Decrease In Physical Activity Levels Research Articles

Physical activity and sedentary behavior among children and adolescents living in an area affected by the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami for 3years.

The purpose of this study is to examine the change in physical activity levels among children and adolescents living in the area affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami for 3 years immediately following the disaster. Children and adolescents graded four to nine and attending school in the Pacific coastal area of northern Japan were included in a total of four serial prevalence investigations: the first at 6 months after the earthquake/tsunami (I, n = 434) and additional surveys at 1 year (II, n = 437), 2 years (III, n = 401), and 3 years (IV, n = 365) after the earthquake. Students were also required to undergo assessment of their accelerometer-determined daily steps and sedentary time using a self-administrated questionnaire. Accelerometer-determined median daily steps of children and adolescents were significantly different (p < 0.05) on both weekdays and weekends over 3 years. The median daily steps of children of both genders on weekdays and those of girls on weekends at period IV were significantly lower than those at period I. In addition, the median daily steps of adolescents on weekdays among girls and weekends among boys at period IV were significantly lower than those at period I. It appears that children and adolescents who survive the earthquake and tsunami experience a decrease in physical activity levels. Future research should elucidate longitudinal demographic and sociocultural factors that contribute to changes in physical activity levels among children and adolescents living in the areas affected by these disasters.

Aerobic exercise did not have compensatory effects on physical activity levels in type 2 diabetes patients

Although exercise promotes beneficial effects in diabetic patients, some studies have questioned the degree of their importance in terms of the increase in total energy expenditure. In these studies, the decrease of physical activity levels (PAL) was referred as “compensatory effect of exercise”. However, our aim was to investigate whether aerobic exercise has compensatory effects on PAL in type 2 diabetes patients. Eight volunteers (51.1 ± 8.2 years) were enrolled in a supervised exercise programme for 8 weeks (3 d · wk−1, 50–60% of VO2 peak for 30–60 min). PAL was measured using tri-axial accelerometers in the 1st, 8th and 12th weeks. Biochemical tests, cardiorespiratory fitness, anthropometric assessment and body composition were measured in the 2nd and 11th weeks. Statistical analysis was performed using non-parametric tests (Friedman and Wilcoxon, P < 0.05). We found no significant differences in PAL between intervention periods, and participants spent the majority of their awake time in sedentary activities. However, the exercise programme generated a significant 14.8% increase in VO2 peak and a 15% reduction in fructosamine. The exercise programme had no compensatory effects on PAL in type 2 diabetes patients, but improved their cardiorespiratory fitness and glycaemic control.

Low levels of physical activity in female adolescents cause overweight and obesity: are our schools failing our children?

The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among female adolescents is a global health problem. In developing countries such as South Africa, this increase is often associated with urbanisation and the adoption of a Western lifestyle. Two aspects of the Western lifestyle that contribute to the development of overweight and obesity are a decrease in physical activity levels and an increase in the consumption of energy-dense food, high in fats and refined sugar. Information on the prevalence of increased body fatness in populations in transition is scarce, but necessary for effective planning and intervention. Current indications are that there is a trend towards unhealthy behaviour among high-school girls, globally and in South Africa. Schools can play an important role in the prevention of overweight and obesity among schoolgirls. It is recommended that school governing bodies institute remedial action to prevent weight gain in children, especially girls.

AB1168-HPR Physical Inacivity in Adults with Rheumatic Diseases

BackgroundPhysical inactivity is a frequent complication of rheumatic diseases, and also common in the general population. However, there is surprisingly little research available comparing daily life physical activity between patients...

Impact of compliance with different guidelines on physical activity during pregnancy and perceived barriers to leisure physical activity

The aims of the this prospective study were to analyse physical activity (PA) engagement during the first and second trimesters, considering the different guidelines published on PA, to document the individual characteristics associated with the accomplishment of these guidelines and to examine pregnant women’s perceived barriers to leisure PA, using a socioecological framework. A sample of 133 pregnant women in two stages – at 10–12 weeks’ gestation (T1) and 20–22 weeks’ gestation (T2) – were evaluated. PA was assessed by accelerometry during the T1 and T2 evaluation stages. Socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and barriers to leisure PA were assessed via questionnaire. A large proportion of women (ranging from 32% to 96%) did not reach the levels of PA recommended by the guidelines. There were no significant differences between T1 and T2 with regard to compliance with PA recommendations. A decrease in PA levels from T1 to T2 was noted for all recommendations. No associations were found between participants’ characteristics and adherence to the recommendations in T1 and T2. No significant differences were found in barriers to leisure PA between T1 and T2. The most commonly reported barriers to leisure PA were intrapersonal, not health related. Our results indicate that there were no differences between trimesters regarding compliance of PA recommendations, and perceived barriers were similar in both trimesters.

