Providing sporting experiences for children in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) environments : sport and physical activity participation and intentions

The Out of School Hours Sports Program (OSHSP) aimed to provide structured sporting experiences and community links to local clubs for children in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC). The OSHSP involved 17 State Sporting Associations (SSAs), 71 OSHC Services and local club representatives. This study explored children's participation in sport in and outside the OSHSP and parental intention for participation in sport in and outside the OSHSP. Surveys were received from 211 children (76 girls and 125 boys; mean age = 7.9 years, S.D. = 1.7) and their parents/guardians (37.9% response rate). OSHC is characterised by freedom of choice of participation in activities by children. The OSHSP was used to provide an opportunity to choose to participate in a sport while attending OSHC. At the OSHC Services surveyed, between 7.1 and 100% of the children attending OSHC chose to participate in the OSHSP. Of those children who chose to participate, 85% were participating in a sport, usually a different sport to the one offered in the OSHSP. This participation was largely club-based (49.8%), most often once a week for training and competition (55.2%). Parental intentions for children's participation in the OSHSP sports varied with respect to the number of years attending the OSHSP, where children played and trained in their main sport, and how many times a week a child played and trained in their main sport. Older children tended to play and train for sport more times per week and had been attending the OSHC for more years than younger children.

Parental exercise is associated with Australian children's extracurricular sports participation and cardiorespiratory fitness : a cross-sectional study

Background: The relationship between parental physical activity and children's physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness has not been well studied in the Australian context. Given the increasing focus on physical activity and childhood obesity, it is important to understand correlates of children's physical activity. This study aimed to investigate whether parental exercise was associated with children's extracurricular sports participation and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Methods: The data were drawn from a nationally representative sample (n = 8,484) of 7–15 year old Australian schoolchildren, surveyed as part of the Australian Schools Health and Fitness Survey in 1985. A subset of 5,929 children aged 9–15 years reported their participation in extracurricular
sports and their parents' exercise. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured using the 1.6 km (1- mile) run/walk and inaddition for children aged 9, 12 or 15 years, using a physical work capacity test (PWC170).

Results: While the magnitude of the differences were small, parental exercise was positively associated with children's extracurricular sports participation (p < 0.001), 1.6 km run/walk time (p < 0.001) and, in girls only, PWC170 (p = 0.013). In most instances, when only one parent was active, the sex of that parent was not an independent predictor of the child's extracurricular sports participation and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Conclusion: Parental exercise may influence their children's participation in extracurricular sports and their cardiorespiratory fitness levels. Understanding the correlates of children's extracurricular sport participation is important for the targeting of health promotion and public health interventions, and may influence children's future health status.

Developing the whole child? Tensions between sport and study in Australian independent schools

This paper reports on a research project that set out to examin the relationship between students' involvement in school co-curricular activities and their academic performance.  The warrant for the study emerges out of consistent claims made about the provision of co-curricular, naming sporting, activities and the development of a more rounded and successful student.  The primary question being asked here was: 'Are student's academic performances, as measured by their results for tertiary entrance in their final year of school, improved or reduced by their participation in co-curricular activities?'  The study used a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods to interrogate this relationship.

Factors in youth physical activity participation : from psychological aspects to environmental correlates

Understanding influences on children's physical activity and how these vary by activity and subgroup, such as age and sex of the child, is important for informing the development of effective and targeted interventions. Two cohort studies were conducted across socioeconomic areas of Melbourne, Australia, between 2001 and 2008 among a combined sample of more than 2,700 children aged 5-6 years and 10-12 years at baseline. Data were collected via surveys, and children wore the Actigraph accelerometer for 8 days. Five individual, 10 social, and 17 physical environmental factors were significantly associated with children's physical activity. Patterns of association varied according to the age and sex of the child and also according to the type of activity. These studies provide some insights into the various levels of influence on children's physical activity. More longitudinal and intervention research is needed to better understand the mechanisms of change in children's physical activity behaviour.

Screening children with developmental coordination disorder : the development of the caregiver assessment of movement participation

This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Assessment of Movement Participation (CAMP), which was developed to measure and identify children with movement participation problems in home contexts. The test-retest reliability, as well as the concurrent and contrast-group validity of the 35-item parent-proxy CAMP, was examined on 312 children aged 5 to 8 years using intraclass correlation, factor analysis, and the Rasch model. Initial findings on the CAMP appeared to support its validity. Testing on other properties from a practical perspective, such as finding the best rating scale structure and cutpoints, are recommended before using the instrument for child health surveillance screening.

