Habitual Physical Activity In Children Research Articles

Body composition, physical fitness and physical activity in Mozambican children and adolescents living with HIV.

As a result of the effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs (ART), HIV/AIDS has become a chronic disease, which has enabled children living with HIV to reach adolescence and adulthood. However, the long exposure to both the disease and ART has caused undesirable effects that compromise the physiological functioning and the quality of life of the subjects. To determine the body composition, physical fitness and habitual physical activity of children and adolescents living with HIV on ART. A total of 79 subjects of both genders aged 8-14 years, living with HIV in ART, selected by convenience participated in the study. The subjects underwent anthropometric assessment, physical fitness assessment and physical activity assessment. Relative to reference norms, the values of the anthropometric indicators fell below 50th percentile (height/age = 92.4%; BMI/age 72.2%; sum of skinfolds = 51.9%; arm circumference = 63.3%). The prevalence of "low height/age" and "low weight/age" was 34.9% and 9.3%, respectively for boys, and 27.9% and 11.1%, respectively for girls. With the exception of trunk flexibility (12.3%), most subjects were considered unfit in the physical fitness tests (abdominal resistance = 76.4%; handgrip strength = 75.4%; lower limb power = 66.4%). The percentage of subjects with insufficient physical activity was 45.5% for boys and 77.8% for girls. The values for all variables were consistently and significantly lower when compared with studies done in Mozambicans boys and girls without HIV+ from both urban and rural areas. The subjects participants in the study living with HIV and undergoing ART had impaired growth, low physical fitness and low levels of habitual physical activity in relation to the reference values of their peers without HIV, which compromised their physiological functioning and their quality of life.

P209 Physical fitness and habitual physical activity in children with cystic fibrosis - do they improve with elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor therapy?

P209 Physical fitness and habitual physical activity in children with cystic fibrosis - do they improve with elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor therapy?

Effect of Linear and Nonlinear Pedagogy Physical Education Interventions on Children's Physical Activity: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (SAMPLE-PE).

Background: School-based interventions are a key opportunity to improve children’s physical activity (PA); however, there is lack of evidence about how pedagogical approaches to motor learning in physical education (PE) might affect PA in children. Therefore, this study aimed to assess how different pedagogical approaches in PE might affect children’s PA. Methods: Participants (n = 360, 5–6 years) from 12 primary schools within the SAMPLE-PE randomized controlled trial were randomly allocated to either Linear Pedagogy (LP: n = 3) or Nonlinear Pedagogy (NP: n = 3) interventions, where schools received a 15-week PE intervention delivered by trained coaches, or to a control group (n = 6), where schools followed usual practice. ActiGraph GT9X accelerometers were used to assess PA metrics (moderate-to-vigorous PA, mean raw acceleration and lowest acceleration over the most active hour and half hour) over whole and segmented weeks at baseline, immediately post-intervention and 6 months follow-up. Intention to treat analysis employing multilevel modelling was used to assess intervention effects. Results: LP and NP interventions did not significantly affect children’s PA levels compared to the control group. Conclusion: PE interventions based on LP and NP alone might not be effective in improving habitual PA in children.

Parenting and social-ecological correlates with children's health behaviours: A latent profile analysis.

Paediatric obesity poses dangers to children's short and long-term health. Multi-level ecological models posit how children's health behaviours are influenced by interpersonal relationships. To identify profiles of individual and interpersonal health behaviours and parenting skills among caregivers and their children with elevated BMI. Participants were 240 children (63.7% Latino) ages 5 to 12 years with body mass index ≥85th percentile and their caregivers in a paediatric weight management intervention trial. A latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles among caregiver report of parenting skills; child physical activity, eating behaviours, and food and beverage choices; family mealtime, media and sleep routines; and parent health behaviours, and associations with food and housing insecurity. A three-class model was chosen based on conceptual interpretation and model fit. Profiles were differentiated by parenting skills, child food choices, child physical activity habits, family mealtime, media, and sleep routines, and parent health behaviours. Food and housing insecurity were associated with class membership while child and caregiver anthropometrics were not. Distinct profiles existed among this low-income, racially/ethnically diverse sample of children with elevated BMI. Such findings emphasize the importance of assessing individual and interpersonal influences and contextual factors on childhood obesity.

Machine learning to quantify habitual physical activity in children with cerebral palsy.

