Search

Background: The aim was to investigate the association of (i) parental, sibling, and friend coparticipation in physical activity (PA); and (ii) independent mobility (IM) for walking, cycling, and taking public transport with objectively measured nonschool PA on week- and weekend days in different school grades. Methods: A total of 1376 Spanish youngsters (50.8% boys; mean age 11.96 ± 2.48 years) participated in the study. Participants reported the frequency of their parental, sibling, and best friend coparticipation in PA with them and their IM for walking, cycling, and taking public transport. PA was objectively measured by accelerometry. Results: Coparticipation in PA and IM were more frequently related to nonschool PA among adolescents than among children. Friend coparticipation in PA was positively associated with higher levels of nonschool PA in adolescents. IM for walking and IM for cycling in adolescents were related to nonschool PA on weekdays. Conclusions: Our results highlight the need for age-focused interventions and the integration of family and friends to promote PA in youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Active commuting to school can contribute to daily physical activity levels in children. Insight into the determinants of active commuting is needed, to promote such behavior in children living within a feasible commuting distance from school. This study determined feasible distances for walking and cycling to school (criterion distances) in 11- to 12-year-old Belgian children. For children living within these criterion distances from school, the correlation between parental perceptions of the environment, the number of motorized vehicles per family and the commuting mode (active/passive) to school was investigated. Methods Parents (n = 696) were contacted through 44 randomly selected classes of the final year (sixth grade) in elementary schools in East- and West-Flanders. Parental environmental perceptions were obtained using the parent version of Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale for Youth (NEWS-Y). Information about active commuting to school was obtained using a self-reported questionnaire for parents. Distances from the children's home to school were objectively measured with Routenet online route planner. Criterion distances were set at the distance in which at least 85% of the active commuters lived. After the determination of these criterion distances, multilevel analyses were conducted to determine correlates of active commuting to school within these distances. Results Almost sixty percent (59.3%) of the total sample commuted actively to school. Criterion distances were set at 1.5 kilometers for walking and 3.0 kilometers for cycling. In the range of 2.01 - 2.50 kilometers household distance from school, the number of passive commuters exceeded the number of active commuters. For children who were living less than 3.0 kilometers away from school, only perceived accessibility by the parents was positively associated with active commuting to school. Within the group of active commuters, a longer distance to school was associated with more cycling to school compared to walking to school. Conclusions Household distance from school is an important correlate of transport mode to school in children. Interventions to promote active commuting in 11-12 year olds should be focusing on children who are living within the criterion distance of 3.0 kilometers from school by improving the accessibility en route from children's home to school.

Feasible and effective interventions to promote physical activity among vocational school‐aged adolescents are strongly needed. Text messaging and Facebook are feasible and acceptable delivery modes for PA interventions among youth. However, little is known about the opinion of vocational school‐aged adolescents regarding behavioural change techniques that can be applied through Facebook or text messaging. Therefore, our aim was to gain insight into the opinions of vocational school‐aged adolescents towards the use of different behaviour change techniques and towards Facebook/text messaging as a delivery mode for PA interventions. Six focus groups were conducted with 41 adolescents from the first grade (12–14 years) of secondary vocational schools in Flanders (Belgium). In total 41 adolescents participated and completed a questionnaire about their text messaging and Facebook use prior to group discussions. Focus group discussions were audio‐recorded and analysed using a thematic analysis method in Nvivo. Participants thought that different behaviour change techniques (e.g., providing feedback, goal setting, self‐monitoring, social comparison) could be integrated in a PA intervention using text messaging and Facebook and were enthusiastic about participating in such an intervention. They indicated that text messages are an easy way to receive information about PA, and that a group page on Facebook is ideal to share information with others. Participants deemed it very important that the group page on Facebook would only include peers with whom they also share an offline connection. Furthermore, adolescents stressed the importance of having autonomy (e.g., to determine their personal activity goals, to self‐monitor their behaviour) and of being active together with friends. This qualitative study revealed that the use of Facebook and text messaging is promising as a delivery method for PA interventions among vocational school‐aged adolescents. The adolescents were keen to participate in an intervention that integrates behaviour change techniques using text messaging or Facebook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The study aimed to investigate if psychosocial factors moderate the association between objective walkability and different domains of children's physical activity (PA). A second aim of the study was to investigate the direct associations between psychosocial factors and children's