scholarly journals School Design and Physical Activity Among Middle School Girls

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Cohen ◽  
Molly Scott ◽  
Frank Zhen Wang ◽  
Thomas L. McKenzie ◽  
Dwayne Porter
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
School Design ◽  
School Building ◽  
Middle School Girls ◽  
Club Sports ◽  
Building Footprint

Building design and grounds might contribute to physical activity, and youth spend much of their daylight hours at school. We examined the associations among school building footprints, the size of school grounds, and in-school physical activity of 1566 sixth-grade girls from medium to large middle schools enrolled in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG). The school building footprint and the number of active outdoor amenities were associated with physical activity among adolescent girls. On average, the school footprint size accounted for 4% of all light physical activity and 16% of all MET-weight moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MW-MVPA) during school hours. Active outdoor amenities accounted for 29% of all MW-MVPA during school. School design appears to be associated with physical activity, but it is likely that programming (eg, physical education, intramurals, club sports), social factors, and school siting are more important determinants of total physical activity.

Proximity to School and Physical Activity Among Middle School Girls: The Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls Study

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. S129-S138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Cohen ◽  
Scott Ashwood ◽  
Molly Scott ◽  
Adrian Overton ◽  
Kelly R. Evenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Middle School Girls ◽  
School Time ◽  
Shortest Distance ◽  
School Girls ◽  
Reduced Time

Background:Proximity to routine destinations is an important correlate of physical activity. We examined the association between distance from school and physical activity in adolescent girls.Methods:We mapped the addresses of 1554 sixth-grade girls who participated in the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) Study and calculated the shortest distance from home to school along the street network. Using a hierarchical design we examined the association between MET-weighted moderate to vigorous physical activity (MW- MVPA) and distance to school, while controlling for potential confounders.Results:Distance to school was inversely associated with weekday MW- MVPA for middle school girls. For every mile the girls lived from their schools, they engaged in an average of 13 fewer MET-weighted minutes per week.Conclusions:Distance to school is inversely associated with MW-MVPA. The most adversely affected girls lived more than 5 miles from school. Time spent commuting could explain reduced time for physical activity.

scholarly journals Association Between School- and Nonschool-Based Activity Programs and Physical Activity in Adolescent Girls

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 971-977 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel R. Taber ◽  
June Stevens ◽  
Leslie A. Lytle ◽  
Robyn D. Foreman ◽  
Jamie Moody ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Program Participation ◽  
School Program ◽  
School Programs ◽  
8Th Grade ◽  
The Mean

Background:Some researchers have questioned if activity programs would be more effective if based outside school (eg, community leagues) rather than within schools. This study compared participation in activity programs based within and outside of school, and estimated the associations between participation and moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescent girls.Methods:Within the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls, independent samples of 1559 6th-grade girls (age 11 to 12) and 3282 8th-grade girls (age 13 to 14) reported program participation using questionnaires. MVPA was measured using accelerometers. Linear mixed models accounted for school and site clustering.Results:Sixth-grade girls reported 5 times as many programs outside school as within school (4.1 vs. 0.8); daily MVPA was 0.29 minutes higher (1.2% of the mean) for each additional program outside school. Compared with 6th-grade girls, 8th-grade girls participated in 1.3 fewer programs outside school, while programs’ association with MVPA was unchanged. Conversely, school programs’ association with MVPA was greater in 8th grade. Daily MVPA was 1.33 minutes higher per school program, and participation declined 0.13.Conclusion:Programs within and outside schools can both increase activity among adolescent girls. Intervention research should focus on increasing participation in school programs, and increasing movement during programs outside school.

scholarly journals Step-count guidelines referenced on 60-minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-99
Author(s):  
Fabio Eduardo Fontana ◽  
Michael Pereira da Silva ◽  
Ripley Marston ◽  
Kevin Finn ◽  
Jere Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Roc Curves ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Step Count ◽  
Step Counts ◽  
Sixth Grade Students ◽  
Good Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Full Day

