Physical Activity Intervention Program Research Articles

Cognitive reappraisal and affective response to physical activity: associations with physical activity behavior.

Cognitive reappraisal (CR), as an adaptive emotion regulation strategy, may play a role in transforming affect in a positive direction during or after exercise, thereby supporting physical activity (PA) adherence. The present study aimed to test the associations among PA, CR frequency, and affective response to PA, and further to examine the role of CR on PA behavior through affective response. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 105 adults, 74 of whom were women, with a mean age of 25.91. Self-report scales were used to measure PA, CR, and affective response to PA. Along with scales, demographic questions on age, sex, and education level were included. Data was collected via an online questionnaire. The frequency of CR use was positively associated with affective response, and affective response with PA behavior. Mediation analysis revealed that affective response mediated the relationship between CR and PA. Results were in the expected direction demonstrating the mediating role of affective response between CR and PA which implies that PA adherence might be facilitated by CR engagement. PA intervention programs should consider implementing CR ability and use frequency improving techniques.

Development and Evaluation of a Community Health Program to Promote Physical Activity Among Vulnerable Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study.

Vulnerable older adults have a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Regular physical activity (PA) can have a positive effect on the health and health-related behavior of this specific target group. However, evidence of the impact and feasibility of community-based PA promotion interventions for vulnerable older adults is still limited. The BeTaSen (Bewegungs-Tandems in den Lebenswelten Chemnitzer Seniorinnen und Senioren: ein Beitrag zur kommunalen Gesundheitsförderung) study aims to evaluate the (1) impact as well as the (2) feasibility, acceptance, and usefulness of a 12-month low-threshold PA intervention program for community-dwelling vulnerable older adults. For our population-based prospective observational cohort study, a total of 120 vulnerable older adults (aged 75 years or older) in the area of Chemnitz (Germany) will be recruited to participate in (1) weekly neighborhood-based low-threshold PA meetings with trained mentors (activity tandems) and (2) monthly exercise meetings led by trained exercise instructors. Within the intervention, participants will be encouraged to perform the PA independently. Participants will complete assessments, which will include questionnaires as well as objective measurements of their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial health at 3 different time points (baseline, 6 months after the start, and 6 months after the end of the intervention). Additionally, a process evaluation will be performed, including questionnaires and qualitative interviews, involving the participants, mentors, and municipal project partner representatives. The BeTaSen project process began in October 2021, with the start of data collection and intervention in August 2022 in the first neighborhoods of the city of Chemnitz. A total of 86 participants were recruited at the time of submission of the manuscript. Longitudinal results are expected by 2025. This study's results will provide insights on (1) the PA behavior of vulnerable older adults as well as the impact of PA interventions on health-related outcomes such as cognitive, physical, and psychosocial health, and (2) the feasible and useful components of community-based PA interventions. Thus, this pilot study contributes to future recommendations and provides a basis for further research, such as the development of feasible and sustainable target group-specific interventions in community settings. DERR1-10.2196/51462.

Determinants promoting and hindering physical activity in primary school children in Germany: a qualitative study with students, teachers and parents.

Determinants affecting children's physical activity (PA) at an early age are of particular interest to develop and strengthen strategies for increasing the levels of children's PA. A qualitative study was conducted to investigate the views of primary school-aged children, their teachers and parents regarding barriers and facilitators to engage in PA. Focus groups were conducted separately with primary school children, parents and teachers in a city in Northern Germany between October 2021 and January 2022. The semi- structured focus groups with children and teachers took part in person within school, whereas the focus groups with parents took place online. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. During analysis, the socio-ecological model was identified as useful to map the determinants mentioned and was consequently applied to organize the data. Teachers (n = 10), parents (n = 18) and children (n = 46) of five primary schools in Germany participated in the focus groups. Participants of the three groups identified similar barriers and facilitators of PA in primary school-aged children, ranging across all four layers of the socio-ecological model. The barriers encountered were the preferences of children for sedentary activities (individual characteristics), the preference of parents to control their child's actions (microsystem), a lack of financial resources from parents and long sitting times in class (mesosystem), and barriers related to rainy weather and Covid-19 restrictions (exosystem). Facilitators mentioned were the childrens' natural tendency to be active (individual characteristics), involvement and co-participation of parents or peers in engaging in PA, support provided by teachers and the school (microsystem), living in rural areas, having sufficient facilities and favorable weather conditions (exosystem). A range of determinants promoting and hindering PA, ranging across all layers of the socio-ecological model were identified by children, parents and teachers in this study. These determinants need to be kept in mind when developing effective PA intervention programs for primary school-aged children. Future interventions should go beyond individual characteristics to also acknowledge the influence of childrens' social surrounding, including parents, peers and teachers, and the wider (school) environment.