Psychometric properties of the caregiver assessment of movement participation scale for screening children with development coordination disorders

Using Rasch analysis, the psychometric properties of a newly developed 35-item parent-proxy instrument, the Caregiver Assessment of Movement Participation (CAMP), designed to measure movement participation problems in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder, were examined. The CAMP was administered to 465 school children aged 5–10 years. Thirty of the 35 items were retained as they had acceptable infit and outfit statistics. Item separation (7.48) and child separation (3.16) were good; moreover, the CAMP had excellent reliability (Reliability Index for item = 0.98; Person = 0.91). Principal components analysis of item residuals confirmed the unidimensionality of the instrument. Based on category probability statistics, the original five-point scale was collapsed into a four-point scale. The item threshold calibration of the CAMP with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children Test was computed. The results indicated that a CAMP total score of 75 is the optimal cut-off point for identifying children at risk of movement problems.

Reliability of the modified child and adolescent physical activity and nutrition survey, physical activity (CAPANS-PA) questionnaire among chinese-australian youth

Background : Evidence suggests that differences exist in physical activity (PA) participation among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) children and adolescents. It is possible that these differences could be influenced by variations in measurement technique and instrument reliability. However, culturally sensitive instruments for examining PA behaviour among CALD populations are lacking. This study tested the reliability of the Child and Adolescent Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (CAPANS-PA) recall questionnaire among a sample of Chinese-Australian youth.
Methods : The psychometric property of the CAPANS-PA questionnaire was examined among a sample of 77 Chinese-Australian youth (aged 11 - 14 y) who completed the questionnaire twice within 7 days. Test-retest reliability of individual items and scales within the CAPANS-PA questionnaire was determined using Kappa statistics for categorical variables and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for continuous variables.
Results : The CAPANS-PA questionnaire demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability for frequency and duration of time spent in weekly Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) (ICC ≥ 0.70) for all participants. Test-retest reliability for time spent in weekly sedentary activities was acceptable for females (ICC = 0.82) and males (ICC = 0.72).
Conclusions : The results suggest the CAPANS-PA questionnaire provides reliable estimates for type, frequency and duration of MVPA participation among Chinese-Australian youth. Further investigation into the reliability of the sedentary items within the CAPANS-PA is required before these items can be used with confidence. This study is novel in that the reliability of instruments among CALD groups nationally and internationally remains sparse and this study contributes to the wider body of available psychometrically tested instruments. In addition, this study is the first to our knowledge to successfully engage and investigate the basic health enhancing behaviours of Chinese-Australian adolescents.

Activity preferences and participation of school-age children living in urban and rural environments

It is important for therapists to be knowledgeable about the impact of the environment on children’s participation patterns and activity preferences. This study investigated the activity preference and participation among school-age children living in urban and rural locations. The participation patterns and preferences for activities of 58 typically developing children (32 males and 26 females; response rate of 38.7%) aged 8–12 years were assessed across both urban (n = 24) and rural (n = 34) regions of southwest Victoria, Australia. The participation patterns and preferences for activities were assessed using the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and Preferences for Activities of Children (CAPE/PAC).An independent samples t-test was used to determinewhether significant differences existed for theCAPE/PACscores for urban and rurally based children as well as boys and girls. Significant differences were found between the scores of children living in urban and rural areas on the following subscales: CAPE Diversity, CAPE Intensity, CAPE Whom, CAPE Where, PAC Physical Preference, and PACSocial Preference.Asignificant difference for rural and urban groups was found on the following CAPE activity types:Recreation Diversity,Recreation Intensity, Social Diversity, Social Intensity, Self-Improvement Diversity, and Self-Improvement Intensity. Rurally based children were engaged in a broader range of activities and did so more frequently than urban children. Differences in gender were identified with girls preferring to participate in social and skill-based activities and being more likely to participate with friends or people outside their home. However, there were no significant differences in the participation patterns of boys and girls. Physical, social, and structural aspects of the location where a child lives impact the frequency, type of activities, and whom a child participates with most frequently in out-of-school activities. The activity participation of boys and girls in Australia has become quite similar.