The purpose of this study was to establish step-count guidelines for sixth-grade students and assess the ability of step-counts to discriminate between students achieving and not achieving 60-minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. 201 sixth-grade students completed the study. They wore a pedometer and an accelerometer at the waist level for one full day. ROC curves were used to establish step-count guidelines and determine the diagnostic accuracy of step-counts. Sixth grade students need 12,118 steps/day to reach adequate daily levels of physical activity. The AUC indicated good diagnostic accuracy of step-counts. Suggested step-count guidelines can be a useful tool for identifying children who need to increase their daily levels of physical activity. The step-count cutoff proposed in this study is adequate for discriminating between sixth grade students reaching and not reaching recommended levels of physical activity.

scholarly journals A Pilot Intervention Using Gamification to Enhance Student Participation in Classroom Activity Breaks

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (21) ◽  
pp. 4082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lexie R. Beemer ◽  
Tiwaloluwa A. Ajibewa ◽  
Gabriel DellaVecchia ◽  
Rebecca E. Hasson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Student Participation ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Classroom Activity ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Health Enhancing Physical Activity

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of adding game design elements (goal setting, feedback, and external rewards) to an evidence-based physical activity intervention to increase in-class physical activity participation (intensity of activity breaks performed). Nine third- through sixth-grade classrooms (n = 292 students) in one elementary-middle school in Detroit, Michigan (49% female, 95% nonwhite; 80% qualified for free/reduced lunch) participated in this 20-week intervention where teachers implemented 5 × 4 min moderate-to-vigorous activity breaks per day. Gamification of activity breaks occurred during weeks 13–20 of the intervention and included the use of game design elements and classroom goals for activity break intensity. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during activity breaks was measured via direct observation. There was a significant effect of intervention with a 27% increase in student MVPA participation during the gamified intervention weeks compared with the standard intervention weeks (p = 0.03). Gamification of activity breaks resulted in 55% (compared with 25% during the standard intervention) of students accumulating approximately 20 min of health-enhancing physical activity per day in their classroom. These findings provide preliminary evidence that gamifying activity breaks may be an important strategy for increasing student participation in classroom activity breaks.

Perceptions of Neighborhood Safety and Physical Activity Among Youth: The CLAN Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 430-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Carver ◽  
Anna Timperio ◽  
David Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Road Safety ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
After School ◽  
Parental Perception ◽  
Personal Safety ◽  
Neighborhood Safety ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background:The purpose of this study was to examine associations between perceptions of neighborhood safety and physical activity among youth.Methods:We completed a cross-sectional study of children age 8 to 9 years (n = 188) and adolescents age 13 to 15 years (n = 346) in areas of varying socioeconomic status in Melbourne, Australia. Parents and adolescents completed questionnaires on perceptions of neighborhood safety. Scores were computed for perceptions of road safety, incivilities, and personal safety of the child or adolescent. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) before or after school, on evenings, and on weekends was recorded using accelerometers.Results:There were no associations between parental perceptions of neighborhood safety and children’s MVPA outside school hours. Parental perception of personal safety was positively associated with adolescent boys’ MVPA after school. Adolescent girls’ concern about road safety was negatively associated with their MVPA during evenings and outside school hours.Conclusion:Perceptions of neighborhood safety might influence physical activity among youth in different ways according to age group and sex.

scholarly journals Assessing the requirements from ‘BB101’ 2006 and 2018 for a naturally ventilated preparatory school in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 638-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingchun Ji ◽  
Will Swan ◽  
Richard Fitton ◽  
Terrence Fernando
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Comfort ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
School Design ◽  
Guidance Document ◽  
School Building ◽  
Preparatory School ◽  
Adaptive Comfort ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Comfort Criteria