BLinG-Health: A Peer-Led Physical Activity Program for Black Adolescent Girls—A Pilot Study

Background: Culturally relevant approaches that address low physical activity rates among Black girls are increasing, yet opportunities to engage in physical activity (PA) remain minimal. Coupled with deficit approaches to school-based PA programming, positioning Black adolescent girls as PA leaders is missing from practice. BLinG-Health aims to develop peer leaders to participate in and deliver group fitness sessions in an after-school PA program. Methods: Black adolescent girls engaged in a culturally relevant, 8-week pretest and posttest quasi-experimental pilot study examining the impact of a peer-led school-based PA intervention program in a Baltimore, Maryland, public school. After peer leaders engaged in a 12-hr fitness education, training, and certification program using the Interactive Fitness Trainers of America’s Tabata group fitness instruction and certification series, peer leaders led classmates in group fitness 2–3 days a week for 8 weeks. Peer leaders and participants completed two assessment rounds at baseline and Week 9, including height and weight, to compute body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, hip-to-waist ratio, a 12-min run/walk, and push-up test. Results: Participants (n = 7; Mage = 16.43 years) significantly improved in cardiovascular endurance (p = .025) and muscular endurance (p = .013) with modest, nonsignificant changes in anthropometric measures. Discussion: Challenging deficit narratives on Black girls’ PA engagement, participants consistently attended weekly group fitness sessions and improved cardiovascular and muscular fitness. Empowering Black adolescent girls to lead group fitness sessions among peers may enhance PA engagement. Schools should consider culturally relevant programming to increase Black girls’ opportunities to engage in PA.

The relationship between monetary incentives, social status, and physical activity

We conduct a field experiment to better understand the role of social status with and without monetary incentives as motivation to increase physical activity. We find that social status alone does not induce a change in physical activity. When social status is combined with monetary incentives, however, we find a change in the number of daily steps. This change is heterogeneous. Individuals with low physical activity increase their number of steps by 12%, while those with high physical activity decrease the number of steps by 25%. An incentives treatment with exogenous social status – uncorrelated with physical activity – provides robustness to our findings and, together with the control condition, rules out potential experimenter demand effects and other factors driving the results. Our results call for a cautionary approach for analyzing the role of social status, in many cases unobserved, for physical activity intervention programs.

The mediating role of social support in promoting physical activity among children in South Africa

Background: Low physical activity (PA) participation levels and increasing non-communicable diseases in children are concerning in South Africa and globally.Objectives: We sought to assess the mediating role of perceived social support factors on the relationship between PA enjoyment and PA levels among rural, peri-urban and urban school children.Method: A cross-sectional study was adopted to assess peer, family and teacher encouragement as mediators on the relationship between perceived PA enjoyment and perceived physical activity participation among children, using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). The sample comprised a random sample of primary school learners aged 9–14 years.Results: The sample consisted of 870 primary school learners with a mean age of 11.0 ± 1.49 years. Most participants were girls (n = 519; 59.7%). The findings suggest low levels of perceived PA participation (mean = 2.33, standard deviation [s.d.]: 0.43). Peer (β = 0.0187, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0088, 0.0307), family (β = 0.0280, 95% CI: 0.0155, 0.0425) and teacher (β = 0.0242, 95% CI: 0.0127, 0.0378) encouragement partially mediates the relationship between perceived PA enjoyment and perceived PA participation. Family encouragement (β = 0.0158, 95% CI: 0.0017, 0.0311) has the most considerable mediating effect, followed by teacher encouragement (β = 0.0125, 95% CI: 0.0010, 0.0269).Conclusion: The findings demonstrated low levels of perceived PA participation in school learners. Therefore, we recommends including social factors as mediators in PA intervention programmes in primary schools.Clinical implications: Social support factors as mediators on the relationship between PA enjoyment and PA participation among children may improve children’s PA participation levels and help prevent non-communicable diseases in future.

