Physical Activity Among Persons Aging with Mobility Disabilities: Shaping a Research Agenda

With the aging of the baby boomer population and their accompanying burden of disease, future disability rates are expected to increase. This paper summarizes the state of the evidence regarding physical activity and aging for individuals with mobility disability and proposes a healthy aging research agenda for this population. Using a previously published framework, we present evidence in order to compile research recommendations in four areas focusing on older adults with mobility disability: (1) prevalence of physical activity, (2) health benefits of physical activity, (3) correlates of physical activity participation, and, (4) promising physical activity intervention strategies. Overall, findings show a dearth of research examining physical activity health benefits, correlates (demographic, psychological, social, and built environment), and interventions among persons aging with mobility disability. Further research is warranted.

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Management of Childhood Obesity—Time to Shift from Generalized to Personalized Intervention Strategies

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041200 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1200

Author(s):

Mohamad Motevalli ◽

Clemens Drenowatz ◽

Derrick R. Tanous ◽

Naim Akhtar Khan ◽

Katharina Wirnitzer

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Weight ◽

Childhood Obesity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Intervention Strategy ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Health Concern ◽

Excess Body Weight ◽

Personalized Intervention

As a major public health concern, childhood obesity is a multifaceted and multilevel metabolic disorder influenced by genetic and behavioral aspects. While genetic risk factors contribute to and interact with the onset and development of excess body weight, available evidence indicates that several modifiable obesogenic behaviors play a crucial role in the etiology of childhood obesity. Although a variety of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported the effectiveness of several interventions in community-based, school-based, and home-based programs regarding childhood obesity, the prevalence of children with excess body weight remains high. Additionally, researchers and pediatric clinicians are often encountering several challenges and the characteristics of an optimal weight management strategy remain controversial. Strategies involving a combination of physical activity, nutritional, and educational interventions are likely to yield better outcomes compared to single-component strategies but various prohibitory limitations have been reported in practice. This review seeks to (i) provide a brief overview of the current preventative and therapeutic approaches towards childhood obesity, (ii) discuss the complexity and limitations of research in the childhood obesity area, and (iii) suggest an Etiology-Based Personalized Intervention Strategy Targeting Childhood Obesity (EPISTCO). This purposeful approach includes prioritized nutritional, educational, behavioral, and physical activity intervention strategies directly based on the etiology of obesity and interpretation of individual characteristics.

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Role of Fatigue on the Effectiveness of a Physical Activity Intervention Aimed at Preventing Mobility Disability

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ◽

10.1249/01.mss.0000476572.23791.ef ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 63

Author(s):

Nancy W. Glynn ◽

Laura C. Lovato ◽

Adam J. Santanasto ◽

Brittney Lange-Maia ◽

Barbara Nicklas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Mobility Disability

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Cost-effectiveness of the LIFE Physical Activity Intervention for Older Adults at Increased Risk for Mobility Disability

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glw001 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 71 (5) ◽

pp. 656-662 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Erik J. Groessl ◽

Robert M. Kaplan ◽

Cynthia M. Castro Sweet ◽

Timothy Church ◽

Mark A. Espeland ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Cost Effectiveness ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Mobility Disability ◽

Increased Risk

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Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Wearable Technology-Based Physical Activity Intervention in Preschoolers: A Pilot Study

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph15091821 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 15 (9) ◽

pp. 1821 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Wonwoo Byun ◽

Erica Lau ◽

Timothy Brusseau

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Parent Education ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Intervention Strategies ◽

Control Group ◽

Classroom Teachers ◽

Parent Perception ◽

Childcare Centers

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility and the effectiveness of an intervention that employed a technology-based physical activity (PA) monitoring system and teacher-regulated strategies to promote PA in preschoolers. A total of 93 preschoolers (53% girls, 4.7 years) from 5 child care centers were recruited for a one-week intervention and randomly assigned into control (2 centers, n = 45) or intervention (3 centers, n = 48) group. Key intervention components included: (1) wearable device-based, real-time monitoring of children’s PA by classroom teachers and (2) teacher-regulated strategies for providing more opportunities for PA. Sedentary behavior (SED) and PA were measured using accelerometers. Overall, children in the intervention group showed significantly lower level of SED (31.6 vs. 33.6 min/h) and higher level of total PA (28.4 vs. 26.4 min/h) than children in the control group, after adjusting for age, sex, race, parent education level, parent perception of their child’s PA, BMI, and childcare centers. Teachers in the intervention group reported that the intervention was highly feasible to be implemented in their current classroom settings. In conclusion, we observed high acceptability and initial effectiveness of the current intervention. Subsequent research at larger-scale is warranted to fully evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention strategies tested in this study.

