The impact of COVID-19 movement restrictions on physical activity in a low-income semi-rural population in Malaysia: A longitudinal study

Introduction: Although it is known that urban design and land use at the community level contributes to active living, there remains a paucity of such information among low income and diverse populations affected by such infrastructure. Reconstruction of an inner city community in Chattanooga, Tennessee afforded the opportunity to assess the impact of new urbanist construction on active living among African-American children/youth living in the inner city. Hypothesis: Transportation and recreational physical activity levels among children/youth residing in a new urbanist community was hypothesized to be higher compared to demographically similar children/youth who reside in a more traditional inner city community. Methods: Using the System for Observing Physical Activity and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) we examined an urban trail and recreational park areas of two distinct communities to assess physical activity, sports, and recreational of children/youth. SOPARC data were collected in each of 4 settings in each community (East, a traditional and South, a new urbanist) during four 1-h observation periods during 7 days of clement weather. Observations were made during each day of the week in each setting (i.e., Sunday through Saturday). Results: The SOPARC assessments of the urban trail and pedestrian/bicycle routes in the South and East yielded a total of 672 and 436 children/youth observations, respectively. South children/youth were over three times more likely to engage in vigorous physical activity compared to their East counterparts (Mantel-Haenszel Chi Square = 19.67; P< 0.00001). Conclusions: The present findings support the hypothesis that enhanced environmental supports, such as those found within the South community, increase the likelihood of greater levels of activity among children/youth compared to children/youth that were not exposed to these environmental enhancements. This comparative difference was most remarkable when examining the SOPARC assessment differences along the transport path/sidewalk routes, with South children/youth being significantly more likely than the East children/youth to engage in more vigorous forms of physical activity along this transport/recreational corridor, providing evidence that access to these types of ‘urban’ trails appears to translate into increased opportunities for physical activity among children/youth.

Download Full-text

Impact of Social Isolation on Physical Activity and Factors Associated With Sedentary Behavior in Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2020-0456 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-5

Author(s):

Giovana Z. Mazo ◽

Felipe Fank ◽

Pedro S. Franco ◽

Bruna da Silva Vieira Capanema ◽

Franciele da Silva Pereira

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Low Income ◽

Low Income Countries ◽

Moderate Physical Activity ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Factors Associated ◽

The Impact

The objective was to analyze the impact of social isolation on moderate physical activity and factors associated with sedentary behavior of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional study involving 111 older adults (aged 71.0 ± 6.87 years). The data were collected at two time points: in November 2019 and in June 2020. There was a decline in moderate physical activity when the minutes/week were compared before and during social isolation (p < .001). Sedentary behavior was associated with the condition of living alone. Older adults who lived alone were 3.29 times more likely to spend 4 hr or more in sedentary behavior than those who lived with a partner (95% confidence interval [1.01, 10.74]). Government agencies must establish PA-related health promotion strategies, especially in developing and low-income countries. Therefore, home exercises need to be encouraged to prevent the consequences of this pandemic period.

Download Full-text

Participant Perceptions of Character Concepts in a Physical Activity–Based Positive Youth Development Program

Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology ◽

10.1123/jsep.2016-0061 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 481-492 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Shaina Riciputi ◽

Meghan H. McDonough ◽

Sarah Ullrich-French

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Youth Development ◽

Positive Youth Development ◽

Low Income ◽

Character Development ◽

Development Program ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Low Income Families ◽

The Impact

Physical activity–based positive youth development (PYD) programs often aim to foster character development. This study examined youth perspectives of character development curricula and the impact these activities have on their lives within and beyond the program. This case study examined youth from low-income families in a physical activity–based summer PYD program that integrated one character concept (respect, caring, responsibility, trust) in each of 4 weeks. Participants (N = 24) included a cross section of age, gender, ethnicity, and past program experience. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and constant comparative methods. Thirteen themes were grouped in four categories: building highquality reciprocal relationships; intrapersonal improvement; moral reasoning and understanding; and rejection, resistance, and compliance. The findings provide participant-centered guidance for understanding youth personal and social development through physical activity in ways that are meaningful to participants, which is particularly needed for youth in low-income communities with limited youth programming.

Download Full-text

Latina Elementary School Girls’ Experiences in an Urban After-School Physical Education and Literacy Program

Journal of Teaching in Physical Education ◽

10.1123/jtpe.2019-0211 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Risto Marttinen ◽

Mara Simon ◽

Sharon Phillips ◽

Ray N. Fredrick

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Low Income ◽

Role Models ◽

Critical Role ◽

Literacy Program ◽

After School ◽

Educational Approach ◽

Community Spaces ◽

The Impact ◽

Latina Girls

Purpose: To understand where and how Latina girls are physically active outside of the Reflective Educational Approach to Character and Health program and the impact of female role models on participation in the program. Methods: The authors implemented a yearlong after-school physical activity and literacy program for fifth and sixth grade girls (N = 22 girls) in a low-income, urban community. Four university students/coaches delivered all sessions. Data were triangulated through 10 Latina girls’ interviews, student journals, coaches’ journals, researcher journals, and field notes, and analyzed using constant comparison. Results: Girls participated in leisure-time physical activities with family in community spaces, in spite of social and cultural barriers. Female coaches facilitated girls’ increased engagement by acting as strong role models and fostering caring relationships. Conclusion: After-school programs, community spaces, and strong connections with coaches play a critical role in students’ engagement in physical activity.