Implementation of different strategies of the “ActTeens” intervention for adolescents: a process evaluation

Multicomponent programs to promote physical activity have shown promise to help adolescents to increase physical activity levels. Although evaluation of the intervention implementation process is important, information about this evaluation is rarely reported. This observational study aimed to evaluate the implementation of a 12-week physical activity intervention program for adolescents. The ActTeens program consists of three components: (1) structured physical activity sessions; (2) self-monitoring associated with daily goal setting; (3) healthy lifestyle messages (mHealth). The evaluation of the process was carried out through observations and self-reported information from the students. Fifty-one adolescents (37.5% girls) answered the questionnaire. Overall, the reach was 73.3%, retention rate 96.3%, and satisfaction with the intervention was high (score 5). The structured sessions presented high fidelity, and good acceptability among adolescents, with an average attendance rate of 93.7%. Participants rated the sessions as enjoyable and the teacher’s role as excellent. Adherence to self-monitoring (goal setting with a pedometer) was moderate and 57.8% of adolescents reported using the device daily. In addition, adolescents reported that the use of a pedometer increased their motivation to practice physical activity (72.4%). Satisfaction with the messages was considered low, with only 37.8% agreeing that the messages promoted the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. In conclusion, the structured sessions and the self-monitoring showed good acceptability among adolescents, and these strategies were considered relevant to promote a more physically active lifestyle. However, the component mHealth, when used as a single strategy, did not aid the adoption of healthy behavior.

O.3.2-4 Sedentary time and the risk of breast cancer among Nigerian Women

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to determine if sedentary time is independently associated with BC risk in Nigeria. While the role of physical activity in breast cancer (BC) risk has been reported in a few available sub-Saharan African (SSA) studies, the independent role of sedentary behavior (prolonged sitting or reclining) hypothesized as differing from physical inactivity (the absence of health-enhancing PA) has not been investigated in SSA. Methods The study was a multisite hospital-based case-control design involving 379 histologically confirmed BC cases and 403 cancer-free controls. The participants ≥ 20 years were interviewed in-person using a pretested questionnaire. Data were collected on self-reported number of hours per week of sitting associated with occupation, religious activity, and television watching, as well as PA intensity scores (in metabolic equivalent hours per week) associated with each sedentary time domain. The results were stratified by estrogen receptor status (extracted from records) and body mass index (BMI). Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression based on Statistical Software for Social Sciences, adjusting for relevant confounders. Results Following full adjustment including total PA intensity, total sedentary time (OR [≥43.3 hrs./wk. vs < 28.30hrs/wk.] 1.78, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.94) was associated with an increased BC risk. Every additional hr./wk. of sitting was associated with a 2% (1.00,1.04, p for trend = 0.044) increased BC risk among women with estrogen receptor negative (ER-) BC, and 1% (95% CI: 1.00,1.03) increase in women with BMI> 25kg/m2. Similarly, every additional hr./wk. of sitting watching television was associated with a 5% (95% CI: 1%, 9%, p for trend = 0.023) increased BC risk especially among women < 50 years (OR 1.05, 95% CI:1.01, 1.09) and women with BMI > 25kg/m2 (OR 1.06, 95% CI:1.01,1.10) following full adjustments. Conclusion The findings suggest that the number of hours of sitting independently increased BC risk especially among women with ER- breast cancer and women with high BMI ≥25kg/m2. Health enhancing physical activity Intervention programs aimed at reducing sedentary time especially those associated with television watching will help reduce BC risk in Nigeria and SSA. Support/Funding source National Open University of Nigeria.

