Sufficient Amounts Of Physical Activity Research Articles

24-Hour movement behaviors among visually impaired US children and adolescents

Background24-h movement behavior (24-HMB) guidelines suggest that children and adolescents should limit screen time (ST), get an adequate amount of sleep (SL), and engage in a sufficient amount of physical activity (PA) to ensure optimal health. However, it is not fully understood how adherence to these 24-HMB guidelines apply specifically to visually impaired children and adolescents. To address this gap in the literature, a cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate potential associations between adherence to the 24-HMB guidelines and academic, social, and emotional outcomes among a national sample of visually impaired children and adolescents. MethodsData on movement behaviors (physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration) and specific outcome variables (academic performance, social function, and emotional function) were collected through caregiver-proxy reports (questionnaires completed by the caregivers of the visually impaired children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17 years). Logistic regressions were performed to examine the associations between the adherence to 24-HMB guidelines and academic, social, and emotional outcomes adjusting for covariates (e.g., age, sex, race, weight, birth status, household poverty level, and the caregiver's education level) and calculate the odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). ResultsAmong 907 visually impaired children and adolescents, only a small proportion adhered to all three 24-HMB guidelines (6.12%). The prevalence of adhering to the SL (33.16%) was higher than those participants meeting PA (3.68%) and ST guidelines (10.28%). As compared to participants who did not meet any of the three 24-HMB guidelines, adhering to: (1) PA + ST guidelines were linked to better academic performance; (2) PA + ST guidelines were linked to less social difficulties, and (3) SL + ST guidelines were linked to better emotional functioning. ConclusionLess than one-third of the visually impaired children and adolescents did meet one or more guidelines of the 24-HMB recommendations. Adhering to the 24-HMB guidelines, both alone and in an integrated manner, was linked to better academic performance, social relationships, and emotional functioning while visually impaired children and adolescents who adhered to PA + ST guidelines benefited the most. Our results suggest that the promotion of the 24-HMB guidelines among visually impaired children and adolescents might be an effective intervention strategy to promote academic, social, and emotional development among this unique group, although further research is necessary to empirically buttress this assumption.

Abstract P445: Patterns in Physical Activity Among Individuals With Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the United States: A Population-Based Contemporary Study From NHANES 2017- 2020

Background: ACC/AHA guidelines recommend at least 75 and 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity activity respectively for improved glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid management in patients with diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia, and improved long-term CV outcomes. This study aimed to investigate physical activity patterns in these patients with long-standing recommendation for achieving these optimal physical activity goals. Methods: We used publicly available NHANES 2017-2020 US Population Data to identify individuals with CV risk factors and their self-reported physical activity. Individuals were diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or hypercholesterolemia, based on standardized questionnaire focusing on diagnosis by clinician or receipt of relevant therapies for the treatment of these conditions. Results: Of 9693 surveyed adults with mean age of 47.5 (1.0) years, 1445 (14.9%) patients reported a medical history of diabetes. Of these cohort of diabetics, only 636 patients (46.4%) reported doing a sufficient amount of physical activity in adherence to ACC/AHA guidelines. Among patients diagnosed with hypertension (2784) and hypercholesterolemia (2007), only 1410 (50.6%) and 1020 (50.8%) respectively reported performing a sufficient amount of physical activity per guidelines. Conclusions: These results point to much room for improvement to optimize modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors such as insufficient physical activity in patients who are already at increased CV disease risk due to history of diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Next steps should involve heightened focus on counseling and lifestyle modification to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.

