Search

Objectives. We examined whether schoolyard improvements led to increased physical activity levels among both boys and girls and assessed the aspects of schoolyard design that have an impact on physical activity. Methods. In a quasi-experimental research design, 6 schools with renovated schoolyards and 3 control schools were divided into activity areas. We calculated measures of children's physical activity by area during school hours as well as after-school hours. Results. The volume of schoolyard use was significantly higher at schools with renovated schoolyards than at control schools, and students were significantly more active at these schools. Also, activity levels were significantly higher among both boys and girls in certain schoolyard areas, such as those with soft surfaces. Conclusions. Because few public elementary schools in the United States provide daily physical education or its equivalent for all students throughout the school year, noncurriculum approaches to increasing children's physical activity are important. Renovated schoolyards increase the number of children who are physically active, as well as their overall activity levels, and reduce sedentary behaviors. (Am J Public Health. 2010;100:1672-1678. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.178939)

Objectives. We evaluated the effects of a community-based intervention, the Academia da Cidade program (ACP), on increasing leisure-time physical activity among residents of Recife, Brazil. Methods. We used the International Physical Activity Questionnaire to assess leisure-time physical activity and transport physical activity (i.e., activities involved in traveling from place to place) levels in a random sample of 2047 Recife residents surveyed in 2007. We also examined factors related to exposure to ACP (participation in the intervention, residing near an intervention site, hearing about or seeing intervention activities). We estimated prevalence odds ratios (ORs) of moderate to high leisure-time and transport physical activity levels via intervention exposures adjusted for sociodemographic, health, and environmental variables. Results. Prevalence ORs for moderate to high levels of leisure-time physical activity were higher among former (prevalence OR=2.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.0, 3.9) and current (prevalence OR=11.3; 95% CI=3.5, 35.9) intervention participants and those who had heard about or seen an intervention activity (prevalence OR=1.8; 95% CI=1.3, 2.5). Transport physical activity levels were inversely associated with residing near an ACP site. Conclusions. The ACP program appears to be an effective public health strategy to increase population-level physical activity in urban developing settings. (Am J Public Health. 2009;99:68-75. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.141978)

The physical activity, travel behavior, and body mass index (BMI) of household heads in a new urbanist neighborhood are compared with those of the household head in suburban neighborhoods. Results did not reveal a direct relation between BMI and neighborhood type, but heads of single-family households in the new urbanist neighborhood reported having lower BMI partly because of walking and bicycling.

A study to examine the effects of neighborhood SES and social capital indicators on physical activity is conducted. Results conclude that the effects of neighborhood SES are more than other factors like household income.

This study evaluated a competition-based employer-sponsored physical activity program using pedometers. City employees (N~2,600) formed teams in groups of 10 persons (N=640). The groups competed against each other over a 12-wk. period with the goal of attaining 10,000 steps per day, per person. Only teams with complete data were included in the formal evaluation. A repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated significant differences in team steps by week of the program, with post hoc comparisons indicating significant differences from baseline step counts evident during Weeks 6-8 but not at the end of the program. These data confirm that competition-based physical activity programs using pedometers may not be an effective means of increasing the long-term physical activity of employees.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.004 Byline: Judy A. Driskell, Young-Nam Kim, Kelly J. Goebel Abstract: Typical eating and exercise habits of a group of lower-level (freshmen/sophomores, n=144) and upper-level (juniors/seniors, n=114) students, 19 to 25 years of age, attending a midwestern university were compared. Both groups reported similar snacking practices, nonalcoholic beverage consumption, places of meal consumption, factors influencing food choices, duration and frequency of various types of physical activity, and places of physical performance, with few exceptions. Significant differences between groups were observed for typical afternoon snack consumption, frequency of eating in university cafeterias, typical time spent walking, typical frequency of performing other aerobic activities, and factors that most influenced their physical activity habits. Few differences existed in typical eating and physical activity habits of lower- and upper-level students.

