scholarly journals Effects of States’ Laws on Youth Physical Activity Participation and Obesity Prevalence

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chae Chang
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
State Level ◽  
Substantial Effect ◽  
Physical Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Obesity Prevalence ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Digital Environments ◽  
The Difference

The alarming prevalence of obesity and lack of physical activity among adolescents led to immediate policy action to address these concerns. Accordingly, many states introduced and enacted their own legislation to encourage physical activity in schools. Few studies have explored the effectiveness of the new legislation, however, especially at the state level. To answer the fundamental question of whether policy is effective and to describe the varying effects of state obesity policies, this study analyzed the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System from 2007 to 2017. Using the difference-in-differences method, this study found that legislative efforts to encourage physical activity had a significant and substantial effect on enhancing physical-activity participation and reducing adolescent obesity; however, subgroup analyses revealed that the effect was concentrated on female and white adolescents only. Additionally, the subsequent sensitivity analysis revealed that since 2015, when national attention started to divert to new health concerns (opioid abuse, for example), physical activity levels pulled back to 2009 levels. Rates of obesity and overweight have been on a sharp rise again since 2015. Lawmakers should reconsider changes in the law merging physical environments with digital environments, particularly for members of Generation Alpha, who will have ever more enticements for screen time.

The Utility of Physical Activity Micro-Grants: The ParticipACTION Teen Challenge Program

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subha Ramanathan ◽  
Lauren White ◽  
Alicia Luciani ◽  
Tanya R. Berry ◽  
Sameer Deshpande ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Physical Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Environmental Resources ◽  
Teen Challenge ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Youth Physical Activity ◽  
Community Organizers

Youth physical activity levels remain low in Canada and worldwide. Lack of environmental resources (e.g., access to equipment and facilities, transportation options, and participation costs) is a key barrier for youth participation. Micro-grants are small budgets of money awarded via grant applications and may help community organizations facilitate youth physical activity participation by alleviating environmental resource barriers. ParticipACTION Teen Challenge was a national micro-grant scheme administered in Canada. Secondary analysis of survey data from Provincial and Territorial coordinators, registered community organizers, and successful grant applicants were used to evaluate the process and outcomes of Teen Challenge. Results showed that the financial subsidy of 500CAD was used mainly toward equipment, instruction, and transportation. Coordinators and community organizers indicated high levels of satisfaction and benefits for communities and teens. A key benefit for coordinators was leveraging the Teen Challenge network for physical activity promotion. Reported benefits for teenaged participants included leadership opportunities (e.g., helping create and implement programs) and increased physical activity participation. Findings highlight the value of micro-grants for supporting sport and physical activity opportunities for Canadian teens, and show that such schemes address barriers related to environmental resources. The sustainability of micro-grant schemes remains to be seen.

Retirement and Physical Activity: The Opportunity of a Lifetime or the Beginning of the End?

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-375
Author(s):  
Rajni Rai ◽  
Michelle I. Jongenelis ◽  
Ben Jackson ◽  
Robert U. Newton ◽  
Simone Pettigrew
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Physical Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Life Transition ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Adaptation Processes

Retirement has been identified as a life transition that is important in determining older adults’ physical activity levels. The present study examined the factors associated with retirement that affect physical activity participation among older adults. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 425 retired Australians aged 60 years and older. Physical activity was assessed objectively, using accelerometers. Two categories of factors affecting physical activity participation following retirement were identified: the various physical and psychological changes in later life that can encourage or discourage physical activity and the adaptation processes undertaken by older people in response to these changes. The adoption of either a gain or loss approach to retirement and aging appeared to be the most influential adaptation factor affecting physical activity participation. The results suggest that intervention approaches should aim to foster more positive attitudes to aging and retirement and promote physical activity at all stages in life.

scholarly journals Physical activity among 60–69-year-olds in England: knowledge, perception, behaviour and risk factors

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1343-1355 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOUSHUMI CHAUDHURY ◽  
NICOLA SHELTON
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Physical Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Health Promotion And Education ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Barriers To Physical Activity

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the risk factors that influence physical activity levels among a representative sample of older people in England and their awareness of the Chief Medical Officer's recommended level of physical activity. The paper analyses data from the cross-sectional, nationally-representative Health Surveys for England (HSfE) in 2006 and 2007. In HSfE2006, 1,550 adults aged 60–69 years responded to a physical activity participation questionnaire, and in HSfE2007, 561 adults aged 60–64 years were asked about their knowledge of the physical activity requirement and their attitudes to participation. Very few respondents knew the recommended physical activity target, but more than one-half thought they had enough physical activity in their daily life, and over three-quarters thought they were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ physically active compared with age peers. The perceived barriers to physical activity included work commitments, lack of leisure time and poor health. It was found that obesity, not being in work and having a limiting long-term illness associated with a lower likelihood of physical activity. Participation in sports and exercise, walking, heavy housework and gardening were all lower in non-working than working adults. Older adults had unrealistic views of their activity levels, and of work and lack of time as barriers to physical activity. It is concluded that more attention needs to be paid to health promotion and education among the over-sixties, especially those not in paid work.

scholarly journals Consumer-Based Wearable Activity Trackers Increase Physical Activity Participation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie-Jane Brickwood ◽  
Greig Watson ◽  
Jane O'Brien ◽  
Andrew D Williams
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Physical Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Activity Tracker ◽  
Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Trackers ◽  
Wearable Activity Tracker ◽  
Meta Analyses

