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To examine the feasibility and acceptability of a remote-based nutrition education program during COVID-19 for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Ten adolescents with ASD participated in a 4-week nutrition education program utilizing Zoom software during COVID-19. Topics included shopping for healthy food, and food preparation safety measures. Attendance was collected for each session. Participants, parents, and the classroom teacher completed post-program surveys and interviews. The course attendance rate was 97%. Every adolescent reported they would participate in similar future programs, and the teacher/parents felt the program was a positive experience for the participants. The remote-based nutrition education program appeared to be feasible and acceptable to participants. Future research should focus on program efficacy.

Objectives: Overweight and obesity has an adverse effect on public health, and emerging adulthood (18-25 years) is recognized as a potential period for the onset of obesity, thus, this study aimed to explore risk factors associated with overweight and obesity in Bangladeshi university students. Participants: Bangladeshi university students (n = 280). Methods: A case-control study of 140 students with overweight and obesity and 140 students with normal weight. Results: Multiple logistic regression revealed having at least one overweight or obese parent (AOR = 4.2; 95% CI: 2.2-8.4) and participating in no physical activity (AOR = 3.2; 95% CI: 1.0-9.9) were potential risk factors. Reported consumption [greater than or equal to]4 meals in a day, junk food/fast food, and soft drinks for [greater than or equal to]3 days a week were potential determinants of overweight and obesity in this population. Conclusion: Increased awareness on the importance of regular physical activity and a healthy diet may reduce the risk of overweight and obesity among Bangladeshi university students.

The 'Structured Days Hypothesis' suggests that children's obesogenic behaviors (e.g., activity, diet, sleep, and screen time) are less favorable during times when there is less-structure to a child's day (e.g., summer). To compare obesogenic behaviors of children with developmental disabilities (DD) during summer on days with differing amounts of 'structure'. Seventeen children with DD (mean age 9.8 years) attending a day camp wore a Fitbit© activity monitor on the non-dominant wrist during summer, and parents completed a survey packet, to capture obesogenic behaviors. Participants displayed improved physical activity levels, diets, and sleep timing on camp days versus other days. Providing children with DD 'structure' over summer is a potential intervention approach requiring further investigation.

Background: In this study, we examined moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) of children in a school district serving children from low-income and minority households. Methods: This observational study was conducted in 8 rural elementary schools in South Carolina. Children (N = 719, age = 7.7 years, 48.0% girls, 88.0% African American) wore accelerometers during school hours. Physical activity was distilled into time engaged in MVPA during 4 distinct opportunities. These 4 opportunities were non-activity time (eg, class-time), extended lunch (lunch recess after eating), physical education (PE), and recess. Mixed effects linear regressions estimated MVPA on days that had no activity opportunities, extended lunch, recess, PE, and multiple activity opportunities (eg, PE and recess). Results: On days with multiple activity opportunities, girls and boys accumulated 8.0 (95% CI = 4.9, 11.1) and 7.1 (95% CI = 3.6, 10.7) additional minutes of MVPA compared to a no activity day. On PE days boys accumulated 5.2 (95% CI = 0.3, 10.2) additional minutes of MVPA, whereas recess days provided girls with 3.0 (95% CI = 0.1, 6.0) additional MVPA minutes. No other activity opportunities provided statistically significant increases in school-day MVPA. Conclusions: In low-income schools it may be necessary to provide multiple physical activity opportunities during the school day to increase boys' and girls' MVPA.

This study compared the energy expenditure (EE) levels during object projection skill performance (OPSP) as assessed by indirect calorimetry and accelerometry. Thirty-four adults (female n = 18) aged 18-30 (23.5 ± 2.5 years) performed three, 9-min sessions of kicking, over-arm throwing, and striking performed at 6-, 12-, and 30-sec intervals. EE was estimated (METS) using indirect calorimetry (COSMED K4b2) and hip-worn accelerometry (ActiGraph GT3X+). EE using indirect calorimetry demonstrated moderate-intensity physical activity (3.4 ± 0.7 METS--30-sec interval, 5.8 ± 1.2 METS--12-sec interval) to vigorous intensity physical activity (8.3 ± 1.7 METS--6-sec interval). However, accelerometry predicted EE suggested only light-intensity physical activity (1.7 ± 0.2 METS--30-sec interval, 2.2 ± 0.4 METS--12-sec interval, 2.7 ± 0.6 METS--6-sec interval). Hip-worn, ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers do not adequately capture physical activity intensity levels during OPSP, regardless of differences in skill performance intervals.

