Important Source Of Physical Activity Research Articles

Parental Factors That Influence Swimming in Children and Adolescents

Swimming can be an important source of physical activity across the life-span. Researchers have found that parents influence physical activity behaviors of their children. The purpose of this study was to determine what parental factors influenced the number of days that children swam. Survey respondents (n = 1,909) from six cities across the United States were surveyed at local YMCAs. Children were found to swim significantly more if their parents encouraged them to swim, members of the family knew how to swim and swam with them, or their parents were not afraid of the children drowning or afraid of drowning themselves. The number of times that parents swam was the strongest predictor of the number of times children swam and explained 41% of the variance. A cyclical, familial pattern was found which included encouragement, fear of drowning, and swimming frequency. Introducing strategies to reduce fear of drowning may prove to be an effective intervention to increase physical activity in children.

Quantification of Underestimation of Physical Activity During Cycling to School When Using Accelerometry.

Cycling to and from school is an important source of physical activity (PA) in youth but it is not captured by the dominant objective method to quantify PA. The aim of this study was to quantify the underestimation of objectively assessed PA caused by cycling when using accelerometry. Participants were 20 children aged 11 to 14 years from a randomized controlled trial performed in 2011. Physical activity was assessed by accelerometry with the addition of heart rate monitoring during cycling to school. Global positioning system (GPS) was used to identify periods of cycling to school. Mean minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during round-trip commutes was 10.8 (95% CI: 7.1-16.6). Each kilometer of cycling meant an underestimation of 9314 (95% CI: 7719-11238) counts and 2.7 (95% CI: 2.1-3.5) minutes of MVPA. Adjusting for cycling to school increased estimates of MVPA/day by 6.0 (95% CI: 3.8-9.6) minutes. Cycling to and from school contribute substantially to levels of MVPA and to mean counts/min in children. This was not collected by accelerometers. Using distance to school in conjunction with self-reported cycling to school may be a simple tool to improve the methodology.

Abstract MP82: Exergaming and Physical Activity Guidelines- A Population-Based Study of Young Adults

Background: Compared to traditional non-active video games, exergaming may contribute significantly to overall daily physical activity (PA), but the association in population-based samples has not been fully explored. Objectives: To assess whether total minutes of PA per week among exergamers differs from non-exergamers, and whether the likelihood of meeting PA guidelines differs between exergamers and non-exergamers. Methods: Data were available from the 2011-2012 wave of the Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study (n=829). Multivariable models assessed the association between exergaming with moderate, vigorous, and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) minutes in the past week, and the association between exergaming and meeting PA guidelines after adjusting for age, household income, employment status, education, weight status, and screen time. Exergaming was defined as use ≥ 1-3 times per month in the past year, and PA guidelines were defined as ≥ 150 minutes of moderately intense PA, or ≥ 75 minutes of vigorously intense PA, or a combination. Minutes of PA were measured using the well-validated International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Sex differences in exergaming use and exergaming beliefs and attitudes were also assessed. Results: In this population-based sample of young adults (mean age 24 [SD: 0.7] years, 55% female [n=455]), 18% (n=148) of the participants were exergamers (54% female, n=80). Exergaming males and females reported an average of 88.4 and 65.7 exergaming minutes in the past week, respectively. Compared to male exergamers, female exergamers were more likely to believe that exergaming is a good way to integrate PA into their lives (p<0.001), were more likely to prefer exergaming to indoor/outdoor sports (p=0.03), and were more likely to use fitness-training exergames at home (p=0.006). Perceived levels of exertion were also significantly different between male and female exergamers. The majority of male exergamers reported light (51%, n=23) or moderate (44%, n=20) exergaming exertion, whereas female exergamers reported moderate (53%, n=30), as well as light (28%, n=16) and intense (19%, n=11) exertion (p=0.02). After adjusting for covariates, male exergamers were not significantly different from male non-exergamers in total minutes of PA per week, but female exergamers reported 47 more minutes of moderate PA in the past week compared to female non-exergamers (p=0.03). There was no association between exergaming and meeting PA guidelines in either males or females. Conclusions: Exergaming contributes to moderate-intensity PA among females but not among males in this population based sample of young adults. Exergaming may therefore be an important source of PA for women, but the current landscape of exergames may be inadequate to substantially increase minutes of PA among males. Differences in attitudes toward exergaming should be further explored.

Is walking to school associated with improved metabolic health?

BackgroundActive commuting to/from school is an important source of physical activity that has been declining over the past years. Although it is an affordable and simple way of increasing physical activity levels it is still unclear whether it has enough potential to improve health. Therefore, the aim of this cross sectional study was to examine the relationship between active commuting to/from school and metabolic risk factors in 10 to 12 year old children.MethodsParticipants were 229 adolescents, selected through consecutive sampling, (121 girls) with mean age of 11.65 (±0.73) years old from Porto, Portugal. Means of transport to/from school was accessed by asking: ”How do you usually travel to school?” and “How do you usually travel from school?”. Active commuting was considered if children reported at least one of the trips (to or from school) by active means. Total physical activity was obtained with Actigraph accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Lipid profile measurements were conducted with Cholestech LDX® analyser. Waist circumference and blood pressure were measured by standard methods. The criteria for metabolic syndrome defined by International Diabetes Federation for children and adolescents were used.ResultsAdjusted binary logistic regression analysis suggested that walkers have higher odds to have a better waist circumference (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.63-6.01) and better high density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.01-4.52) profiles than non-active commuters, independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. No associations were found for other metabolic risk factors.ConclusionsExertions to increase and maintain walking to school may be particularly relevant as it is likely to have a positive impact on children’s health and eventually decrease metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

DETERMINANTS OF PARENT PERCEPTIONS OF DANGEROUS TRAFFIC RELATED TO SCHOOL TRAVEL

BackgroundWalking to/from school is an important source of physical activity for children. Parents' perceptions of dangerous traffic affect whether or not their child walks to/from school. The determinants of parent's...