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Health benefits of a pedometer-based physical activity intervention in sedentary workers

Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.04.053 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 1215-1222 ◽

Cited By ~ 190

Author(s):

Catherine B. Chan ◽

Daniel A.J. Ryan ◽

Catrine Tudor-Locke

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Health Benefits

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Hospitalizations During a Physical Activity Intervention in Older Adults at Risk of Mobility Disability: Analyses from the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Randomized Clinical Trial

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society ◽

10.1111/jgs.14114 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 64 (5) ◽

pp. 933-943 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Anthony P. Marsh ◽

William B. Applegate ◽

Jack M. Guralnik ◽

W. Jack Rejeski ◽

Timothy S. Church ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Clinical Trial ◽

At Risk ◽

Randomized Clinical Trial ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Lifestyle Interventions ◽

Mobility Disability

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Learning From Older Adults to Promote Independent Physical Activity Using Mobile Health (mHealth)

Frontiers in Public Health ◽

10.3389/fpubh.2021.703910 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Camille Nebeker ◽

Zvinka Z. Zlatar

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Data Management ◽

Study Design ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Digital Health ◽

Data Access ◽

Health Study

Background: Healthy aging is critically important for several reasons, including economic impact and quality of life. As the population of older adults rapidly increases, identifying acceptable ways to promote healthy aging is a priority. Technologies that can facilitate health promotion and risk reduction behaviors may be a solution, but only if these mobile health (mHealth) tools can be used by the older adult population. Within the context of a physical activity intervention, this study gathered participant's opinions about the use of an mHealth device to learn about acceptance and to identify areas for improvement.Methods: The Independent Walking for Brain Health study (NCT03058146) was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a wearable mHealth technology in facilitating adherence to a physical activity prescription among participants in free-living environments. An Exit Survey was conducted following intervention completion to gauge participant's perceptions and solicit feedback regarding the overall study design, including exercise promotion strategies and concerns specific to the technology (e.g., privacy), that could inform more acceptable mHealth interventions in the future. The Digital Health Checklist and Framework was used to guide the analysis focusing on the domains of Privacy, Access and Usability, and Data Management.Results: Participants (n = 41) were in their early 70's (mean = 71.6) and were predominantly female (75.6%) and White (92.7%). Most were college educated (16.9 years) and enjoyed using technology in their everyday life (85.4%). Key challenges included privacy concerns, device accuracy, usability, and data access. Specifically, participants want to know what is being learned about them and want control over how their identifiable data may be used. Overall, participants were able to use the device despite the design challenges.Conclusions: Understanding participant's perceptions of the challenges and concerns introduced by mHealth is important, as acceptance will influence adoption and adherence to the study protocol. While this study learned from participants at studycompletion, we recommend that researchers consider what might influence participant acceptance of the technology (access, data management, privacy, risks) and build these into the mHealth study design process. We provide recommendations for future mHealth studies with older adults.

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Youth Knowledge of Physical Activity Health Benefits: A Brazilian Case Study

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1100/tsw.2006.283 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. 1713-1721 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Susan Gail Zieff ◽

Claudia Maria Guedes ◽

James Wiley

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Educational Goals ◽

Lifestyle Choices ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

This study presents the findings of a questionnaire-based investigation of knowledge about the relationship of physical activity to health among adolescent participants of a community-based physical activity intervention program in São Paulo, Brazil. Qualitative (inductive content analysis) and quantitative methods were applied to examine the participants responses to two open-ended questions concerning the health benefits of physical activity and the educational goals of the intervention. More than 75% of all participants stated that health benefits (of some type) are attained through participation in physical activity. More than 50% of participants reported that the goal of the intervention was to educate people about the importance of a healthy, active lifestyle. Adolescents understand the relationship of physical activity to health as reflected in their knowledge assessments; their lifestyle choices support these beliefs. These findings offer encouragement for the development and implementation of educationally oriented interventions aimed at providing physical activity information and programming.

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Multilevel mHealth Intervention Increases Physical Activity of Older Adults Living in Retirement Community

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.2020-0592 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Katie R. Hosteng ◽

Jacob E. Simmering ◽

Linnea A. Polgreen ◽

James F. Cremer ◽

Alberto M. Segre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Healthy Aging ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Outcome Expectations ◽

Retirement Community ◽

Mhealth Intervention ◽

Steps Per Day ◽

Evaluation Survey

Background: Regular physical activity is crucial for healthy aging, but older adults are the least active age group. This study explored the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a multilevel mHealth intervention for increasing physical activity of older adults living in a retirement community. Methods: Participants included 54 older adults (mean age = 81.2 y, 77.8% female, 98.1% white) living in a retirement community. Participants received a Fitbit Zip and access to a multilevel mHealth physical activity intervention (MapTrek Residential) for 8 weeks. Physical activity (in steps per day) and intervention compliance (days worn) were measured objectively with the Fitbit for 12 weeks (8-wk intervention plus 4-wk follow-up). Psychosocial outcomes (social support, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations) were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks. Acceptability outcomes were assessed with an open-ended process evaluation survey and focus groups. Descriptive statistics and linear mixed models were used to examine intervention effects. Results: Participants increased daily steps from 5438 steps per day at baseline (95% CI, 4620 to 6256) to 6201 steps per day (95% CI, 5359 to 7042) at week 8 (P < .0001) but this was not maintained at 12 weeks (P = .92). Conclusions: Our multilevel mHealth physical activity intervention was effective for increasing physical activity older adults over 8 weeks. Additional research focused on maintaining physical activity gains with this approach is warranted.

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