Vigorous Physical Activity Recommendations Research Articles

Association of aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity with all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality among adults with type 2 diabetes: A prospective cohort of US adults

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship of moderate physical activity (MPA), vigorous physical activity (VPA), and muscle strengthening activity (MSA), independently and jointly, with all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and non-CVD mortality in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Material and methodsThis cohort study included 47,538 adults with T2D and 561,963 adults without T2D from the National Health Interview Survey 1997–2018 who provided data on self-reported physical activity (PA). Mortality data were obtained from the National Death Index through 2019. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). ResultsIn analyses mutually adjusted, versus no MPA adults with T2D, performing the recommendations of MPA (150–299 min/week) associated with lower all-cause mortality (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.66–0.78), CVD mortality (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.58–0.79), and non-CVD mortality (HR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65–0.79). Similar benefits were observed in those meeting recommendations for VPA and MSA. Higher levels of PA beyond current recommendations may provide a few additional benefits without adverse effects on mortality risk, regardless of diabetes onset age, duration of diabetes, and medication status. The joint analysis indicates that combining MSA with aerobic PA could further lower mortality risk, and lowest all-cause mortality was observed among individuals engaging in either 75–150 min/week of VPA and 1 time/week of MSA (HR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.13–0.70) or 150–299 min/week of MPA and 1 time/week of MSA (HR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.20–0.55). ConclusionOur study supports the current PA guidelines and suggests that there may be limited benefits gained from exercising beyond recommended levels in adults with T2D, combining recommended levels of aerobic and resistance exercises could yield the greatest benefits.

Correlates associated with the compliance for moderate, vigorous, and overall physical activity recommendations of public park users in Oeiras – Portugal

ABSTRACT A cross-sectional study with data from 403 users from public parks in Oeiras – Portugal was conducted to measure their amount of physical activity and sedentary behavior and investigate the distinct correlates associated with the chance of complying with the overall, moderate, and vigorous physical activity recommendations by the World Health Organization. We collected sociodemographic data, physical activity, sedentary behavior, the prevalence of disease, amount and quality of sleep, subjective well-being, where and with whom they live, and the usual way of commuting. Descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression models were used, and the results indicated that 75.2% of the Oeiras’ public park users met the overall physical activity guidelines from the World Health Organization and accumulated 315 min/day (±165) of sedentary behavior. Besides that, the main correlates associated with a lower compliance to physical activity recommendations were a higher sedentary behavior (for total, moderate, and vigorous physical activity) and age (for total and vigorous physical activity), a lower education level (for total and moderate physical activity), lower sleep quality (only for moderate physical activity), and ‘seeming sad’ at the moment of the interview (for total, moderate, and vigorous physical activity).

Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Meeting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines Among Adults: Findings From the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

This study examined associations between sociodemographic factors and meeting versus not meeting the new Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines recommendations. The study is based on 7651 respondents aged 18-79years from the 2007 to 2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey. Sociodemographic factors included age, sex, household education, household income, race, having a chronic condition, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and body mass index. Participants were classified as meeting or not meeting each of the time-specific recommendations for moderate to vigorous physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep duration. Being an adult aged 18-64years, normal weight, nonsmoker, and not having a chronic condition were associated with meeting the integrated guidelines. Being aged 18-64years, male, normal weight, nonsmoker, not having a chronic condition, having a higher household education, and higher household income were associated with meeting the moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendation; being aged 18-64years was associated with meeting the sedentary behavior recommendation; and being white, not having a chronic condition, and having a higher household income were associated with meeting the sleep duration recommendation. Few Canadian adults met the 2020 Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, and disparities across sociodemographic factors exist. Implementation strategies and dissemination approaches to encourage uptake and adoption are necessary.

Physical activity of children and adolescents from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia: A systematic review.

Systematic monitoring of physical activity of young populations from different regions may be useful for making international comparisons, better understanding trends in physical activity and designing public health interventions to increase physical activity. Thus, the aim of the study was to comprehensively review studies examining the level of physical activity of children and adolescents from the Visegrád countries, and indicate the percentage of children and adolescents meeting the recommended level of physical activity. A systematic search of the published literature was conducted. Included were reports with original research that consisted of the proportion of children and adolescents who met physical activity recommendations or guidelines. To provide a current picture of physical activity of children and adolescents, the review was restricted to studies published between January 2015 - November 2018. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity recommendations were met by between 7.5% - 69.4% of children and adolescents. Vigorous physical activity recommendations were met by between 33.6% - 64.5% of children and adolescents. Daily recommendations for the number of steps taken were fulfilled by between 11.6% - 69.0% of children and adolescents. Differences between age categories, genders and countries were observed. Public health interventions to increase physical activity are required to decrease insufficient levels of physical activity in children and adolescents, especially in girls. The review also highlights the need for studies with representative random samples that use validated measurement methods.

