Background: Physical activity (PA) plays an essential role in reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases and improving health and well-being. However, current PA guidelines do not adequately reflect emerging evidence on the importance of the relationship between patterns of PA bout duration and health outcomes.
Main text: This paper explores the limitations of evidence based on self-reported, aggregated measures of PA, and advocates for greater use of time series data from accelerometers to describe daily patterns of PA bout duration. Time series data offer insights into how PA is accumulated in different bout lengths and how such patterns impact health, independent of total weekly volume of PA. Evidence from accelerometer-based studies of the association between patterns of PA bout duration and health outcomes challenges the revised World Health Organisation guideline that 'every move counts toward better health'.
Conclusion: By highlighting the novel nature of time series data and their corresponding patterns of PA bout duration, this paper aims to challenge current public health guidelines and inform the development of future guidelines, surveillance, policies, and interventions to prevent morbidity and mortality.
Background: To examine the efficacy of providing free summer day camp (SDC) to children from low-income families on changes in physical activity, time spent sedentary, and screentime.
Methods: Across three summers (2021-2023), we randomized 422 children (8.2 ± 1.5yrs, 48% female, 51% Black, 69% at or below 200% Federal Poverty Level, 30% food insecure) from seven elementary schools to one of two conditions: summer as usual (control, n = 199) or free SDC for 8-10wks (intervention, n = 223). Accelerometry measured activity (moderate-to-vigorous PA [MVPA] and time spent sedentary) and parent daily report of screentime were measured using a 14-day in April/May (school) and July (summer). Intent-to-treat analysis examined changes in behaviors between school and summer. Exposure models examined differences in behaviors during summer on days when children attended vs. did not attend a SDC in both intervention and control children.
Results: Intent-to-treat models indicated in the summer children in the intervention group accumulated + 15.0 min/day (95CI 12.0 to 18.0) more MVPA and spent - 29.7 min/day (-37.7 to -21.8) less time sedentary and - 14.1 min/day (-23.9 to -4.3) on screens, compared to children in the control group. Exposure models indicated, on days children attended SDCs, they accumulated more MVPA (+ 26.1 min/day, 22.5 to 29.7), and spent less time sedentary (-63.5 min/day, -72.9 to -54.1) and on screens (-9.5 min/day, -20.1 to 1.2), compared to days when children did not attend SDC.
Conclusions: Policies targeting upstream structural factors, such as universal access to existing community SDCs during summer, could lead to improvements in health behaviors among children from low-income households.
Clinical trials: GOV: NCT04072549.
Background: A growing body of studies has shown that fundamental movement skills (FMS) and physical activity (PA) are crucial for preschoolers' development. However, most Hong Kong preschoolers still do not meet the WHO guidelines for PA and demonstrate poor FMS performance. The present study examined the effectiveness of physical activity routines, education, assessment, literacy, and information technology application in young children (PA-REALITY), a social cognitive theory-based movement education program led by preschool teachers.
Methods: Twenty-nine preschools signed up for the program and were cluster-randomized into an experimental group (15 preschools) and a wait-list control group (14 preschools). Totally 440 (age = 4 ± 0.95 years; 54.5% male) preschoolers took part in the baseline test and 349 preschoolers from 26 schools took part in the post-test (10 months). We delivered intervention contents including teacher workshops, teaching materials (booklet, simple sports equipment), and a mobile application to teachers. At baseline and post-test (10 months), respectively, preschoolers' FMS proficiency, PA, and executive function (EF) were assessed using objective tools. Mixed-linear models using intention-to-treat analyses were used to examine intervention effects.
Results: Participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in catch (B = 0.37, p < .001) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (B = 4.49, p = .04) at 10 months, compared with participants in the wait-list control group. No effects were found for total PA other FMS and EF outcomes.
Conclusions: The PA-REALITY intervention improved some FMS outcomes and MVPA at 10 months. These results highlight the important roles of teachers in developing children's movement skills and PA. Continuous professional development training for teachers may be an effective and sustainable way to improve existing practices.
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：