Purpose: To compare children's energy expenditure (EE) levels during object projection skill performance (OPSP; e.g., kicking, throwing, striking) as assessed by hip- and wrist-worn accelerometers. Method: Forty-two children (female [rho]= 20, M[subscript age] = 8.1[plus or minus]0.8 years) performed three, nine-minute sessions of kicking, over-arm throwing, and striking at performance intervals of 6, 12, and 30 seconds. EE was estimated using indirect calorimetry (COSMED k4b2) and accelerometers (ActiGraph GT3X+) worn on three different locations (hip, dominant-wrist, and non-dominant-wrist) using four commonly used cut-points. Bland-Altman plots were used to analyze the agreement in EE estimations between accelerometry and indirect calorimetry (METS). Chi-square goodness of fit tests were used to examine the agreement between accelerometry and indirect calorimetry. Results: Hip- and wrist-worn accelerometers underestimated EE, compared to indirect calorimetry, during all performance conditions. Skill practice at a rate of two trials per minute resulted in the equivalent of moderate PA and five trials per minute resulted in vigorous PA (as measured by indirect calorimetry), yet was only categorized as light and/or moderate activity by all measured forms of accelerometry. Conclusion: This is one of the first studies to evaluate the ability of hip- and wrist-worn accelerometers to predict PA intensity levels during OPSP in children. These data may significantly impact PA intervention measurement strategies by revealing the lack of validity in accelerometers to accurately predict PA levels during OPSP in children.

BACKGROUND: Evidence consistently shows children in the United States gain 3 to 5 times more weight during summer vacation (~2.5 months) compared to the 9-month school year. The purpose of this study is to examine within-child differences in 4 obesogenic behaviors (physical activity [PA], sedentary/screen-time, diet, and sleep) during school versus summer. METHODS: We used a repeated-measures within-subjects design. Children (N = 30 mean age = 8.2 years; 57% female; 37% overweight/obese; 100% African American) wore accelerometers on the nondominant wrist for 24 hr/d over 9 consecutive days during school and summer of 2016 to capture PA, sedentary time, and sleep. Parents completed a daily diary to report bed/wake times, diet, and screen-time of their child each day. Mixed-effect models compared summer and school behaviors. RESULTS: Children spent more time sedentary (69% vs 67% of wake wear time), less time in light PA (25% vs 23% of wake wear time), had higher screen-time (242 vs 123 minutes/day), slept longer (428 vs 413 minutes/night), and consumed more sugar-based foods (6 days vs 2.5 days/week) and fruit (7 days vs 4.7 days/week) during summer compared to school (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Initial evidence suggests children are displaying multiple unfavorable obesogenic behaviors during summer compared to school that may contribute to accelerated weight gain during summer.