PA. Based on previous literature, it was hypothesized that walkability would be more strongly related to PA among children with negative psychosocial profiles. Methods: Data were collected between December 2011 and May 2013 as part of the Belgian Environmental Physical Activity Study in children (BEPAS-child). In total, data from 494 children and one of their parents were included in the study. Children wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days and together with one of their parents, they completed the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire. Parents filled out a questionnaire concerning their child's psychosocial factors toward PA (i.e. parental attitude toward their child's PA, parental social norm toward their child's PA, parental support, friend support, children's self-efficacy, and perceived benefits and barriers toward sports and PA). Neighborhood walkability was calculated using geographical information systems (GIS). Multilevel cross-classified analyses were conducted. Results: Of the 42 investigated interactions between neighborhood walkability and psychosocial factors in relation to PA among children, only 7 significant interactions were found of which 3 were only significant among children from low-income neighborhoods. Parental support and self-efficacy were positive correlates of children's PA in high- and low-income neighborhoods independent of the level of walkability, but effect sizes were small. Conclusions: The hypothesis that walkability would be more strongly related to PA among children with negative psychosocial profiles could not be confirmed and in general, psychosocial factors and objective walkability did not interact in relation to children's PA. Focusing on parental support and self-efficacy towards PA can possibly cause small effects on children's PA in both high- and low-walkable neighborhoods, as well as in high- and low-income neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) strongly decreases when children make the transition from primary to secondary school. The study aimed to investigate how individual and social environmental factors toward PA changed when children (11-12 years) made the transition from primary to secondary school (13-14 years) and how changes in these factors were related to changes in different PA domains. Methods: In total, 321 children (48.9 % girls) and one of their parents both filled out a questionnaire concerning individual (i.e., attitude, self-efficacy, perceived benefits, and barriers of PA) and social environmental factors related to PA (parental support, friend's co-participation, parental trust in child's ability to be physically active, and social norm) in the last grade of primary school and 2 years later. Children wore an activity monitor for 7 days and self-reported different domains of PA. Results: Most individual and social factors became less positive toward PA after the transition to secondary school. Among girls, a more positive attitude and an increase in self-efficacy were related to an increase in average daily steps and sports during leisure, respectively. Among boys, a decrease in perceived barriers (lack of time and parental reported lack of transportation to sport activities) was related to a decrease in average daily steps. An increase in parental support and a decrease in the parental perceived barrier of not liking sports were related to an increase in sports during leisure. Conclusions: The prevention of adverse changes in individual and social factors toward physical activity may lead to a smaller decrease or an increase in physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the relationship between a wide range of physical environmental characteristics and different contexts of active transportation in 6- to 12-year-old children across different continents. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in six databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, Cinahl, SportDiscus, TRIS and Cochrane) resulting in 65 papers, eligible for inclusion. The investigated physical environmental variables were grouped into six categories: walkability, accessibility, walk/cycle facilities, aesthetics, safety, recreation facilities. Results: The majority of the studies were conducted in North America (n = 35), Europe (n= 17) and Australia (n = 11). Active transportation to school (walking or cycling) was positively associated with walkability. Walking to school was positively associated with walkability, density and accessibility. Evidence for a possible association was found for traffic safety and all forms of active transportation to school. No convincing evidence was found for associations between the physical environment and active transportation during leisure. General safety and traffic safety were associated with active transportation to school in North America and Australia but not associated with active transportation to school in Europe. Conclusions: The physical environment was mainly associated with active transportation to school. Continent specific associations were found, indicating that safety measures were most important in relation to active commuting to school in North America and Australia. There is a need for longitudinal studies and studies conducted in Asia, Africa and South-America and studies focusing specifically on active transportation during leisure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between children's physical neighborhood environment and their physical activity, has been largely investigated. However in recent reviews, only a few significant and consistent direct associations between children's physical neighborhood environment and their physical activity were found. This is possibly due to the fact that the location where children's physical activity took place, is insufficiently specified. