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UNLABELLED: The aim of this paper was to assess pupil's habits concerning physical activity and to identify factors related to these habits. METHOD: The data in this analysis were taken from the baseline survey of "Healthy School Project". A total of 215 pupils from four schools completed self administered questionnaires (response rate 91.49%). The children obtained questionnaires for their parents and returned them completed the next day. A total of 201 parents completed the questionnaire (response rate 85.53%). The questionnaire covered different health related topics including physical activity. In this study we analyzed questions concerning the frequency of out school physical activity, attendance in physical education classes and attitudes towards physical activity. Data were analyzed using SPSS/PC. Gender differences and grade differences were assessed with chi square calculations. To assess the contribution of predictor variables, stepwise multiple regression analyses were computed, for the total sample and for the fifth and the eighth grades separately. RESULTS: The majority of pupils, more than 60 percent, reported involving in leisure time physical activity a few times a week or even every day. Chi-square showed no statistical gender difference in the fifth grade in reports on leisure time physical activity, but in the eighth grade boys reported significantly more regular physical exercise. Pupils reported a high attendance in physical education classes (99.1% in the fifth and 82.4% in the eighth grades). A large majority of pupils thought that they would be involved in physical activity in the future (84.2% in the fifth and 77.4% in the eighth grades). Multiple regression analyses showed that for the present physical activity of pupils the regular parent's physical activity was the strongest predictor. When done separately for the fifth and the eighth grades multiple regressions analyses showed that only for younger children the parents' physical activity was also the predictor of theirs. Multiple regressions analyses showed that for the attitude towards future physical activity the strongest predictor was the frequency of the present physical exercise, and it was so far both the fifth and the eighth grades. For pupils in the fifth grade parents' physical activity was also the predictor but it was not for the pupils in the eighth grade. DISCUSSION: A positive finding was that the majority of pupils reported regular physical exercise and intention to continue with physical activity in the future. In the fifth grade there was no significant difference in leisure time physical activity but in the eighth grade girls reported less leisure time physical activity, and this might be the result of traditional opinion that physical activity and physical fitness are very important for boys but not for girls [15, 16]. Multiple regression analyses also showed that physical activity was related to regular parent's physical activity for younger children, and also the parents' physical activity was the predictor of intention for involving in physical activity in the future; this means that parents' behaviour is the model for their children.
OBJECTIVES: Physical aggression in children is a major public health problem. Not only is childhood physical aggression a precursor of the physical and mental health problems that will be visited on victims, but also aggressive children themselves are at higher risk of alcohol and drug abuse, accidents, violent crimes, depression, suicide attempts, spouse abuse, and neglectful and abusive parenting. Furthermore, violence commonly results in serious injuries to the perpetrators themselves. Although it is unusual for young children to harm seriously the targets of their physical aggression, studies of physical aggression during infancy indicate that by 17 months of age, the large majority of children are physically aggressive toward siblings, peers, and adults. This study aimed, first, to identify the trajectories of physical aggression during early childhood and, second, to identify antecedents of high levels of physical aggression early in life. Such antecedents could help to understand better the developmental origins of violence later in life and to identify targets for preventive interventions. METHODS: A random population sample of 572 families with a 5-month-old newborn was recruited. Assessments of physical aggression frequency were obtained from mothers at 17, 30, and 42 months after birth. Using a semiparametric, mixture model, distinct clusters of physical aggression trajectories were identified. Multivariate logit regression analysis was then used to identify which family and child characteristics, before 5 months of age, predict individuals on a high-level physical aggression trajectory from 17 to 42 months after birth. RESULTS: Three trajectories of physical aggression were identified. The first was composed of children who displayed little or no physical aggression. These individuals were estimated to account for approximately 28% of the sample. The largest group, estimated at approximately 58% of the sample, followed a rising trajectory of modest aggression. Finally, a group, estimated to comprise approximately 14% of the sample, followed a rising trajectory of high physical aggression. Best predictors before or at birth of the high physical aggression trajectory group, controlling for the levels of the other risk factors, were having young siblings (odds ratio [OR]: 4.00; confidence interval [CI]: 2.2-7.4), mothers with high levels of antisocial behavior before the end of high school (OR: 3.1; CI: 1.1-8.6), mothers who started having children early (OR: 3.1; CI: 1.4-6.8), families with low income (OR: 2.6; CI: 1.3-5.2), and mothers who smoked during pregnancy (OR: 2.2; CI: 