Considering exercise has positive and negative reinforcing properties, the mood states of sedentary, nonexercise-dependent and exercise dependent volunteers were compared after maximal exercise testing. Mood status was evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory, Trait-State Anxiety Inventory, and Profile of Mood States (POMS). No differences were detected before the test or after it, indicating little possibility of positive reinforcement. However, a significant reduction in the POMS Tension Anxiety scores was observed in both exerciser groups (greater in the exercise-dependent group) but not in the sedentary group. Only in the exercise dependent group were significant reductions in Anger and Total Mood Disorders scores observed compared with their pre-exercise scores. These data suggest that exercising has stronger negative reinforcement properties for exercise dependent volunteers and is a factor which could increase the odds of their becoming dependent on exercise.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a short-term exercise program (6 weeks) could improve subjective physical appearance ratings. Twenty-five previously sedentary adult men (aged 18-40 years) were randomly assigned to one of 3 training groups: cardiovascular, strength, or control. Subjects participating in an exercise group trained for an average of 34 minutes, 3 times per week. All subjects were pre- and posttested to determine body composition, strength, and cardiovascular fitness. Subjects were also digitally photographed from 4 angles. The photographs were rated by the subjects and by a panel of 6 judges using an analog scale. There was no significant difference in the groups by trials interaction effect for pre- and post-V[O.sub.2]max, percent fat, total lean tissue, percent limb fat, percent trunk fat, lean trunk tissue, or lean limb tissue. The subjects rated themselves higher than the panel, with average scores of 4.74 vs. 3.46, 4.26 vs. 3.10, and 4.61 vs. 3.49 for the cardiovascular, strength, and control groups, respectively (p < 0.05). The men of the panel rated the subjects significantly higher than did the women, with average scores of 4.61 vs. 2.31, 4.13 vs. 2.06, and 4.53 vs. 2.18 for the cardiovascular, resistance, and control groups, respectively (p < 0.05). This study showed that a 6-week training program did not change self-rated or panel-rated appearance scores. KEY WORDS. fitness programs, attractiveness, shoulder-to-waist ratio, self-perception

Fifty-four male and twenty-six female married cardiac patients were studied for five months post-hospital discharge. Participants completed activity diaries for three days at 5, 10, 15, and 20 weeks. Reported activities were converted to METs. Patients increased activity across the five-month study period. Patients also tended to engage in higher levels of activity in the morning hours. Men and women did not differ in average total METs expended. Comparisons for specific activities indicated that women consistently expended more energy on domestic responsibilities, such as cleaning and laundry. Men engaged more in repairs, yardwork and carrying, but these activities were performed sporadically and involved low METs requirements. The concentrated domestic activity assumed by women early in recovery may pose a risk of complications. KEYWORDS. Cardiac rehabilitation, gender differences, adaptation to heart disease

Byline: E. T. Iversen (1), T. Sorensen (1), T. Heckscher (1), J. I. Jensen (2) Keywords: Key words: COPD--Exercise capacity--Lung function--Terbutaline--Energy expenditure. Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a single dose of a [beta].sub.2-agonist, terbutaline (Bricanyl Turbuhaler(r)), on resting lung function and exercise capacity in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study and outpatients from a department of pulmonary medicine at a major inner-city hospital, we examined 26 individuals with chronic obstructive lung disease who met the criteria of 40% a$? FE[V.sub.1]a$? 70% of predicted, FEV.sub.1/FVC a$? 70%, and IFE[V.sub.1]a$? 200 ml 20 min after inhalation of 1 mg of terbutaline. The patients inhaled 2.5 mg of terbutaline and matched placebo. At rest, terbutaline caused significant increases in [D.sub.L]CO, MVV.sub.12sec, and all spirometric indices derived from the flow-volume loop, the increases also being significantly larger than those after inhalation of 1 mg of terbutaline for FEV.sub.1, FVC, and PEF. The peak work rate was unchanged after terbutaline. Oxygen uptake, ventilation, and tidal volume at peak work rate increased significantly, whereas carbon dioxide elimination increased insignificantly. Cumulative oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide elimination during progressive exercise to exhaustion and 10 min of recovery were significantly higher after terbutaline. We concluded that despite significant improvements in resting lung function, inhalation of 2.5 mg of terbutaline did not increase exercise capacity, but it increased cumulative oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide elimination during exercise and recovery, presumably because of a thermogenic effect of terbutaline. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Bispebjerg Hospital, DK 2400 Copenhagen NV, Denmark, DK (2) Department of Medicine, Centralsygehuset i Esbjerg, DK-6700 Esbjerg, Denmark, DK Article note: Accepted for publication: 29 April 1999

The cardiorespiratory adaptations to endurance exercise training in adults are well recognized. Given a training stimulus of appropriate duration, frequency, and intensity, a previously sedentary subject can be expected to [...]

The Exercise Thoughts Questionnaire (ETQ), formulated to identify the frequency with which individuals have thoughts regarding reasons or excuses for not exercising at the present time, was examined in three studies for its dependability and construct validity. Such thoughts were assumed to interact with exercise behavior. The three separate studies of 165 undergraduate women, 209 male and female undergraduates, and 201 male and female undergraduates showed that ETQ has good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Exploratory analyses showed women reporting a higher frequency of such thoughts than men.