Purpose To inform intervention development by investigating predictors of one-year change in objectively-measured intensity of physical activity (PA) in a cohort of 9-10 year old British school children. Methods In a cohort of 753 children in Norfolk (UK) (41.7% male, baseline age (mean±SD): 9.7±0.4 years) PA was measured over 3 or more days ...
Purpose This study aimed to test the validity of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) against accelerometer data, as feasible, cost-effective instruments are required for the surveillance of physical activity (PA). The questionnaire has been previously assessed in terms of reproducibility and validity however, validation produced poor results and further ...
Purpose To compare associations between objective and subjective measures of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) & cardiometabolic biomarkers. Methods 2174 (1110 boys) youth (12-19 years) from the 2003-6 NHANES combined surveys with self-reported MVPA (SRMVPA) in the previous 30 days & four 10-hour days of accelerometry MVPA (AMVPA) (Actigraph 7164) were included. The ...
Background African American youth residing in the South are at high risk for obesity and physical inactivity. A growing body of evidence suggests that persons living in activity-friendly environments engage in more physical activity (PA); however, access of public recreational facilities varies by neighborhood and demographic characteristics. Additionally, historical and ...
Background Changes in physical activity (PA) levels can be observed among youth. The majority of 11 year olds in Denmark do meet the recommend level of PA; the majority of 15 year olds do not. The chances of not meeting the recommended level of PA as adults are correlated with not meeting ...
Background Hispanic-American preschool children have higher rates of obesity and Hispanic-American youth may be at higher risk for sedentary lifestyles and metabolic syndrome. Both physical and social environmental factors influence young children’s physical activity. The ability to simultaneously capture objective measurement of physical activity and location of young Hispanic-American ...
Background Evidence suggests that parents play an important role in shaping children’s physical activity levels through behavioral modeling and support. Physically active parents are more likely to have physically active children. However, research indicates that on average, parents and children spend less than 5 minutes per day engaging in physical ...
Background Determining the relation of built environment characteristics to physical activity and obesity remains an ongoing public health concern. Recent literature suggests that environment characteristics of smart growth planning (e.g., walkability, preservation of open space) may promote physical activity. However, the majority of studies examining associations between these environmental ...
Background Research studies have shown the importance of built environment in affecting people’s physical activity. Lack of sidewalks, nearby parks, and recreation centers in the neighborhood are believed to be some of the key environmental barriers to physical activity. On the other hand, factors such as presence of crosswalks, ...
Background Humans have an innate connection and attraction to nature, often referred to as ‘biophilia.’ Exposure to nature has been reported to have a positive impact on health, and several studies have documented that engaging in physical activity outdoors improves mental health and well being. Exact mechanisms remain unknown but ...