Download Full-text

Cognitive function and type of physical activity: results from the FRéLE longitudinal study

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.640 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

C Dupré ◽

D Hupin ◽

C Goumou ◽

F Béland ◽

F Roche ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Disorders ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Professional Activity ◽

Domestic Activity ◽

Different Types ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Previous cohorts have been notably criticized for not studying the different type of physical activity and not investigating household activities. The objective of this work was to analyse the relation between physical activity and cognitive decline in older people living in community. Impact of type of physical activity on the results has been realised. Methods The study used data from the longitudinal and observational study , FrèLE (FRagility: Longitudinal Study of Expressions). The collected data included: socio-demographic variables, lifestyle, and health status (frailty, comorbidities, cognitive status, depression). Cognitive decline was assessed by using: MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination)and MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment). Physical activity was assessed by the PASE (Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly). This tool is structured in three sections: the leisure activity, the domestic activity and the professional activity. Logistic regressions and proportional hazards regression models (Cox) were used to estimate the risk of cognitive disorders. Results At baseline, the prevalence of cognitive disorders was 6.9% according to MMSE. In total, 1326 participants without cognitive disorders were included in the analysis. The mean age was 77.4 years, and 52.1% of the participants were women. After a 2 years long follow-up, we found cognitive disorders on 92 participants (6.9%). Physical activity at baseline is lower in older adults for whom cognitive decline was observed after two years of follow-up. Subclass analyses showed that leisure and domestic activities were associated to cognitive decline, but not professional activities. Conclusions Analysis showed a relationship between cognitive disorders and type of physical activity. The current study will be completed by the MoCA for mild cognitive impairment. These findings compared to other ongoing studies will contribute to the debate on the beneficial effects of physical activity on cognition. Key messages The work allowed us to analyze the link between the different types of physical activity and mild to severe cognitive disorders. The aim is to put in place preventive policies of aging. The work allowed us to see the effect of the different types of physical activity and the impact of the statistical method on the results.

Download Full-text

Longitudinal study on the impact of physical activity on the symptoms of lung cancer survivors

Supportive Care in Cancer ◽

10.1007/s00520-015-2724-7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 23 (12) ◽

pp. 3545-3553 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Yi-Yun Lin ◽

Kun-Ming Rau ◽

Chia-Chin Lin

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Lung Cancer ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

The Impact

Download Full-text

Predicting Attrition in a Text-Based Nutrition Education Program: Survival Analysis of Text2BHealthy (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.9967 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Stephanie K Grutzmacher ◽

Ashley L Munger ◽

Katherine E Speirs ◽

Yassaman Vafai ◽

Evan Hilberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Low Income ◽

Retention Rate ◽

Text Message ◽

Hazard Ratio ◽

Drop Out ◽

Message Content ◽

Message Type ◽

Activity Promotion ◽

The Impact

BACKGROUND Text-based programs have been shown to effectively address a wide variety of health issues. Although little research examines short message service (SMS) text messaging program characteristics that predict participant retention and attrition, features of SMS text message programs, such as program duration and intensity, message content, and the participants’ context, may have an impact. The impact of stop messages—messages with instructions for how to drop out of an SMS text message program—may be particularly important to investigate. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe attrition from Text2BHealthy, a text-based nutrition and physical activity promotion program for parents of low-income elementary school children, and to determine the impact of message content and number of stop messages received on attrition. METHODS Using data from 972 parents enrolled in Text2BHealthy, we created Kaplan-Meier curves to estimate differences in program duration for different SMS text message types, including nutrition, physical activity, stop, and other messages. Covariates, including rurality and number of stop messages received, were included. RESULTS Retention rates by school ranged from 74% (60/81) to 95.0% (132/139), with an average retention rate of 85.7% (833/972) across all schools. Program duration ranged from 7 to 282 days, with a median program duration of 233 days and an average program duration of 211.7 days. Among those who dropped out, program duration ranged from 7 to 247 days, with a median program duration of 102.5 days. Receiving a stop message increased the probability of attrition compared with receiving messages about nutrition, physical activity, or other topics (hazard ratio=51.5, 95% CI 32.46-81.7; P<.001). Furthermore, each additional stop message received increased the probability of attrition (hazard ratio=10.36, 95% CI 6.14-17.46; P<.001). The degree of rurality also had a significant effect on the probability of attrition, with metropolitan county participants more likely to drop out of the program than rural county participants. The interaction between SMS text message type and total number of stop messages received had a significant effect on attrition, with the effect of the number of stop messages received dependent on the SMS text message type. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates the potential of SMS text message programs to retain participants over time. Furthermore, this study suggests that the probability of attrition increases substantially when participants receive messages with instructions for dropping out of the program. Program planners should carefully consider the impact of stop messages and other program content and characteristics on program retention. Additional research is needed to identify participant, programmatic, and contextual predictors of program duration and to explicate the relationship between program duration and program efficacy.

Download Full-text