Does Vigorous Physical Activity Contribute to Adolescent Life Satisfaction?

Background: Physical and mental health are the basis of life satisfaction (LS), even during adolescence. The aim of this study was to identify the associations between LS and types of physical activity (PA) in Czech and Polish boys and girls. Methods: The research involved 933 girls and 663 boys aged 15–19 years. LS was diagnosed using the Bern Subjective Well-Being Questionnaire and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long form (IPAQ-LF) questionnaire was used to identify the types of weekly PA. Results: Adolescents with the highest LS had more recreational, moderate, vigorous, and total weekly PA. The strongest associations between LS and PA were in the Czech and Polish boys and girls who participated in vigorous PA (VPA). The recommendations for VPA were fulfilled by 45% of Czech and 46% of Polish boys and 40% of Czech and 50% of Polish girls, with the highest LS. The most significant positive moderator between LS and PA was participation in organized PA. Boys with the highest LS were 1.94 times more likely to meet the weekly recommendation of VPA than boys with the lowest LS. Similarly, girls with the highest LS were 1.77 times more likely to meet these recommendations. Conclusions: Promoting both current subjective well-being and organized PA, with an emphasis on achieving the VPA recommendations, may support general LS and a healthy lifestyle in adolescents.

Levels And Patterns Of Physical Activity And Sedentary Time Among Low Income Brazilian Preschoolers

Knowledge of physical activity in preschool populations is important for public health promotion. However, little is known about physical activity and sedentary patterns in low-income children, suggesting an urgent need for data covering this population. PURPOSE: to describe physical activity levels and sedentary time of low-income preschool children during preschool time; to describe physical activity patterns of actives during preschool time at public preschools in João Pessoa/Brazil. METHOD: a representative sample of 237 preschool was randomly selected and 204 provided valid accelerometer measurements (boys: 4.5±0.8years, girls: 4.5±0.7years). Measured levels of physical activity and sedentary time, and physical activity patterns were observed during preschool time (7am to 5pm) (Actigraph, WGT3-X). Data were presented in quartiles of total physical activity by sex and age. Univariate General Linear Model with Bonferroni´s post-hoc was used to analyze differences between the quartiles. Data were performed using SPSS (version 25, Inc., Chicago, USA), level of significance:95%. RESULTS: physical activity at preschool range from 68 to 114% of total physical activity daily´s recommendation and from 28 to 83% of moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendation. For the two most active quartiles, the daily total physical activity recommendation was achieved during preschool time. Physical activity patterns were similar between the least and the highest actives, and all the evaluated children were more active outdoors than indoors. For the least actives, preschool time correspond 30% of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendation. Physical activity patterns are quite similar between the least and the highest actives. CONCLUSION: this information is important for tailoring interventions.

Vigorous physical activity in relation to family affluence: time trends in Europe and North America

ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to determine secular trends in vigorous physical activity (VPA) among adolescents in relation to family affluence across 34 countries.MethodsThis study used data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study from 34 countries in Europe and North America. Adolescents (N = 501,647) aged 11, 13 and 15 years across three survey cycles (2006, 2010, 2014) self-reported data on VPA and a family affluence scale (FAS) using standardized questionnaires.ResultsA significant increase in VPA was found in low-FAS boys (girls) in four (10) countries and a decrease in four (three) countries. In high-FAS boys (girls), a significant increase was observed in nine (11) countries and a decrease in two(three) countries. An overall significant increase in meeting the VPA recommendations was found in high-FAS boys (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.06–1.16) and in all FAS groups in girls, with the largest effect being found among high-FAS girls (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.18–1.30).ConclusionsA country-specific increase in VPA was observed primarily in the medium- and high-FAS categories. This study suggests a need to focus on increasing VPA efforts, especially in low- and medium-FAS boys.

Is Objectively Assessed Sedentary Behavior, Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness Linked to Brain Plasticity Outcomes in Old Age?