Dietary habits after a physical activity mHealth intervention: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundA healthy diet and a sufficient amount of physical activity are important factors to reduce complications of type 2 diabetes. Diet and physical activity are associated behaviours. Individuals who are physically active have also been shown to have healthier eating habits than sedentary individuals. We aimed to evaluate the indirect effect of a smartphone-based physical activity intervention on dietary habits in patients with type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe performed analyses of secondary outcomes in a randomized controlled trial. The active intervention was use of a smartphone application to promote physical activity during 12 weeks. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline and after three months using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire comprising 94 items. We analysed changes in the intake of fruit and vegetables, snacks, fibre, whole grains, vitamin C, saturated fat, unsaturated fat and total energy. We also assessed overall dietary habits using a dietary index developed by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare. Results were compared between the intervention and control group, as well as stratified by sex within the study groups. Paired t-tests and analysis of covariance were performed.ResultsA total of 181 patients were recruited to the DiaCert-study, whereof 146 patients had complete dietary data and were included in the analyses. Women in the intervention group had a higher fruit and vegetable intake (p = 0.008) and a higher dietary index (p = 0.007), at three-months compared to women in the control group. They had increased their daily intake of fruit and vegetables by on average 87.4 g/day (p = 0.04) and improved their dietary index by on average 0.8 points (p = 0.01) from baseline to follow-up. No effect was found in men.ConclusionsWomen, but not men, receiving a smartphone-based physical activity intervention improved their total intake of fruit and vegetables. The transfer effect, i.e. an intervention aimed at promoting one health behavior that facilitates changes in other health behaviors, may differ between the sexes.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03053336; 15/02/2017.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and academic performance among medical students; A single center study from Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity and academic performance among students of Majmaah University, KSA. Methodology: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 200 all year’s medical students of either gender of Majmaah University. Complete enumeration technique was used for data collection. An online google form was shared with the study participants. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24. The study was completed in six months. Results: Students with higher grades spent most of their time sitting without engaging in mild to moderate or severe physical activity. We found that 43 (21.5%) participants gained 1-5kg, 42 (21%) 5-10kg, 14 (7%) gained more than 10kg. On the other hand, 38 (19%) participants lost 1-5kg, 30 (15%) lost 5-10kg, 18 (9%) lost more than 10kg and 114 (57%) of the participants had no change in weight during the corona pandemic. Conclusion: Regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, physical inactivity is considered as a separate pandemic. Students' capacity to engage in sufficient amounts of physical activity to preserve health and avoid disease may have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Determining the etiology of cerebral stroke: from the most prevalent to rare causes

Cerebral stroke remains the leading cause of death and disability worldwide as well as in Ukraine. After a cerebral stroke, there is an increased risk of a new cerebral stroke (9‒15 % within 1 year), and about a quarter of all cerebral stroke are recurrent. Up to 80 % of recurrent cerebral stroke can be avoided through lifestyle modifications (healthy diet, sufficient amount of physical activity, normalization of body weight, cessation of smoking and alcohol abuse) and control of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and atrial fibrillation. The key to effective secondary prevention is determining the etiology of cerebral stroke, which requires a primary examination in all cases and a number of additional tests as needed. The most common causes of ischemic cerebral stroke are cardiogenic embolism, atherosclerosis of the large cerebral arteries (macroangiopathy), and brain small vessels disease (microangiopathy), but approximately 1/3 of cerebral stroke have other, rear, determined cause or the cause remains unknown despite the appropriate workup (cryptogenic cerebral stroke). In the review, we discuss modern approaches to ischemic cerebral stroke classification and determination of their etiology, from the most prevalent to the rarest causes. A careful search for the cause of cerebral stroke is particularly important in young patients (aged 18 to 50 years) with a high life expectancy. We have reviewed in detail the possibilities of screening for subclinical atrial fibrillation by long-term cardiac monitoring with implantable devices and the diagnosis of monogenetic causes of cerebral stroke, with a particular focus on Fabry disease, for which there is an effective treatment.

Physically active undergraduates perform better on executive-related oculomotor control: Evidence from the antisaccade task and pupillometry.

Previous studies have shown that exercise can improve executive function in young and older adults. However, it remains controversial whether a sufficient amount of physical activity leads to higher-level executive function. To examine the effect of physical activity on executive function, we used eye-tracking technology and the antisaccade task in 41 young undergraduates with various levels of physical activity. Moreover, we also investigated their differences in cognitive ability by examining their pupil size during the antisaccade task. Eye-tracking results showed that physically active individuals showed shorter saccade latency and higher accuracy in the antisaccade task than their physically inactive counterparts. Furthermore, the former showed larger pupil size during the preparatory period of antisaccade. These findings suggest that individuals with higher-level physical activity have higher-level executive function. The larger pupil sizes of physically active individuals may imply that their locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system and executive-related prefrontal cortex are more active, which contributes to their higher-level cognitive ability.