To investigate whether activity-monitors and machine learning models could provide accurate information about physical activity performed by children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) who use mobility aids for ambulation. Eleven participants (mean age 11y [SD 3y]; six females, five males) classified in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels III and IV, completed six physical activity trials wearing a tri-axial accelerometer on the wrist, hip, and thigh. Trials included supine rest, upper-limb task, walking, wheelchair propulsion, and cycling. Three supervised learning algorithms (decision tree, support vector machine [SVM], random forest) were trained on features in the raw-acceleration signal. Model-performance was evaluated using leave-one-subject-out cross-validation accuracy. Cross-validation accuracy for the single-placement models ranged from 59% to 79%, with the best performance achieved by the random forest wrist model (79%). Combining features from two or more accelerometer placements significantly improved classification accuracy. The random forest wrist and hip model achieved an overall accuracy of 92%, while the SVM wrist, hip, and thigh model achieved an overall accuracy of 90%. Models trained on features in the raw-acceleration signal may provide accurate recognition of clinically relevant physical activity behaviours in children and adolescents with CP who use mobility aids for ambulation in a controlled setting. Machine learning may assist clinicians in evaluating the efficacy of surgical and therapy-based interventions. Machine learning may help researchers better understand the short- and long-term benefits of physical activity for children with more severe motor impairments.

Differential effects of acute physical activity on executive function in preschoolers with high and low habitual physical activity levels

ObjectivesTo investigate the effect of one bout of moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) on executive function in preschoolers, and the moderating effect of children's habitual physical activity (PA) levels. MethodBased on accelerometer data from three weekdays and one weekend, 63 children aged 3–5 years were divided into tertiles. Children in the upper (n = 21) and lower (n = 20) tertiles participated in an intervention experiment. Using a within-subject design, 41 children participated in 25 min of PA (20 min of MVPA) and a sedentary control condition in random order on 2 separate days. The day–night Stroop, Corsi block, and dimensional change card sort (DCCS) tasks were administered individually in counterbalanced order after completion of each intervention activity. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine pre–post-test changes in task performance in the high and low PA groups. ResultsFlexibility performance on the DCCS task was temporarily enhanced by one bout of PA in preschoolers [F (1, 39) = 5.95, p = 0.02, η2 = 0.13]. An interaction effect was observed between the habitual PA level and acute PA on cognitive control [F (1, 39) = 5.47, p = 0.03, η2 = 0.12]. The acute PA intervention improved day–night Stroop reaction times in children with high (F = 9.15, p < 0.01), but not low, habitual PA levels (F = 0.10, p = 0.75). ConclusionAcute MVPA temporarily improves the cognitive performance of preschoolers, with a greater benefit for children with higher habitual PA levels.

Efficacy of Participation-Focused Therapy on Performance of Physical Activity Participation Goals and Habitual Physical Activity in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveTo determine the efficacy of a participation-focused therapy (ParticiPAte CP) on leisure-time physical activity goal performance and satisfaction and habitual physical activity (HPA) in children with CP. DesignRandomized waitlist-controlled trial. SettingHome and community. ParticipantsChildren classified at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I-III were recruited (n=37; 18 males; mean age ± SD, 10.0±1.4y) from a population-based register. InterventionsParticipants were randomized to ParticiPAte CP (an 8-wk goal-directed, individualized, participation-focused therapy delivered by a physical therapist) or waitlist usual care. Main Outcome MeasuresThe primary outcome was Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Accelerometers were worn for objective measurement of HPA (min/d moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA], sedentary time). Barriers to participation, community participation, and quality-of-life outcomes were also collected. Data were analyzed by intention-to-treat using generalized estimating equations. ResultsParticiPAte CP led to significant improvements in goal performance (mean difference [MD]=3.58; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.19-4.97; P<.001), satisfaction (MD=1.87; 95% CI, 0.37-3.36, P=.014), and barriers to participation (MD=26.39; 95% CI, 6.13-46.67; P=.011) compared with usual care at 8 weeks. There were no between-group differences on minutes per day of MVPA at 8 weeks (MD=1.17; 95% CI, −13.27 to 15.61; P=.874). There was a significant difference in response to intervention between participants who were versus were not meeting HPA guidelines at baseline (MD=15.85; 95% CI, 3.80-27.89; P<.0061). After ParticiPAte CP, low active participants had increased average MVPA by 5.98±12.16 minutes per day. ConclusionParticiPAte CP was effective at increasing perceived performance of leisure-time physical activity goals in children with CP GMFCS I-III by reducing modifiable barriers to participation. This did not translate into change in HPA on average; however, low active children may have a clinically meaningful response.