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the associations of objectively assessed habitual physical activity and physical performance with brain plasticity outcomes and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in cognitively healthy older adults. Physical performance was analyzed based on cardiopulmonary exercise-testing data and accelerometer-based physical activity was analyzed as total activity counts, sedentary time, light physical activity and moderate to vigorous physical activity. Brain plasticity outcomes included magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)-based markers, quantitative imaging-based hippocampal volume and BDNF serum levels. The association between physical performance and hippocampal volume was strongly influenced by participants’ education, sex, age and BMI. Confounder-controlled correlation revealed significant associations of brain plasticity outcomes with physical activity but not with performance. MRS-based adenosine triphosphate to phosphocreatine and glycerophosphocholine to phosphocreatine ratios were significantly associated with accelerometer total activity counts. BDNF was detrimentally associated with sedentary time but beneficially related to accelerometer total activity counts and moderate to vigorous physical activity. Exceeding the current moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendations led to significantly higher BDNF levels. Our results indicate that regular physical activity might be beneficial for preserving brain plasticity in higher age. In this study these associations were not mediated significantly by physical performance. Overall physical activity and exceeding current moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendations were positively associated with BDNF. Sedentary behavior, however, seems to be negatively related to neurotrophic factor bioavailability in the elderly.

Seasonal Variations in Meeting Physical Activity Recommendations and Development of Overweight during Adolescence.

Few longitudinal studies have examined seasonal variation in meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations in association with incident overweight among adolescents. We assessed self-reported, season-specific PA among 12,949 adolescents in two US cohorts (Growing Up Today Studies 1 and 2). We examined the relationship between the number of seasons per year that adolescents met the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA), respectively, and the development of incident overweight at the next survey period. The sex-specific analyses controlled for follow-up time, survey month, age, race/ethnicity, sexual maturation, television viewing, region of the country, and intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages and fried foods away from home. About one-third (34%) of adolescents met the MVPA recommendation of 60 minutes/day, and one-quarter (24%) the VPA recommendation of 3 hours/week, for four seasons of the baseline year. The risk of becoming overweight was 23% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5%-45%) higher for girls who met the MVPA recommendation for 2 (vs. 4) seasons/year. The risk was similar for girls who met the recommendation for 1 (vs. 4) season/year (odds ratio = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.05-1.44). The number of seasons each year boys met the MVPA recommendation, or girls or boys met the VPA recommendation, was not associated with an increased risk of incident overweight. Meeting the MVPA recommendation for 1 or 2 (vs. 4) seasons/year is related to higher risk of becoming overweight among adolescent girls but not boys. Interventions to increase PA levels each season may contribute to overweight prevention efforts among girls.

Demographic Trends in Utah College Students' Vigorous Physical Activity, 2003-2007.

This analysis of a large-scale survey of college students from 2003 to 2007 explores relationships between meeting vigorous physical activity (VPA) recommendations and key demographic, lifestyle, and personal characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to analyze VPA data from the Utah Higher Education Health Behavior Survey, a descriptive cross-sectional survey conducted in 2003 (N = 4574), 2005 (N = 9673) and 2007 (N = 7938). Factors consistently associated with meeting VPA recommendations included involvement in extracurricular sports, being single, and daily consumption of fruits or vegetables. In contrast, factors such as older age (> 23 years old), having a particularly low (<18.5 kg˙m2) or high BMI (> 34.9 kg˙m2), and being a current smoker were associated with not meeting the VPA recommendation. This corroborates paradoxical findings that binge alcohol consumption correlates with meeting VPA. Findings support the need for targeted interventions among college students to support the establishment of long-term protective behavioral patterns against chronic disease risk throughout the life course.

Absolute and relative accelerometer thresholds for determining the association between physical activity and metabolic syndrome in the older adults: The Generation-100 study

