Factors in the practice of sport and physical excercise in the lifestyles of spanish youth: gender differences

The paper presents the results of a study on cultural trends in the abandonment of sports and physical activity among the spanish youth.

Gender differences and inequalities in the habits of physical activity of the adult population in Spain

Proyecto I+D+i DEP19801: Gender differences and inequalities in the habits of physical activity of the adult population in Spain

Gender differences and inequalities in the habits of physical activity of the adult population in Spain

Proyecto I+D+i DEP19801: Gender differences and inequalities in the habits of physical activity of the adult population in Spain

Trainee teachers' habits of healthy physical activity

Introduction: This study analyses the habits of physical activity of a group of students at the University of Vigo (Spain). Methods: It uses the SRHI (Self-Report Habits Index) scale, which was used for the first time in Spain. It starts from the premise that future educators should have good physical activity habits if they want to convey this attitude to their students due to its importance for health and quality of life. Results: Physical activity habits are well-established in future Secondary Education Physical Education teachers but not in future Infant and Primary Education teachers. In addition, there are greater physical activity habits in men, in students who previously participated in sport at school and at younger ages. The most common difficulties for creating physical activity habits are lack of time, sport facilities and companionship for carrying out the activity. Discussion: In this section our results, which broadly coincide with the results of other studies regarding the same subject, are contrasted with the results of those other studies.

Community Size in Youth Sport Settings: Examining Developmental Assets and Sport Withdrawal

Despite the popularity of youth sport programs, little research has examined the psychosocial benefits assumed to stem from involvement. Some studies suggest birthplace influences the development of elite athletes, but little work has examined other influences of community contexts. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between young athletes’ community size, developmental assets, and sport involvement. Current and recently withdrawn competitive swimmers (N = 181) completed the Developmental Assets Profile (Search Institute, 2004). Athletes from smaller cities had significantly higher developmental asset scores for support, commitment to learning, and boundaries/expectations. Further, community size was a significant predictor of withdrawal. Findings suggest community context should be given additional attention in youth sport literature.

Engaging Immigrants in Youth Sport Coaching: Part 2. A Qualitative Analysis of the Barriers, Facilitators and Motivators for Involvement

Although research in the area of immigrants and their physical activity patterns has been steadily growing, there is still much to learn. The purpose of this study was to identify the barriers, facilitators and motivators facing recent Canadian immigrants as they relate to involvement in coaching youth sport. The quantitative information presented in the first article of this series served as a framework for conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews with 28 immigrant youth-sport coaches. Results of these interviews support the notion that there are two distinct groups of immigrant coaches - the ‘leisure-oriented coach’ (those without coaching occupational aspirations) and the ‘career-oriented coach’ (those with coaching occupational pursuits). Despite sharing several of the same barriers, facilitators and motivators, each group showed marked divergence from the other on a number of aspects in each of these three categories.

Physical activity and young people: Beyond participation

The quantitative literature on physical activity participation patterns leaves many questions about the place and significance of physical activity in the lives of young people unanswered. This paper begins to address this absence by attempting to understand physical activity from the point of view of young people and in relation to other aspects of their lives. It discusses interviews with 28 female and 34 male students from three Australian high schools chosen because they provided the opportunity to include students from different geographical, social and cultural locations. Students were asked to reflect upon their past and current engagement in physical activity, and the impact of factors such as their location, family, and school in their access and interest. Different spaces and places proved important in the nature of the physical activity available, its significance to young people and the kinds of identities which could be constructed.

Test-retest reliability of four physical activity measures used in population surveys

Accurate monitoring of prevalence and trends in population levels of physical activity (PA) is a fundamental public health need. Test-retest reliability (repeatability) was assessed in population samples for four self-report PA measures: the Active Australia survey (AA, N=356), the short International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ, N=104), the physical activity items in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS, N=127) and in the Australian National Health Survey (NHS, N=122). Percent agreement and Kappa statistics were used to assess reliability of classification of activity status as 'active', 'insufficiently active' or 'sedentary'. Intraclass correlations (ICCs) were used to assess agreement on minutes of activity reported for each item of each survey and for total minutes. Percent agreement scores for activity status were very good on all four instruments, ranging from 60% for the NHS to 79% for the IPAQ. Corresponding Kappa statistics ranged from 0.40 (NHS) to 0.52 (AA). For individual items, ICCs were highest for walking (0.45 to 0.78) and vigorous activity (0.22 to 0.64) and lowest for the moderate questions (0.16 to 0.44). All four measures provide acceptable levels of test-retest reliability for assessing both activity status and sedentariness, and moderate reliability for assessing total minutes of activity.