Quality of life and habitual physical activity in children with cerebral palsy aged 5 years: A cross-sectional study

ObjectiveTo compare quality of life (QOL) according to ambulatory status and to investigate association with habitual physical activity (HPA) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 5 years. MethodsFifty-eight participants were classified using Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) as level I = 33, II = 8, III = 6, IV = 3 and V = 8 and assessed for motor function using 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66). Participants wore an ActiGraph® triaxial accelerometer for 3 days to measure HPA. Parents completed the parent proxy Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life questionnaire for Children (CP QOL-Child). Linear regression analyses were performed. ResultsAmbulant children with CP (GMFCS I–III) had better parent-reported QOL than non-ambulant children (GMFCS IV–V) in domains of feelings about functioning (mean difference (MD) = 20.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 11.7, 28.2), participation and physical health (MD = 14.5; 95%CI = 4.7, 24.4), and emotional well-being and self-esteem (MD = 12.5; 95%CI = 4.8, 20.1). HPA was not associated with QOL domains after controlling for motor function. GMFM scores accounted for 39% of variation for feelings about functioning domain (MD = 0.4; 95%CI = 0.2, 0.6). ConclusionsIn children with CP aged 5 years, HPA was not associated with parent-reported QOL. Gross motor function contributed to QOL domains of feelings about functioning.

Breakfast habits, dairy product consumption, physical activity, and their associations with body mass index in children aged 6–18

Skipping breakfast was associated with overweight/obesity in schoolchildren and adolescents, while milk consumption exhibited a protective effect. What is known? • Dietary interventions should be incorporated into a multidisciplinary strategy for obesity prevention. • Most studies of habitual physical activity in children suggest that the overweight and obese children are less active. What is new? • Milk consumption seems to have a protective effect against overweight/obesity, irrespective of yogurt or cheese consumption. • Children engaging in greater physical activity had higher body mass index values than others.

The efficacy of interventions to increase physical activity participation of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To determine efficacy of therapy and behaviour change interventions to increase the level of participation in leisure-time physical activities (LTPAs) and habitual physical activity in children and young people with cerebral palsy. Five databases were systematically searched. Included studies were randomized or comparison designs. Methodological quality was assessed with a modified Downs and Black Scale. Quantitative analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 (The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark). Intervention components and behaviour change constructs were mapped against (1) the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and (2) the Theoretical Domains Framework. Searches yielded 2487 unique articles. Eight studies (nine articles) were included. Interventions included physical training, activity level training, combined physical training and behaviour change therapy, online behaviour change modules, and context-focused therapy. Study quality varied from moderate to high. There was a small, significant effect of physical activity intervention compared with passive usual care on level of habitual physical activity, of approximately 1000 additional steps per day (standardized mean difference 0.34, 95% confidence interval 0.03-0.66, p=0.030). There was no significant effect on LTPA participation (standardized mean difference 0.40, 95% confidence interval -0.40 to 1.19, p=0.330). Therapy and behaviour change interventions have the potential to increase LTPA participation of children and young people with cerebral palsy, although there is a need to depart from impairment-focused approaches. Inappropriate selection of outcomes and inadequate reporting of complex interventions are barriers to progress in this field.

Habitual Physical Activity in Children With Cerebral Palsy Aged 4 to 5 Years Across All Functional Abilities.

To compare ambulatory status in children with cerebral palsy aged 4 to 5 years with their habitual physical activity and time spent sedentary, and to compare their activity with physical activity guidelines. Sixty-seven participants-independently ambulant, marginally ambulant, and nonambulant-wore accelerometers for 3 days. Time spent sedentary as a percentage of wear time and activity counts were compared between groups. There were significant differences in time spent sedentary and activity counts between groups. Children who were independently ambulant were more likely to meet physical activity guidelines. Children with cerebral palsy spent more than half of their waking hours in sedentary time. Interventions to reduce sedentary behavior and increase habitual physical activity are needed in children with cerebral palsy at age 4 to 5 years.

Commentary on "Habitual Physical Activity in Children With Cerebral Palsy Age 4 to 5 Years Across All Functional Abilities".

Commentary on "Habitual Physical Activity in Children With Cerebral Palsy Age 4 to 5 Years Across All Functional Abilities".

Physical activity with congenital heart disease – Where are we 2017?