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between parental perceived neighborhood characteristics and children's physical activity in clearly defined environments. Methods: Children (9-12 years; n = 606) wore an Actigraph accelerometer for 7 days. Parents completed the parental version of the Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale questionnaire and reported on children's physical activity in specific locations: physical activity in nearby streets and on sidewalks, physical activity in public recreation spaces and physical activity in the garden. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted in MLwiN 2.30. Results: Children were more likely to be active in nearby streets and on sidewalks, if their parents perceived lower street connectivity (OR = 0.479; 95 % CI = 0.33 and 0.70), higher land use mix accessibility (OR = 1.704; 95 % CI = 1.25 and 2.33) and more crime safety (OR = 1.879; 95 % CI = 1.29 and 2.74). Children whose parents perceived higher presence of recreation facilities (OR = 1.618; CI = 1.23; 2.12) were more likely to be active in public recreation spaces. No environmental neighborhood variables were related to physical activity in the garden and overall moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity. Conclusions: The parental perceived physical neighborhood environment relates differently to physical activity in different locations. In order to develop effective interventions, it seems promising to further investigate the association between location-specific physical activity and specific neighborhood environmental correlates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Play Street is a street that is reserved for children's safe play for a specific period during school vacations. It was hypothesized that a Play Street near children's home can increase their moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and decrease their sedentary time. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Play Streets on children's MVPA and sedentary time. A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used to determine the effects of Play Streets on children's MVPA and sedentary time. Data were collected in Ghent during July and August 2013. The study sample consisted of 126 children (54 from Play streets, 72 from control streets). Children wore an accelerometer for 8 consecutive days and their parents fill out a questionnaire before and after the measurement period. During the intervention, streets were enclosed and reserved for children's play. Four-level (neighborhood - household - child - time of measurement (no intervention or during intervention)) linear regression models were conducted in MLwiN to determine intervention effects. Positive intervention effects were found for sedentary time (β = -0.76 ± 0.39; χ2 = 3.9; p = 0.05) and MVPA (β = 0.82 ± 0.43; χ2 = 3.6; p = 0.06). Between 14h00 and 19h00, MVPA from children living in Play Streets increased from 27 minutes during normal conditions to 36 minutes during the Play Street intervention, whereas control children's MVPA decreased from 27 to 24 minutes. Sedentary time from children living in the Play Street decreased from 146 minutes during normal conditions to 138 minutes during the Play Street intervention, whereas control children's sedentary time increased from 156 minutes to 165 minutes. The intervention effects on MVPA (β = -0.62 ± 0.25; χ2 = 6.3; p = 0.01) and sedentary time (β = 0.85 ± 0.0.33; χ2 = 6.6; p = 0.01) remained significant when the effects were investigated during the entire day, indicating that children did not compensate for their increased MVPA and decreased sedentary time, during the rest of the day. Creating a safe play space near urban children's home by the Play Street intervention is effective in increasing children's MVPA and decreasing their sedentary time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Objective walkability is an important correlate of adults’ physical activity. Studies investigating the relation between walkability and children’s physical activity are scarce. However, in order to develop effective environmental interventions, a profound investigation of this relation is needed in all age groups. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between objective walkability and different domains of children’s physical activity, and to investigate the moderating effect of neighborhood socio-economic status in this relation. Methods Data were collected between December 2011 and May 2013 as part of the Belgian Environmental Physical Activity Study in children. Children (9–12 years old; n = 606) were recruited from 18 elementary schools in Ghent (Belgium). Children together with one of their parents completed the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire and wore an accelerometer for 7 consecutive days. Children’s neighborhood walkability was calculated using geographical information systems. Multilevel cross-classified modeling was used to determine the relationship between children’s PA and objectively measured walkability and the moderating effect of neighborhood SES in this relation. Results In low SES neighborhoods walkability was positively related to walking for transportation during leisure time (β = 0.381 ± 0.124; 95% CI = 0.138, 0.624) and was negatively related to sports during leisure time (β = −0.245 ± 0.121; 95% CI = −0.482, −0.008). In high socioeconomic status neighborhoods, walkability was unrelated to children’s physical activity. No relations of neighborhood walkability and neighborhood socio-economic status with cycling during leisure time, active commuting to school and objectively measured moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity were found. Conclusions No univocal relation between neighborhood walkability and physical activity was found in 9–12 year old children. Results from international adult studies cannot be generalized to children. There is a need in future research to determine the key environmental correlates of children’s physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]