The association between physical activity, overweight and obesity among Syrian University students

Obesity and being overweight are considered as global health problems because obesity increases the risk of several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. Physical activity plays an important role in preventing overweight and obesity in young people and stemming its progression into young adulthood. Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable time for the development of obesity because it is marked by a slowing of growth and corresponding decrease in physical activity levels. In addition, physically active youth have lower levels of adiposity than youth who are less active. Several studies have identified the role of physical activity in attaining a healthy body weight. A study carried out at the University of Kalamoon, revealed that the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Syria is almost 47%. The objective of this study was to find out the association between physical activity, overweight and obesity in Syrian university students. An accurate assessment of physical activity is important in determining the risk of overweight and obesity. The absence of local and national relevant data in the Arab world could pose challenges to epidemiological studies on physical activity in these countries. Data from the International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ) short format on 320 Syrian university students (age 18-26) were analyzed. The prevalence of overweight/obesity had a strong inverse association with physical activity among males and females alike but was more visible in females. The low intensity and short duration of the physical activity has also played a role in shigher body mass index (BMI) values. More metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs) minutes/week resulted in lower BMI values and on the contrary, sitting time had a positive relationship with higher BMI values. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) between males and females with regard to METs minutes/week which was 4854 ± 1272 and 4408 ± 1136 for males and females respectively in the normal weight group and for 4368 ± 984 and 4041 ± 985 for males and females, respectively in overweight group and 3385 ± 982 and 3063 ± 801 for males and females, respectively in obesity group. This trend also applies to sitting METs minutes/week. In the normal weight group, males had higher values than females whereas females had higher values in the overweight and obesity group but thedifference was significant (P < 0.05) between males and females in the three groups. These results underscore the importance of promoting physical activity among adolescence to prevent and control overweight and obesity.

Obesity and sedentarism in children and adolescents: what should be bone?

Paediatric overweight continues to be a public health problem, and the etiology of obesity is multifactorial and complex. Dietary patterns, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors are acknowledged as major behavioural determinants of obesity. New technologies and electronic based activities have produced a decrease in PA levels, and an increase in sedentary activities in children and adolescents. Potential mechanisms that explain the association between TV viewing and childhood obesity are: displacement of PA, unhealthy food preferences produced by food advertisements, a higher energy intake by automatic eating and overconsumption caused by distraction. Interventions aimed to reduce time in sedentary behaviours are in children generally positive. However, their benefits on adiposity markers are small. Thus, if global and macro-level obesogenic factors are not changed substantially, the interventions oriented to prevent obesity will produce small benefits.

Influence of social and environmental variables in declining physical activity during transition to adulthood

Introduction: The transition to adulthood is characterized by a decrease in physical activity level. However, to our knowledge, there are no studies that examined the role of environmental and social variables in the decline of physical activity during transition to adulthood. The main purposes of the study were to determine the changes in physical activity level and the influence of sociodemographic and environmental variables on those physical activity levels during transition to adulthood.

Canada's Physical Activity Guide: Examining Print-Based Material for Motivating Physical Activity in the Workplace

The authors conducted a secondary analysis on 202 adults from the Physical Activity Workplace Study. The aim of this analysis was to examine demographic characteristics associated with reading Canada's Physical Activity Guide (CPAG), being motivated by the guide, and whether participants in the Physical Activity Workplace Study who read the CPAG increased their physical activity levels over 1 year. Results revealed that less than 50% of participants read the full version of CPAG, and less than 10% were motivated by it. The CPAG also appears to be more appealing to and effective for women than for men. Although the CPAG had some influence in increasing mild physical activity levels in a workplace sample, there was also a decrease in physical activity levels among some members of the group. Overall, the effectiveness of CPAG was not substantial, and the findings of this analysis could help guide future targeted intervention materials and programs.

Motor coordination as predictor of physical activity in childhood

This study considers relationships among motor coordination (MC), physical fitness (PF) and physical activity (PA) in children followed longitudinally from 6 to 10 years. It is hypothesized that MC is a significant and primary predictor of PA in children. Subjects were 142 girls and 143 boys. Height, weight and skinfolds; PA (Godin-Shephard questionnaire); MC (Körperkoordination Test für Kinder); and PF (five fitness items) were measured. Hierarchical linear modeling with MC and PF as predictors of PA was used. The retained model indicated that PA at baseline differed significantly between boys (48.3 MET/week) and girls (40.0 MET/week). The interaction of MC and 1 mile run/walk had a positive influence on level of PA. The general trend for a decrease in PA level across years was attenuated or amplified depending on initial level of MC. The estimated rate of decline in PA was negligible for children with higher levels of MC at 6 years, but was augmented by 2.58 and 2.47 units each year, respectively, for children with low and average levels of initial MC. In conclusion MC is an important predictor of PA in children 6-10 years of age.

