Promote Leisure Time Physical Activity Research Articles

Providing Sports Venues on Mainland China: Implications for Promoting Leisure-Time Physical Activity and National Fitness Policies.

Leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) has been well documented as having substantial health benefits. The 2014 Chinese Fitness Survey Report stated that a lack of physical activity (PA) spaces is the most important non-human factor, leading to 10% of leisure-time physical inactivity in people aged 20 and above. We investigated the provision of sports venues in China and discussed the development of sports venues and national fitness policies in the context of promoting LTPA and public health. We analyzed information from China’s most recent sport venue census, the Sixth National Sports Venues Census, conducted in 2013. The number of sports venues increased between 2000 and 2013, with an inflection point around the year 2008. At the end of 2013, there were 12.45 venues for every 10,000 residents, and the per capita area was 1.46 m2. However, numbers were still small compared with the United States and Japan. The percentages of full-time access, part-time access and membership venues were 51.5%, 14.3% and 34.2% respectively. Only half of sports venues were fully open to the public, meaning that the realized number and area per capita could be even lower. A lack of sports venues forces people who want to engage in PA to occupy other urban spaces that are not planned and designed for PA. Urban parks had 119,750 fitness station facilities (3.32% of the total), and 2366 urban fitness trails (19.24%), with a combined length of 6450 km (32.91%). On average, urban and rural areas had 13.17 and 10.80 venues per 10,000 persons, and 1.83 m2 and 0.97 m2 per capita. The urban-rural gap in sports venues exactly embodies some aspects of the “urban-rural dual structure” in China’s society. Measures to promote PA should focus on new and existing sports venues. In the policy making process, Chinese governments need to pay attention to the potential impact of related, external factors such as the gap between the urban and the rural and the potential advantage of indoor venues against summer heat and air pollution.

CLINICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED SEDENTARY TIME IN VERY ACTIVE OLDER ADULTS

Sedentary behavior (such as sitting) has been shown to be an independent risk factor for increased frailty and less successive aging, even in active individuals. Our study examined the clinical factors most associated with higher sedentary times (ST) in very active older adults. We recruited 54 adults from a Master’s ski team (Whistler, British Columbia; mean age 71.5±0.6 years, 55% female). Activity levels were measured using an accelerometer (SenseWear) worn continuously for 7 days. ST was defined as a lack of activity when not in the supine position, in order to exclude time spent sleeping. Potential predictor variables consisted of metabolic syndrome criteria (blood pressure, high density lipoprotein, waist circumference, triglyceride levels, fasting blood glucose), age, biological sex and heart rate. Predictors associated with ST (p<0.10) were entered into a stepwise multivariate regression model. Our subjects were extremely active, engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity for 2.6±0.2 hours per day, greatly exceeding current activity guidelines. Despite these high activity levels, they were also sedentary for an average of 9.4±0.2 hours per day. Our final minimum effective model showed that waist circumference had a significant association with ST (Standardized β = 0.36±0.13, p=0.007), explaining 18% of the variation in ST. People are often subjectively unaware of how long they spend sedentary. Our study suggests, that in addition to promoting leisure time physical activity, physicians should also objectively measure ST in highly active older patients with high waist circumferences.

Using tele-health to enhance motivation, leisure time physical activity, and quality of life in adults with spinal cord injury: A self-determination theory-based pilot randomized control trial

ObjectivesNovel and theory-based interventions promoting leisure time physical activity (LTPA) are needed for adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). The purpose of this study was to pilot test a tele-health intervention, grounded in self-determination theory, to enhance need satisfaction, motivation, physical activity, and quality of life among adults with SCI. DesignPilot randomized controlled trial. MethodsParticipants (N = 24) were randomized to either a control or intervention group (N = 22 completed the study). The intervention group received one, 1-h counselling session per week, for eight weeks and the sessions were delivered via an online video-chat platform. The counselling sessions focused on fostering the basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation, teaching behaviour change techniques, and self-regulatory strategies. The control group was asked to continue with their regular routine. Participants responded to a questionnaire at baseline, mid-, and post-intervention. Hedge’s g effect sizes were used to examine group differences and reliable change indexes to verify individual changes. ResultsCompared to the control group, the intervention group reported greater autonomous motivation (Hedge’s g = 0.91) and LTPA (Hedge’s g = 0.85) post-intervention. Large to moderate effects supporting the intervention group were found for health participation at six weeks (Hedge’s g = 0.97), and meaningful life experiences (Hedge’s g = 0.72) and social cognitive predictors of LTPA (Hedge’s g > 0.76) post-intervention. ConclusionThis study demonstrated the preliminary effectiveness of a self-determination theory and tele-health LTPA counselling intervention for adults with SCI, which may help inform larger interventions aimed at promoting LTPA among this population. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02833935; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02833935 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6u8U9x2yt)

Childhood Obesity, Physical Activity, and Exercise.