Background: Among elementary-aged children (5-12yrs), summer vacation is associated with accelerated gains in Body Mass Index (BMI). A key behavioral driver of BMI gain is a lack of physical activity (PA). Previous studies indicate PA decreases during summer, compared to the school year but whether this difference is consistent among boys and girls, across age, and by income status remains unclear. This study examined differences in school and summer movement behaviors in a diverse cohort of children across three years. Methods: Children (N = 1,203, age range 5–14 years, 48% girls) wore wrist-placed accelerometers for a 14-day wear-period during school (April/May) and summer (July) in 2021 to 2023, for a total of 6 timepoints. Mixed-effects models examined changes in school vs. summer movement behaviors (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA], sedentary) for boys and girls, separately, and by age and household income groups (low, middle, and upper based on income-to-poverty ratio). Results: Children provided a total of 35,435 valid days of accelerometry. Overall, boys (+ 9.1 min/day, 95CI 8.1 to 10.2) and girls (+ 6.2 min/day, 95CI 5.4 to 7.0) accumulated more MVPA during school compared to summer. Boys accumulated less time sedentary (-9.9 min/day, 95CI -13.0 to -6.9) during school, while there was no difference in sedentary time (-2.7 min/day, 95CI -5.7 to 0.4) for girls. Different patterns emerged across ages and income groups. Accumulation of MVPA was consistently greater during school compared to summer across ages and income groups. Generally, the difference between school and summer widened with increasing age, except for girls from middle-income households. Accumulation of sedentary time was higher during school for younger children (5-9yrs), whereas for older children (10-14yrs), sedentary time was greater during summer for the middle- and upper-income groups. For boys from low-income households and girls from middle-income households, sedentary time was consistently greater during summer compared to school across ages. Conclusions: Children are less active and more sedentary during summer compared to school, which may contribute to accelerated BMI gain. However, this differs by biological sex, age, and income. These findings highlight the complex factors influencing movement behaviors between school and summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Engaging in physical activity (PA) and reducing sedentary behaviors among youth are linked to improved mental and physical health. This study aimed to examine demographic differences among youth adhering to PA and Screen Time (ST) recommendations. Methods: The present study utilized data from the 2017–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The NHANES survey employed a cross‐sectional design and gathered information on the daily duration of moderate‐to‐vigorous PA lasting 60 min or more, as well as the maximum daily ST not exceeding 2 h. The analysis encompassed a total of 1697 youth aged between 6 and 17 years. Results: Overall, 36.3% of participants adhered to PA recommendations, 20.9% adhered to ST recommendations and 10.8% of youth met both recommendations. The odds of meeting PA, ST and both recommendations were inversely associated with obesity (obese vs. normal: aOR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.42–0.75]), (aOR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.48–0.94]) and (aOR, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.32–0.82]) respectively, and age (14–17 years vs. 6–9 years: aOR, 0.2 [95% CI, 0.15–0.27]), (aOR, 0.33 [95% CI, 0.23–0.47]) and (aOR, 0.16 [95% CI, 0.09–0.3]) respectively. Conclusion: A small portion of the youth met PA and ST recommendations. Older youth, youth with obesity, and youth with a parent or guardian who had not completed a high school education were particularly at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies show undergraduate students typically view the idea of research negatively, with students reporting feelings of anxiety, difficulty, detachment, and reduced perceptions of relevancy to their own life. Course-based undergraduate experiences (CUREs), where students have an opportunity to engage in authentic research experiences, can reach large number of students in a convenient fashion, thus, are well-positioned to shift student perceptions of research. The purpose of this study is to explore changes in attitudes towards research in a large sample of undergraduate students' after completing one semester of a CURE, either in-person or online due to COVID-19. This study used a within-subjects pre-posttest design. Data collection took place over eight semesters from fall 2019 through spring 2022 at a large metropolitan public university in the southeast region of the United States. Students enrolled in the CURE were asked to complete the Attitude Towards Research scale at the beginning and end of the semester covering the following factors: usefulness of research (F1), anxiety (F2), affect indicating positive feelings about research (F3), life relevancy of research to the students' daily lives (F4), and difficulty of research (F5). Wilcoxon signed rank tests for paired data were conducted and Mann- Whitney U tests assessed whether there were any differences between students who completed the course face-to-face versus online. Across all eight semesters, 1,003 students (74% female, 91% Seniors) provided valid pre-posttest data. Statistically significant improvements were observed across all semesters (online and face-to-face) for research anxiety, positive attitude towards research, research relevance to own life, and research difficulty from the ATR scale (p<0.05). For usefulness of research for profession (F1), statistically significant differences were observed in four out of the eight semesters (p<0.05). Changes in students' attitudes towards research did not differ between course modality (face-to-face versus online) except for F1. The mean change in F1 was different between students taking a face-to-face (mean: 0.22, ±SD 1.02) versus online version (mean: 0.07, ±SD 0.72) of the course (z = 2.35, p = 0.02). Findings from this study demonstrate the potential of a CURE at reducing anxiety, lowering perceived difficulty, enhancing overall impressions, and students' overall attitudes toward research and research-based education. Continued consideration and evaluation of how and what is delivered in CUREs to students is required to advance the pedagogy of research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the initial effects of a participatory-based, competency-/skill-building professional development workshop for physical education (PE) teachers on the use of physical activity (PA) promotion practices (e.g., eliminating lines, small-sided games) and students' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). A total of 823 students (52.8% boys) wore accelerometers at baseline (fall 2015) and outcome (spring 2016) on PE and non-PE days. The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time+ measured changes in PA promotion practices. Teachers (n = 9) attended a 90-minute workshop prior to outcome data collection. Mixed-model linear regressions estimated changes in teacher practices and students' MVPA. Three of the nine targeted PA promotion practices changed in the desired direction (i.e., p < 0.05; increased motor content and lessons taught outdoors, reduced activities with lines), with three more teacher practices trending in the desired direction (i.e., reduced management time and activities with elimination, increased small-sided games). During PE, boys and girls increased MVPA by 2.0 (95% confidence interval [1.1, 3.0]), and 1.3 (95% confidence interval [0.5-2.0]) minutes, respectively. However, there were no statistically significant changes in boys' or girls' MVPA during the school day. Greater implementation of promotion practices by the PE teachers was associated with boys', but not girls', MVPA during PE. Girls in high- and low-implementing teachers' lessons experienced increases in MVPA, suggesting that even small changes in PA promotion practices can increase girls' MVPA during PE. Overall, the workshops were effective at increasing teachers' PA promotion and students' MVPA in PE. Other school-based strategies that complement and extend efforts targeting PE are recommended to increase children's total daily PA.