'I could do with a pair of wings': Perspectives on physical activity, bodies and health from young Australian children

There is little research that reports children's perspectives on physical activity, bodies and health. This paper, drawn from a larger multi-method study on physical activity in the lives of seven- and eight-year-old Australian children, attempts to 'give a voice' to 13 children's views. Interviews focused on children's activity preferences and related decision making and motivations pertaining to these activities, as well as how they thought about the relationships between physical activity, health and their bodies. Data suggest some tensions surrounding the importance of fun for children alongside their awareness of 'healthist' discourses that require self-monitoring and improvement.

Reliability and validity of a brief physical activity assessment for use by family doctors

Objective: To evaluate the reliability and validity of a brief physical activity assessment tool suitable for doctors to use to identify inactive patients in the primary care setting. Methods: Volunteer family doctors (n = 8) screened consenting patients (n = 75) for physical activity participation using a brief physical activity assessment tool. Inter-rater reliability was assessed within one week (n = 71). Validity was assessed against an objective physical activity monitor (computer science and applications accelerometer; n = 42). Results: The brief physical activity assessment tool produced repeatable estimates of sufficient total physical activity, correctly classifying over 76% of cases (kappa 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.33 to 0.72). The validity coefficient was reasonable (kappa 0.40, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.69), with good percentage agreement (71%). Conclusions: The brief physical activity assessment tool is a reliable instrument, with validity similar to that of more detailed self report measures of physical activity. It is a tool that can be used efficiently in routine primary healthcare services to identify insufficiently active patients who may need physical activity advice.

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 under-active, 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.

Disorders of breathing and continence have a stronger association with back pain than obesity and physical activity

Although obesity and physical activity have been argued to predict back pain, these factors are also related to incontinence and breathing difficulties. Breathing and continence mechanisms may interfere with the physiology of spinal control, and may provide a link to back pain. The aim of this study was to establish the association between back pain and disorders of continence and respiration in women. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of self-report, postal survey data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. We used multinomial logistic regression to model four levels of back pain in relation to both the traditional risk factors of body mass index and activity level, and the potential risk factors of incontinence, breathing difficulties, and allergy. A total of 38 050 women were included from three age-cohorts. When incontinence and breathing difficulties were considered, obesity and physical activity were not consistently associated with back pain. In contrast, odds ratios (OR) for often having back pain were higher for women often having incontinence compared to women without incontinence (OR were 2.5, 2.3 and 2.3 for young, mid-age! and older women, respectively). Similarly, mid-aged and older women had higher odds of having back pain often when they experienced breathing difficulties often compared to women with no breathing problems (OR of 2.0 and 1.9, respectively). Unlike obesity and physical activity, disorders of continence and respiration were strongly related to frequent back pain. This relationship may be explained by physiological limitations of co-ordination of postural, respiratory and continence functions of trunk muscles.

Dissemination of a community-based physical activity project: The case of 10,000 steps

This paper describes the use of a web-site for the dissemination of the community-based '10,000 steps' program which was originally developed and evaluated in Rockhampton, Queensland in 2001-2003. The website provides information and interactive activities for individuals, and promotes resources and programs for health promotion professionals. The dissemination activity was assessed in terms of program adoption and implementation. In a 2-year period (May 2004-March 2006) more than 18,000 people registered as users of the web-site (togging more than 8.5 billion steps) and almost 100 workplaces and 13 communities implemented aspects of the 10,000 steps program. These data support the use of the internet as an effective means of disseminating ideas and resources beyond the geographical borders of the original project. Following this preliminary dissemination, there remains a need for the systematic study of different dissemination strategies, so that evidence-based physical activity programs can be translated into more widespread public health practice. (c) 2006 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement properties of the CHAMPS physical activity questionnaire in a sample of older Australians

Background: The effective evaluation of physical activity interventions for older adults requires measurement instruments with acceptable psychometric properties that are sufficiently sensitive to detect changes in this population. Aim: To assess the measurement properties (reliability and validity) of the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire in a sample of older Australians. Methods: CHAMPS data were collected from 167 older adults (mean age 79.1 S.D. 6.3 years) and validated with tests of physical ability and the SF-12 measures of physical and mental health. Responses from a sub-sample of 43 older adults were used to assess 1-week test-retest reliability. Results: Approximately 25% of participants needed assistance to complete the CHAMPS questionnaire. There were low but significant correlations between the CHAMPS scores and the physical performance measures (rho=0.14-0.32) and the physical health scale of the SF-12 (rho=0.12-0.24). Reliability coefficients were highest for moderate-intensity (ICC=0.81-0.88) and lowest for vigorous-intensity physical activity (ICC=0.34-0.45). Agreement between test-retest estimates of sufficient physical activity for health benefits (>= 150 min and >= 5 sessions per week) was high (percent agreement = 88% and Cohen's kappa = 0.68). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the CHAMPS questionnaire has acceptable measurement properties, and is therefore suitable for use among older Australian adults, as long as adequate assistance is provided during administration. (c) 2006 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.