Verification of the effect of an exercise programme using walking and diet adjustment in hypertension

One of the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease is hypokinesis. Therefore, an exercise regimen is emphasized for the prevention and control of hypertension, while at the same time aiming to reduce overall cardiovascular risk in addition to achieving normal blood pressure values.
 The aim of this study was to verify the effect of an exercise programme using walking and dietary modification on the reduction of blood pressure values in hypertension, while the effect of the intervention on weight reduction and change in body composition was also studied.
 The research method in our work was case study. The proband was a physically inactive overweight woman, age 55 years, treated hypertensive, whose blood pressure at entry to the program reached the values of mild hypertension even with treatment. Baseline data were resting blood pressure values measured for 7 days in the morning and evening, a two-day record of physical activity, a seven-day record of diet, diagnosis and analysis of body composition with the InBody device, and calculation of the WHR index. The proband developed a physical activity intervention program using walking for 12 weeks, a minimum of 5 times per week, at moderate intensity, with a gradual increase in daily walking time from 30 to 60 min/day. As an adjunct to the exercise intervention, she was recommended a dietary modification. At the end of the follow-up period, blood pressure values were measured in the same way, a diagnostic and body composition analysis was performed with the InBody device, and the WHR index was calculated. The intervention program was also evaluated in relation to overweight and body composition as important factors in hypertension.
 After 12 weeks of the intervention programme, the mean reduction in systolic blood pressure was 6,29 mmHg in the morning and 4,86 mmHg in the evening. The average reduction in diastolic blood pressure was 4,57 mmHg in the morning and 3,14 mmHg in the evening. There was also a decrease in heart rate by an average of 4,07 beats per minute. At the same time, the intervention program led to a reduction in the proband's body weight (by 7,2 kg), a decrease in BMI (from 27,8 to 25,5 kg/m2), a decrease in body fat percentage (by 3,9 %) and a decrease in WHR index (from 0,91 to 0,88).
 These results confirmed that regular physical activity and dietary modification play an important role in the treatment of high blood pressure and verified the effectiveness of expert recommendations in hypertension. They also confirmed the positive effect of these recommendations on weight reduction and body composition. In summary, this work verified the beneficial effects of walking supported by dietary modification on the following risk factors for cardiovascular disease - high blood pressure, overweight, body fat, and central obesity.

Effects of a Complex Physical Activity Program on Children's Arithmetic Problem Solving and Arithmetic Reasoning Abilities.

Research has shown that higher levels of physical activity are associated with better cognitive performance in children. However, the benefits of physical activity on academic achievement and specifically on mathematics performance need to be further explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a complex physical activity (CPA) intervention program, including cognitive involvement, on children’s mathematics performance. The participants were 128 children (aged 12−13 years) attending third grade in three middle schools. They were randomly allocated into a CPA intervention (n = 64) or a waitlist control group (n = 64), the latter of which was given a regular and easy-to-perform activity program. At baseline and after the intervention, students’ physical fitness was measured using a battery of standardized motor tests (20 m shuttle run test, curl-up test, push-up test, and sit and reach test). In addition, the AC-MT 11-14 test was administered to allow a standardized and comprehensive assessment of arithmetic problem-solving and arithmetic reasoning abilities. In comparison to the control, the intervention group showed significant improvements (p < 0.001) in comprehension and production (d = 1.88), arithmetic reasoning (d = 2.50), and problem solving (d = 1.32), as well as in 20 m shuttle run test (d = 1.81), push-up test (d = 1.88), curl-up (d = 3.52), and sit and reach (d = 2.52). No significant changes were found in the control group. In conclusion, findings showed that a 12-week CPA intervention program can improve mathematical performance in children in the third grade of middle school. CPA intervention may be an effective method to improve academic performance and avoid student failure.

Physical activity and purpose in life of college students in confinement

Social isolation and widespread confinement in many countries has caused a decrease in physical activity (PA) and an increase in levels of stress, anxiety and depression. The purpose in life is part of the psychological well-being of people, and having a clear purpose allows them to face adversity. In this sense, the influence of PA on psychological well-being in confinement situations makes it necessary to study and promote it by educational and government entities. The objective of this work was to evaluate the incidence of an intervention program with PA (Move at home) on the purpose in life during a period of mandatory confinement due to COVID-19. 360 university students divided into three groups participated: control (Sedentary, Thirst), and experimental (group with low physical activity, BAct, and physically active, Act). The experimental groups underwent a PA intervention program for 11 weeks, from the beginning to the end of the mandatory confinement. A weekly online questionnaire was collected, recording the PA level (min/week) and the results of the PIL test (purpose in life). The PA level decreased significantly at the beginning of the confinement and increased significantly in the easing phases. The intervention program was able to contribute to maintaining the PA level in the participants. Physical activity has a positive effect on purpose in life and the practice of some physical exercise on a regular basis could be a crucial tool to face a state of mandatory confinement.Keywords: health, sport, coronavirus, life purpose, emotions