1.1-4.1). Best predictors at 5 months of age were mothers' coercive parenting behavior (OR: 2.3; CI: 1.1-4.7) and family dysfunction (OR: 2.2; CI: 1.2-4.1). The OR for a high-aggression trajectory was 10.9 for children whose mother reported both high levels of antisocial behavior and early childbearing. CONCLUSIONS: Most children have initiated the use of physical aggression during infancy, and most will learn to use alternatives in the following years before they enter primary school. Humans seem to learn to regulate the use of physical aggression during the preschool years. Those who do not, seem to be at highest risk of serious violent behavior during adolescence and adulthood. Results from the present study indicate that children who are at highest risk of not learning to regulate physical aggression in early childhood have mothers with a history of antisocial behavior during their school years, mothers who start childbearing early and who smoke during pregnancy, and parents who have low income and have serious problems living together. All of these variables are relatively easy to measure during pregnancy. Preventive interventions should target families with high-risk profiles on these variables. Experiments with such programs have shown long-term impacts on child abuse and child antisocial behavior. However, these impacts were not observed in families with physical violence. The problem may be that the prevention programs that were provided did not specifically target the parents' control over their physical aggression and their skills in teaching their infant not to be physically aggressive. Most intervention programs to prevent youth physical aggression have targeted school-age children. If children normally learn not to be physically aggressive during the preschool years, then one would expect that interventions that target infants who are at high risk of chronic physical aggression would have more of an impact than interventions 5 to 10 years later, when physical aggression has become a way of life.
OBJECTIVES: Physical activity may be constrained or facilitated by local environments. The availability of neighborhood facilities for physical activity may be particularly relevant for youth, who are unable to drive and whose activity is often limited to the immediate distance they are able to walk or bicycle. Several studies have shown that proximity to recreational facilities and parks is one of the most important predictors of physical activity. Because the United States already has an extensive infrastructure of parks, with 70% of adults indicating that they live within walking distance of a park or playground, parks may be a potential venue for increasing physical activity. This might be particularly important for adolescent girls, whose physical activity levels decline substantially as they go through puberty. The goal of this study was to examine the association between park proximity, park type, and park features and physical activity in adolescent girls. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study using baseline data from the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls. It included 1556 grade 6 girls who were randomly selected from 6 middle schools in each of the following 6 field site areas: Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland; Columbia, South Carolina; Minneapolis, Minnesota; New Orleans, Louisiana; Tucson, Arizona; and San Diego, California. Girls wore accelerometers for 6 days to measure metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a measure accounting for the volume and intensity of activity. Metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was calculated for the hours outside of school time using 2 different cutpoints, activity levels > or = 3.0 metabolic equivalents and > or = 4.6 metabolic equivalents, the latter indicating activity at the intensity of a brisk walk or higher. We mapped all of the parks within 1 mile of each girl's home. Trained staff used a checklist to document the presence of facilities and amenities at each park, including passive amenities, such as drinking fountains, restrooms, and areas with shade, as well as active amenities like basketball courts, multipurpose fields, playgrounds, and tennis courts. RESULTS: Mean nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity, using the 4.6 metabolic equivalent cutoff, was 611.1 minutes (range: 49.7-4718.6 metabolic equivalent minutes per 6 days) and 1704.8 metabolic equivalent minutes per 6 days (range: 276.2-5792.6 metabolic equivalent minutes per 6 days) when using the 3.0 metabolic equivalent cutpoint. Many girls had multiple parks within a 1-mile radius of their homes: 57% had > or = 1 type of park, the majority being neighborhood or community parks; 42% had between 1 and 3 parks, 37% had > or = 4 parks, and 14% had > or = 8 parks. The type, number, and specific parks features were associated with girls' nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity. At the 4.6 metabolic equivalent cutpoint, higher levels of nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity were associated with both neighborhood and community parks (22 metabolic equivalent minutes) and miniparks (40 metabolic equivalent minutes). Each park, regardless of type, in the half-mile around each girl's home was associated with an increase in nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity by 2.8% or 17.2 nonschool minutes of metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity per 6 days. Beyond a half-mile, each park increased nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity by 1.1% or 6.7 metabolic equivalent minutes per 6 days. For the average girl with 3.5 parks within a 1-mile radius of home, the presence of parks accounted for 36.5 extra nonschool metabolic equivalent minutes per 6 days, approximately 