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Maintaining engagement in outdoor recreation during COVID-19 required adaptation as the pandemic continuously reshaped risk perceptions, use of outdoor space, and interpersonal contact. This study examined the role of four main adaptive strategies in outdoor recreation engagement among U.S. adults during one of the nation’s largest waves of COVID-19 cases and death. Cross-sectional data were collected through an online survey in February 2021 ( N = 503) from an online panel representative of the U.S. adult population in age, gender, and race. Multiple linear regression results suggested that increasing effort and temporal adjustment were associated with higher outdoor recreation frequency controlling for the effects of nearby green space access and attributes, COVID risk perception, and demographic variables. Binary logistic regression results revealed that these same strategies were also associated with increased odds of maintaining or increasing outdoor engagement relative to pre-COVID level. The prominent role of individual adaptive strategies relative to the impact of nearby green space access and attributes highlighted the value of behavioral adaptation at the individual level in times of major disruptions and constraints and the need to prioritize recreation programming to facilitate adaptation and healthy behaviors during future stressful events.

Children worldwide are becoming increasingly inactive, leading to significant wellness challenges. Initial findings from our research team indicate that robots could potentially provide a more effective approach (compared to other age-appropriate toys) for encouraging physical activity in children. However, the basis of this past work relied on either interactions with groups of children (making it challenging to isolate specific factors that influenced activity levels) or a preliminary version of results of the present study (which centered on just a single more exploratory method for assessing child movement). This paper delves into more controlled interactions involving a single robot and a child participant, while also considering observations over an extended period to mitigate the influence of novelty on the study outcomes. We discuss the outcomes of a two-month-long deployment, during which $N=8$ participants engaged with our custom robot, GoBot, in weekly sessions. During each session, the children experienced three different conditions: a teleoperated robot mode, a semi-autonomous robot mode, and a control condition in which the robot was present but inactive. Compared to our past related work, the results expanded our findings by confirming with greater clout (based on multiple data streams, including one more robust measure compared to the past related work) that children tended to be more physically active when the robot was active, and interestingly, there were no significant differences between the teleoperated and semi-autonomous modes in terms of our study measures. These insights can inform future applications of assistive robots in child motor interventions, including the guiding of appropriate levels of autonomy for these systems. This study demonstrates that incorporating robotic systems into play environments can boost physical activity in young children, indicating potential implementation in settings crafted to enhance children’s physical movement.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parent ratings of motor skills and executive function (EF) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States and Taiwan.Materials and methodOne hundred and seventy-two parents/legal guardians of children (4–6 years and 11 months old) with ASD were recruited from two countries, Taiwan (n = 100) and the United States (n = 72). The parents or guardians of the child with ASD completed a questionnaire including demographic information, child’s motor skills (using Children Activity Scale – Parents, ChAS-P), and child’s EF (using Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory, CHEXI). A series of hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted to determine whether ChAS-P (total motor score, fine motor skills, and gross motor skill) was associated with CHEXI (total EF score, working memory, and inhibition), after controlling for covariates (i.e., age, gender, race, body mass index, whether children received physical activity or cognitive training, parental education level).ResultsTotal motor skills, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills were significantly associated with EF in both working memory and inhibition as rated by parents in both countries (β = 0.21–0.57, p

Mobility is a fundamental human right and is supported by the United Nations and the ON Time Mobility framework. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of a powered mobility intervention on developmental changes of children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study was a randomized, crossover clinical trial involving 24 children (12–36 months) diagnosed with CP or with high probability of future CP diagnosis based on birth history and current developmental status. Children received the Explorer Mini and a modified ride-on car in randomized order, each for 8 weeks. The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development—4th Edition was administered at baseline, mid-study, and end-of-study. Raw change scores were used for analysis. Total minutes of use per device was categorized as low or high use for analysis based on caregiver-reported driving diaries. Explorer Mini: The high use group exhibited significantly greater positive change scores compared to the low use group on receptive communication, expressive communication, and gross motor subscales (p < 0.05). Modified ride-on car: No significant differences between low and high use groups. Regardless of device, low use was associated with no significant developmental change and high use was associated with positive developmental changes. Mobility access is critical to maximize the development of children with CP and may be augmented by using powered mobility devices. Results may have implications for the development of evidence-based guidelines on dosage for powered mobility use.

Background: Play is critical for children’s physical, cognitive, and social development. Technology-based toys like robots are especially of interest to children. This pilot study explores the affordances of the play area provided by developmentally appropriate toys and a mobile socially assistive robot (SAR). The objective of this study is to assess the role of the SAR on physical activity, play behavior, and toy-use behavior of children during free play.Methods: Six children (5 females, Mage = 3.6 ± 1.9 years) participated in the majority of our pilot study’s seven 30-minute-long weekly play sessions (4 baseline and 3 intervention). During baseline sessions, the SAR was powered off. During intervention sessions, the SAR was teleoperated to move in the play area and offered rewards of lights, sounds, and bubbles to children. Thirty-minute videos of the play sessions were annotated using a momentary time sampling observation system. Mean percentage of time spent in behaviors of interest in baseline and intervention sessions were calculated. Paired-Wilcoxon signed rank tests were conducted to assess differences between baseline and intervention sessions.Results: There was a significant increase in children’s standing (∼15%; Z = −2.09; p = 0.037) and a tendency for less time sitting (∼19%; Z = −1.89; p = 0.059) in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase. There was also a significant decrease (∼4.5%, Z = −2.70; p = 0.007) in peer interaction play and a tendency for greater (∼4.5%, Z = −1.89; p = 0.059) interaction with adults in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase. There was a significant increase in children’s interaction with the robot (∼11.5%, Z = −2.52; p = 0.012) in the intervention phase as compared to the baseline phase.Conclusion: These results may indicate that a mobile SAR provides affordances through rewards that elicit children’s interaction with the SAR and more time standing in free play. This pilot study lays a foundation for exploring the role of SARs in inclusive play environments for children with and without mobility disabilities in real-world settings like day-care centers and preschools.