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT THE INTERSECTIONS OF AGING AND DISABILITY

Abstract Physical activity is beneficial for older adults to maintain health and help manage chronic diseases but relies on routine participation. Some older adults continue with physical activity behaviors as they age, whereas others are negatively affected by impaired functional abilities, physical disabilities, and unmet psychosocial needs. This symposium presents quantitative and qualitative data on physical and psychosocial factors that can influence physical activity among older adults with varying levels and types of physical abilities. The first presentation will focus on aging into the disability associated with knee osteoarthritis, the leading cause of mobility decline among older adults that generally onsets after the fifth decade of life. The second presentation will focus on aging with a disability, specifically how health perspectives evolve when aging with a spinal cord injury. The third presentation will highlight how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced outdoor physical activity among older adults when indoor activities became limited. The fourth presentation shifts perspectives to clinicians, specifically physical therapists, to explore the needs for addressing physical activity in the clinic. The fifth presentation outlines a physical activity intervention program and its implementation for community-dwelling older adults. Together, these presentations will provide practical insights for designing a person-centered program to improve physical activity for older adults including those aging into disability or aging with disability.

Ajyal Salima a novel public-private partnership model for childhood obesity prevention in the Arab countries.

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity among children is on the rise around the world. Meanwhile, comprehensive multi-sectorial approaches have been found to be effective in improving nutritional status among children. Ajyal Salima is a public-private partnership (PPP) school-based nutrition and physical activity intervention program implemented in six Arab countries. Its objective is to promote healthy eating and physical activity habits among 9-11-year-old students. The stakeholders, involved with the implementation of the program, comprised (1) local authorities, ministries of Education and Health, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as public partners, (2) The American University of Beirut (AUB) as the academic/regional scientific partner, and (3) Nestlé as the private partner. The Ajyal Salima program encompasses four coordinated educational components: classroom sessions, family involvement, food service intervention, and training of trainers. The program's educational material has been culturally adapted to each country's needs, as well as pilot tested. This paper describes the strategies used to build the PPP framework of Ajyal Salima, and the role of each stakeholder. The Ajyal Salima program is an example of a promising and sustainable comprehensive PPP program to address childhood obesity, that can be exported to other countries in the region and globally.

The Effects and Types of Parental Involvement in School-Based Sport and Health Programs Still Represent a Knowledge Gap: A Systematic Review.

Background: Health-related behaviours and attitudes acquired in childhood significantly shape health behaviours in adulthood and play an important role in preventing children from becoming overweight. Interventions incorporating parental involvement can provide outstanding support in shaping a child’s health-related behaviour. However, parental involvement has not been investigated from the perspective of efficacy except for obesity. Therefore, this systematic review investigates school-based physical activity intervention programmes incorporating parental involvement. We aim to explore the impact of these programmes and the parental involvement they provide on behaviours that influence child health, which are essential for preventing children and adults from becoming overweight and promoting health-conscious lifestyles. Methods: This systematic literature review follows PRISMA guidelines. The EBSCO Discovery Service Search Engine was used for searching for literature. Papers included met the following inclusion criteria: (1) reported original, empirical research or systematic review published in a peer-reviewed journal; (2) primary or secondary school age (6–18 years) as the target population; (3) examined school-based sport or health prevention and intervention programs; (4) only healthy children and youth in the indicated age group; (5) school-based prevention or intervention program; (6) examines parental involvement; (7) in the English language, and (8) in disciplines of education, psychology, social work, sociology, social sciences and humanities. Results: An extremely limited number of interventions of sufficient quality address the role of parental involvement (N = 17). The forms of parental involvement show a huge variety, ranging from leaflets, home packs, sports organisations “forced” by the pandemic, parent meetings, programmes, courses, and school programmes with diverse children over several months (cooking together, gardening, playing sports together, etc.). Therefore, it is difficult to measure their effectiveness and impact. Conclusions: The impact of parental involvement on children’s health behaviour, especially physical activity and nutrition, as two of the most important factors in preventing them from becoming overweight, are unclear, and other correlations, e.g., academic achievement, are scarce.