Introduction: Adequate physical activity is important for a healthy and age-appropriate development in children and adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD). To enable each child with CHD individual and harmless physical ­activity an exam by a pediatric cardiologist/sports medicine physician, specific recommendations based on residual findings and structures of care are needed. Methods: A selective review of the literature in PubMed was performed to retrieve current guidelines and review ­articles. Further, data from the MoMo-study as part of the population-based German KiGGS-study were analysed regarding the habitual physical activity in children with CHD compared to the healthy counterpart. Results: There are three options to perform sports as child with CHD: 1. Sports with healthy peers: Model “Sports at school and in clubs”; 2. Sports within a group of children with CHD: Model “Sports Heart Group”, 3. Model “Individual sports”. Preliminary results from MoMo show that children and adolescents with CHD do not differ from the health counterparts in sports participation in clubs nor in daily ­habitual physical activity behavior. Conclusions: Results of the subgroup analysis of the ­MoMo-study are encouraging as children with heart disease, even though often physical handicapped, are as motivated to participate in sports and regular physical activity, preferably with healthy people. Pediatric cardiologists/sports medicine physicians should provide the necessary support to youth with CHD to enable them to be as active as possible without harm.

Associations Between the Neighborhood Environment and Moderate-to-Vigorous Walking in New Zealand Children: Findings from the URBAN Study.

Urban design may affect children's habitual physical activity by influencing active commuting and neighborhood play. Our objective was to examine associations between neighborhood built-environment features near children's homes and objectively measured physical activity. We used geographical information system (GIS) protocols to select 2016 households from 48 low- and high-walkability neighborhoods within four New Zealand cities. Children (n=227; mean age±standard deviation [SD] 9.3±2.1years) from the selected households wore accelerometers that recorded physical activity in the period 2008-2010. We used multilevel linear models to examine the associations of GIS and street-audit measures, using the systematic pedestrian and cycling environmental scan (SPACES), of the residential environment (ranked into tertiles) on children's hourly step counts and proportions of time spent at moderate-to-vigorous intensity on school and non-school days. During school-travel times (8:00-8:59 a.m. and 15:00-15:59 p.m.), children in the mid-tertile distance from school (~1 to 2km) were more active than children with shorter or longer commute distances (1290 vs. 1130 and 1140 steps·h(-1); true between-child SD 440). After school (16:00-17:59 p.m.), children residing closest to school were more active (890 vs. 800 and 790 steps·h(-1); SD 310). Neighborhoods with more green space, attractive streets, or low-walkability streets showed a moderate positive association on non-school day moderate-to-vigorous steps, whereas neighborhoods with additional pedestrian infrastructure or more food outlets showed moderate negative associations. Other associations of residential neighborhoods were unclear but, at most, small. Designing the urban environment to promote safe child-pedestrian roaming may increase children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Level of habitual physical activity in children and adolescents from the Region of Murcia (Spain).

The level of physical activity of people is a very important issue internationally. The aim of this study was to analyze the level of habitual physical activity in children and adolescents from the Region of Murcia (Spain). With this purpose, the questionnaire Physician-based Assessment and Counseling for Exercise (PACE) was administered to 1055 children and adolescents (532 males and 523 females), aged between 3 and 18 years. The results showed that the sample studied does not do enough physical activity, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, as they do at least 60 min of physical activity only an average of 3.29 days/week (SD = 1.84). Besides, 77 % of the schoolchildren studied is inactive according to the classification of PACE questionnaire. According to sex, there are more active boys (31.2 %) than active girls (14.9 %) and, on average, boys do more physical activity than girls, almost a day more per week.

Deliberate Play and Preparation Jointly Benefit Motor and Cognitive Development: Mediated and Moderated Effects.