Effect of Telephone Exercise Counseling on Frailty in Older Veterans: Project LIFE

This study sought to determine if telephone exercise counseling attenuates frailty in older, male veterans through increased levels of physical activity. Eighty-one elderly, male veterans (age = 78.4 +/- 4.9 years) randomized to intervention (n = 39) or combined control groups (n = 42) completed baseline and 6-month follow-up measures of gait velocity, 6-min walk, chair stands, body mass index, and physical activity. Adapting the Fried frailty model, deficits in one or more of these outcomes indicated frailty. The intervention group had a 6-month decrease of 18% in the proportion of frail to not frail participants, whereas the control groups had no change in proportions (Fisher's p = .08). Frail participants had a mean 6-month decrease in physical activity levels of 124 kilocalories/week, whereas the not frail group increased by 619 kilocalories/week (p = .07). There was a clinically meaningful change in frailty status with intensive, telephone exercise counseling. Improvement in frailty status was likely due to improvement in functional limitations.

Energy Imbalance Underlying the Development of Childhood Obesity

To develop a model based on empirical data and human energetics to predict the total energy cost of weight gain and obligatory increase in energy intake and/or decrease in physical activity level associated with weight gain in children and adolescents. One-year changes in weight and body composition and basal metabolic rate (BMR) were measured in 488 Hispanic children and adolescents. Fat-free mass (FFM) and fat mass (FM) were measured by DXA and BMR by calorimetry. Model specifications include the following: body mass (BM) = FFM + FM, each with a specific energy content, cff (1.07 kcal/g FFM) and cf (9.25 kcal/g FM), basal energy expenditure (EE), kff and kf, and energetic conversion efficiency, eff (0.42) for FFM and ef (0.85) for FM. Total energy cost of weight gain is equal to the sum of energy storage, EE associated with increased BM, conversion energy (CE), and diet-induced EE (DIEE). Sex- and Tanner stage-specific values are indicated for the basal EE of FFM (kff) and the fat fraction in added tissue (fr). Total energy cost of weight gain is partitioned into energy storage (24% to 36%), increase in EE (40% to 57%), CE (8% to 13%), and DIEE (10%). Observed median (10th to 90th percentile) weight gain of 6.1 kg/yr (2.4 to 11.4 kg/yr) corresponds at physical activity level (PAL) = 1.5, 1.75, and 2.0 to a total energy cost of weight gain of 244 (93 to 448 kcal/d), 267 (101 to 485 kcal/d), and 290 kcal/d (110 to 527 kcal/d), respectively, and to a total energy intake of 2695 (1890 to 3730), 3127 (2191 to 4335), and 3551 (2487 to 4930) kcal/d, respectively. If weight gain is caused by a change in PAL alone and PAL(0) = 1.5 at baseline t = 0, the model indicates a drop in PAL of 0.22 (0.08 to 0.34) units, which is equivalent to 60 (18 to 105) min/d of walking at 2.5 mph. Halting the development or progression of childhood obesity, as observed in these Hispanic children and adolescents, by counteracting its total energy costs will require a sizable decrease in energy intake and/or reciprocal increase in physical activity.

Resting Energy Expenditure and Body Mass Changes in Women During Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Weight gain is a commonly reported side effect of adjuvant chemotherapy. A change in resting energy expenditure during treatment has been a suggested mechanism for weight gain. We prospectively measured resting energy expenditure, weight change, and body composition (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) in 10 women undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. There was no change in resting energy expenditure across cycles of chemotherapy (P =.78) or from baseline to the end of treatment (1,189.68 +/- 80.27 vs 1,205.76 +/- 56.71 kcal/d; P =.74). Overall, participants did not gain weight across treatment. However, there was an overall trend toward weight gain (66.3 +/- 5.1 vs 68.2 +/- 5.0 kg; P =.09), and participants did show an increase in total fat mass (24.2 +/- 3.8 vs 26.5 +/- 3.2 kg; P =.04), whereas muscle mass remained the same. Although no change in resting energy expenditure was seen, the observed increase in total fat mass is consistent with a decrease in physical activity level commonly reported with adjuvant chemotherapy treatment of breast cancer, and these body composition changes may have important health implications for survivors.