6% of total nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity. Using the 3.0 metabolic equivalent cutpoint, this sums to an additional 68 metabolic equivalent minutes of nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity over 6 days, or 4% of the total. The most common amenities in the parks were playgrounds, multipurpose fields, and picnic areas. Slightly more than one third of girls lived within a half-mile of a park with a basketball court, and > 20% had access to walking paths and tennis courts in their local park. Higher levels of nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity per 6 days were associated with walking paths (13 metabolic equivalent minutes), running tracks (82 metabolic equivalent minutes), playgrounds (28 metabolic equivalent minutes), and basketball courts (30 metabolic equivalent minutes). Parks with streetlights and floodlights were also associated with an increase of 18 and 22 minutes of nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity, respectively. With the 3.0 metabolic equivalent cutoff for metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity, additional nonschool metabolic equivalent minutes more than doubled when girls had miniparks (92 metabolic equivalent minutes), natural resource areas (36 metabolic equivalent minutes), walking paths (59 metabolic equivalent minutes), and running tracks (208 metabolic equivalent minutes) within a half-mile of their homes. Skateboard areas and special-use parks were negatively associated with nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity in adolescent girls. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent girls who live near more parks, particularly near those with amenities that are conducive to walking and with active features, engage in more nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity than those with fewer parks. Whether this is because of actual use of the parks or neighborhood choice could not be determined. Although the magnitude of the association between parks and additional minutes of metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity was small for an individual, amounting to an average of 4%-6% of a girl's total nonschool metabolic equivalent-weighted moderate/vigorous physical activity, it is likely to have a large population-level association. Because of the potential population level impact, the use of parks to promote physical activity should be further studied.
OBJECTIVES: Despite recognition of the important influence of environmental determinants on physical activity patterns, minimal empirical research has been done to assess the impact of environmental/contextual determinants of physical activity. This article aims to investigate environmental and sociodemographic determinants of physical activity and inactivity patterns among subpopulations of US adolescents. We define environmental determinants as modifiable factors in the physical environment that impose a direct influence on the opportunity to engage in physical activity. The present research examines environmental and sociodemographic determinants of physical activity and inactivity with the implication that these findings can point toward societal-level intervention strategies for increasing physical activity and decreasing inactivity among adolescents. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY: The study population consists of nationally representative data from the 1996 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health on 17 766 US adolescents enrolled in US middle and high schools (including 3933 non-Hispanic blacks, 3148 Hispanics, and 1337 Asians). Hours/week of inactivity (TV/video viewing and video/computer games) and times/week of moderate to vigorous physical activity were collected by questionnaire. Outcome variables were moderate to vigorous physical activity and inactivity, which were broken into categories (physical activity: 0-2 times/week, 3-4 times/week, and >/=5 times/week; inactivity: 0-10 hours/week, 11-24 hours/week, and >/=25 hours/week). Sociodemographic and environmental correlates of physical activity and inactivity were used as exposure and control variables and included sex, age, urban residence, participation in school physical education program, use of community recreation center, total reported incidents of serious crime in neighborhood, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, generation of residence in the United States, presence of mother/father in household, pregnancy status, work status, in-school status, region, and month of interview. Logistic regression models of high versus low and medium physical activity and inactivity were used to investigate sex and ethnic interactions in relation to environmental and sociodemographic factors to examine evidence for the potential impact of physical education and recreation programs and sociodemographic factors on physical activity and inactivity patterns. RESULTS: Moderate to vigorous physical activity was lower and inactivity higher for non-Hispanic black and Hispanic adolescents. Participation in school physical education programs was considerably low for these adolescents and decreased with age. Participation in daily school physical education (PE) program classes (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.21; confidence interval [CI]: 1.82-2.68) and use of a community recreation center (AOR: 1.75; CI: 1.56-1.96) were associated with an increased likelihood of engaging in high level moderate to vigorous physical activity. Maternal education was inversely associated with high inactivity patterns; for example, having a mother with a graduate or professional degree was associated with an AOR of.61 (CI:.48-.76) for high inactivity. High family income was associated with increased moderate to vigorous physical activity (AOR: 1.43; CI: 1.22-1.67) and decreased inactivity (AOR:.70; CI:.59-.82). High neighborhood serious crime level was associated with a decreased likelihood of falling in the highest category of moderate to vigorous physical activity (AOR:.77; CI:.66-.91). CONCLUSIONS: These results show important associations between modifiable environmental factors, such as participation in school PE and community recreation programs, with activity patterns of adolescents. Despite the marked and significant impact of participation in school PE programs on physical activity patterns of US adolescents, few adolescents participated in such school PE programs; only 21.3% of all adolescents