BackgroundWhen assessing population adherence to physical activity (PA) recommendation using accelerometers, absolute intensity threshold definition is applied despite having limited validity in those with low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), who are unable to reach them (e.g older adults). Thus, PA thresholds relative to CRF may be an alternative approach. We compared the proportion of the older adults meeting the PA recommendation when PA is assessed using absolute versus sex-and-CRF-adjusted (relative) accelerometer thresholds and determined the association between relative versus absolute moderate PA (MPA), vigorous PA (VPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and metabolic syndrome (MetS).MethodsCross-sectional study of 509 men and 567 women aged 70–77. Accelerometer assessed MPA, VPA and MVPA were analyzed using absolute and relative thresholds. Meeting the PA-recommendation was defined as amounting ≥150 min/week in MPA/MVPA or 75 min/week in VPA, respectively. CRF was directly measured as peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). MetS was defined as 3 or more of the following: elevated waist circumference, fasting glucose, hypertension, triglycerides, decreased HDL-cholesterol or diabetes, dyslipidemia or hypertension medication.ResultsHigher proportion of the population met the recommendation when PA was assessed with relative compared to absolute thresholds: VPA (72.4% vs. 1.7%) and MVPA (75.2% vs. 33.8%). Logistic regression analysis revealed that men and women not meeting the relative-MVPA or VPA recommendation had higher likelihood of MetS (Men: MVPA OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.08–2.33. VPA OR: 1.81, 95%CI: 1.23–2.67 and Women: MVPA OR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.36–3.31; VPA OR: 1.95, 95% CI: 1.29–2.95), compared to men and women meeting the relative MVPA or VPA recommendation. There was no significant association between MetS and absolute MVPA, MPA or VPA recommendations in the fully adjusted model.ConclusionsThe association between meeting/not meeting the PA recommendation and MetS differed with method. Not meeting relative MVPA and VPA recommendation was associated with significantly higher likelihood for presence of MetS. Since relative intensity is part of the current PA recommendation, it should be considered when assessing population PA and associated health risks in the older adults.Trial registrationClinical Trial Registration: NCT01931111 (Date of trial registration: July 19, 2013).

Low vigorous physical activity is associated with increased adrenocortical reactivity to psychosocial stress in students with high stress perceptions

ObjectivesThe pathways by which physical activity impacts on participants’ health are still not fully understood. The purpose of the present study was to go beyond existing research by combining methods from survey-based and experimental stress research, and by examining whether the potential of vigorous physical activity (VPA) to attenuate physiological and psychological stress responses is moderated by participants’ subjective stress perception. MethodsThe sample consisted of 42 undergraduate students (M=21.2±2.2 years, 52% women). Participants self-reported their stress and wore an accelerometer device for seven consecutive days. To examine differences in the adrenocortical, autonomic and psychological stress reactivity, salivary free cortisol, heart rate, state anxiety, mood and calmness were assessed prior to, during and after the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The cut-offs of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) were used to distinguish between students below/above current VPA recommendations. ResultsHigh levels of perceived stress combined with VPA levels below the ACSM’s standards (<3×20min/week) were associated with an increased salivary cortisol response to the TSST (p<.05). No significant group differences existed for heart rate. However, students with high stress/low VPA experienced less favourable affect throughout the entire testing session (p<.05). ConclusionsOur study suggests that VPA has a high stress-protective potential among undergraduate students with high stress levels. Our findings highlight that promoting VPA in young adults seems to be a promising strategy to increase physiological and psychological stress resilience.

Is adherence to the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Behaviour Guidelines for Children and Youth associated with improved indicators of physical, mental, and social health?

The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth were released in 2016. These guidelines contained recommendations for moderate to vigorous physical activity, screen time, and sleep duration. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) if achieving the individual recommendations and combinations of the recommendations within the guidelines is associated with indicators of physical, mental, and social health within children and youth; (ii) if meeting the recommendation for a specific movement behaviour is associated with larger differences in physical, mental, and social health indicators compared with meeting the recommendations for the other specific movement behaviours; and (iii) if physical, mental, and social health indicators differ according to different combinations of the guideline recommendations achieved. To address these objectives, we studied a representative sample of over 17 000 Canadians aged 10-17 years. The findings indicated that participants achieving any given recommendation had preferable scores for the health outcomes compared with participants who did not meet the recommendations. There was a dose-response pattern between the number of recommendations achieved and the health outcomes, indicating that the health outcomes improved as more recommendations were achieved. When the number of recommendations achieved was the same, there were no differences in the health outcomes. For instance, health indicators scores were not different in the group who achieved the sleep and screen time recommendations, the group who achieved sleep and moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendations, and the group who achieved screen time and moderate to vigorous physical activity recommendations.