The Influence of Physical Education on Physical Activity Levels of Urban Elementary Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of physical education in shaping physical activity patterns. Seventy-one Hispanic and African American elementary students participated in the study. Students attended one 30- and one 60-min physical education class weekly. Pedometer steps were used to estimate physical activity. Data suggest that students did not engage in enough physical activity on a daily basis to incur health benefits. There were significant step differences in 0-, 30-, and 60-min physical education days, with the most steps occurring on 60-min days. Results from the study suggest physical education may be an important source of physical activity for Hispanic and African American students, especially girls, and may influence participation in physical activity outside of class.

Neighborhood Incivilities, Perceived Neighborhood Safety, and Walking to School Among Urban-Dwelling Children

Walking to school is an important source of physical activity among children. There is a paucity of research exploring environmental determinants of walking to school among children in urban areas. A cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data (2007) from 365 children in the "Multiple Opportunities to Reach Excellence" (MORE) Study (8 to 13 years; Mean 9.60 years, SD 1.04). Children and caregivers were asked about walking to school and perceived safety. Objective measures of the environment were obtained using a validated environmental neighborhood assessment. Over half (55.83%) of children reported walking to school most of the time. High levels of neighborhood incivilities were associated with lower levels of perceived safety (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.72). Living on a block above the median in incivilities was associated with a 353% increase in odds of walking to school (OR: 3.53; 95% CI: 1.68 to 7.39). Children residing in neighborhoods high in incivilities are more likely to walk to school, in spite of lower levels of perceived safety. As a high proportion of children residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods walk to school, efforts should be directed at minimizing exposure to neighborhood hazards by ensuring safe routes to and from school.

Variability and seasonality of active transportation in USA: evidence from the 2001 NHTS

BackgroundActive transportation including walking and bicycling is an important source of physical activity. Promoting active transportation is a challenge for the fields of public health and transportation. Descriptive data on the predictors of active transportation, including seasonal patterns in active transportation in the US as a whole, is needed to inform interventions and policies.MethodsThis study analyzed monthly variation in active transportation for the US using National Household Travel Survey 2001 data. For each age group of children, adolescents, adults and elderly, logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of the odds of active transportation including gender, race/ethnicity, household income level, geographical region, urbanization level, and month.ResultsThe probability of engaging in active transportation was generally higher for children and adolescents than for adults and the elderly. Active transportation was greater in the lower income groups (except in the elderly), was lower in the South than in other regions of the US, and was greater in areas with higher urbanization. The percentage of people using active transportation exhibited clear seasonal patterns: high during summer months and low during winter months. Children and adolescents were more sensitive to seasonality than other age groups. Women, non-Caucasians, persons with lower household income, who resided in the Midwest or Northeast, and who lived in more urbanized areas had greater seasonal variation.ConclusionsThese descriptive results suggest that interventions and policies that target the promotion of active transportation need to consider socio-demographic factors and seasonality.

The relationship between active travel to school and health-related fitness in children and adolescents: a systematic review.

BackgroundActive travel to school (ATS) has been identified as an important source of physical activity for youth. However, the relationship between ATS and health-related fitness (HRF) among youth remains unclear.MethodsA systematic search of seven electronic databases (EMBASE, OVID MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and TRIS on line) was conducted in December 2009 and studies published since 1980 were considered for inclusion.ResultsTwenty seven articles were identified that explored the relationship between ATS and the following aspects of HRF: weight status/body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness and flexibility. Forty-eight percent of the studies that examined the relationship between ATS and weight status/body composition reported significant associations, this increased to 55% once poor quality studies were removed. Furthermore, the findings from five studies, including one longitudinal study, indicate that ATS is positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in youth. However, the evidence for the relationships between ATS and muscular fitness or flexibility is equivocal and limited by low study numbers.ConclusionsThere is some evidence to suggest that ATS is associated with a healthier body composition and level of cardiorespiratory fitness among youth. Strategies to increase ATS are warranted and should be included in whole-of-school approaches to the promotion of physical activity.

Sociodemographic, Family, and Environmental Factors Associated with Active Commuting to School among US Adolescents

Active commuting (non-motorized transport) to school can be an important source of physical activity for children and adolescents. This research examined sociodemographic, family, and environmental characteristics associated with active commuting to or from school among 3,451 US adolescents aged 12-17 years, who responded to the 2005 California Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression results indicated that those more likely to actively commute were males, Latinos, from lower-income families, attending public school, living in urban areas, and living closer to school. Adolescents without an adult present after school and those whose parents know little about their whereabouts after school were also more likely to actively commute. Parental walking for transportation and perceptions of neighborhood safety were not associated with adolescent active commuting. Important family and individual correlates of walking or biking to school among adolescents were identified, even after adjusting for distance to school and urbanicity.