Purpose
To evaluate the multi-group and longitudinal invariance of ANNs to predict physical activity (PA) type and PA energy expenditure (METs) in youth.
Methods
The study was conducted at two sites. Site 1 (S1) served as the training and testing sample and comprised 100 youth mean age 11.0 ± 2.7 y. Site 2 (S2) served as ...
Purpose A number of recent studies have found associations between the characteristics of schoolyards and the level of PA of schoolchildren using the schoolyards. Based on these findings, it seems likely that making schoolyards more attractive will help to increase the total amount of PA among schoolchildren. Before starting our ...
Purpose
Published experiences of using accelerometers in very young children are scarce. This study tested the usability of one accelerometer type, ActiGraph GT3X, in assessing free-living physical activity of 1.5 year-old Malawian children.
Methods
Fifty-two Malawian children [23 boys, mean age 17.0 months (range 16.0 – 18.5), mean HAZ -0.83, mean WHZ 0.08] from rural Lungwena ...
Purpose
To inform intervention development by investigating predictors of one-year change in objectively-measured intensity of physical activity (PA) in a cohort of 9-10 year old British school children.
Methods
In a cohort of 753 children in Norfolk (UK) (41.7% male, baseline age (mean±SD): 9.7±0.4 years) PA was measured over 3 or more days ...
Background
African American youth residing in the South are at high risk for obesity and physical inactivity. A growing body of evidence suggests that persons living in activity-friendly environments engage in more physical activity (PA); however, access of public recreational facilities varies by neighborhood and demographic characteristics. Additionally, historical and ...
Background
Changes in physical activity (PA) levels can be observed among youth. The majority of 11 year olds in Denmark do meet the recommend level of PA; the majority of 15 year olds do not. The chances of not meeting the recommended level of PA as adults are correlated with not meeting ...
Background
Hispanic-American preschool children have higher rates of obesity and Hispanic-American youth may be at higher risk for sedentary lifestyles and metabolic syndrome. Both physical and social environmental factors influence young children’s physical activity. The ability to simultaneously capture objective measurement of physical activity and location of young Hispanic-American ...
Background
Evidence suggests that parents play an important role in shaping children’s physical activity levels through behavioral modeling and support. Physically active parents are more likely to have physically active children. However, research indicates that on average, parents and children spend less than 5 minutes per day engaging in physical ...
Background
Determining the relation of built environment characteristics to physical activity and obesity remains an ongoing public health concern. Recent literature suggests that environment characteristics of smart growth planning (e.g., walkability, preservation of open space) may promote physical activity. However, the majority of studies examining associations between these environmental ...
Background
Research studies have shown the importance of built environment in affecting people’s physical activity. Lack of sidewalks, nearby parks, and recreation centers in the neighborhood are believed to be some of the key environmental barriers to physical activity. On the other hand, factors such as presence of crosswalks, ...