. Le statut pondéral a été défini selon les critères de Cole. Résultats: Lorsque les deux parents participent aux AP du jeune, le niveau d’AP des adolescents de 13 (OR 3.89, IC 95%: 1.85-8.18) et 16 ans (OR 3.45, IC 95%: 1.32-9.01) est davantage élevé, et le temps d’écran moindre (OR 2.36, IC 95%: 1.30-4.25) chez ceux de 13 ans. Des analyses secondaires montrent que le lien entre l’implication des parents et le niveau d’AP des jeunes est présent chez les familles biparentales seulement; le lien avec le temps d’écran est présent dans les quartiers sécuritaires seulement. Aucune association n’est observée pour le statut pondéral. Conclusion: Les stratégies de promotion de la santé ciblant la participation des parents aux AP de leurs enfants pourraient réduire le fardeau des maladies chroniques, étant donné l’association favorable entre leur implication et les habitudes de vie des jeunes.

Participation in leisure and physical activity among children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Contexte: L’arthrite juvénile idiopathique (AJI) est l’une des maladies chroniques auto-immune les plus répandues chez les enfants et est caractérisée par des enflures articulaires (maladie active), de la douleur, de la fatigue et des raideurs matinales pouvant restreindre leur niveau de participation aux activités quotidiennes (par exemple: les loisirs, l’activité physique, la mobilité et les soins personnels) à la maison comme à l’école. Participer aux activités de loisirs et à l’activité physique a des bienfaits au niveau de la santé et du développement de tous les enfants et démontrent aussi des effets positifs qui réduisent les symptômes des maladies chroniques telle l’AJI. Malgré ces bienfaits la participation aux loisirs chez les jeunes avec l’AJI demeure largement sous-étudiée. Objectifs: Cette étude vise à évaluer le niveau de participation aux loisirs et à l’activité physique chez les enfants et les adolescents atteints d’AJI, ainsi qu’à identifier les facteurs liés à la maladie, la personne et l’environnement. Méthodes : L’évaluation du niveau de participation et l’exploration des facteurs associés aux loisirs et à l’activité physique ont été complétés par l’entremise d’une revue systématique de la littérature, l’analyse de données d’un échantillon national représentatif d’enfants canadiens atteints d’arthrite âgés entre 5 et 14 ans (npondéré = 4350), ainsi que l’analyse standardisée du niveau de participation aux loisirs à l’aide du Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (n=107) et la mesure objective de l’activité physique par accéléromètre (n=76) auprès d’un échantillon d’enfants (âgés entre 8 et 11 ans ) et d’adolescents (âgés entre 12 et 17 ans) suivis en clinique de rhumatologie à l’hôpital de Montréal pour enfants, Centre Universitaire de Santé McGill. Les résultats cliniques ont été comparés à des données normatives, ainsi qu’à un groupe contrôle sans AJI. Nous avons exploré les facteurs associés avec le niveau de participation aux loisirs et à l’activité physique en utilisant les modèles de régression linéaire multiple et l’analyse hiérarchique. Résultats : Les enfants et les adolescents atteints d’AJI participent à une multitude d’activités de loisirs; cependant ils sont moins souvent impliqués dans des activités physiques et de raffinement en comparaison aux autres types d’activités de loisirs. Ceux avec l’AJI étaient en général moins actifs que leurs pairs sans arthrite et la plupart n’atteignaient pas les recommandations nationales d’activité physique. Les garçons avec l’AJI participent plus souvent à des activités physiques et moins aux activités sociales, de raffinement et de développement de soi en comparaison avec les filles ayant l’AJI. En général, être un garçon, être plus âgé, avoir une meilleure motivation pour participer aux activités de motricité globale, avoir un statut socio-économique plus élevé et être d’origine culturelle canadienne sont associés à un niveau de participation plus élevé aux activités physiques. La préférence pour les activités de raffinement, un niveau d’éducation maternelle plus élevé et être une fille étaient associés à un niveau de participation plus élevé aux activités de raffinement. Conclusion: La participation aux loisirs et à l’activité physique en AJI est un concept complexe et semble surtout être expliqué par des facteurs personnels et environnementaux. L’identification des facteurs associés aux loisirs et à l’activité physique est très importante en AJI puisqu’elle peut permettre aux professionnels de la santé de développer des interventions significatives basées sur les activités préférées des enfants, améliorer l’observance au traitement et promouvoir des habitudes de vie saine.