영과잉 음이항 회귀모형을 적용한 농촌지역 성인 신체활동의 지역사회환경 요인 분석

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the neighborhood environmental factors associated with physical activity among adults living in rural communities. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 201 adults living in three Ri in Y-city, Gyeonggi-do. Data were collected from face-to-face interview by trained interviewers and were analyzed using a zero-inflated negative binominal regression model. Results: Participants reported engaged in moderate or vigorous physical activity was 76.1%; 10.5% of participants reported that they met moderate physical activity recommendations and 14.5% of participants reported that they met vigorous physical activity recommendations. Zero-inflated negative binominal regression analysis showed association of increasing days of physical activity with social cohesion (<TEX>${\beta}=.130$</TEX>, p=.005), social network (<TEX>${\beta}=-.096$</TEX>, p=.003), and safety for crime (<TEX>${\beta}=-.151$</TEX>, p=.036), and no days of physical activity was associated with no attainment of education and marginally associated with increasing BMI. Conclusion: Neighborhood environmental factors including social cohesion, social network, and crime for safety were significantly associated with physical activity of rural adults. Community health nurses should expand an approach for individual behavior change to incorporate rural adults' specific neighborhood environmental factors into physical activity interventions.

The relationship between meeting vigorous physical activity recommendations and burnout symptoms among adolescents: an exploratory study with vocational students.

This study examines how students who met the current recommendations for vigorous physical activity (VPA) of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) differ from peers who did not reach these standards with regard to self-reported burnout, before and after controlling for light physical activity and moderate physical activity. A sample of 144 vocational students (Mage =16.2 years, SD = 1.13, 98 males) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure, and the School Burnout Inventory. Bivariate correlations revealed that only VPA was associated with reduced burnout. Both the ACSM and CDC guidelines were useful to identify significant differences in burnout symptoms between students who met versus did not meet the standards. Health policy makers should develop strategies to integrate more VPA into the lives of adolescent students so as to reach a minimum of 60 min per week.

Increased objectively assessed vigorous-intensity exercise is associated with reduced stress, increased mental health and good objective and subjective sleep in young adults

The role of physical activity as a factor that protects against stress-related mental disorders is well documented. Nevertheless, there is still a dearth of research using objective measures of physical activity. The present study examines whether objectively assessed vigorous physical activity (VPA) is associated with mental health benefits beyond moderate physical activity (MPA). Particularly, this study examines whether young adults who accomplish the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) vigorous-intensity exercise recommendations differ from peers below these standards with regard to their level of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, perceived pain, and subjective and objective sleep. A total of 42 undergraduate students (22 women, 20 men; M=21.24years, SD=2.20) volunteered to take part in the study. Stress, pain, depressive symptoms, and subjective sleep were assessed via questionnaire, objective sleep via sleep-EEG assessment, and VPA via actigraphy. Meeting VPA recommendations had mental health benefits beyond MPA. VPA was associated with less stress, pain, subjective sleep complaints and depressive symptoms. Moreover, vigorous exercisers had more favorable objective sleep pattern. Especially, they had increased total sleep time, more stage 4 and REM sleep, more slow wave sleep and a lower percentage of light sleep. Vigorous exercisers also reported fewer mental health problems if exposed to high stress. This study provides evidence that meeting the VPA standards of the ACSM is associated with improved mental health and more successful coping among young people, even compared to those who are meeting or exceeding the requirements for MPA.

Vigorous Physical Activity, Mental Health, Perceived Stress, and Socializing among College Students

To examine cross-sectional associations between vigorous physical activity, mental health, perceived stress, and socializing among 4-year college students. A national cross-sectional sample of 4-year colleges in the United States. Ninety-four 4-year colleges in the United States. A total of 14,804 undergraduate students. Self-report vigorous physical activity, perceived stress (measured using the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale), mental health (measured using the SF-36), and socializing (assessed using self-report number of friends and hours spent socializing). Logistic regression models accounting for clustering within schools were estimated to examine the association between vigorous physical activity, mental health, perceived stress, and socializing. Adjusted models included high school vigorous physical activity and sociodemographic characteristics. Students who met vigorous physical activity recommendations were less likely to report poor mental health (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: .79; 95% confidence interval [CI]: .69, .90) and perceived stress (adjusted OR: .75; 95% CI: .67, .83) than students who did not meet recommendations. In addition, socializing partially mediated the relationship between vigorous physical activity, mental health, and perceived stress; however, race and sex did not moderate the relationship. Interventions aiming to improve mental well-being of college students should also consider promoting physical activity. At least some of the positive benefits of physical activity may arise from social interactions.