In the UK, BB101 is the guidance document for ventilation design of school buildings. There are significant changes proposed in the new version of BB101. The aim of this paper is to examine the requirements of thermal comfort and CO2-based indoor air quality using both versions on a typical naturally ventilated preparatory school design using dynamic thermal simulations. The findings indicate that the new set of requirements on this school building design (both thermal and CO2 concentration) are much more difficult to meet than the requirements from the old version. One of the new thermal comfort criteria may be too difficult to achieve in practice, as the target value was exceeded for all the rooms of the examined design, using both test reference year and design summer year weather data. The ventilation provision for the school design is believed to be adequate. With appropriate ventilation control strategies, the design is able to meet the revised CO2 concentration criteria. Further examinations of the criteria from the new guidance document are needed to make sure the chosen criteria are fit for purpose. The use of future projected design summer year weather data (2020) also adds extra challenges for the preparatory school building to meet the newly proposed adaptive thermal comfort criteria. Practical applications: The research presents a very first assessment of a preparatory school building design using the newly proposed BB101 guidance document. It will assist further exploration on the appropriateness of the new assessment criteria and the use of design summer year weather data in order to explore the implications of the new BB101 guidelines for designers. The method adopted in the research can also be used for other building types to assess overheating in buildings when adaptive comfort criteria are recommended.

scholarly journals Correlates of Physical Activity in Black, Hispanic, and White Middle School Girls

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn B. Kelly ◽  
Deborah Parra-Medina ◽  
Karin A. Pfeiffer ◽  
Marsha Dowda ◽  
Terry L. Conway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Middle School Girls ◽  
School Sports ◽  
White Girls ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Racial Ethnic

Background:A need exists to better understand multilevel influences on physical activity among diverse samples of girls. This study examined correlates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) among adolescent girls from different racial/ethnic backgrounds.Methods:1,180 6th grade girls (24.5% black, 15.7% Hispanic, and 59.8% white) completed a supervised self-administered questionnaire that measured hypothesized correlates of PA. MVPA data were collected for 6 days using the ActiGraph accelerometer. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine correlates of PA in each racial/ethnic group.Results:Hispanic girls (n = 185) engaged in 21.7 minutes of MVPA per day, black girls (n = 289) engaged in 19.5 minutes of MVPA per day, and white girls (n = 706) engaged in 22.8 minutes of MVPA per day. Perceived transportation barriers (+; P = .010) were significantly and positively related to MVPA for Hispanic girls. For black girls, Body Mass Index (BMI) (–; P = .005) and social support from friends (+; P = .006) were significant correlates of MVPA. For white girls, BMI (–; P < .001), barriers (–; P = .012), social support from friends (+; P = .010), participation in school sports (+; P = .009), and community sports (+; P = .025) were significant correlates of MVPA. Explained variance ranged from 30% to 35%.Conclusions:Correlates of MVPA varied by racial/ethnic groups. Effective interventions in ethnically diverse populations may require culturally tailored strategies.

scholarly journals Compliance of the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children From a Low-Income Town in Chile

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 1034-1041
Author(s):  
Marcelo Toledo-Vargas ◽  
Patricio Perez-Contreras ◽  
Damian Chandia-Poblete ◽  
Nicolas Aguilar-Farias
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Valid Data

Background: The purpose was to determine the proportion of 9- to 11-year-old children meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines (24-HMG) in a low-income town from Chile. Methods: Physical activity, sedentary behavior (recreational screen), and sleep times were measured with both questionnaire and accelerometer in 258 children from third to sixth grade. Meeting the 24-HMG was defined as having ≥60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity, ≤2 hour day of screen time, and 9 to 11 hours of sleep per night. Compliance rates were calculated as self-reported 24-HMG, with all estimations based on questionnaires, and mixed 24-HMG, in which physical activity and sleep were determined with an accelerometer and sedentary behavior was determined with a questionnaire. Results: About 198 children (10.1 [0.8] y, range 9–11 y) provided valid data for estimating self-reported 24-HMG, and 141 for mixed 24-HMG. Only 3.2% and 0.7% met the 24-HMG when using the self-reported and mixed methods, respectively. When assessing individual recommendations, 13.1% and 3.7% of the sample were physically active based on the self-report and accelerometer, respectively. About a quarter met the sedentary behavior recommendations, while around 50% met the sleep recommendations with both self-reported and mixed methods. Conclusions: An extremely low percentage of the participants met the 24-HMG. Multicomponent initiatives must be implemented to promote healthy movement behaviors in Chilean children.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document