In light of the interrelation between motor and cognitive development and the predictive value of the former for the latter, the secular decline observed in motor coordination ability as early as preschool urges identification of interventions that may jointly impact motor and cognitive efficiency. The aim of this study was twofold. It (1) explored the outcomes of enriched physical education (PE), centered on deliberate play and cognitively challenging variability of practice, on motor coordination and cognitive processing; (2) examined whether motor coordination outcomes mediate intervention effects on children’s cognition, while controlling for moderation by lifestyle factors as outdoor play habits and weight status. Four hundred and sixty children aged 5–10 years participated in a 6-month group randomized intervention in PE, with or without playful coordinative and cognitive enrichment. The weight status and spontaneous outdoor play habits of children (parental report of outdoor play) were evaluated at baseline. Before and after the intervention, motor developmental level (Movement Assessment Battery for Children) was evaluated in all children, who were then assessed either with a test of working memory (Random Number Generation task), or with a test of attention (from the Cognitive Assessment System). Children assigned to the ‘enriched’ intervention showed more pronounced improvements in all motor coordination assessments (manual dexterity, ball skills, static/dynamic balance). The beneficial effect on ball skills was amplified by the level of spontaneous outdoor play and weight status. Among indices of executive function and attention, only that of inhibition showed a differential effect of intervention type. Moderated mediation showed that the better outcome of the enriched PE on ball skills mediated the better inhibition outcome, but only when the enrichment intervention was paralleled by a medium-to-high level of outdoor play. Results suggest that specifically tailored physical activity (PA) games provide a unique form of enrichment that impacts children’s cognitive development through motor coordination improvement, particularly object control skills, which are linked to children’s PA habits later in life. Outdoor play appears to offer the natural ground for the stimulation by designed PA games to take root in children’s mind.

Sources and magnitude of variability in pedometer-determined physical activity levels of youth.

This study examined sources of variability in habitual physical activity of children, and the minimum number of days required for estimating children’s habitual physical activity levels using pedometers. A total of 31 children wore two pedometers during five weekdays and four weekend days. A two random facet completely crossed design was conducted with two-way analysis of variances across weekdays, weekends, and weekdays and weekend days combined. Moderate/high generalizability coefficients were estimated across all days. Primary sources of variability were variance components of the person and person by day interaction. Minimum numbers of days required for estimating habitual physical activity levels using a pedometer were five during weekdays. However, estimating habitual physical activity levels during weekends, and weekdays and weekend days combined was impractical.

Low-Income, Urban Children’s Perspectives on Physical Activity: A Photovoice Project

Objectives The purpose of this research was to have ethnically diverse, 9- to 13-year-olds who live in urban, low-income households use Photovoice to represent their physical activity practices and their perception of their physical activity environment. Methods Photovoice methodology was used to allow children to capture their physical activity habits and environment through photographs and interviews. The Social Cognitive Theory was used as the theoretical framework. Heights and weights were taken for all children and BMI was calculated. Photographs were analyzed by recording the content of usable photos in SPSS software. Qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts used the open coding method. Results Participants were 24 children (15 male, 9 female) living in inner city, low-income households. On average, children were 10.9years old and the mean BMI-for-age percentile was 72%. Children took a total of 377 pictures and 339 of these were usable. Three themes were identified across interviews and photographs, (a) types of activity, (b) social environment, and (c) physical environment where activity took place. Conclusions for Practice This study provides insight into low-income, urban children's physical activity habits and environment using a novel approach. Potential ways to increase moderate to high intensity activity among this population are to involve church-based organizations, create more safe places to play by increasing green space in urban areas, and to provide financial support for after-school programs and community centers.

Six-year changes in body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness of English schoolchildren from an affluent area

We compared values of body mass index (BMI) and cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m shuttle-run test) of n=157 boys and n=150 girls aged 10-11 measured in 2014 with measures from 2008 and 1998. Boys' fitness was lower (d=0.68) in 2014 than 2008, despite a small (d=0.37) decline in BMI. Girl's BMI changed trivially (d=0.08) but cardiorespiratory fitness was lower (d=0.47) in 2014 than 2008. This study suggests fitness is declining at 0.95% per year, which exceeds the 0.8% rate of decline we reported between 1998 and 2008 and is double the global average of 0.43%. Declines in fitness were independent of changes in BMI suggesting continued reductions in English children's habitual physical activity levels.

Effect of Physical Activity on Blood Pressure Distribution among School Children

The present study analyzed the relationship between physical activity and blood pressure in 701 school children aged 12–16 years (girls = 338, boys = 363). During the baseline examination, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), height, weight, and 24-hour recall of the working day activity with duration were recorded. Total activity score and type of activity were calculated by weighing the activity level. Mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficient were calculated by using SPSS 12.0 version. The results revealed that rise in blood pressure was directly proportional to the increase in age. The range of systolic blood pressure was found to be high in low risk blood pressure (LBP) group than in elevated blood pressure (EBP) group showing direct association of activity level and systolic blood pressure. Physical activity score was found to be more in LBP group than in EBP group. Our results support the hypothesis that SBP is independently related to the level of habitual physical activity in children.