Pedometer: intervention strategy and physical activity promotion

World Health Organization (WHO) has prioritized physical activity (PA) as one of the mostrelevant strategies leading the decreasing prevalence of noncommunicable chronic diseases. Pedometer has emerged as one of the valid intervention programs, reliable and useful to assess,measure and promote the physical activity practice, through counts the number of steps perday. One of the aims is to establish the goals based on steps per day made by a person and thepositive feedback, which can generate behavior changes and adoption of healthy habits, from a regular physical activity practice perspective. This review attends to enhance the current state ofpedometer program, as an intervention one, in all kind of population; its health impact and theapplication methodologies, using the pedometer as a steps quantifier device, with feasible access,use and management. Additionally, the review will be useful as a framework to design futureresearch projects, aim to develop, adapt and apply evidence based pedometer protocols, insideclinical, academic and community context.

Lack of association between PCK1 polymorphisms and obesity, physical activity, and fitness in European Youth Heart Study (EYHS)

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase-1 (PCK1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the hepatic gluconeogenic pathway. Studies have shown that overexpression of Pck1 in mice results in obesity-related traits and higher levels of physical activity (PA). Therefore, our aims were to investigate whether common genetic variation in the PCK1 gene influences obesity-related traits, PA, and fitness, and to examine whether PA and fitness attenuate the influence of the PCK1 polymorphisms on obesity in children. Analyses were undertaken on data from Danish and Estonian children (958 boys and 1,104 girls) from the European Youth Heart Study (EYHS), a school-based, cross-sectional study of children (mean ± s.d. age: 9.6 ± 0.4 years) and adolescents (15.5 ± 0.5 years). We genotyped eight polymorphisms that captured the common genetic variations in the PCK1 gene. The association between the PCK1 polymorphisms and BMI, waist circumference (WC), sum of four skinfolds, PA, and fitness was tested using an additive model adjusted for age, age-group, gender, maturity, and country. Interactions were tested by including interaction terms in the model. None of the polymorphisms were significantly associated with BMI, WC, sum of four skinfolds, PA, and fitness, and also with the risk of being overweight or obese (P > 0.05). The interactions between the polymorphisms and age-group, gender, PA, and fitness were not statistically significant. This is the first study to comprehensively examine the association of PCK1 polymorphisms with obesity, PA, and fitness. Despite strong evidence from animal studies, our study in the EYHS cohort failed to identify an association of PCK1 polymorphisms with obesity, PA, and fitness.

Physical activity attenuates the body mass index-increasing influence of genetic variation in the FTO gene 1-3.

BACKGROUND: Intronic variation in the FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated) gene has been unequivocally associated with increased body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)) and the risk of obesity in populations of different ethnicity. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether this robust genetic predisposition to obesity can be attenuated by being more physically active. DESIGN: The FTO variant rs1121980 was genotyped in 20,374 participants (39-79 y of age) from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Norfolk Study, an ethnically homogeneous population-based cohort. Physical activity (PA) was assessed with a validated self-reported questionnaire. The interaction between rs1121980 and PA on BMI and waist circumference (WC) was examined by including the interaction term in mixed-effect models. RESULTS: We confirmed that the risk (T) allele of rs1121980 was significantly associated with BMI (0.31-unit increase per allele; P < 0.001) and WC (0.77-cm increase per allele; P < 0.001). The PA level attenuated the effect of rs1121980 on BMI and WC; ie, whereas in active individuals the risk allele increased BMI by 0.25 per allele, the increase in BMI was significantly (P for interaction = 0.004) more pronounced (76%) in inactive individuals (0.44 per risk allele). We observed similar effects for WC (P for interaction = 0.02): the risk allele increased WC by 1.04 cm per allele in inactive individuals but by only 0.64 cm in active individuals. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that PA attenuates the effect of the FTO rs1121980 genotype on BMI and WC. This observation has important public health implications because we showed that a genetic susceptibility to obesity induced by FTO variation can be overcome, at least in part, by adopting a physically active lifestyle.

"An on-going individual adjustment" : a qualitative study of midwives' experiences counselling pregnant women on physical activity in Sweden