Kan fysisk aktivitet förebygga benskörhet?

The number of fractures occurring as a consequence of osteoporosis is increasing and constitutes a major health problem in the Western world. A decrease in physical activity levels within the general population has been suggested to contribute to the development of osteoporosis. Only a few drugs are available for the treatment of osteoporosis, none of which can establish a complete cure of the disease. Therefore, prevention is of the utmost importance. Physical exercise has been shown to generate positive effects on bone mass and density as well as decreased fracture risk. Weight-bearing activities must be performed for maximal effect on the skeleton. Exercise must be continued and possibly progressive for gains in bone mass to be sustained. Exercise should not be a substitute for hormone replacement therapy during menopause, but it may add to the positive effects on bone of both hormone supplementation and sufficient calcium intake. Furthermore, regardless of bon e mass, exercise influences muscle strength, balance and co-ordination and could thereby prevent fractures. Keywords: exercise, bone, fracture, osteoporosis.

Kan fysisk aktivitet förebygga benskörhet?

The number of fractures occurring as a consequence of osteoporosis is increasing and constitutes a major health problem in the Western world. A decrease in physical activity levels within the general population has been suggested to contribute to the development of osteoporosis. Only a few drugs are available for the treatment of osteoporosis, none of which can establish a complete cure of the disease. Therefore, prevention is of the utmost importance. Physical exercise has been shown to generate positive effects on bone mass and density as well as decreased fracture risk. Weight-bearing activities must be performed for maximal effect on the skeleton. Exercise must be continued and possibly progressive for gains in bone mass to be sustained. Exercise should not be a substitute for hormone replacement therapy during menopause, but it may add to the positive effects on bone of both hormone supplementation and sufficient calcium intake. Furthermore, regardless of bon e mass, exercise influences muscle strength, balance and co-ordination and could thereby prevent fractures. Keywords: exercise, bone, fracture, osteoporosis.

Increase of physical activity level after successful renal transplantation: a 5 year follow-up study.

Physical activity (PA) level of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients after renal transplantation (TP) is a largely unexplored field, although it is an important component of quality of life. Using the Baecke self-administered and the Five-City Project 7-day PA recall questionnaires, PA level was estimated in 32 consecutive ESRD patients (12 males, 20 females; mean age 45.9+/-13.1 years; mean dialysis duration 23.5+/-21.8 months) admitted for renal TP and to whom no exercise programme of any kind was proposed. PA were recorded 1, 3, 6, 12 and 60 months after TP. Immediate pre-TP PA level of renal transplant candidates was between 18 and 35% less than that of age-matched healthy subjects (P < 0.05), depending on gender and questionnaire. After an immediate decrease in PA level 1 month post-TP, mean PA level increased and reached a plateau 1 year after TP. This gain in PA capacity reached 30%, as compared with pre-TP values (P = 0.06 to P < 0.01). During the fifth year after TP, the mean level of PA was unchanged. A more qualitative analysis, allowed by the sub-score comparisons, showed that although the occupational status of the patients remained the same, they participated significantly more in moderate and even high intensity PA (leisure, sports, household chores) after TP. Most renal graft recipients are spontaneously more active after TP, an observation consistent with a better quality of life. Therefore, they should be advised precisely about how to resume more strenuous activities such as sports in order to avoid cardiac or musculoskeletal disorders in relation to their weakened pre-TP condition.

Assessment of lifetime patterns of dairy food intake and physical activity.

Patterns of nutrition and exercise throughout the life span may account for differences in health problems of aging. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a simple life span history questionnaire of dairy food intake and to assess recalled levels of leisure time physical activity over the life span. Volunteers, 98 women and 49 men, completed two nutritional surveys (Criterion Questionnaire, ¿CRIQ¿ and Diary Food Index, ¿INDX¿) and a physical activity questionnaire (P-ACTQ) in a test re-test design. The INDX and P-ACTQ consisted of a one to four scale (low to high intake). Dairy food intake averaged 1.4 to 2.3 servings per day with no significant differences in current dairy food intake between decade age categories. When compared to their own recalled 20's decade, dairy food intake declined slightly with age, except for the 80-89 age group which showed an increased intake. Test retest reliability for the INDX was r = 0.64. Validity of the INDX compared to the CRIQ was r = 0.64. All groups showed a decrease in physical activity levels across the life span. The Dairy Food Index holds promise as a simple "global" assessment of dairy food intake for the study of lifetime trends in advancing our understanding of the role of lifetime habits in chronic "lifestyle" diseases.