Evaluation Results from an Active Living Intervention in Somerville, Massachusetts

Community policies and programs can encourage active living and promote physical activity among residents. Somerville MA implemented an Active Living by Design project in 2003-2008 that promoted partnerships and advocacy to encourage physical activity. To evaluate the Active Living by Design project implemented in Somerville. A retrospective design assessed relative differences in the rates of meeting moderate or vigorous physical activity recommendations among middle- and high-school students and adults at baseline and follow-up within Somerville and at follow-up only in Everett MA, a comparison community. The middle- and high-school Youth Risk Behavior Surveys and the adult Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey were supplemented with Active Living by Design evaluation-specific questions at follow-up. Analyses included chi-square and logistic regression modeling to assess relationships. Approximately 1000 youth completed surveys at baseline and follow-up in Somerville and at follow-up in Everett. Similarly, adult residents completed surveys at baseline (n=1081) and follow-up in Somerville (n=644) and follow-up in Everett (n=608). Within Somerville, high school-aged students and adults were more likely to meet physical activity recommendations at follow-up after adjusting for demographic, health, and behavioral variables (OR=1.6 [95% CI=1.34, 1.92] and 2.36 [95% CI=2.29, 2.43], respectively). Between cities, Somerville adults were 1.47 (95% CI=1.37, 1.56) times more likely than Everett adults to meet physical activity recommendations. Community-based active living interventions may help residents meet physical activity recommendations. To improve community health, public health surveillance data can identify predictors of meeting physical activity recommendations that can be used to inform city policy and planning.

Benefits of achieving vigorous as well as moderate physical activity recommendations: Evidence from heart rate complexity and cardiac vagal modulation

The aim of this study was to examine differences in traditional heart rate variability measurements and heart rate complexity (sample entropy) in young adults grouped by objectively measured achievement of either moderate or both moderate and vigorous physical activity recommendations. Of 168 young adults tested (86 females, 82 males; age 20.5 ± 1.2 years), 119 achieved only recommendations for moderate physical activity (moderate group) and 49 achieved recommendations for both moderate and vigorous physical activity (vigorous group). Analysis of covariance controlling for sex, weekly minutes of moderate physical activity, and percentage of body fat was used to assess between-group differences in heart rate variability and heart rate complexity. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the group characteristics that best predicted high heart rate complexity and vagal indices of heart rate variability. The majority of the autonomic measures were higher (P < 0.05) in the vigorous group, and regression analysis showed that vigorous physical activity was the only multivariate predictor of higher heart rate complexity and higher heart rate variability. Young adults engaged in regular vigorous physical activity were more than twice as likely to have high heart rate complexity than those involved in predominantly moderate exercise. These findings suggest that vigorous physical activity is more closely associated with high heart rate complexity than moderate physical activity in young adults.

Obesogenic behaviors in U.S. school children across geographic regions from 2003-2007

Background: Increasing levels of obesity are likely associated with obesogenic behaviors such as physical activity (PA) and media time. Examination of regional and state differences in meeting recommendations for obesogenic behaviors would be useful for understanding con- current variations in prevalence of childhood obesity. Therefore the purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of boys and girls meeting vigorous physical activity (VPA), daily media (TV/video viewing/video game playing) recommendations, and association with over-weight and obesity across regions of the U.S. between 2003 and 2007. Methods: Data from the 2003 and 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health (n = 109,151; 55,540 in 2003 and 53,611 in 2007; 51.3% boys, mean (SE) age 11.5 (0.02) years) were used. Prevalence of meeting weekday media (≤ 2 hr/day) and VPA (≥ 3 days/week of minimum 20 minutes) recommendations were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine differences across regions, dates, sexes, and obesity status. Results: In 2007, the range for met the recommendations among regions was 74.2% - 82.1% for VPA and 77.2% - 83.7% for media viewing. The regions with the highest positive behavior levels were Alaska and Hawaii for VPA and both the Northeast and West regions for media viewing. In 2007 fewer children met media viewing recom- mendations than in 2003 (78.3% versus 83.6%, respectively, p 2hr/day versus ≤ 2 hr/day of media time. Further, the interaction between media time and VPA had a significant (p < 0.0001) association with being overweight or obese. Conclusions: Obesogenic behaviors vary by region in the U.S., appear to be changing over time, and are associated overweight and obesity status, though differences between boys and girls are stable.