scholarly journals Lithuanian physical activity strategy: The culture of the body or the body cult?

Medicina ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasa Jankauskienė

The article is devoted to disclosure of the tendencies in the promotion of Lithuanian physical activity. During the Soviet times, Lithuanian sports politics was oriented to elite sport and it is still. The attempts to foster physical activity of the population lie on the movement “Sport for all,” but the results of the movement are not effective enough, because only a small part of the population (approximately 6%) took part in it. No one governmental institution has full and clear responsibility for the results of physical activity promotion. The poor environment of physical activity results in poor possibilities to be physically active in leisure domain. Differently, the huge expansion of the private sport, health, and beauty industries fosters the adoration of the body and overemphasizes the meaning of body image in the society. Physical activity is represented as the measure to achieve ideal body image or good health, but not as the measure of the overall culture of the human or society. Conclusions. The long-lasting, health-related physical activity-oriented national strategy is essential to foster physical activity, health, and quality of life at the national level. The multiplicity of possibilities in the physical activity would foster lifestyle activity instead of adoration of body image and would improve the psychological and physical well-being of the population.

Author(s):  
Anna Chalkley ◽  
Lauren Sherar

Physical activity is beneficial to children’s health and well-being. Evidence suggests that physical activity declines with age from childhood through adolescence and into adulthood, with boys being more active than girls at all ages. Physical activity participation in childhood is affected by the social support and role modelling provided by family, peers, friends, and teachers. Marginalized groups are disadvantaged in terms of access to opportunities to be physically active. From a population perspective, the greatest gains in public health will be achieved by helping those who are most inactive to become moderately active. Physical activity promotion efforts for children have predominantly focused on school-based programmes, but multisectoral approaches are needed with transformative and enlightened public policy regarding many facets of children’s lives such as school curricula, active travel, safe play areas, and enhanced sports opportunities for all.


Author(s):  
Rasa Jankauskienė ◽  
Brigita Miežienė

Research background and hypothesis. The analysis of factors which might infl uence exercise adherence is important issue for physical activity promotion. Studies show that exercisers’ body image is important factor associated with well being, exercise motivation and specifi c exercise–related behaviour.Research aim was is to examine the relationship between exercise adherence, body image and social physique anxiety in a sample of fi tness centre participants. Research methods. Members of fi tness centres (n = 217, 66 of them were women) provided their answers on exercise experience, in three subscales (appearance evaluation, appearance orientation and overweight preoccupation) of The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ-AS; Brown et al., 1990) and Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS; Hart et al., 1989). Mean age of the sample was 29.02 (9.85) years (range = 18–68 years).Research results. Women demonstrated higher appearance orientation, overweight preoccupation and social physique anxiety compared to men. However, we observed no signifi cant differences in appearance evaluation, appearance orientation and overweight preoccupation in the groups of different exercise experience of men and women. When overweight respondents (≥ 25 kg / m²) were excluded from the analysis, there were no statistically signifi cant differences observed in body image and social physique anxiety in exercise experience groups of men and women. Exercising longer than 6 years signifi cantly predicted overweight preoccupation [95% CI: 1.25–16.94] controlled by age and gender. Discussion and conclusions. Exercising men demonstrated more positive body image and lower social physique anxiety compared to women, except for appearance evaluation. There were observed no body image and social physique relationships with exercise adherence observed in the sample of fi tness centre participants, however, exercise experience longer than 6 years predicted overweight preoccupation.Keywords: body image concerns, exercise experience, self-presentation.


Author(s):  
Sigit Arifwidodo ◽  
Orana Chandrasiri

Public Park is considered one of the essential settings for physical activity, especially in urban areas. Parks support physical activity through their accessibility, their provision to facilitate active pursuits; their capacity to provide opportunities to a wide range of users; and their semi-permanent nature. The paper explores the design intervention assessment of Benchakitti Park, which serves as the pilot project for active park and showcase during the past ISPAH 2016 conference. The objective of the paper is to understand the health and well-being benefits of an urban park in increasing PA levels of urban population and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. Keywords: Public park; physical activity; urban landscape design; public health; SOPARC


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maira Tristao Parra ◽  
Meredith A Pung ◽  
Kathleen Wilson ◽  
Christopher Pruitt ◽  
Barry H Greenberg ◽  
...  