As the incidence of childhood obesity increases, there is a need to promote leisure time physical activity. Traditional approaches to promote the population physical activity levels have shown at best moderate improvements. High percentage of children today carry a cell phone, thus the use of this portable device seems promising for enhancing physical activity. Pokémon Go, is a smartphone game that uses augmented reality, where players are incentivized to get out and walk significant distances to catch the Pokémon. Initial reports suggested increases in the number of steps that players performed, yet this effect of the game was not sustained. Incorporating physical activity into modern technology seems promising, clearly there is need to explore creative ways to achieve a longer term effect.

Leisure Time Physical Activity and Hypertension: Evidence from the China Health &amp; Nutrition Survey, 2004-2011

Background: The prevalence of hypertension has dramatically increased in the past several decades in China. At the same time, the level of physical activity among Chinese has significantly reduced. The association between leisure time physical activity and development of hypertension has not been thoroughly established, especially from an urban-rural perspective. The study thus sought to examine the associations in Chinese adults using longitudinal data, and the association’s difference in urban and rural community. Methods: A total of 2,687 adults were included in the analysis. Multivariate logistic regressions and proportional hazard regressions were performed to assess the association after adjusting for possible confounding variables. Urban-rural differences were also investigated by stratified analysis. Results: In the sample, 62.3% were from urban, 47.4% were men, and the mean age was 40. Adjusted estimates show that leisure time activity was a significant protector from developing hypertension (HR=0.60, 95% CI=0.41-0.87) in Chinese sample. The correlation was found to be significant among urban residents (HR=0.57, 95% CI=0.38-0.87), but not in rural participants (HR=0.91, 95% CI=0.36-2.33). Conclusions: Leisure time physical activity and development of hypertension were significantly correlated with each other in Chinese. Promoting leisure time physical activity may be helpful in hypertension prevention and control in China. In addition, educating healthy diet and occupational physical activity pattern might be helpful in urban areas.

Utilizing Generalization Tactics to Promote Leisure-Time Physical Activity for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Research suggests that school-aged individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) tend to be less physically active than their typically developing peers (e.g., Shields, King, Corbett, & Imms, 2014). While these students can be successful in acquiring motor and sport-related skills during physical education, they tend not to use those skills in settings outside of school (Reid, 1993; Yang & Porretta, 1999). This can be due to difficulties with generalization. Generalization refers to the use of newly acquired skills or behaviors in non-training environments (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007). Difficulties with generalization of motor skills may contribute to low levels of physical activity and sport participation by individuals with ID outside of physical education. Since the generalization of skills learned in physical education may not occur automatically, physical education teachers must plan and teach for generalized outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe how physical education teachers can use generalization tactics to promote leisure-time physical activity.

Leisure time physical activity and subsequent physical and mental health functioning among midlife Finnish, British and Japanese employees: a follow-up study in three occupational cohorts

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to examine whether leisure time physical activity contributes to subsequent physical and mental health functioning among midlife employees. The associations were tested in three...

Cognitive and Motivational Factors Associated with Sedentary Behavior: A Systematic Review.

