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\nCONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELDThe Generations Active Together (GAT) program, delivered by Active Stirling in central Scotland, is an intergenerational physical activity (PA) program for adolescents in high school and older adults in care homes and community groups. The Generating Older Active Lives Digitally (GOALD) Research Team sought to use GAT to examine how digital technology developed for the purpose of PA and sports-based reminiscence can be used to improve social connectedness for older adults. This paper details the challenges and successes of delivering the GAT program and describes the differences between in-person pre-pandemic delivery of GAT with the attempted digital delivery during the pandemic. The transferable lessons learned from GAT delivery to GOALD project planning and implementation included, but are not limited to, the importance of in-person activities for both generations and using digital technology as a complementary, rather than a replacement tool for PA delivery. Intergenerational activities focusing on PA involving adolescents and older adults is possible with attention to reciprocal inputs and benefits for all generations and are potentially more effective and easier to deliver in person.Where in-person PA delivery is impossible, digital-only PA is arguably better than no interaction but requires support in setting up technology to deliver PA effectively.Digital technology is likely to be more effective in supporting intergenerational PA when complemented by in-person interactions.Adolescents and older adults in care homes can engage in beneficial interaction, but attention should be paid to school commitments at this age and stage, as well as the practical aspects of travel and scheduling of this kind of contact.Intergenerational activities focusing on PA involving adolescents and older adults is possible with attention to reciprocal inputs and benefits for all generations and are potentially more effective and easier to deliver in person.Where in-person PA delivery is impossible, digital-only PA is arguably better than no interaction but requires support in setting up technology to deliver PA effectively.Digital technology is likely to be more effective in supporting intergenerational PA when complemented by in-person interactions.Adolescents and older adults in care homes can engage in beneficial interaction, but attention should be paid to school commitments at this age and stage, as well as the practical aspects of travel and scheduling of this kind of contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess physical activity (PA) and determine the proportion of preschoolers meeting PA recommendations in different income settings in South Africa. Methods: Preschoolers from urban high-income (UH), urban low-income (UL), and rural low-income (RL) settings wore an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 days. PA variables of interest included volume moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) and total PA (light- to vigorous-intensity PA), hourly PA patterns, and percentage of children meeting guidelines (180 min/d of total PA, inclusive of 60 min/d of MVPA). Between-sex differences were assessed using t tests and Mann–Whitney U tests; between-setting differences assessed using 1-way analyses of variance and Kruskal–Wallis tests. Results: For all children (n = 229, aged 5.17 [0.69] y), average MVPA was 124.4 (37.5) minutes per day and total PA was 457.0 (61.1) minutes per day; 96.9% of children met guidelines. Boys did significantly more MVPA than girls (136.7 [39.37] vs 111.5 [30.70] min/d, P <.001), and UH preschoolers were significantly less active than UL and RL preschoolers (UH 409.1 [48.4] vs UL 471.1 [55.6] and RL 461.6 [61.4], P <.001). Conclusion: In both practice and research, it is necessary to explore ways to ensure that South African preschoolers from all income settings continue to engage in and benefit from healthy volumes of PA. This is especially important as preschoolers transition to a formal school environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2018, South Africa developed 24-hour movement behavior guidelines for children from birth to 5 years. This study reports on the stakeholder consultation as part of this development process. Methods: An online survey was completed by 197 participants; 9 focus groups (with parents/caregivers, early childhood development practitioners, and community health workers, total n = 70) were conducted, and a meeting with stakeholders from government and nongovernment organizations (n = 15) was held. Results: In the online survey, stakeholders overwhelmingly agreed with the guidelines (97.0%) and recognized the benefit of putting the guidelines into practice (88.8%). Most online survey respondents (88.3%) reported that the guidelines would benefit all South African children equally. Responses to open-ended questions in the online survey and focus group discussions revealed issues including safety and nutrition of children, perceived parental barriers to using the guidelines, and education. Training and provision of educational materials were identified from all stakeholders as key in the dissemination and implementation of the guidelines. Conclusions: The findings informed the development of the South African 24-hour movement behavior guidelines and revealed several important factors to address in the dissemination and implementation of the guidelines to ensure that they are applicable and equitable in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In December 2018, the South African 24-hour movement guidelines for birth to 5 years were released. This article describes the process used to develop these guidelines. Methods: The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation-ADOLOPMENT approach was followed, with some pragmatic adaptions, using the Australian guidelines for the early years as a starting point. A consensus panel, including stakeholders in early childhood development and academics, was formed to assist with the development process. Results: At a face-to-face meeting of the panel, global and local literatures were considered. Following this meeting, a first draft of the guidelines (including a preamble) was formulated. Further reviews of these drafts by the panel were done via e-mail, and a working draft was sent out for stakeholder consultation. The guidelines and preamble were amended based on stakeholder input, and an infographic was designed. Practical "tips" documents were also developed for caregivers of birth to 5-year-olds and early childhood development practitioners. The guidelines (and accompanying documents) were released at a launch event and disseminated through various media channels. Conclusions: These are the first movement guidelines for South African and the first such guidelines for this age group from a low- and middle-income country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify and examine available literature addressing physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) in the workplace in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Design: Scoping Review. Method: Academic and gray literature databases were searched for studies published prior to April 2021. Only studies conducted in the GCC region, available in Arabic or English, and addressing workplace PA were included. Results: Ten studies were identified; seven intervention studies, a cross-sectional study, a peer-reviewed brief report, and a 5-year strategy document. For the interventional studies, duration ranged from 3-26 weeks. Interventions