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Purpose: To (1) assess the reliability of the newly developed Fears of Stranger Danger (FSD) scale, (2) examine measurement invariance and identify demographic variation in FSD, and (3) examine associations of FSD with physical activity, screen time, and body mass index (BMI) z score., Design: Cross-sectional survey with test-retest., Setting: Neighborhoods with various socioeconomic characteristics and walkability in San Diego, Boston, and Cincinnati., Participants: Parent-adolescent pairs (n = 171), and parents of children (n = 116). Response rate was 47% for Survey 1, and 69% were retained for Survey 2., Methods: Data analyses included test-retest reliability and internal consistency for FSD, tests of differential functioning for measurement invariance, t-test for associations between FSD and demographic variables, and partial correlation for associations of FSD with physical activity, screen time, and BMI z score., Results: The FSD scale had moderate to substantial test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .65-.85) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = .88-.94). Measurement invariance was established across gender, race/ethnicity, and income. FSD was higher regarding younger children, females, nonwhites, and lower-income youth. FSD was positively associated with restrictive parental rules for playing outside (partial r = .28-.33), and negatively associated with children's outdoor physical activity in the neighborhood (partial r = -.27), but not associated with other measures of physical activity, screen time, or BMI z score., Conclusion: The new measure of FSD had good evidence of reliability and measurement invariance, but there were inconsistent associations of FSD with youth physical activity.

Objective: To document physical activity (PA) during organized youth soccer and baseball/softball practices., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Community sports leagues in San Diego County, California., Participants: Two hundred youth aged 7 to 14 years were recruited from 29 teams in 2 youth sports in middle-income cities with an approximately equal distribution across sports, sex, and age groups., Main Exposure: Youth sports practices., Outcome Measures: A sample of players wore accelerometers during practices. Minutes of PA at multiple intensity levels were calculated using established cutoff points. Participants were categorized as meeting or not meeting guidelines of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during practice., Results: The overall mean for MVPA was 45.1 minutes and 46.1% of practice time. Participants on soccer teams (+13.7 minutes, +10.6% of practice time), boys (+10.7 minutes, +7.8% of practice time), and those aged 7 to 10 years (+7.0 minutes, +5.8% of practice time) had significantly more MVPA than their counterparts. Participants on soccer teams spent an average of 17.0 more minutes and 15.9% more of practice time in vigorous-intensity PA than those on baseball/softball teams. Overall, 24% of participants met the 60-minute PA guideline during practice, but fewer than 10% of 11-to 14-year-olds and 2% of girl softball players met the guideline., Conclusions: Participation in organized sports does not ensure that youth meet PA recommendations on practice days. The health effects of youth sports could be improved by adopting policies that ensure participants obtain PA during practices.

This pilot study tested the feasibility and acceptability of a novel multilevel walking intervention for older adults in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC). The intervention included site-specific walking route maps, pedometers, and individualized goal setting. Pedometers were worn for self-monitoring and for the primary outcome (steps per day). Surveys at pre- and post-intervention assessed daily activities, benefits, barriers, route use, quality of life, and satisfaction. Steps per day were very low at baseline and increased significantly at post-test. The findings indicate that a multilevel site-specific intervention is feasible and acceptable for increasing steps among seniors living in a CCRC.