An intervention to improve social participation for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: pilot study

The study showed the improvements were observed in adolescents' flexible thinking and social insights, and parent's perception of their child's self-regulation following intervention

How significant is partnership formation in area-based projects to increase parental attendance at maternal and child health services

Objectives: 

Geelong kindergarten participation rate project 2011

Research has clearly identified the long term benefits of young children attending an education program in the year before school. Participation in kindergarten is important in terms of children’s early learning, education and development. An extensive study into pre-school care and education by Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford, Taggart & Elliot (2003) found that the quality of childcare affected the long-term capabilities of the child. “This study has demonstrated the positive effects of high quality pre-school provision on children’s intellectual and social behavioural development up to entry in primary school.” ( 2003, p.5).

Contribution of the after-school period to children’s daily participation in physical activity and sedentary behaviours

Objectives: Children’s after-school physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviours (SB) are not well understood, despite the potential this period holds for intervention. This study aimed to describe children’s after-school physical activity and sedentary behaviours; establish the contribution this makes to daily participation and to achieving physical activity and sedentary behaviours guidelines; and to determine the association between after-school moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA), screen-based sedentary behaviours and achieving the physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines.Methods: Children (n=406, mean age 8.1 years, 58% girls) wore an ActiGraph GT3X accelerometer. The percentage of time and minutes spent sedentary (SED), in light- physical activity (LPA) and MVPA between the end-of-school and 6pm (weekdays) was calculated. Parents (n=318, 40 years, 89% female) proxy-reported their child’s after-school participation in screen-based sedentary behaviours. The contribution that after-school SED, LPA, MVPA, and screen-based sedentary behaviours made to daily levels, and that after-school MVPA and screen-based sedentary behaviours made to achieving the physical activity/sedentary behaviour guidelines was calculated. Regression analysis determined the association between after-school MVPA and screen-based sedentary behaviours and achieving the physical activity/sedentary behaviours guidelines.Results: Children spent 54% of the after-school period SED and this accounted for 21% of children’s daily SED levels. Boys spent a greater percentage of time in MVPA than girls (14.9% vs. 13.6%; p<0.05) but this made a smaller contribution to their daily levels (27.6% vs 29.8%; p<0.05). After school, boys and girls respectively performed 18.8 minutes and 16.7 minutes of MVPA which is 31.4% and 27.8% of the MVPA (p<0.05) required to achieve the physical activity guidelines. Children spent 96 minutes in screen-based sedentary behaviours, contributing to 84% of their daily screen-based sedentary behaviours and 80% of the sedentary behaviour guidelines. After-school MVPA was positively associated with achieving the physical activity guidelines (OR: 1.31, 95%CI 1.18, 1.44, p<0.05) and after-school screen-based sedentary behaviours was negatively associated with achieving the sedentary behaviours guidelines (OR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.96, 0.97, p<0.05).Conclusions: The after-school period plays a critical role in the accumulation of children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Small changes to after school behaviours can have large impacts on children’s daily behaviours levels and likelihood of meeting the recommended levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Therefore interventions should target reducing after-school sedentary behaviours and increasing physical activity.

New evidence of the causal effect of family size on child quality in a developing country

This paper presents new evidence of the causal effect of family size on child quality in a developing-country context. We estimate the impact of family size on child labor and educational outcomes among Brazilian children and young adults by exploring the exogenous variation of family size driven by the presence of twins in the family. Using the Brazilian Census data for 1991, we nd that the exogenous increase in family size is positively related to labor force participation for boys and girls and to household chores for young women. We also and negative e ects on educational outcomes for boys and girls and negative impacts on human capital formation for young female adults. Moreover, we obtain suggestive evidence that credit and time constraints faced by poor families may explain the findings.

Argentina: Impacts of the child allowance programme on the labour-market behaviour of adults

In 2009 Argentina implemented the Universal Child Allowance for Social Protection (AUH), a cash transfer programme for households with children. Coverage provided by the contributory family allowance programme was extended to parents who are unemployed or who work in the informal sector (domestic workers, for example). This paper uses the difference-in-difference estimator and propensity score matching techniques to evaluate the short-term effects of the auh on adult labour participation and income generation. The results suggest that, during its first year of operation, no significant disincentives to work were generated by the programme, given that it did not discourage adults from working or lead to a reduction in the number of hours worked. These findings are highly relevant in the Latin American context where these kinds of cash transfers have become an important component of social protection systems.