Exploring The Relationships Between Gender Norms, Self-efficacy And Physical Activity In Young Women

The majority of adults do not accumulate sufficient amounts of physical activity (PA) to reduce chronic disease risk and women are consistently less active than men. Gender norms and self-efficacy (SE) for PA are known factors that impact women’s PA, but the antecedents of these factors are not fully understood. Benevolent sexism, a covert form of sexism, has been shown to decrease women’s SE and perpetuate restrictive gender roles, but has not been investigated in the PA domain. PURPOSE: To assess the relationships between benevolent sexism and SE, screen time, and PA in young women. METHODS: An online survey was administered to N=156 women that included the 22-item Ambivalent Sexism Inventory, International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, sedentary (sitting or laying down) screen time questions, and the Self-efficacy for PA questionnaire. Spearman correlations were calculated to assess the strength of association between benevolent sexism and SE, screen time, and PA outcomes [Moderate (MPA), Moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA), and Vigorous (VPA)]. RESULTS: Participants (N=156, 24±3.7 years old, 72.6% white, 10.8% Latino, 5.7% black, 7.7% Asian, 3.24% Other) were active (mins of MVPA/wk, Median (IQR)=561 (807.5)), accumulated (mean+SD) 11.6±5.3 hours of screen time/day, and reported an average benevolent sexism score of 1.6±0.8 (range 1 to 5). Associations among SE and MPA, VPA, and MVPA were r=0.06, 0.45, and 0.24, respectively; and r=-0.34 with screen time. No significant associations were observed between benevolent sexism and PA outcomes, screen time, or SE (r=-0.12 to 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of young women, benevolent sexism was not associated with PA, screen time, or SE, a common psychosocial mediator. However, participants reported being extremely active, which may reflect significant over-reporting, and they reported very low benevolent sexism scores, which may reflect social desirability bias; neither may be generalizable beyond this sample. Future research should assess these relationships in more diverse populations and use an objective assessment of PA to better understand the role of benevolent sexism, if any, on women’s PA.

Determinants of physical activity in women with multiple sclerosis based on theory of planned behavior.

Background:In recent decades, the scientific evidence has demonstrated that regular physical activity (PA) provides abundant physiological and psychological benefits in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, most persons with MS are physically inactive. This study examined determinants of PA based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) among women with MS.Method:Participants (178)-completed measures included Godin Leisure-Time Exercise and TPB questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical linear regression were analyzed using IBM SPSS.Result:Most participants were homemaker and the mean age was 34.2 years. The mean of PA was 11.6 ± 7.9 and only 10% of participants had sufficient amount of PA. The result of hierarchical linear regression indicated that attitude (β = 0.27; P < 0.05), subjective norm (β = 0.18; P < 0.05), and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.44; P < 0.05) explained 58% variance in exercise intention. Intention (β = 0.20; P < 0.05) and other variables explained 18% variance in PA.Conclusion:Our findings indicate that constructs of TPB could be used in behavioral interventions by health-care providers for increasing PA among women with MS.

Are Machine Learning Models Used to Represent Accelerometry Data Robust to Age Differences?

Regular and sufficient amounts of physical activity (PA) are significant in increasing health benefits and mitigating health risks. Given the growing popularity of wrist-worn devices across all age groups, a rigorous evaluation for recognizing hallmark measures of physical activities and estimating energy expenditure is needed to compare their accuracy across the lifespan. The goal of the study was to build machine learning models to recognizing the hallmark measures of PA and estimating energy expenditure (EE), and to test the hypothesis that model performance varies across age-group: young [20-50 years], middle (50-70 years], and old (70-89 years]. Participants (n = 253, 62% women, aged 20-89 years old) performed a battery of 33 daily activities in a standardized laboratory setting while wearing a portable metabolic unit to measure EE that was used to gauge metabolic intensity. Participants also wore a Tri-axial accelerometer on the right wrist. Results from random forests algorithm were quite accurate at recognizing PA type; the F1-Score range across age groups was: sedentary [0.955 – 0.973], locomotion [0.942 – 0.964], and lifestyle [0.913 – 0.949]. Recognizing PA intensity resulted in lower performance; the F1-Score range across age groups was: sedentary [0.919 – 0.947], light [0.813 – 0.828], and moderate [0.846–0.875]. The root mean square error range was [0.835–1.009] for the estimation of EE. The F1-Score range for recognizing individual PAs was [0.263–0.784]. In conclusion, machine learning models used to represent accelerometry data are robust to age differences and a generalizable approach might be sufficient to utilize in accelerometer-based wearables.