BACKGROUND The range of benefits associated with regular physical activity participation is irrefutable. Despite the well-known benefits, physical inactivity remains one of the major contributing factors to ill-health throughout industrialized countries. Traditional lifestyle interventions such as group education or telephone counseling are effective at increasing physical activity participation; however, physical activity levels tend to decline over time. Consumer-based wearable activity trackers that allow users to objectively monitor activity levels are now widely available and may offer an alternative method for assisting individuals to remain physically active. OBJECTIVE This review aimed to determine the effects of interventions utilizing consumer-based wearable activity trackers on physical activity participation and sedentary behavior when compared with interventions that do not utilize activity tracker feedback. METHODS A systematic review was performed searching the following databases for studies that included the use of a consumer-based wearable activity tracker to improve physical activity participation: Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SPORTDiscus, and Health Technology Assessments. Controlled trials of adults comparing the use of a consumer-based wearable activity tracker with other nonactivity tracker–based interventions were included. The main outcome measures were physical activity participation and sedentary behavior. All studies were assessed for risk of bias, and the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was used to rank the quality of evidence. The guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement were followed. A random-effects meta-analysis was completed on the included outcome measures to estimate the treatment effect of interventions that included an activity tracker compared with a control group. RESULTS There was a significant increase in daily step count (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.24; 95% CI 0.16 to 0.33; P<.001), moderate and vigorous physical activity (SMD 0.27; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.39; P<.001), and energy expenditure (SMD 0.28; 95% CI 0.03 to 0.54; P=.03) and a nonsignificant decrease in sedentary behavior (SMD −0.20; 95% CI −0.43 to 0.03; P=.08) following the intervention versus control comparator across all studies in the meta-analyses. In general, included studies were at low risk of bias, except for performance bias. Heterogeneity varied across the included meta-analyses ranging from low (I2=3%) for daily step count through to high (I2=67%) for sedentary behavior. CONCLUSIONS Utilizing a consumer-based wearable activity tracker as either the primary component of an intervention or as part of a broader physical activity intervention has the potential to increase physical activity participation. As the effects of physical activity interventions are often short term, the inclusion of a consumer-based wearable activity tracker may provide an effective tool to assist health professionals to provide ongoing monitoring and support.

Use of physical activity as a health tool for cancer patients and oncologists

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 9634-9634
Author(s):  
K. Karvinen ◽  
K. D. DuBose ◽  
R. R. Allison
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Physical Activity Promotion ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Activity Promotion ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

9634 Background: Regular physical activity can be beneficial to health for both patients and their providers. Research suggests that health care providers can potentially provide an important role in changing patients’ health behaviors. The purpose of this study is to (a) explore factors that influence whether or not oncologists recommend physical activity to their patients and (b) to examine physical activity levels of oncologists. Methods: 199 practicing medical and radiation oncologists throughout the United States responded to a mailed survey (response rate = 30%). Oncologists self-reported their physical activity promotion practices, their own physical activity behaviors, and provided demographic and practice related information. Results: Approximately 64% of oncologists reported inquiring about their patients’ physical activity on most or all visits. Further, 57% of oncologists reported regularly meeting American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for physical activity (i.e., 150 minutes of moderate or 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week). Potential predictors of physical activity promotion (i.e., age, ethnicity, number of years practicing, tumor types treated and own physical activity participation) were tested using univariate statistics. A logistic regression analysis indicated that number of years practicing (OR = 2.84, 95% CI = 1.465–5.521) and their own physical activity participation (OR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.025–3.426) were both significant and independent predictors of physical activity promotion. No other factors were identified as predictors of physical activity promotion. Conclusions: Approximately half of oncologists do not meet public health physical activity guidelines and fewer than two thirds regularly inquire about the physical activity levels of their patients. Data from this study suggest that these findings are linked: inactive oncologists tend to promote physical activity less to their patients. More physical activity adoption by oncologists may ultimately lead to increased activity levels in their patients, leading to greater health benefits for both patients and providers. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Modifiable Factors Associated With Poststroke Physical Activity at Discharge From Rehabilitation: Prospective Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 818-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamala Thilarajah ◽  
Kelly J Bower ◽  
Yong-Hao Pua ◽  
Dawn Tan ◽  
Gavin Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Inpatient Rehabilitation ◽  
Physical Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Participation ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
Physical Activity Levels

Abstract Background People with stroke are not meeting recommended levels of physical activity. The modifiable factors associated with poststroke physical activity levels need to be identified to develop targeted interventions. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the factors at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation that are associated with physical activity levels at 3 months following discharge. Design This was a prospective cohort study. Methods Sixty-four people with stroke completed baseline assessments at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation and 55 completed the follow-up 3 months later. The candidate factors (ie, gait speed, balance, strength, cognition, mood, and motivation) were measured at discharge. The primary outcome measure at follow-up was walking-related activity (measured by wrist-worn accelerometer). Secondary outcome measures were physical activity participation (Activity Card Sort) and intensity of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire–Short 7 days). Adjusted separate multivariable linear regression models or proportional odds regression models were used to evaluate the associations between candidate factors and physical activity. Results Gait speed and balance were associated with all aspects of physical activity. Higher level of intrinsic motivation was also associated with higher physical activity participation. Anxiety demonstrated a significant nonlinear relationship with physical activity participation. Limitations Inclusion of fatigue and individual muscle strength could have provided further insights into associations with steps per day. Conclusion The results demonstrated that better physical function at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation was associated with future increased levels of physical activity. Additionally, higher levels of motivation impacted on increased physical activity participation. The influence of anxiety on physical activity participation requires further exploration. Mixed-method study designs can be utilized to further understand the factors associated with poststroke physical activity.

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