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Background: Quality physical education (PE) lessons tap on the four focal areas: curriculum, instruction, policies and environment (National Association for Sport and Physical Education 2013. Quality Physical Education NASPE Resource Brief. Reston, VA: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance). One of the approaches to enhance the quality of PE is to use digital technologies, such as the iPad and mobile applications (apps), in the classes to facilitate teachers' instruction and students' learning process. Although literature discussing strategies and different types of apps employed in PE classes is available, studies investigating their effectiveness on students' physical activity (PA) level and their PA-related beliefs are scarce. The national guidelines state that students meet the recommended moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) levels in PE, as children are not sufficiently active in PE classes. Recently, more PE teachers are integrating apps in their classes and, therefore, it is essential to examine whether app-integrated PE is effective in promoting children's PA and PA-related psychosocial beliefs such as enjoyment and self-efficacy. Purpose: The study examined the short-term (two-week) effects of mobile app-integrated PE classes on children's PA and their psychosocial beliefs. Methods: A total of 157 fourth and fifth grade children from two elementary schools in the Midwestern U.S. participated in this study in 2016. Four PE classes from one school (n = 77) served as the app-integrated group, while three classes from the comparison school (n = 80) participated as the traditional PE group. Three PE sessions were measured for both schools at baseline and post-test to examine children's differences in PA levels and psychosocial beliefs. In the app-integrated lessons, teachers used the iPad and mobile apps to instruct during the post-test sessions. Children's percentages of time spent in sedentary behavior, light PA, and MVPA during PE classes were measured via ActiGraph GTX3+ accelerometers. A battery of validated questionnaires were used to assess the children's PA-related psychosocial beliefs (i.e. self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, social support, and enjoyment) in PE. Results: The changes in children's PA were significantly different between the app-integrated and comparison groups in sedentary behavior (F (1,154) = 110.6, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.42), light PA (F (1,154) = 97.7, p < 0.01, η2= 0.39), and MVPA (F (1,154) = 31.4, p <.01, η2= 0.17). Children in both groups demonstrated a decrease in their MVPA; however, the decrease in the app-integrated group was significantly greater than that of the comparison group (−1.6%). There were no significant differences in changes of all beliefs between the two groups. Conclusions: The short-term (two-week) app-integrated PE classes was ineffective in reducing children's sedentary behavior and improving light PA, MVPA, and PA-related beliefs. Teachers are recommended to align the use of iPad and apps with the PE learning goals: selection of apps and pedagogy of app use need to be carefully thought out to prevent compromising children's PA for the sake of efficient management or emphasis on other learning domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To investigate the associations between objectively measured sedentary behavior (SB), light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and cardiometabolic and endocrine biomarkers, and to estimate the associations of reallocating time from one behavior to another with cardiometabolic and endocrine biomarkers. Methods: Baseline data from participants diagnosed with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, n = 175, 58% men, mean (SD) age = 64.4 (7.7), recruited to a physical activity intervention was used. Time spent in SB, LIPA and MVPA was measured by accelerometer and transformed into isometric log-ratio coordinates. The associations between time spent in SB, LIPA and MVPA and biomarkers were examined by linear regression models. The change in each outcome of reallocating time between the three behaviors was estimated. Results: The findings show strong positive associations of time spent in MVPA and negative associations of time spent in SB relative to time spent in the other behaviors with sagittal abdominal diameter (SAD) and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and negative associations of time spent in SB with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Theoretically, reallocation of 19 minutes MVPA to SB or to LIPA was associated with a 17% and 17% larger SAD, 39% and 36% larger HOMA-IR values and 3.3% and 2.3% lower levels of HDL, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, our analysis from a time-use perspective supports the current evidence that sedentary time is devastating for the cardiometabolic health. While LIPA probably requires more time, maintaining or increasing time in MVPA are the most important features of the time use behaviors when promoting a favorable cardiometabolic risk profile in adults with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02374788. Registered 2 March 2015 – Retrospectively registered, [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the associations of fitness and physical activity with academic achievement in children with overweight/obesity. A total of 106 (10.0 ± 1.1y, 61 boys) children participated. The fitness components were assessed by field and laboratory-based tests. Physical activity was measured via accelerometry. The academic achievement was assessed by a standardised test and school-grades. Field-based cardiorespiratory fitness was associated with language skills (ß-standardised- ranging from 0.281 to 0.365, p < 0.01). The field-based muscular strength was associated with grade point average, natural and social sciences, and foreign language (ß = 0.280–0.326, all p ≤ 0.01). Speed-agility was associated with some language-related skills (ß = 0.325–0.393, all p ≤ 0.01). The laboratory-based muscular strength also showed an association with mathematics skills (ß = 0.251–0.306, all p ≤ 0.01). Physical activity did not show significant association with academic achievement (p > 0.01). Overall, the significant associations observed for muscular strength and speed/agility were attenuated and disappeared in many cases after additional adjustments for body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness, indicating that these associations are inter-dependent. Our study contributes by indicating that other fitness components apart from cardiorespiratory fitness, such as muscular strength and speed-agility, are positively associated with academic achievement. However, these associations appear to be dependent on body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to quantify the contributions of physical education, exergaming (active video games that also are a type of exercise), recess, lunch break and after-school time segments to children’s daily physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Participants were 138 second and third graders (71 girls) who attended 20-min recess and 75-min lunch time daily, 25-min regular physical education or exergaming-based classes being alternated daily. The after-school period was defined as 3:20–10:00pm. Physical activity was assessed via accelerometry and the dependent variables were children’s time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Children’s percentages of time spent in MVPA (P < .001; except for the difference between exergaming and lunch break:P = .63), light physical activity (P < .001) and sedentary behaviour (P < .001) differed significantly across the time segments (i.e., physical education/exergaming, recess, lunch break and after-school). Additionally, children accumulated significantly more MVPA (t = 10.22,P < .001) but less light physical activity (t = −3.17,P = .002) and sedentary behaviour (t = −3.91,P < .001) in physical education than in exergaming. Overall, physical education was more effective in generating MVPA than other segments over the school day. The after-school segment holds potential as an avenue for promoting children’s MVPA, as this long period could be better utilised to organise structured physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]