Background: In Sweden, midwives play prominent supportive role in antenatal care by counselling and promoting healthy lifestyles. This study aimed to explore how Swedish midwives experience the counselling of pregnant women on physical activity, specifically focusing on facilitators and barriers during pregnancy. Also, addressing whether the midwives perceive that their own lifestyle and body shape may influence the content of the counselling they provide. Methods: Eight focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with 41 midwives working in antenatal care clinics in different parts of Sweden between September 2013 and January 2014. Purposive sampling was applied to ensure a variation in age, work experience, and geographical location. The FGD were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using manifest and latent content analysis. Results: The main theme- "An on-going individual adjustment" was built on three categories: "Counselling as a challenge"; "Counselling as walking the thin ice" and "Counselling as an opportunity" reflecting the midwives on-going need to adjust their counselling depending on each woman's specific situation. Furthermore, counselling pregnant women on physical activity was experienced as complex and ambiguous, presenting challenges as well as opportunities. When midwives challenged barriers to physical activity, they risked being rejected by the pregnant women. Despite risking rejection, the midwives tried to promote increased physical activity based on their assessment of individual needs of the pregnant woman. Some participants felt that their own lifestyle and body shape might negatively influence the counselling; however, the majority of participants did not agree with this perspective. Conclusions: Counselling on physical activity during pregnancy may be a challenging task for midwives, characterized by on-going adjustments based on a pregnant woman's individual needs. Midwives strive to find individual solutions to encourage physical activity. However, to improve their counselling, midwives may benefit from further training, also organizational and financial barriers need to be addressed. Such efforts might result in improved opportunities to further support pregnant women's motivation for performance of physical activity.

Playing their part: the role of physical activity and sport in sustaining the health and well being of small rural communities

It is widely recognised that the health of rural Australians is poor in comparison with their urban counterparts. Similarly, the role played by physical activity in maintaining health has been well researched and is well documented. However, little appears to have been published in recent years about the links between physical activity and health in rural communities. The objective of this article was to begin to address that gap. To achieve this, the article drew on research conducted in two small rural communities in Victoria Australia, and highlighted the role that physical activity and sport played in sustaining the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities in rural areas. Taking the World Health Organisation's definition of health (a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease) as its measure, the paper highlighted the many ways in which physical activity and sport in rural communities contribute to physical health, mental wellbeing and social cohesiveness. Based this finding, the authors suggest that physical activity and sport make a significant contribution to the health and wellbeing of rural people and their communities and suggest that further research is necessary to better define this apparent contribution.

Too hot to trot? exploring potential links between climate change, physical activity and health

Based on an analysis of existing literature, this paper explores the links between climate change, physical activity and health. It highlights the importance of physical activity for health, explores current understandings of factors influencing participation in sport and physical activity, and develops some hypotheses about the ways in which climate change may impact on the factors influencing physical activity and thereby on the level of participation in physical activity. The paper argues that climate change has the potential to be a barrier to participation in physical activity, particularly in areas where temperatures are already relatively high, and that a reduction in physical activity across the population is likely to have detrimental health impacts. The need for research to clarify the nature and extent of the threat posed to physical activity participation is highlighted, as is the need to take into account the direct and indirect costs of any changes or reductions in physical activity in any assessment of the costs of climate change and/or its mitigation.

Do logbooks influence recall of physical activity in validation studies?

Purpose: To examine whether physical activity logbooks influence estimates of validity of 7-d recall physical activity questionnaires. Methods: A  convenience sample of 551 adults aged 18–75 yr wore an MTI  accelerometer for seven consecutive days and were then randomly administered two of four 7-d recall physical activity questionnaires that varied in length and format (Active Australia Survey (AAS), long and short  International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ-L and IPAQ-S), and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)). A subsample of 75% concurrently completed a physical activity logbook. Results: Correlations (rho) between self-reported and measured duration of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity and total activity were similar among participants who received a logbook and those who did not for each of the four instruments. There was also no interaction between assessment method (survey, accelerometer) and the assignment of a logbook. For the IPAQ-L, however, variability in the difference between accelerometer data and responses to the vigorous items was smaller among those assigned a logbook (F = 4.128, df = 260, P = 0.043). Overall, there were no differences in percent agreement or kappa for participation in sufficient levels of physical activity according to receipt of a logbook for any of the surveys. Conclusion: The process of self-monitoring through completion of a logbook does not appear to influence estimates of validity for brief or long questionnaires with global questions. Whereas the magnitude of error in accuracy of recall of particular types of activity may be reduced by completion of a logbook that is similar in structure to the survey being validated, this does not appear to influence overall estimates of validity.

How feasible are healthy eating and physical activity for young women?

Objective: This study investigated young women’s perceptions of the feasibility of physical activity and healthy eating behaviours, and how these vary by socioeconomic status, domestic characteristics and weight status. Design: This population-based study used a mailed questionnaire to investigate perceptions of the feasibility of commonly recommended healthy eating and physical activity behaviours among a sample of young women. The feasibility of 29 physical activity behaviours (e.g. relating to frequency, intensity, duration, domain/setting) and 15 healthy eating behaviours (e.g. relating to location/setting, fruit and vegetable intake, fat/sugar intake) was assessed. Height, weight and sociodemographic details were also obtained. Setting: Nation-wide community-based survey. Subjects: A total of 445 women aged 18–32 years selected randomly from the Australian electoral roll. Results: Most women reported that they either were already engaged in many of the healthy eating behaviours or saw these as highly feasible. Many physical activity behaviours, on the other hand, were perceived as less feasible, particularly among women with children and women who were overweight. Conclusions: Health promotion messages and strategies aimed at increasing physical activity and healthy eating are unlikely to succeed unless they take into account perceptions that these behaviours are not feasible. For young women, this may involve promoting more time-effective, flexible ways of achieving recommended physical activity. Messages specifically targeted to women with children, and women who are overweight, are required.

