Physical Activity Promotion Efforts Research Articles

Pedestrian Activity Among California Adults

The objectives of this study were to assess (1) pedestrian activity levels among adults, (2) where and why adults engage in pedestrian activity, and (3) what adults consider when deciding where to engage in pedestrian activity. Pedestrian activity was assessed in 12,036 California adults, >or=18 years, using a random digit-dial telephone survey. Significant differences were identified by race, sex, age, and physical activity level in the type, location, and purpose of pedestrian activities. Men engage in pedestrian activity at work, and women engage in pedestrian activity while escorting children to school and running errands. Whites primarily engage in leisure-time pedestrian activity, and nonwhites are more likely to engage in pedestrian activity for transportation. Older adults were less active than their younger counterparts. These findings should be considered by public health agencies and their partners as they continue to increase and promote opportunities for pedestrian activity. Additional research is needed to assess older adults' physical activity patterns and preferences, barriers, and facilitators to effectively tailor physical activity promotion efforts to this at-risk group.

Ethnic Disparities (Ed) In Functional And Mental Recovery Following Traumatic Fracture (Tf)

In the United States, Latinos are the largest ethnic group after non-Hispanic whites. Latinos currently represent 15% of the U.S. population and their numbers are growing in nontraditional areas. Latino women (Latinas) disproportionately experience chronic disease risk factors and report low levels of leisure time physical activity. This study examined cultural factors associated with leisure time physical activity among Latinas living in a new Latino destination in northeastern New York.Community-based participatory research, a collaborative approach in which community members are equitably and actively involved in the research process, was employed for this study. The Latina Health Survey was administered in Spanish and English to 289 Latina adults through snowball sampling.Women reported that their national origin was predominantly Puerto Rican (58.7%) or Dominican (18.2%). Only 6.6% of women met American College of Sports Medicine's physical activity recommendations of exercising 5 days a week; 25% participated in physical activity two or more times per week. Acculturation and religious service attendance at least once a week was positively associated and fast food consumption one or more times a week was negatively associated with physical activity.This study implicates the need for physical activity promotion efforts among Latinas who are culturally responsive and that address fast food consumption. In addition to acculturation, other, more specific cultural factors need to be examined to understand physical activity correlates among Latinas. Research among Latinas living in new Latino destinations is important for understanding behavior and tailoring health interventions among Latinos living in nontraditional areas.

Differences in Leisure-Time Activities According to Level of Physical Activity in Adolescents

The main goals of this study were: (1) to examine the relationship between physical activity (PA) involvement and other leisure activities in a sample of Portuguese youth and (2) to analyze gender differences in PA and leisure-time activity structure. The sample comprised 1123 adolescents that were classified according to PA levels as active (n = 589) and nonactive (n = 534). A questionnaire assessing leisure-time activities was used. Girls were significantly more engaged in social leisure, dutiful, and individual artistic activities during leisure time, whereas boys were more involved in sports and computer and TV viewing activities. Significant associations between PA and social leisure were found in girls (r = .18, P < or = .001) and boys (r = .13, P < or = .01) after adjustment for age. The same was found between level of PA and sports engagement during leisure (girls: r = .56, P < or = .001; boys: r = .51, P < or = .001). In girls (r = .10, P < or = .05), but not in boys, a statistically significant association was found between PA and individual artistic activities. This study has certain implications for health-related PA promotion efforts. Our data give additional reinforcement to the importance of organized and nonorganized sports/PA during leisure time for overall levels of PA in adolescents.

