“How Can We Stay Healthy when you’re Throwing All of this in Front of Us?” Findings from Focus Groups and Interviews in Middle Schools on Environmental Influences on Nutrition and Physical Activity

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine W. Bauer ◽  
Y. Wendy Yang ◽  
S. Bryn Austin
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Middle Schools ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Environmental Influences ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
After School ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Weight Concerns ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Before And After

This study aimed to identify factors in school physical and social environments that may facilitate or compete with programs and policies to improve student physical activity and nutrition. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with students, faculty, and staff of two public middle schools. Participants identified numerous aspects of the school environments as significant. Competition, teasing and bullying, time, and safety were described as major barriers for students to be physically active during physical education class, on sports teams, and before and after school. The quality of the food served, easy access to nonnutritious snacks, limited time for lunch period, and weight concerns emerged as significant reasons why students do not eat nutritious meals in school. When developing programs and policies to improve the health of students, environmental influences that undermine efforts to improve student health behaviors must be addressed.

scholarly journals Evidence-Based Overview of Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity during School Recess: An Updated Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 578
Author(s):  
Sergio Pulido Sánchez ◽  
Damián Iglesias Gallego
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Extraction Process ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
World Health ◽  
After School ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physically Active

Interest in analyzing physically active behaviors during school recesses has grown in recent years as the school environment has consolidated (recess, physical education classes, lunch-time, before and after school) as a crucial space to bring these levels towards those recommended through intervention programs and improvements in the school environment. Unfortunately, in most of these studies, children do not achieve the 60 min a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) recommended by the World Health Organization. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention studies objectively measured with accelerometers that have emerged in recent years to determine the amount of MVPA of children at recess. This systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines. The extraction process for the studies included in this systematic review yielded a total of 43 articles. The studies were classified according to the methodological nature of the research: cross-sectional (n = 34), longitudinal (n = 3) and quasi-experimental (n = 6). The results of the studies confirm that during the recess period younger children are physically more active than older ones and that in general, boys are more physically active than girls. In addition, the data show that the school contributes to more than 40% of the total MVPA. The intervention programs led to an increase in MVPA of up to 5%. Providing schools with equipment and facilities shows that intervention programs are beneficial for raising children’s levels of physical activity.

scholarly journals Children’s segment specific moderate to vigorous physical activity through a school-initiated physical activity program

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-32
Author(s):  
ARTO GRÅSTÉN
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
After School ◽  
Physical Activity Guidelines ◽  
School Activities ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Before School ◽  
Out Of School

Background: Since less than one-third of 13-year-olds in many Western countries meet the physical activity guidelines, there is a major need to promote physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine children’s segment specific moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) through the school-initiated program. Material/Methods: The sample comprised 76 Finnish elementary school children. Accelerometers were used to investigate the patterns of segmented MVPA through 2012-2014. Repeated Measures Analysis was implemented to summarize variability between time and segments of MVPA. Results: The examination of children’s MVPA revealed that their total, weekend, and before-school activity were significant predictors for their subsequent activity. Children’s MVPA in physical education classes, before- and after-school, and during school breaks decreased through the program. Both girls and boys accumulated the majority of their weekly MVPA during weekdays and out-of-school. Conclusions: The program provedto be effective in order to sustain children’s total MVPA levels, although physical education, before- and after-school, and recess MVPA decreased through the program. Out-of-school activities seemed to be more important than in-school activities in relation to children’s total MVPA minutes, when they transfer to the higher grades. Attention should be paid to out-of-school, especially weekend, activities.

Physical Activity Programs Before and After School

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Dauenhauer ◽  
Megan Babkes Stellino ◽  
Collin A. Webster ◽  
Chuck Steinfurth
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
After School ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Physical Activity Programs

Opportunities for Extracurricular Physical Activity in North Carolina Middle Schools

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 597-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Edwards ◽  
Michael A. Kanters ◽  
Jason N. Bocarro
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
North Carolina ◽  
Middle Schools ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Rural Schools ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Interscholastic Sports

Background:This study’s purpose was to assess the opportunities for North Carolina adolescents to be physically active in extracurricular middle school environments and to compare opportunities across community types.Methods:Data were analyzed based on the results of an electronic questionnaire distributed to a sample of 431 schools with a response rate of 75.4% (N = 325).Results:Nearly all schools offered interscholastic sports while fewer than half offered intramurals or noncompetitive activities to students. “Open gym” was offered at only 35% of schools, while 24% of schools offered extracurricular activities to students with disabilities. Overall, 43.4% of schools offered special transportation to students who participated in some extracurricular physical activities. Schools in rural areas generally offered fewer programs and had fewer supports than schools located in more urbanized areas. Over two-thirds of rural schools offered no extracurricular programs other than interscholastic sports.Conclusions:Schools can be important settings for physical activity. North Carolina’s middle schools and its rural schools in particular, are falling short in efforts to provide extracurricular physical activity programming recommended by researchers and policy groups.1−6 Lower accessibility to extracurricular physical activities may partially contribute to higher levels of physical inactivity found in the state.