Comparative Effectiveness of Physical Activity Intervention Programs on Motor Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To evaluate how different physical activity (PA) interventions (traditional, exergaming, and teacher/parent education) impacted children’s motor skills (object control, locomotor, and gross motor). Design: Systematic review and network meta-analysis. Data sources: PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Eligibility criteria: (1) Participants comprised 1708 children 3–12 years; (2) PA or exercise-based interventions were investigated; (3) only studies using a Test of Gross Motor Skills assessment were included; (4) RCT were chosen as the study design to assess the impact of PA interventions on children’s motor skills; and (5) culture-based PA studies with English language only were included. Data were analyzed using a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Results: The results were reported as standardized mean differences (SMDs) with associated 95% credible intervals (CrIs). For object control, aerobic intervention (SMD 6.90, 95% Crl 1.39 to 13.50); for locomotor, exergaming intervention (SMD 12.50, 95% Crl 0.28 to 24.50); and for gross motor, aerobic intervention (SMD 7.49, 95% Crl 0.11 to 15.70) were the most effective treatments. Conclusion: Children’s FMSs have been improved through different PA interventions. Among them, aerobic interventions seem to be the most effective intervention in enhancing object control skills and overall gross motor skills.

Effects of Social Networks in Promoting Young Adults' Physical Activity among Different Sociodemographic Groups.

Introduction: Physical inactivity has become a public health issue as it can trigger many chronic diseases. Studies have found that an individual’s social networks (SNs) influence their engagement in physical activity (PA). However, it remains unclear how the influence varies between different sociodemographic groups. This study examined the associations between the SN structures and the PA of young adults across sociodemographic groups. Method: Data on 14,595 young adults aged 24–32 were obtained from Wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Latent class analysis was conducted to identify heterogeneous subgroups of respondents with respect to their engagement in PA and SN structures were measured in terms of the relationship quality, contact frequency, network size, and spatial accessibility. Logistic regression and chi-square tests were used to further test the relationships between PA and SNs as well as the sociodemographic factors. Results: SNs were found to have a significant influence on PA. Relationship quality was identified as the most important feature of an individual’s SN, followed by network size, contact frequency, and accessibility. The effects of SNs on PA varied with the individuals’ gender, ethnicity, income, and educational attainment. For example, male participants tended to be physically active if they had frequent connections with their neighbors, while the engagement in PA of the female participants was strongly related to the frequency of their contact with their children. Conclusions: This research has important implications for practitioners as it suggests that PA intervention programs should be designed to target specific population groups.

O5-5 Neighbourhood Walkability and Physical Activity: Moderating Role of a Physical Activity Interventions in Overweight and Obese Older Adults with Metabolic Syndrome

BackgroundWhile urban built environments might promote active ageing, an infrequently studied question is how the neighbourhood walkability modulates physical activity changes during a physical activity intervention program in older adults. We assessed the influence of objectively assessed neighbourhood walkability on the change in physical activity during the intervention program used in the ongoing PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED)-Plus trial. PREDIMED-Plus is a parallel-group, randomized trial which tested the effect of an intensive lifestyle intervention on cardiovascular disease prevention, in overweight and obese participants with the metabolic syndrome.MethodThe present study involved 228 PREDIMED-Plus senior participants aged between 55 to 75, recruited in Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Overweight/obese older adults with metabolic syndrome were randomized to an intensive weight-loss lifestyle intervention or a control group (106 intervention group and 122 control group). A home neighborhood environment walkability index (residential density, land use mix, intersections density) was calculated using geographic information systems (1km sausage-network buffer). Physical activity was assessed using accelerometer for seven days, and a REGICOR validated physical activity questionnaire, at baseline and 2 follow-up visits (six-months and one-year later). Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) were fitted to estimate the association between the neighbourhood walkability index and changes in physical activity during follow-up.ResultsHigher neighbourhood walkability (1 z-score increment) was associated with moderate-to-vigorous accelerometer assessed physical activity duration, (ß = 3,44; 95% CI = 0.52;6.36 minutes per day). When analyses were stratified by intervention arm, the association was only observed in the intervention group (ß = 6.357; 95% CI = 2.07;10.64 minutes per day) (p for interaction = 0.055). There were no statistically significant associations between neighbourhood walkability and self-reported physical activity nor brisk walking duration.ConclusionsThe results indicate that the walkability of the neighbourhood could support a physical activity intervention, helping to maintain or increase older adults' objectively measured physical activity. This research may modify evidence on whether environmental factors modify habits acquisition during physical activity intervention programs.