AIM: Reports indicated that children are spending too much time being physically inactive during physical education classes and many school physical education programs are not meeting the recommendation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical activity levels in Portuguese indoor physical education classes. METHODS: The physical activity levels of 28 Portuguese 7th grade children were assessed by heart rate monitor during their indoor physical education classes. RESULTS: The study showed that much physical education class time had been wasted, and less than 70% of physical education class time had actually been used in classes. On average, 14.4 minutes of 45-min physical education classes and 27.9 min of 90-min physical education classes had been spent in MVPA with children's heart rates above 139 bpm; 6.7 min of 45-min physical education classes and 15.7 min of 90-min physical education classes had been spent in VPA with children's heart rates above 159 bpm. Children engaged in more MVPA, VPA, and continuous bouts of physical activity in 90-min physical education classes than those of 45-min physical education classes. There were no significant differences in activity levels between genders in co-educational indoor physical education classes. CONCLUSIONS: This indoor PE class study supports the results that children are less active during school physical education classes. Both the quantity and the quality of school physical education needs to improve to encourage children to engage in a substantial amount of physical activity both inside and outside school.
Chronic disease risk factors, including a sedentary lifestyle, may be present even in young children, suggesting that early prevention programmes may be critical to reducing the rates of chronic disease. Accurate assessment of physical activity in children is necessary to identify current levels of activity and to assess the effectiveness of intervention programmes designed to increase physical activity. This article summarises the strengths and limitations of the methods used to evaluate physical activity in children and adolescents. MEDLINE searches and journal article citations were used to locate 59 articles that validated physical activity measurement methods in children and adolescents. Only those methods that were validated against a more stringent measure were included in the review. Based on the definition of physical activity as any bodily movement resulting in energy expenditure (EE), direct observation of the individual's movement should be used as the gold standard for physical activity research. The doubly labelled water technique and indirect calorimetry can also be considered criterion measures for physical activity research, because they measure EE, a physiologic consequence closely associated with physical activity. Devices such as heart rate monitors, pedometers and accelerometers have become increasingly popular as measurement tools for physical activity. These devices reduce the subjectivity inherent in survey methods and can be used with large groups of individuals. Heart rate monitoring is sufficiently valid to use in creating broad physical activity categories (e.g. highly active, somewhat active, sedentary) but lacks the specificity needed to estimate physical activity in individuals. Laboratory and field validations of pedometers and accelerometers yield relatively high correlations using oxygen consumption (r = 0.62 to 0.93) or direct observation (r = 0.80 to 0.97) as criterion measures, although, they may not be able to capture all physical activity. Physical activity has traditionally been measured with surveys and recall instruments. These techniques must be used cautiously in a paediatric population that has difficulty recalling such information. Still, some studies have reported 73.4% to 86.3% agreement between these instruments and direct observation. Future investigations of physical activity instruments should validate the novel instrument against a higher standard. Additional studies are needed to investigate the possibility of improving the accuracy of measurement by combining 2 or more techniques. The accurate measurement of physical activity is critical for determining current levels of physical activity, monitoring compliance with physical activity guidelines, understanding the dose-response relationship between physical activity and health and determining the effectiveness of intervention programmes designed to improve physical activity.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and metabolic syndrome (MS). METHODS: A multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was conducted in 132 sampling 218,920 residents, aged 44.3 +/- 15.3 (15 - 96), in the 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities of the mainland China according to the program of the National Nutrition and Health Survey. Questionnaire survey, interview, physical examination, measurement of biochemical indices, and dietary investigation were done. Information of physical activity and measurement of fasting glucose and/or glucose 2 hours after meal, blood pressure, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were obtained in 50,494 participants. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the Chinese Medical Association's definition. The intensity of physical activity was divided into 3 categories according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of US/American College of Sports Medicine criteria. RESULTS: 50,495 subjects, 23,932 males (47.4%) and 26,562 females (52.6%), were diagnosed as with MS. The MS incidence of those with high intensity of physical activity was lower by 60% in comparison with those with low intensity of physical activity (odds ratio 0.60, 95% CI: 0.362 - 0.443) adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and alcohol intake. The risk of MS in those with moderate intensity of physical activity of 151 - 300 minutes/week was slightly decreased compared to those with moderate intensity of physical activity of 90 - 150 minutes/week, (odds ratio 0.935, 95% CI: 0.685 - 1.277), however, the risk of MS in those with the moderate intensity of physical activity over 300 minutes/week increased slightly (OR = 1.269, 95% CI: 0.923 - 1.745). The risk of MS in those with low-level physical activity of 301 - 420 minutes/week was lower by 35% in comparison with those with the low-level physical activity of 90 - 150 minutes/week (95% CI: 0.451 - 0.933), however, the risk of MS in those with the low-level physical activity over 420 minutes/week was 0.871, not significantly different from that of the subjects with the low-level physical activity of other intensity (odd ratio = 0.871, 95% CI: 0.643 - 1.181). The risk of MS of those with the vigorous physical activity odds rations for having MS of vigorous activity over 150 minutes/week was 0.757, lower by 25% in comparison with those with the vigorous physical activity of 10 - 60 minutes/week (95% CI: 0.603 - 0.951), adjusted for sex, age, smoking, alcohol intake and BMI. CONCLUSION: MS risk can be decreased by low level physical activity of 300 - 420 minutes/week, moderate physical activity of 90 - 300 minutes/week and vigorous physical activity of over 150 minutes/week.
Regular physical activity is linked to enhanced health and to reduced risk for all-cause mortality and the development of many chronic diseases in adults. However, many U.S. adults are either sedentary or less physically active than recommended. Children and adolescents are more physically active than adults, but participation in physical activity declines in adolescence. School and community programs have the potential to help children and adolescents establish lifelong, healthy physical activity patterns. This report summarizes recommendations for encouraging physical activity among young people so that they will continue to engage in physical activity in adulthood and obtain the benefits of physical activity throughout life. These guidelines were developed by CDC in collaboration with experts from universities and from national, federal, and voluntary agencies and organizations. They are based on an in-depth review of research, theory, and current practice in physical education, exercise science, health education, and public health. The guidelines include recommendations about 10 aspects of school and community programs to promote lifelong physical activity among young people; policies that promote enjoyable, lifelong physical activity; physical and social environments that encourage and enable physical activity; physical education curricula and instruction; health education curricula and instruction; extracurricular physical activity programs that meet the needs and interests of students involvement of parents and guardians in physical activity instruction and programs for young people, personnel training; health services for children and adolescents; developmentally appropriate community sports and recreation programs that are attractive to young people; and regular evaluation of physical activity instruction, programs, and facilities.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify the psychosocial and environmental correlates of objectively measured physical activity behavior in a diverse sample of sixth-grade students. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: One hundred ninety-eight sixth-grade students from 4 public middle schools in Columbia, South Carolina. The study group was 52.0% female, 55.1% African-American, with a mean age of 11.4 +/- 0.6 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time spent in moderate physical activity (MPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA) was assessed using a uniaxial accelerometer (CSA WAM 7164) (Computer Science and Applications Inc., Shalimar, FL). Determinant variables included: age, gender, race/ethnicity (demographic); physical activity self-efficacy, social norms related to physical activity, and beliefs regarding physical activity outcomes (psychosocial); and perceived physical activity habits of parents and peers, involvement in community physical activity organizations, involvement in community-based sports programs, access to fitness/sporting equipment at home, and self-reported hours spent watching television or playing video games (environmental). RESULTS: For boys, physical activity self-efficacy, social norms related to physical activity, and involvement in community physical activity organizations were salient predictors of MPA and VPA. Among girls, only physical activity self-efficacy emerged as a clear predictor of objectively measured physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with previous studies using self-reported physical activity and suggest that interventions to increase physical activity in preadolescent youth should endeavor to boost physical activity self-efficacy by offering a wide selection of enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate physical activity options.