Excessive time spent in sedentary behavior (SB) is associated with numerous health risks. These associations remain even after controlling for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA) and body mass index, indicating that efforts to promote leisure time physical activity alone are insufficient. Cognitive and motivation variables represent potentially modifiable factors and have the potential of furthering our understanding of sedentary behavior. Hence, a systematic review was conducted to synthesize and critique the literature on the relationship between cognitive and motivational factors and sedentary behaviors. In April 2016, four electronic databases (Psych info, Pub Med, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science) were searched and a total of 4866 titles and abstracts were reviewed. After meeting inclusion criteria, study characteristics were extracted and the methodological quality of each study was assessed according to the Downs and Black Checklist. PRISMA guidelines for reporting of systematic reviews were followed. Twenty-five studies (16 cross-sectional, 8 longitudinal and one examining two populations and employing both a cross-sectional and prospective design) assessed 23 different cognitive and motivational factors. Seventeen studies were theory-based and 8 did not employ a theoretical model. Results showed that among SB-related cognitions, risk factors for greater sedentary time included having a more positive attitude towards SB, perceiving greater social support/norms for SB, reporting greater SB habits, having greater intentions to be sedentary, and having higher intrinsic, introjected, and external motivation towards SB. Protective factors associated with lower sedentary time included having greater feelings of self-efficacy/control over SB and greater intentions to reduce SB. Among PA-related cognitions, protective factors for lower SB included a more positive attitude towards PA, having greater social support/norms for PA, greater self-efficacy/control for PA, higher PA intentions, and higher intrinsic and identified motivation towards PA. In addition, feeling more supported and empowered in general was related with lower levels of SB. The average methodological quality score for included studies was 69% (SD = 9.15%; range 35–80%). In conclusion, a number of cognitive and motivational factors were identified that were associated with sedentarism. These findings have come from reasonably high quality studies. To further extend our understanding of the relation between cognitive and motivational factors and SB, more longitudinal, theory-driven studies examining cognitions and motivation from a sedentary perspective are required.

Promoting Leisure-Time Physical Activity for Students with Visual Impairments Using Generalization Tactics

Important and favorable health effects of physical activity have been well documented. Regular physical activity for adults has been linked to decreases in the risk of several chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, anxiety, depression, and obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011). Developing a physically active lifestyle at an early age can help decrease chances of developing these health-related problems during childhood and later in life (CDC, 2011). Unfortunately, school-aged individuals who are visually impaired tend to be less physically active than their peers without visual impairments (Haegele & Porretta, 2015a). Further, among individuals with disabilities, those with visual impairments tend to be among the least active (Longmuir & Bar-Or, 2000). Because individuals with visual impairments are less physically active than their peers without disabilities or with disabilities other than visual impairment, they are at greater risk for experiencing health-related problems, such as obesity (Haegele & Porretta, 2015a). According to Pan, Frey, Bar-Or, & Longmuir (2005), the most likely environment for school-aged individuals with disabilities, including those with visual impairments, to learn about participation in physical activities is in physical education (PE) classes. Well-designed PE programs encourage students to become physically literate individuals who are active and healthy throughout their lives (Society of Health and Physical Educators [SHAPE], 2014). With proper planning and support from teachers of students who are visually impaired and orientation and mobility instructors, PE can also contribute to components of the expanded core curriculum (Lieberman, Haegele, Columna, & Conroy, 2014). Although PE positively influences student physical activity participation during school hours, however, research suggests that school-based programs tend to have less of an impact on students' participation in physical activity outside of school (Kriemler et al., 2011). Students may be less active outside of school because of difficulties in transferring skills learned during PE to other settings. This is also known as difficulty with generalization. GENERALIZATION Generalization refers to the use of newly acquired skills or behaviors in non-training environments (Cooper, Heron, & Heward, 2007). Although students with visual impairments learn skills to participate in physical activities during their PE classes, they may have difficulty using those skills in other settings, at other times, or with other people. Therefore, the generalization of skills learned during PE may not be occurring. In order to ensure generalization, school personnel, including PE teachers, teachers of students who are visually impaired, and orientation and mobility (O&M) professionals, can plan to train students who are visually impaired for generalization during PE and throughout the school day. Cooper and colleagues (2007) identify 13 tactics that can effectively promote generalized behavior change. These tactics are typically used to help students transfer skills mastered in the classroom to independent use in other places or situations, at different times, or in new creative ways (Alber-Morgan, 2010). PE teachers, teachers of students who are visually impaired, and O&M specialists can promote physical activity participation in environments outside of PE by embedding some of these generalization tactics into the school day. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to describe how educators can use generalization tactics to promote leisure-time physical activity. PROMOTING LEISURE-TIME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY USING GENERALIZATION TACTICS The following sections will briefly describe how four of the 13 generalization tactics identified by Cooper and colleagues (2007) can be utilized to promote leisure-time physical activity for school-aged individuals with visual impairments. …

Estimation of leisure time physical activity and sedentary behaviour among school adolescents in Nepal.