From Perception to Action: The Mediating Role of Parental Safety Concerns on Adolescents’ Physical Activity

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 652-659
Author(s):  
Chia-Yuan Yu ◽  
Ayoung Woo
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
National Study ◽  
Critical Determinant ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Safety Concerns

Background:Parental safety concerns have been recognized as a critical determinant of adolescents’ physical activity. However, it is still uncertain what factors relate to parental safety concern, and how they, in turn, affect adolescents’ physical activity. This study explored the mediating relationships of parental safety concern on adolescents’ physical activity by considering personal, social, and built environmental factors.Methods:This cross-sectional analysis used the data from Growing Up in Ireland (GUI), a national study (N = 5212). A structural equation model (SEM) was used to evaluate the hypothesized framework.Results:50% of the adolescents engaged in at least 6 days of exercise every 14 days, at a rate of at least 20-minutes per day. Adolescents were more physically active when parents perceived higher levels of safety. Parents perceived their children as safe when they lived in areas with easy access to play spaces. Moreover, adolescents with more close friends and more friends with whom they could play were more physically active and their parents perceived higher levels of safety.Conclusions:Parental safety concerns may profoundly affect adolescent’s physical activity and the resulting health outcomes. Programs and policies should consider the importance of parental safety concerns in promoting adolescents’ physical activity.

The Impact of Removing Snacks of Low Nutritional Value From Middle Schools

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 999-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlene B. Schwartz ◽  
Sarah A. Novak ◽  
Susan S. Fiore
Keyword(s):  
Middle Schools ◽  
School Nutrition ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Weight Concerns ◽  
Nutrition Guidelines ◽  
School Based ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Obesity Prevention Programs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Removing low nutrition snacks from schools is controversial. Although the objective is to decrease the consumption of these foods at school, some critics argue that children will compensate by eating more of these foods at home. Others worry that school-based obesity prevention programs will increase student preoccupation with weight. The present study examines these concerns. Three middle schools replaced snacks and beverages that did not meet nutrition guidelines, whereas three comparison schools made no systematic changes. Students were surveyed about dietary intake and weight concerns before and after implementation of the intervention. Findings indicate that removing low nutrition items from schools decreased students’ consumption with no compensatory increase at home. Furthermore, there were no differences in students’ reported weight concerns. These results support the value of strengthening school nutrition standards to improve student nutrition and provide evidence dispelling concerns that such efforts will have unintended negative consequences.

scholarly journals Physical activity, but not body mass index, predicts less disability before and after stroke

Neurology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 88 (18) ◽  
pp. 1718-1726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela M. Rist ◽  
Benjamin D. Capistrant ◽  
Elizabeth Rose Mayeda ◽  
Sze Y. Liu ◽  
M. Maria Glymour
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Mass Index ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Risk Difference ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Stroke Survivors ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Before And After

Objective:To determine whether physical activity and body mass index (BMI) predict instrumental or basic activities of daily living (I/ADL) trajectories before or after stroke compared to individuals who remained stroke-free.Methods:Using a prospective cohort, the Health and Retirement Study, we followed adults without a history of stroke in 1998 (n = 18,117) for up to 14 years. We estimated linear regression models of I/ADL trajectories comparing individuals who remained stroke-free throughout follow-up (n = 16,264), those who survived stroke (n = 1,374), and those who died after stroke and before the next interview wave (n = 479). We evaluated whether I/ADL trajectories differed by physical activity or BMI at baseline (before stroke), adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic covariates.Results:Compared to those who were physically active, stroke survivors who were physically inactive at baseline had a lower probability of independence in ADLs and IADLs 3 years after stroke (risk difference = −0.18 and −0.16 for ADLs and IADLs, respectively). However, a similar difference in the probability of independence was also present 3 years before stroke, and we observed no evidence that physical activity slowed the rate of decline in independence before or after stroke. Unlike the results for physical activity, we did not observe a consistent pattern for the probability of independence in ADLs or IADLs comparing obese stroke survivors to normal-weight or to overweight stroke survivors 3 years before stroke or 3 years after stroke.Conclusions:Physical inactivity predicts a higher risk of being dependent both before and after stroke.

scholarly journals Shifting Motivations: Young Women’s Reflections on Physical Activity Over Time and Across Contexts

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 547-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen O'Dougherty ◽  
Mindy S. Kurzer ◽  
Kathryn H. Schmitz
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Exercise Intervention ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Societal Values ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Social Motivations ◽  
Sedentary Women ◽  
Over Time

This research analyzes motivations expressed by young, healthy, sedentary women before and after an exercise intervention. Young women (aged 18-30, n = 39) participated in focus groups or interviews during a 4-month exercise intervention. Afterward, 22 of these women and 20 controls completed physical activity diaries for 6 months and were interviewed. For the majority of women ( n = 24), obligation to the study prevailed as the motivator during the intervention. Some ( n = 15) became physically active for their own benefit. Afterward, exercisers and controls said they were physically active to feel better and/or healthy ( n = 20), for body image and/ or weight loss ( n = 20), or both. Women expressed motivations for physical activity in ways that resonated with self-determination theory. Their commentaries expand on theory to include experiencing multiple motivations simultaneously and motivations shifting over time and in differing contexts. Social motivations were compelling, both those associated with societal values (research, health) and cultural trends (body image).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document