P02-09 The dissemination of an effective school-based PA intervention programme: Sigue la Huella (Follow the footprint)

BackgroundA widespread dissemination of effective evidence-based physical activity (PA) interventions is needed whether a greater proportion of the population, who could potentially benefit from it, wants to be reached (Finch et al., 2016). ‘Sigue la Huella' (Follow the Footprint), is one of the few effective evidence-informed PA school-based interventions conducted on adolescents in Europe, with the support of the family and the community (Murillo et al., 2014). The main aim of this study is to describe and analyze the process of dissemination of this intervention program.MethodsThe ‘Sigue la Huella' was implemented at one secondary school situated in Jaca/Huesca (Spain). The Replicating Effective Programs (REP) framework was used, because provides a roadmap for disseminating effective interventions (Kilbourne et al., 2007). The intervention was delivered through workshops, ongoing technical assistance to the teachers, and the distribution of an instructional guide among the teachers and the school staff. A quasi-experimental design was adopted to examine the effect of ‘Sigue la Huella' after its dissemination process. PA was assessed using accelerometers at baseline and after the intervention of 14 weeks. In addition, we evaluated the dissemination process using the PRACTIS guide (Koorts et al., 2018).ResultsFrom an initial evaluation of the dissemination process, several key learnings emerged:To identify strategies for effective stakeholders engagement;To overcome some barriers such as the excess workload of the teachers in charge of disseminating the intervention program;For better measures to determine the success of dissemination approaches (e.g., reliable and valid indicators of organizational and policy change).ConclusionsThis study provides a comprehensive overview of the dissemination process of an effective school-based program identifying contextual barriers and facilitators that influence program implementation in new contexts and the direction of specific strategies to address those barriers.

A 12-week personalised physical activity and dietary protein intervention for older adults undergoing peritoneal dialysis: A feasibility study

This single-arm observational study explored the feasibility and efficacy of a 12-week personalised physical activity and dietary protein intervention programme for older adults undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Older adults undergoing peritoneal dialysis received eight individualised nutrition and physical activity advice sessions provided by trained nurses. Protein intake and physical activity were regarded as primary outcomes. All data were collected at baseline and at week 12. The enrolment rate was 78.4%. Twenty-nine patients participated in the study. Of these, 86.2% (25/29) completed the intervention. There was a significant increase in protein intake (t = -4.453, P< 0.001) and physical activity levels (Z = -2.929, P = 0.004). Of the participants, 56.0% achieved the targeted protein goal, and 41.4% met the physical activity goal. The timed up-and-go performance (t = 4.135, P = 0.001) increased after intervention. Trained nurses can successfully implement personalised diet and physical activity advice, and achieve promising patient outcomes.

Experiences of an Adapted Physical Activity Intervention Program in Saudi Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Towards Inclusion

Introduction: Adapted physical activity programs are considered to be one of the most effective and timely ways of increasing levels of self-efficacy among pre-service physical education teachers toward inclusive practices. However, the literature lacks adequate qualitative studies to measure the effectiveness of such programs. To address this paucity, the present study aims to explore pre-service physical education teachers’ experiences after completing a 6-week adapted physical activity intervention program designed to improve the inclusion of students with physical disabilities in general physical education settings. Methods: Six pre-service physical education teachers who completed a 6-week adapted physical activity intervention program participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Deductive and inductive techniques were used in the data analysis. Results: All the participants reported that the intervention program was relatively effective at enhancing their self-efficacy and preparation towards including students with physical disabilities in physical education classes. Conclusion: Regular exposure to practicum involving teaching students with disabilities is key to encouraging strong self-efficacy among pre-service PE teachers. Some suggestions for future intervention programs are provided.