Physical Activity Promotion in Social Work

Although most social work clinicians probably know the health benefits of physical activity, many may not know how it may be used clinically within the practice context or how to promote it as a therapeutic adjunct. Others may not be fully aware of the tremendous potential psychotherapeutic benefits that may be obtained through physical activity. Perhaps it may be easy for clinicians to say, in effect, Of course physical activity is good for you so 'just do it.' Unfortunately, deference to this popular sneaker company slogan does little to bring about positive change in clients' fitness and health and, consequently, their desired physical and psychological effects. Social workers need to get active in promoting physical activity, and in doing so, they need to collaborate with other fields directly involved in addressing the physical inactivity problem, including physical activity sciences, health psychology, public health, and medicine. The scholarly literature illustrating positive physical and psychological benefits of regular physical activity is growing. Despite this burgeoning knowledge, most people do not maintain a sufficiently active lifestyle (Pratt, Macera, & Blanton, 1999; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996). Physical inactivity among a large portion of the U.S. population is responsible for rapid increases in medical care costs that will become increasingly more difficult to sustain. Indeed, research has shown that by increasing participation in regular moderate activity levels among the 88 million inactive Americans ages 15 and older, annual medical costs may be reduced by as much as $76.6 billion (Pratt, Macera, W North, McCullagh, & Tran, 1990; Wang & Brown, 2004) and stress reactivity and anxiety (Landers, 1997; Landers & Petruzzello, 1994). On the other hand, being physically active is positively associated with cognitive functioning (Etnier et al., 1997). Regular physical activity enhances well-being and vigor and produces beneficial emotional effects across ages and for both genders. Therefore, it can be an appropriate adjunct to mental health therapy (Fontaine, 2000; International Society of Sport Psychology, 1992). Behavioral medicine researchers are acutely aware of the difficulties in getting people to adopt a physically active lifestyle. Seeking to remedy the problem has led to the proposal of several ecological models that incorporate both internal and external factors that may affect a client's participation (Spence & Lee, 2003). For example, a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that multiple community organizations, agencies, and programs should work together to provide support for client physical activity (Estabrooks, Glasgow, & Dzewaltowski, 2003). This suggestion has important implications for social workers who perhaps are not yet significant players in physical activity promotion efforts. Practitioners, therefore, need to be knowledgeable about the conditions under which increased physical activity may be particularly helpful for clients, and they need the resources to promote physical activity among of their clients. In addition, wherever possible, social workers must align with other professions and organizations to encourage physical activity, fitness, and health if they are to fully promote the total well-being of their clients. PRIMARY CONSIDERATIONS: CLIENT AND CONTEXT Buckworth and Dishman (2002) cautioned that one size does not fit all when attempting to adopt regular exercise behavior. The unique personal characteristics of the client, along with the client's physical and psychosocial contexts, must be carefully considered (Buckworth & Dishman; Estabrooks et al. …

OBJECTIVELY DETERMINED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OF PHILIPPINE YOUTH STRATIFIED FOR COMMUTING MODE TO SCHOOL

The primary focus of youth physical activity assessment and promotion efforts has been on in-school physical education classes, and to a lesser extent, out-of-school structured exercise, sport, and play. A potential source of continuous moderate activity, active commuting to school by means of walking or by bicycle, has been largely ignored in surveys of physical activity. Therefore, a subanalysis was undertaken of an ongoing study of youth in the Philippines: The Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Adolescent participants (aged 14–16 years) responded to a simple questionnaire and wore a Caltrac accelerometer during waking hours over a 24-hour period during a regular school week. The purpose of the subanalysis was to compare objectively determined physical activity levels in youth stratified for self-reported commuting mode to school: 1) exclusively by walking, or WALKERS (males = 295, females = 300); and, 2) exclusively by motor vehicle transportation, or RIDERS (private, public or school; males = 157, females = 181). Independent t-tests were used to compare BMI, Caltrac-determined energy expenditure due to activity, and self-reported time watching television between the two habitual commuting modes. WALKERS had a significantly lower BMI than RIDERS (18.5 ± 2.4 vs. 18.9 ± 2.7 kg/m2, p = 0.01), expended more energy due to physical activity despite a lower BMI (353.2 ± 159.7 vs. 317.6 ± 160.1 kcals, p = 0.001), and reported watching less television (1.8 ± 1.2 vs. 2.1 ± 1.2 hours/day, p = 0.02). Although based on a cross-sectional design, the findings of this study provide preliminary stupport for increasing opportunities for safe, active commuting to school as a means of promoting healthful physical activity in youth. Supported in part by the Scientific Affairs Division of M&M Mars and CDC#U48/CCU409664.

Construct Validity of Stages of Change for Exercise Behavior

Previous research examining the transtheoretical model of behavior change within the exercise domain has been limited by use of self-report measures exclusively and inconsistent practices with regard to stage of exercise assessment. The present study was designed to partially circumvent these limitations and extend the current literature by determining the degree of association among stage of exercise and body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness, exercise behavior, relapse, barriers, and self-efficacy, after controlling for several potential confounders. A descriptive, cross-sectional study. Two hundred thirty-five adults (M age = 34.7 years) volunteered to participate. Participants were classified by stage of exercise and compared on two behavioral, two biometrical, and three psychological variables while statistically controlling for social desirability and demographic differences. Significant between-stage differences were found for the overall set of dependent variables (p < .0001) and for each dependent variable separately (p < .01). The proportion of variance accounted for by the dependent variables ranged from .06 to .53. This study offers objective support for the stage-of-change model within the exercise domain. By acknowledging and accurately assessing stage of exercise, researchers and clinicians may be able to improve physical activity promotion efforts.