Relationship between Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Discrepancies of the Self among college students in India

Routine physical activity has been shown to have a substantial impact on both physical and mental health. As an exploration of the psychological aspects of exercise and sports, the present study attempts to investigate the relationship between Leisure-time Physical Activity and Self-discrepancies. The self-discrepancies were measured with respect to the Big-Five Personality traits, by getting self-reports of Actual and Ideal selves. The Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (GSLTPAQ) and the Mini-IPIP scales were used to collect data from college students (N=166) in India, who belong to the streams of Art, Science, Commerce, and Social Work. The data obtained suggest that the amount of physical activity is significantly correlated with self-discrepancies in Neuroticism (r = -0.27) and Extraversion (r = -0.17). A significant negative relationship was also observed between Physical Activity and the Total Self-Discrepancy. The conclusion arrived at was that Physical Activity affects some aspects of our personality traits and that individuals who perform sufficient amount of physical activity on a regular basis are more likely to actualize selected aspects of their idealistic selves.

Understanding the Physical Activity Behavior of Iranian Female Students: Two Approaches to Analyzing the Theory of Planned Behavior

Background Living without sufficient amount of physical activity is known as a contributing factor to countless diseases. This research study aimed to determine the relationships between the constructs of the theory of planned behavior and female students’ physical activity with a path analysis approach. Materials and Methods The present research is a descriptive-analytic study conducted through cross-sectional data collection procedure. 185 female students were selected via multi-phase random sampling in elementary schools in Mashhad, Iran, from February to November 2018. Path analysis was performed by AMOOS version 22.0 and SmartPLS 2.0 to test the causal relationship among physical activityand constructs of the theory of planned behavior. Results The age range of female students was between 10 and 13, with mean and standard deviation of 11.51 ±0.76, respectively. The results showed that the constructs of attitude (r=0.177, p=0.018), and perceived behavioral control (r=0.234, p=0.001) had a direct and significant relationship with physical activity intention. However, the direct relationship between the constructs of subjective norms and physical activity intention was not significant (P>0.05). Also the direct relationship between the constructs of physical activity intention and physical activity behavior was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusion Based on the results, the constructs of attitude, and perceived behavioral control had a direct and significant relationship with physical activity intention in female students.

Parents’ perception of physical activity and body mass in their children compared to BMI and physical fitness test results – examination of 8369 children

Introduction: The level of parents’ knowledge and ability to evaluate a child’s health condition is crucial when making decisions concerning physical activity levels and dietary patterns. Aim: This study assessed parents’ views versus the actual health status of their children using anthropometric examinations and performance test results. Material and methods: The research involved an examination of 8369 children aged 6–7 years and an analysis of responses provided by parents to a questionnaire of the general health status of children, their physical activity, and estimated average time spent passively. Responses were compared to the results of a performance test and anthropometric measurements, classified according to centile grids for a given age and sex. Results and discussion: In total, 85% of guardians did not notice obesity in a child whose BMI was in the 95th percentile or above. Guardians of children with very bad physical performance evaluated their general health condition as very good (42%) or good (50%), which means that 92% of guardians were not aware of their child’s very low exercise capacity. In total, 75% of guardians of children with very poor fitness believed that their child had a sufficient amount of physical activity during the day. Conclusions: Parents or guardians of children with excessive body weight have a low level of awareness of obesity and have no awareness of their children’s very low physical performance. We conclude that there is a great need for comprehensive education of societies regarding the importance of physical activity and nutrition for the health of children and youth.

The effect of smartphone application interventions on physical activity level among university/college students: a systematic review protocol

Introduction: Strong evidence has shown the benefits of engagement in recommended amount of physical activity. However, it is estimated that nearly half of university students do not participate in sufficient amount of physical activity. While entering university life is a transitional stage important for adopting a particular lifestyle, it is crucial to develop and implement novel strategies to promote physical activity among this population. A smartphone application is a potential media for delivering physical activity intervention. However, recent reviews in this area have demonstrated high levels of heterogeneity, potentially due to population diversity. To date there has been no attempt to synthesize the literature assessing the effectiveness of this particular intervention in university students.Aim: The primary aim of this review is to investigate the effectiveness of smartphone application intervention on physical activity level among university students. The secondary aim is examining the behavior change technique elements of smartphone applications used in available studies.Methods: Sixteen electronic databases will be searched for randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies reporting the effect of smartphone application intervention on physical activity outcomes among university students. Two reviewers will independently screen the potential studies and extract data from included studies. Active elements of smartphone applications used in included studies will be coded using the Behavior Change Technique taxonomy v1. Risk of bias and quality of evidence of individual studies will be assessed. The overall evidence will be presented in a narrative synthesis and quantitative synthesis.