Hypothesis: insufficiently active heart failure patients will report poorer QoL, more fatigue and depressive mood compared to active patients. Aims: To characterize clinical characteristics and health-related behaviors according to physical activity (PA). Also, to explore predicting factors of quality of life (QoL). Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of a cohort of Stage B HF patients. PA classification was set as active, moderately active or insufficiently active, according to the LTEQ questionnaire. For QoL, the SF-36 questionnaire was used. ANOVAS, Chi-Square tests or likelihood ratios and unadjusted multiple regression models were calculated. Significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results: In this cohort, 277 HF patients completed the PA questionnaire. The prevalence of active patients was higher than moderately active and insufficiently active (53.3% vs 15.2% and 29.6%), respectively. Younger age (p = 0.044), lower waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.002), and lower waist-to-hip ratio (p = 0.046) were associated with being active. The prevalence of Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in the active groups was significantly lower (p = 0.001). Physically active groups had cases of mild LV enlargement (1.4% and 7.5%, respectively), while no cases were observed among insufficiently active patients (p = 0.017). PA was positively associated with less fatigue (p= 0.002), more vigor (p = 0.001), more self-efficacy (p < 0.001), and better quality of life (p = 0.002). Patients who were less physically active had more inflammation (CRP, p = 0.015; IL-6, p <0.001; TNF-α: p = 0.033, and IL-1ra, p = 0.001). WC (β =-0.16, p = 0.008), glucose (β =-0.12, p < 0.001) and fatigue (β = - 0.39, p < 0.001) predicted general health perception (R 2 = 0.449). For physical functioning (high scores reflects performing PA without limitations due to health), WC (β = - 0.28, p = 0.001), sleep (β = - 1.50, p = 0.003) and fatigue (β = - 0.32, p = 0.018) were significant predictors (R 2 = 0.422); while age (β = 0.36, p <0.001) physical activity (β = 0.051, p = 0.055), sleep (β = 0.50, p =0.046), fatigue (β = -0.37, p <0.001) and depression (β = -1.12, p <0.001) predicted emotional well-being (R 2 = 0.696). Conclusion: Physically active heart failure patients had a better anthropometric profile and lower prevalence of T2DM. In this cohort, PA was not a significant predictor for general and physical functioning, but it remained relevant for predicting emotional well-being.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Segar ◽  
John A. Updegraff ◽  
Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher ◽  
Caroline R. Richardson

The reasons for exercising that are featured in health communications brand exercise and socialize individuals about why they should be physically active. Discovering which reasons for exercising are associated with high-quality motivation and behavioral regulation is essential to promoting physical activity and weight control that can be sustained over time. This study investigates whether framing physical activity in advertisements featuring distinct types of goals differentially influences body image and behavioral regulations based on self-determination theory among overweight and obese individuals. Using a three-arm randomized trial, overweight and obese women and men (aged 40–60 yr,n=1690) read one of three ads framing physical activity as a way to achieve (1) better health, (2) weight loss, or (3) daily well-being. Framing effects were estimated in an ANOVA model with pairwise comparisons using the Bonferroni correction. This study showed that there are immediate framing effects on physical activity behavioral regulations and body image from reading a one-page advertisement about physical activity and that gender and BMI moderate these effects. Framing physical activity as a way to enhance daily well-being positively influenced participants’ perceptions about the experience of being physically active and enhanced body image among overweight women, but not men. The experiment had less impact among the obese study participants compared to those who were overweight. These findings support a growing body of research suggesting that, compared to weight loss, framing physical activity for daily well-being is a better gain-frame message for overweight women in midlife.


Retos ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 393-399
Author(s):  
Michelle Marambio Miranda ◽  
Tamara Núñez Fernández ◽  
Jaime Ramírez Guajardo ◽  
Pablo Ramírez Eyraud ◽  
Ximena Alejandra Palma Leal ◽  
...  

Introducción: La Educación Física escolar y extraescolar es una oportunidad para promover estilos de vida activos en escolares, propiciando un desarrollo saludable y prevención de enfermedades asociadas a la inactividad física. Objetivo: comparar los niveles de actividad física dentro y fuera de la escuela, en una muestra representativa de niños escolares participantes de un programa de promoción de actividad física. Métodos: un total de 318 niños y niñas (7 a 14 años) participaron de este estudio. Los participantes voluntariamente completaron el cuestionario PAQ-C, para determinar la actividad física realizada en los últimos 7 días. Se analizaron las variables mediante comparación de varianzas y las medias a través de la prueba T-student, del software SPSS V20. Resultados: La actividad física por sexo, presentó valores de medias similares, exceptuando la realizada en las tardes, en donde las mujeres realizaron mayor actividad física (p=0,006). Además, los días sábados, los niños realizaron más actividad física que las niñas (p=0,001). En cuanto a las preferencias de actividades, el baile es la principal opción en niñas y el fútbol la principal en niños (p=0,000). Se logró establecer una contribución de las clases de Educación Física en conjunto con las sesiones de las escuelas deportivas integrales en relación a la práctica total, siendo la media 4,2 entrando en la categoría: alto nivel de actividad física. Conclusión: La clase de Educación Física junto a las sesiones de las escuelas deportivas contribuye positivamente a la actividad física total.Abstract. Introduction: School and extracurricular physical education is an opportunity to promote active lifestyle in schoolchildren, fostering healthy growth and prevention of diseases associated with physical inactivity. Objective: to compare physical activity levels inside and out of the school context, in a representative sample of school children participating in a physical activity promotion program. Methods: a total of 318 boys and girls (7 to 14 years old) participated in this study. The participants voluntarily completed the PAQ-C questionnaire to determine their physical activity in the last 7 days. The variables were analyzed by means of comparison of variances and means through the T-student test on the SPSS V20 software. Results: By gender, physical activity presented values similar levels, except for that performed in the afternoons, where girls were more physically active (p= .006). In addition, on Saturdays, boys performed more physical activity than girls (p = .001). Regarding activity preferences, dance activities are preferred by girls whilst boys preferred soccer (p = .000). A contribution of physical education classes in combination with the sessions from comprehensive sports academies was detected regarding total practice, the average being 4.2, meaning that the category was “high level of physical activity”. Conclusion: physical education classes along with sessions from sports academies contributes positively to the total physical activity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 192-201
Author(s):  
Sarah Deans ◽  
Alison Kirk ◽  
Anthony McGarry ◽  
David Rowe