This study investigated early indications of hypertension risk and the association of overweight and obesity in young girls from a low socioeconomic region of the rural South. 139 females (M age = 8.85 ± 1.67 years) from a rural school in the Southeastern region of the United States served as participants. Body mass index was calculated based on the child's height and weight measurements (kg/m2) and resting blood pressure measurements were taken with calibrated, automatic oscillations devices. Girls who were overweight or obese were 2.81 times more likely to have a systolic blood pressure indicative of being at-risk/hypertensive (i.e., pre-hypertension and/or hypertension stage 1) than girls who were not overweight/obese. In fact, the percentage of overweight/obese girls who were at-risk/hypertensive was double that of girls who were not overweight/obese (43.2% versus 21.3%), respectively. Being overweight or obese is associated with almost three times a higher risk of hypertension than girls who are not overweight or obese. Keywords: Hypertension, BMI, Obesity, Female

Purpose: This study investigated differences in (a) completion of teaching methods courses and (b) participation in professional development opportunities between alternatively and traditionally certified physical educators. Method: The sample included 1,850 physical educators (mean age: 42.7 years, male: 61.7%, female: 38.3%) from the 2017 to 2018 National Teacher and Principal Survey. Prevalence estimates of physical educators who (a) completed undergraduate or graduate teaching methods courses during their education and training and (b) participated in professional development were calculated. Results: The results of binary logistic regressions reveal that alternatively certified physical educators were less likely to complete various teaching methods courses before entering the teaching profession. In addition, there were no differences in participation in professional development except in instructional strategies for students with disabilities. Conclusion: Considering unprepared teachers tend to leave the profession early, alternative certification programs need to provide substantial levels of learning opportunities, including teaching methods courses.

Physical activity participation is widely recognized as a critical component of health and development for children with and without disabilities. Emergent literature reflects a paradigm shift in the conceptualization of childhood physical activity as a multi-dimensional construct, encompassing aspects of physical performance and self-perceived engagement. However, ambiguity remains around how participation as a health construct is integrated into physical activity research. The primary objective of the present mini-review is to critically examine current conceptual and methodological approaches to examining physical activity participation among children with disabilities. We conducted a systematic review of contemporary literature (published between 2000 and 2016). 17 articles met inclusion criteria and their research approach was classified into guiding framework, definition of the key construct, and measurement used. The primary guiding framework was the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. An explicit definition of physical activity participation was absent from all studies. Eight studies (47%) operationalized physical activity and participation as independent constructs. Measurements included traditional performance-based aspects of physical activity (frequency, duration, intensity), and alternative participation measures (subjective perception of involvement, inclusion or enjoyment). 64% of included articles were published in the past two years (2014-2016) indicating a rising interest in the topic of physical activity participation. Drawing from the broader discussion of participation in the literature we offer a working definition of physical activity participation as it pertains to active, health-associated behaviors. Further description of alternative approaches to framing and measuring physical activity participation are offered to support effective assessment of health status among disabled children.

Background: Social mobility is defined as the co-occurrence of self-directed locomotion and direct peer interaction. Social mobility is a product of dynamic child-environment interactions and thus likely to vary across contexts (e.g., classroom, gymnasium and playground). Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine differences in children’s social mobility (1) across contexts by age, and (2) between non-disabled and disabled children. Method: Participants (n = 55 non-disabled and 3 disabled children; Mage = 3.1 years, SD = 1.4) were video-recorded within a university-based early learning center. Children were recorded for 20 minutes in each context: classroom, gymnasium, and playground. A 15-second momentary time sampling method was used to code social mobility, the simultaneous occurrence of self-directed locomotion and direct peer interaction. This variable was calculated as percent time within each context. Results: A planned Friedman’s rank ANOVA (n = 55, stratified by age, indicated that older children (3-5 years old) differed across contexts in their social mobility (χ2 (2) ~ 7.3 – 10.5, p < 0.025), whereas younger children (1-2 years old) were similar across contexts. Social mobility was significantly lower in the classroom compared to the playground and gymnasium (with no difference between the latter contexts) for older children. Visual analysis confirmed that disabled children (n = 3) engaged in substantially less time in social mobility (average 0% - 1%), compared to non-disabled, age-similar peers (2-3 year olds average 1% -12%) across all contexts. Conclusion: A substantial gap exists between non-disabled and disabled children for social mobility. There is an increase in magnitude and variability of social mobility around age 3 that suggests the gap between non-disabled and disabled children will continue to widen.