The Weather Impact on Physical Activity of 6-12 Year Old Children: A Clustered Study of the Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP).

It is commonly known that children do not engage in a sufficient amount of physical activity. Weather conditions and day length may influence physical activity of children. Little is known about the relationship between physical activity and seasons. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between weather conditions and physical activity in 6–12 year old children based on hip-worn Actigraph wGT3X–BT accelerometer data. The study sample consisted of 2015 subjects aged 6–12 years from the Health Oriented Pedagogical Project (HOPP) study carried out in Horten municipality and Akershus county, Norway. Six days of sedentary and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity data was gathered in January–June and September–October, 2015, presented as daily averages. The accelerometer-monitored physical activity of children grouped within nine schools was matched with regional weather conditions and assessed with the means of linear mixed models. Increased day length was associated with decreased sedentary behavior. Warmer temperature and dry weather were associated with increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity after adjusting for age and sex. One-hour increase in daylight resulted in a decrease of sedentary time by, on average, 2 min (95% CI = (−2.577, −0.798)). For every 5 °C increase in temperature (range: −0.95 and 15.51 °C) and dry weather, average moderate-to vigorous physical activity increased by 72 and 67 min (males and females, respectively) (p < 0.001). Days with precipitation had, on average, 10 fewer minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared with days without precipitation (95% CI = (−16.704, −3.259)). Higher temperatures and dry weather led to higher physical activity levels, seeing larger increases among boys than girls. A school-based physical activity intervention program should be adjusted regarding local weather conditions in line with the present findings.

The integration of pediatric sleep health into public health in Canada

The concept of sleep health is gaining momentum globally. Rather than “medicalizing” sleep with a focus on sleep disorders and their treatment, there is growing interest in sleep health promotion for all and on the prevention of sleep problems. In Canada, sleep health is increasingly becoming part of a holistic vision of health and provides a metric for health promotion efforts. One of the outcomes of this evolving understanding of sleep health in Canada has been the release of the world's first integrated 24-hour movement guidelines for the pediatric population in 2016. These were the first systematic review-informed sleep guidelines in Canada, and provided important benchmarks for surveillance. They also integrated sleep health with other lifestyle behaviors by putting the emphasis on the full 24-hour period rather than nocturnal sleep duration. Among the possible solutions to counter the adverse effects of insufficient sleep, public health policies are crucial to help prioritizing sleep health in children. The future of pediatric sleep health in Canada is bright, and we need to align our efforts and continue to push for this important topic in the public health arena. It is expected that this action will result in the prioritization of sleep health by the public health community in Canada so that it becomes an equal counterpart to the attention and resources given to other lifestyle behaviors such as healthy nutrition and sufficient amounts of physical activity.

Identifying patterns of unhealthy diet and physical activity in four countries of the Americas: a latent class analysis.

ABSTRACTObjectivesTo determine clusters of individuals who present similar health behaviors in terms of diet, physical activity, and sedentarism, in four countries of the Americas: Brazil (2013), Chile (2009), Mexico (2012), and the United States of America (2013). This makes it possible to determine which of these behaviors occur simultaneously, as well as the demographic and sociodemographic characteristics associated with each cluster.MethodsThe individual-level data analyzed were drawn from national health interviews and health examination surveys in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and the United States, for different time periods. Using international physical activity guidelines and national dietary guidelines, the health behaviors of each individual were assessed. A latent class analysis was conducted to classify individuals into clusters based on these behaviors, and was followed by multinomial regressions to determine the characteristics of those in each class.ResultsOverall, most individuals belonged to the classes characterized by average or unhealthy diets but sufficient amounts of physical activity. However, large differences exist across countries and population groups. Men with higher socioeconomic characteristics were globally more likely to belong to the least healthy class in each country.ConclusionsFindings from this analysis support the implementation of more refined policy actions to target specific unhealthy behaviors in different population groups, defined by gender, age group, socioeconomic status, and, to some extent, place of residence. The at-risk populations identified through this paper are those that should be targeted by upcoming interventions.

Will the ‘Pokémon’ be Heroes in the Battle Against Physical Inactivity?