delivered varied and included those focusing on multiple behaviour (diet and physical activity), walking challenges, and supervised exercise in paid time. Most included behavior change strategies like prompts, incentives, and education. PA was only measured in four intervention studies with most reporting no significant changes. The one study that reported significant changes from a national workplace walking challenge had a less robust study design and methods making these results difficult to interpret. Studies were hampered by poor study design and reporting of research and intervention details. Two studies reported hot weather and lack of time as barriers to workplace-PA in the GCC region. Conclusions: Literature on workplace PA and SB interventions in the GCC region is limited. Well-designed studies using standardised measures are required to assess PA interventions in GCC workplaces. Further, higher quality research is required to assess motivators and barriers to workplace PA in the GCC to develop sustainable workplace PA interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited research reports on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), sleep, and gross motor skills (GMS) in low- and middle-income countries. The aim of this study was to (1) describe BMI, PA, SB, sleep duration, andGMS proficiency in South African preschool children and (2) identify relationships between variables. Methods: BMI, including z scores for height, weight, and BMI were determined. Seven-day PA, SB, and sleep were measured using accelerometry. GMS were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development (second edition). Associations were explored by comparing sleep, PA, SB, and GMS between BMI tertiles using the Kruskal--Wallis test. Results: Most (86%) children (n = 78, 50% boys) had a healthy BMI (15.7 [1.3] kg/m²). Children spent 560.5 (52.9) minutes per day in light- to vigorous-intensity PA and 90.9 (30.0) minutes per day in moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA; most (83%) met the current PA guideline. Nocturnal sleep duration was low (9.28 [0.80] h/d). Although daytime naps increased 24-hour sleep duration (10.17 [0.71] h/d), 38% were classified as short sleepers. Around half (54.9%) of participants complied with both PA and sleep guidelines. No associations between variables were found. Conclusion: Despite being lean, sufficiently active, and having adequate GMS, many children were short sleepers, highlighting a possible area for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The benefits of physical activity for people living with long-term conditions (LTCs) are well established. However, the risks of physical activity are less well documented. The fear of exacerbating symptoms and causing adverse events is a persuasive barrier to physical activity in this population.This work aimed to agree clear statements for use by healthcare professionals about medical risks of physical activity for people living with LTCs through expert consensus. These statements addressed the following questions: (1) Is increasing physical activity safe for people living with one or more LTC? (2) Are the symptoms and clinical syndromes associated with common LTCs aggravated in the short or long term by increasing physical activity levels? (3) What specific risks should healthcare professionals consider when advising symptomatic people with one or more LTCs to increase their physical activity levels?Methods: Statements were developed in a multistage process, guided by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation tool. A patient and clinician involvement process, a rapid literature review and a steering group workshop informed the development of draft symptom and syndrome-based statements. We then tested and refined the draft statements and supporting evidence using a three-stage modified online Delphi study, incorporating a multidisciplinary expert panel with a broad range of clinical specialties.Results: Twenty-eight experts completed the Delphi process. All statements achieved consensus with a final agreement between 88.5%-96.5%. Five 'impact statements' conclude that (1) for people living with LTCs, the benefits of physical activity far outweigh the risks, (2) despite the risks being very low, perceived risk is high, (3) person-centred conversations are essential for addressing perceived risk, (4) everybody has their own starting point and (5) people should stop and seek medical attention if they experience a dramatic increase in symptoms. In addition, eight symptom/syndrome-based statements discuss specific risks for musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, cardiac chest pain, palpitations, dysglycaemia, cognitive impairment and falls and frailty.Conclusion: Clear, consistent messaging on risk across healthcare will improve people living with LTCs confidence to be physically active. Addressing the fear of adverse events on an individual level will help healthcare professionals affect meaningful behavioural change in day-to-day practice. Evidence does not support routine preparticipation medical clearance for people with stable LTCs if they build up gradually from their current level. The need for medical guidance, as opposed to clearance, should be determined by individuals with specific concerns about active symptoms. As part of a system-wide approach, consistent messaging from healthcare professionals around risk will also help reduce cross-sector barriers to engagement for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents results from the South Africa's 2018 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. It mentions indicators on the basis of which grades are assigned including organized sport participation, active transportation, and sedentary behavior. The report card reveals that the country is making insufficient progress with regards to the promotion of physical activity opportunities that are safe and accessible for the greatest number of children and adolescents.

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Objective: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical activity, gross motor skills and adiposity in South African children of pre-school age.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: High-income urban, and low-income urban and rural settings in South Africa.Participants: Children (3-6 years old, n 268) were recruited from urban high-income (n 46), urban low-income (n 91) and rural low-income (n 122) settings. Height and weight were measured to calculate the main outcome variables: BMI and BMI-for-age Z-score (BAZ). Height-for-age and weight-for-age Z-scores were also calculated. Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers were used to objectively measure physical activity; the Test of Gross Motor Development (Version 2) was used to assess gross motor skills.Results: More children were overweight/obese and had a higher BAZ from urban low-income settings compared with urban high-income settings and rural low-income settings. Being less physically active was associated with thinness, but not overweight/obesity. Time spent in physical activity at moderate and vigorous intensities was positively associated with BMI and BAZ. Gross motor proficiency was not associated with adiposity in this sample.Conclusions: The findings of this research highlight the need for obesity prevention particularly in urban low-income settings, as well as the need to take into consideration the complexity of the relationship between adiposity, physical activity and gross motor skills in South African pre-school children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]