BackgroundLeisure-time physical activity is essential for healthy and physically active life; however, this domain of physical activity is less common in developing countries. Information on leisure time physical activity and sedentary behaviour among Nepalese population is not available. The study was carried out to assess leisure time physical activity and sedentary behaviour among high school adolescents and identify the associated factors in Nepal.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in Banke district, Nepal in 2013 among higher secondary school students using self-administered questionnaire based on International Physical Activity Questionnaire. A sample of 405 students, 178 females and 227 males, of the age–group 15 to 20 years from seven schools were included in the study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with participation in leisure time physical activity and sedentary behaviour.ResultsEngagement of female in leisure time physical activity was lower but mean time spent on sitting per day was higher. Students who walked to school and have playground/parks near home, younger females (OR = 3.09, 95% CI: 1.18-8.08), females living in nuclear families (OR: 2.16, 95% CI: 1.01-4.62) and males who cycled to school (OR: 8.09, 95% CI: 2.35-27.80) and have provision of extra-curricular activities (OR: 2.49, 95% CI: 1.04-5.97) were more likely to be engaged in leisure time physical activity. On the other hand, students who did not have playground in school and lived in rural areas were more likely to sit for more than 6 hours a day. Likewise, male students of private school (OR: 6.41, 95% CI: 2.89-14.21), who used vehicle to reach school (OR: 5.90, 95% CI: 1.26-27.75) and have no provision of extra-curricular activities (OR: 2.98, 95% CI: 1.09-8.07) had longer sitting time.ConclusionDifference in leisure time physical activity and sedentary behaviour was found among male and female school adolescents. Interventions are needed not only to promote leisure time physical activity but also to reduce sedentary behaviour among this group.

To Study the Prevalence of Sedentary Behaviours and Decreased Physical Activity among School Going Adolescents in Ludhiana

Objective: To study the prevalence of sedentary behaviours and decreased physical activity among school going adolescents in Ludhiana. Material and Method: School going children of Ludhiana of age group 13-17 years were enrolled in the present study. All subjects were given a Questionnaire for this survey which was filled and completed by them and their leisure time spent in sedentary and non-sedentary behaviour per day during weekday and weekends was collected and then collected data was analysed. Result: 100 school going students of Ludhiana, between age group of 13-17 years were taken under the inclusion criteria. The result of the study showed that the students spent 266 minutes (4.43 hours) on average in sedentary activity and only 15 minutes were spent in non - sedentary behaviours on weekdays and on weekends time spent on sedentary activity was increased to 275 minutes (4.58 hours)in sedentary activity and 15 minutes in non- sedentary one. Conclusion: This survey has concluded that there is prevalence of sedentary lifestyle and decreased physical activity among school going adolescents. Our sample showed that there was very low level of leisure time physical activity among school going adolescents as recommended by W.H.O. So, there is major need to promote leisure time physical activity among adolescents to have a better health in future, prevent obesity and other health related problems.

Cardiovascular Disease in Asian Indians Living in the United States

Asian Indians (people originating from the Indian subcontinent) are the largest Asian subgroup in the United States and one of the fastest growing ethnic groups as well, with the population projected to increase to 41 million by 2050. Prevalence of cardiovascular disease is significantly higher in Asian Indians compared to whites living in the United States. Asian Indians have a high risk of premature coronary artery disease and have high mortality from coronary heart disease, especially in the youngest age cohort. The factors for increased cardiovascular risk include the high prevalence of diabetes and insulin resistance, increased truncal fat distribution, and atherogenic lipoprotein profiles. When adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index, Asian Indians have the highest ethnic-specific prevalence of diabetes compared to whites, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Among the lifestyle risk factors, prevalence of leisure time physical inactivity is reported to be higher among Asian Indians, and rates of smoking, obesity, and binge drinking are much lower compared to European populations. With the increasing affluence of Asian Indians living in United States and decreasing work-related physical activity, the lack of leisure time physical activity may become a major contributor to metabolic abnormalities in this population. The presence of excess insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, and lower plasma adiponectin concentration at lower total body fat in Asian Indians points to adipose tissue dysfunction. Although there is a public health need for early assessment of cardiovascular risk factors in this high-risk cohort and aggressive intervention to modify these factors with development of culturally tailored interventions to promote leisure time physical activity and healthy dietary habits, further research to identify targets for early diagnosis and intervention other than traditional approaches is warranted.