Page 13 Physical inactivity increases the risks of dying prematurely, dying of heart disease, and developing diabetes, colon cancer and high blood pressure.1 However, there exists a large portion of the population who remain physically inactive and others who are active but do not engage in a sufficient amount of physical activity to maintain health.2 Multiple factors underlie this dilemma, including personal, social and environmental issues, all of which have made the promotion of physical activity a challenging endeavor. Interestingly, in the past few months (as of early July, 2016) anecdotal evidence suggests more people have been going outside and engaging in physical activity. This is not related to any “national fitness initiatives” or the like, but simply as part of playing a game called ‘Pokemon Go’. This new mobile gamming application uses an augmented reality and GPS location systems to create a map of the local environment. Individuals can use their phones to track and catch Pokemon (virtual creatures). The most intriguing aspect from a public health perspective is that people must actually engage in physical activity (e.g. walking, biking) to be successful playing the game. Amit Khera, MD, Director of Preventive Cardiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas notes, “Unlike many apps or video games which are largely sedentary endeavors, this one promotes physical activity in the outdoors. Importantly, the physical activity is a by-product rather than an explicit component, such as one sees with other “Fit” video games that can turn off some young adults. So, kids and adults are getting outdoors, engaging in social interaction, and are participating (unintentionally) in physical activity it is a win-win all around”! With reported downloads of the game exceeding 100 million since July 2016, why is this particular game, with inherent design features to promote physical activity, so popular? Maybe even more importantly, can this popularity (as well as the associated increased physical activity participation) be sustained over a long enough period to impact public health?

Understanding Factors Associated With Children’s Motivation To Engage In Recess-Time Physical Activity

Physical activity is linked with health and academic benefits. While recess provides the greatest opportunity for children to accumulate physical activity, most children are not motivated to engage in sufficient amounts of physical activity during recess. Research demonstrates a strong relationship between self-efficacy and children’s motivation to engage in physical activity. The purpose of this study was to explore whether in the context of recess there is a relationship between physical activity self-efficacy and children’s motivation to engage in physical activity. One hundred and sixty-one students were recruited from three elementary schools. Physical activity self-efficacy (barrier and task) and physical activity data were collected utilizing a self-efficacy instrument and accelerometers. This study found evidence of two types of barrier self-efficacy, adult encouragement barrier self-efficacy and other barrier self-efficacy, neither of these types of barrier self-efficacy, nor task self-efficacy were found to be significantly related to motivation to engage in physical activity during recess. Given research suggesting that other types of physical activity self-efficacy may be useful in understanding children motivation to engage in physical activity, more research in this area is needed. Future research may consider exploring the relationship between asking efficacy, environmental change efficacy and motivation to engage in recess-time physical activity. This research can assist practitioners and researchers identify modifiable correlates associated with children’s recess time physical activity. Such evidence could be utilized to develop interventions that are effective at increasing the amount of physical activity children accumulate during recess time.

Daily update of motor predictions by physical activity.

Motor prediction, i.e., the ability to predict the sensory consequences of motor commands, is critical for adapted motor behavior. Like speed or force, the accuracy of motor prediction varies in a 24-hour basis. Although the prevailing view is that basic biological markers regulate this circadian modulation, behavioral factors such as physical activity, itself modulated by the alternation of night and day, can also regulate motor prediction. Here, we propose that physical activity updates motor prediction on a daily basis. We tested our hypothesis by up- and down-regulating physical activity via arm-immobilization and high-intensity training, respectively. Motor prediction was assessed by measuring the timing differences between actual and mental arm movements. Results show that although mental movement time was modulated during the day when the arm was unconstrained, it remained constant when the arm was immobilized. Additionally, increase of physical activity, via release from immobilization or intense bout of training, significantly reduced mental movement time. Finally, mental and actual times were similar in the afternoon in the unconstrained condition, indicating that predicted and actual movements match after sufficient amount of physical activity. Our study supports the view that physical activity calibrates motor predictions on a daily basis.

Relationship between Brazilian adolescents' physical activity and social and economic indicators of the cities where they live.

This study investigated the relationship between sufficient amounts of physical activity among Brazilian adolescents and the economic and social indicators of the cities where they live. Data from a large national survey including 109,104 boys and girls ages 13 to 15 yr. (47.8% boys, 52.2% girls) were analyzed. The economic and social indicators were the Human Development Index (HDI), which is a comparative measure to rank cities according to their degree of human development, the Gini index (income inequality), population density, and maternal education. Stepwise regression was used to identify associations between physical activity and economic and social indicators of the cities. The physical activity of Brazilian adolescents was associated with the social and economic conditions of the cities where they live. The amount of physical activity of girls was greater in the cities with fewer income inequalities. For boys, physical activity was greater in the cities with a higher HDI and fewer income inequalities.