School represents a suitable setting for intervention programmes aiming to promote physical activity to benefit health. During the school day, physical education and school playtime offer children regular opportunities to engage in physical activity. However, there is growing concern that, internationally, curricular time allocated to physical education is not meeting statutory guidelines. The effectiveness of the playground environment to promote physical activity has been considered as a complementary setting to physical education. Physical activity guidelines state that children should engage in at least 1 hour of moderate intensity physical activity a day. Currently no empirically tested guidelines exist for physical activity levels during playtime. However, studies cited in this article indicate that playtime can contribute between 5-40% of recommended daily physical activity levels when no interventions have been utilised. The limited school-based investigations that have been reported in the literature suggest that boys engage in more physical activity during playtime than girls. Studies that have implemented intervention strategies in order to promote physical activity levels indicate that playtime can substantially contribute towards daily optimal physical activity guidelines. Energy expenditure and physical activity levels have increased during playtime following the implementation of playtime-based interventions. In order to advance knowledge of children's physical activity during playtime, a number of key issues for consideration in future research are detailed. Research on children's use of playtime to be physically active and the extent of the contribution of playtime to daily physical activity guidelines is warranted.
BACKGROUND: There is little information about validation of young children's self-reported physical activity. This study assessed the validity of a self-reported questionnaire designed to measure children's physical activity. METHODS: Subjects were 34 boys from 4th to 6th grade of a public elementary school. Contents of the self-reported physical activity questionnaire included participation in sports club, physical activity intensity, preference for physical activity, and frequency of physical activity. Subjects were equipped with a Lifecorder and an Actiwatch for 7 consecutive days to monitor physical activity. Physical activity index was calculated from the Lifecorder data of total energy expenditure per day (TEE) divided by basal metabolic rate. Unpaired t-test, analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression analysis were performed to clarify the relationship between the objective and subjective data. RESULTS: Subjects who reported participation in a sports club had a higher physical activity index and energy expenditure originating from physical activity than those who did not. Those characterized by a "vigorous" physical activity intensity had a higher physical activity index (1.63 +/- 0.08), when compared with peers in "moderate" (1.59 +/- 0.06) or "light" categories (1.54 +/- 0.07) (p for linear trend p < 0.05). A high frequency of physical activity was significantly associated with an increasing trend in energy expenditure originating from physical activity, steps, and activity counts. Preference for physical activity was significantly related to data from the Lifecorder and the Actiwatch. CONCLUSIONS: Schoolchildren's self-reported physical activity is in accordance with the objective data, and could be used as a valid measure to evaluate physical activity level in school settings.
OBJECTIVE: Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of women with physical disabilities is a problem largely unrecognized by rehabilitation service providers. This article documents the prevalence of abuse of women with physical disabilities compared to women without physical disabilities. DESIGN: Case-comparison study using written survey. Data were analyzed using chi 2 analyses and the Mann-Whitney U Wilcoxon rank sum W tests. SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 860 women, 439 with physical disabilities and 421 without physical disabilities, was compiled from women responding to a national sexuality survey. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The women were asked if they had ever experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. If they answered yes, they were asked to identify the perpetrator(s) of the abuse and when the abuse began and ended. RESULTS: Sixty-two percent of both groups of women had experienced some type of abuse at some point in their lives. Of women who had experienced abuse, half of each group had experienced physical or sexual abuse. Husbands or live-in partners were the most common perpetrators of emotional or physical abuse for both groups. Male strangers were the most common perpetrators of sexual abuse for both groups. Women with physical disabilities also were more likely to be abused by their attendants and by health care providers. Thirteen percent of women with physical disabilities described experiencing physical or sexual abuse in the past year. CONCLUSIONS: Women with physical disabilities appear to be at risk for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse to the same extent as women without physical disabilities. Prevalence of abuse by husbands or live-in partners in this study is similar to estimates of lifetime occurrence of domestic violence for women living in the United States. Women with physical disabilities are more at risk for abuse by attendants or health care providers. They are also more likely to experience a longer duration of abuse than women without physical disabilities.