Background: Healthcare professionals play a key role in supporting physical activity participation for people with lower limb absence. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to survey healthcare professionals’ views of people with lower limb absence in the United Kingdom, explore their awareness and knowledge of physical activity recommendations and investigate their current and desirable practice towards physical activity promotion. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Potential participants were identified from open-access health-related databases, educational institution databases, and the authors’ professional networks. An online 40-item questionnaire was distributed electronically and by post. Survey items were multiple choice, Likert-type scale or open-ended questions to explore the characteristics of healthcare professionals, awareness/knowledge of physical activity guidelines, current and desired practice and views on physical activity promotion. Results: In total, 106 people responded. Physiotherapists had greater awareness/knowledge of physical activity guidelines compared to prosthetists/orthotists and other respondents. Awareness/knowledge of guidelines decreased as age, experience and time since qualification increased. The most common source of knowledge was self-directed learning. Conclusion: Continuing and improving education on the content of physical activity guidelines may be helpful for healthcare professionals in promoting physical activity to those with lower limb absence. Clinical relevance This research aims to inform prosthetic rehabilitation professionals and academics about an under-researched area within physical activity for health. This knowledge could help develop interventions with the aim of improving physical activity promotion and participation, and ultimately the health and well-being of people with limb absence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1577-1589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Popp ◽  
Johannes Carl ◽  
Eva Grüne ◽  
Jana Semrau ◽  
Peter Gelius ◽  
...  

Abstract Apprentices in many sectors are exposed to increased health risks and show low levels of physical activity (PA). Environmental and policy approaches seem to be promising tools for PA promotion as they can positively influence the context in which PA occurs. This article reports results from a German research project (2015–2018) that developed and implemented measures for PA promotion in the field of vocational education (VE). A participatory approach—cooperative planning (COP)—involving researchers as well as stakeholders from policy and practice was used in two VE settings—nursing care and automotive mechatronics. We assessed the extent to which new capacities for PA promotion were created by conducting semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from both sectors (n = 12) and one group interview with nursing students (n = 4). Transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings show that new capacities were created mainly in the form of resources and opportunities and that several measures for PA promotion (e.g. a regular lesson on the issue of PA and health and a tutoring system) were successfully integrated into VE routines. However, establishing new organizational goals and obligations appeared to be challenging. Moreover, the article presents influencing factors, such as the participation of the main actors that strongly supported the process of capacity building within their organization. We conclude that COP seems promising in creating new capacities for PA promotion in the field of VE, and therefore has the potential to promote a physically active lifestyle among apprentices.


2007 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcos Ausenka Ribeiro ◽  
Milton de Arruda Martins ◽  
Celso Ricardo Fernandes Carvalho

The regular practice of physical activity at appropriate levels ensures various benefits for the individual over the short, medium and long terms. It is therefore important in health promotion. On the other hand, sedentary behavior has reached alarming levels among the general population, which qualifies it as a serious health problem of endemic proportions. The present review describes public health problems consequent to sedentary behavior and the importance of physician counseling for change their patients’ beha-vior and making them more physically active on a regular basis. Models and behavioral theories are presented to facilitate physicians’ understan-ding of how to approach patients during clinical practice. We also describe programs conducted in many countries based on physician counseling for reducing sedentary behavior, and we present many tools used to quantify and qualify patients’ attitudes towards becoming more physically active. Through understanding the barriers faced by patients, we suggest methodologies that will enable physicians to use physical activity promotion appropriately. We hope that this will provide support for physicians in conducting physical activity counseling, as a means for improving the health of the population.


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