Piloting the feasibility and effectiveness of print- and telephone-mediated interventions for promoting the adoption of physical activity in Australian adults

This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness for increasing physical activity of a print-based intervention, and a print- plus telephone-mediated intervention among mid-life and older Australian adults. A randomised controlled trial study design was used. In mid-2002, 66 adults (18 men, 48 women) aged 45–78 years, who identified themselves as underactive, were recruited through advertisements and word-of-mouth at two sites (Melbourne and Brisbane), and randomised to either the print or print-plus-telephone mediated intervention group. Participants in both groups attended an initial briefing session, and over the 12-week intervention period received an instructional newsletter and use of a pedometer (both groups), and individualised telephone calls (print-plus-telephone group only). Self-reported physical activity data were collected at baseline, 12 and 16 weeks. Measures of self-reported global physical activity, moderate-vigorous intensity activity and walking all showed increases between baseline and 12 weeks for both intervention groups. These increases were generally maintained by 16 weeks, although participants in the print-plus-telephone group maintained slightly higher levels of global reported activity and walking (by approximately 30 mins/wk) than those in the print group. These interventions show potential for promoting initial increases in physical activity among mid-life and older Australian adults, and should be evaluated across more extended time periods.

Reducing sedentary behaviour and increasing physical activity among 10-year-old children: overview and process evaluation of the 'Switch-Play' intervention

Overweight and obesity has doubled among children in Australia. There is an urgent need to develop primary prevention strategies to prevent current and future unhealthy weight gain. The aims of this paper are to describe a randomized controlled trial (‘Switch-Play’) developed to prevent unhealthy weight gain among 10-year-old children and to report the findings of the process evaluation. Children from three government primary schools were randomized by class to one of four conditions: a behavioural modification group (BM; n = 69); a fundamental motor skills group (FMS; n = 73); a combined BM and FMS group (n = 90); or a control (usual classroom lessons) group (n = 61). Children in the BM group participated in 19 sessions that encouraged them to reduce screen-based behaviours, and identified physical activity alternatives. The FMS group participated in 19 lessons that focused on mastery of six skills: run, throw, dodge, strike, vertical jump and kick. The combined group participated in all the BM and FMS activities. The intervention specialist teacher reported that the children showed high enjoyment and engagement (88% lessons attended) in most aspects of the programme. At-home tasks were completed by 57–62% of the children, and 92% completed the in-class tasks. Two-thirds of the children in the BM group participated in the behavioural contracting to switch off the TV. Most of the children reported high enjoyment of the programmes, and only a small proportion (7–17%) reported difficulties in switching off their nominated TV shows. More than half the children reported reducing their TV viewing; however, less than half reported increasing their physical activity. It was found that most aspects of the intervention arms of the programme were successfully delivered to the majority of children participating in ‘Switch-Play’; that the programmes were delivered as intended; and that the programmes were favourably evaluated by participating children and their parents.

Development and reliability of a self-report questionnaire to examine children's perceptions of the physical activity environment at home and in the neighbourhood

Background: Environmental factors are increasingly being implicated as key influences on children's physical activity. Few studies have comprehensively examined children's perceptions of their environment, and there is a paucity of literature on acceptable and reliable scales for measuring these. This study aimed to develop and test the acceptability and reliability of a scale which examined a broad range of environmental perceptions among children.
Methods: Based on constructs from ecological models, a survey incorporating items on children's perceptions of the physical and social environment at home and in the neighbourhood was developed. This was administered on two occasions, nine days apart, to a sample of 39 children aged 11 years (54% boys), attending a metropolitan Australian elementary school. The acceptability of the survey was determined by the proportion of missing responses to each item. The test-retest reliability of individual items, scores and scales were determined using Kappa statistics and percent agreement for categorical variables, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for continuous variables.
Results: There were few missing responses to each question, with only 4% of all responses missing. Although some Kappa values were low, all categorical variables showed acceptable reliability when examined for percent agreement between test and retest (range 68%–100% agreement). Continuous variables all showed moderate to good ICC values (range 0.72–0.92).
Conclusion: Findings suggest this questionnaire is reliable and acceptable to children for assessing environmental perceptions relevant to physical activity among 11-year-old children.