OBJECTIVE: To test a conceptual model linking parental physical activity orientations, parental support for physical activity, and children's self-efficacy perceptions with physical activity participation. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample consisted of 380 students in grades 7 through 12 (mean age, 14.0+/-1.6 years) and their parents. Data collection took place during the fall of 1996. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Parents completed a questionnaire assessing their physical activity habits, enjoyment of physical activity, beliefs regarding the importance of physical activity, and supportive behaviors for their child's physical activity. Students completed a 46-item inventory assessing physical activity during the previous 7 days and a 5-item physical activity self-efficacy scale. The model was tested via observed variable path analysis using structural equation modeling techniques (AMOS 4.0). RESULTS: An initial model, in which parent physical activity orientations predicted child physical activity via parental support and child self-efficacy, did not provide an acceptable fit to the data. Inclusion of a direct path from parental support to child physical activity and deletion of a nonsignificant path from parental physical activity to child physical activity significantly improved model fit. Standardized path coefficients for the revised model ranged from 0.17 to 0.24, and all were significant at the p<0.0001 level. CONCLUSIONS: Parental support was an important correlate of youth physical activity, acting directly or indirectly through its influence on self-efficacy. Physical activity interventions targeted at youth should include and evaluate the efficacy of individual-level and community-level strategies to increase parents' capacity to provide instrumental and motivational support for their children's physical activity.
This study investigated differences in physical functioning and physical role limitations according to cancer site and treatment modality in a sample of 590 patients 65 years and older diagnosed with breast, colon, lung or prostate cancer. Analysis of covariance procedures were utilised to test for differences in levels of physical functioning and physical role limitations according to cancer site and treatment modality, adjusting for differences in age, comorbid conditions and retrospective physical functioning. Physical functioning and physical role limitations were measured using two subscales of the Medical Outcomes Studies MOS 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Physical functioning prior to diagnosis, and to a lesser degree comorbidity, contributed significantly to current levels of physical functioning and physical role limitations. Patients with lung cancer reported lower physical functioning and physical role limitation scores than patients with prostate cancer, and patients treated with surgery only reported lower physical functioning and physical role limitation scores than patients treated with neither surgery nor radiation. No gender differences were observed among the reduced sample consisting of patients with colon or lung cancer. It is important not only that physicians and oncologists are cognizant of the fact that some cancers (particularly lung cancer) may be more physically debilitating than others, but that the patient's history of comorbid conditions and pre-existing physical limitations may be important factors in predicting current physical functioning.
OBJECTIVES: Youth with better motor abilities may find it easier to be physically active and may be more likely to engage in physical activity compared with peers with poorer motor competence. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity in 8- to 10-year-old children. Self-efficacy toward physical activity was also assessed. METHODS: Sixty-five children (34 girls and 31 boys) were studied. Children's physical activity was assessed by the Manufacturing Technologies Incorporated/Computer Science and Applications Incorporated model 7164 accelerometer, and their motor proficiency was determined by the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. The Children's Self-Perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity scale measured children's self-perceptions of adequacy in performing and desire to participate in physical activities. RESULTS: Children's motor proficiency was positively associated with activity counts and percentage of time in moderate and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity and inversely related to percentage of time in sedentary activity. Children in the greatest quartile of motor proficiency were the most physically active compared with children with lower levels of motor proficiency who had similar levels of physical activity. Children with greater standardized BMI were less physically active, more sedentary, and had poorer motor proficiency compared with children with a lower standardized BMI. Children's Self-Perceptions of Adequacy in and Predilection for Physical Activity scores were positively associated with Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency standard score for boys. Children's motor proficiency explained an additional 8.7% of the variance in physical activity in multiple linear regression after controlling for factors that may influence physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Motor proficiency is positively associated with physical activity and inversely associated with sedentary activity in children, but there may be a threshold of motor proficiency above which children may be the most physically active. Children's motor proficiency may be an appropriate target for increasing physical activity in youth.