Background: The YMCA of USA has adopted Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards for its afterschool programs (ASPs). Little is known about strategies YMCA ASPs are implementing to achieve Standards and these strategies' effectiveness. Aims: (1) Identify strategies implemented in YMCA ASPs and (2) evaluate the relationship between strategy implementation and meeting Standards. Method: HEPA was measured via accelerometer (moderate-to-vigorous-physical-activity [MVPA]) and direct observation (snacks served) in 20 ASPs. Strategies were identified and mapped onto a capacity building framework (Strategies To Enhance Practice [STEPs]). Mixed-effects regression estimated increases in HEPA outcomes as implementation increased. Model-implied estimates were calculated for high (i.e., highest implementation score achieved), moderate (median implementation score across programs), and low (lowest implementation score achieved) implementation for both HEPA separately. Results: Programs implemented a variety of strategies identified in STEPs. For every 1-point increase in implementation score 1.45% (95% confidence interval = 0.33% to 2.55%, p = 0.001) more girls accumulated 30 min/day of MVPA and fruits and/or vegetables were served on 0.11 more days (95% confidence interval = 0.11-0.45, p = 0.01). Relationships between implementation and other HEPA outcomes did not reach statistical significance. Still regression estimates indicated that desserts are served on 1.94 fewer days (i.e., 0.40 vs. 2.34) in the highest implementing program than the lowest implementing program and water is served 0.73 more days (i.e., 2.37 vs. 1.64). Conclusions: Adopting HEPA Standards at the national level does not lead to changes in routine practice in all programs. Practical strategies that programs could adopt to more fully comply with the HEPA Standards are identified.

Background: Evidence from a limited sample of countries indicates that time for physical education and recess during school have declined. Schools are called to provide children with 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated temporal trends in children's school day MVPA. Methods: Three online databases were searched to identify studies with objectively measured MVPA, during school hours, in school aged children (5–18 y). Multilevel random-effects meta-analyses estimated MVPA by year, and meta-regression analyses estimated temporal trends in school day MVPA. Results: Studies (N = 65) providing 171 MVPA estimates, representing 60,779 unique children, from 32 countries, and spanning 2003–2019 were identified. Most studies were conducted in North America (n = 33) or Europe (n = 21). School day MVPA ranged from 18.1 (95% confidence interval, 15.1–21.1) to 47.1 (95% confidence interval, 39.4–54.8) minutes per day in any given year. Meta-regression analyses indicated that MVPA declined from 2003 to 2010 (approximately 15 min decline), plateaued from 2010 to 2015 (approximately 1 min decrease), and increased from 2015 to 2019 (approximately 5 min increase). Conclusions: School day MVPA decreased from 2003 to 2010 and has recently begun to increase. However, the majority of the evidence is from North America and Europe with some evidence from Oceania and very little evidence from Asia to South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]