Journal of physical activity & health (J Phys Activ Health)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between physical activity and blood pressure in adolescence: birth cohort study.

  Pedro C Hallal, Samuel Carvalho Dumith, Felipe Fossati Reichert, Ana M B Menezes, Cora L Araújo, Jonathan C K Wells, Ulf Ekelund, Cesar G Victora
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  ABSTRACT: To explore cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between self-reported and accelerometry-based physical activity (PA) and blood pressure (BP) between 11 and 14 years of age. Prospective birth cohort study in Pelotas, Brazil. Participants were 427 cohort members who were followed up with at 11, 12, and 14 years of age, and had questionnaire data on PA and BP at 11 and 14 years, as well as accelerometry and questionnaire data on PA at 12 years. Outcome measures were continuous systolic and diastolic BP at 14 years, and change in BP from 11 to 14 years. PA was unrelated to systolic BP in any analyses. PA measured by accelerometry at 12 years, but not questionnaire-derived PA, was inversely associated with diastolic BP at 14 years of age in fully adjusted models. Those who exceeded the 300-minutes PA threshold at all 3 visits had a 2.6 mmHg lower mean increase in DBP from 11 to 14 years compared with those classified below the threshold in all visits. Accelerometry-based PA was longitudinally inversely associated with diastolic BP. This finding was not evident when analyzing self-reported PA at a given age, suggesting a possible underestimation of the association when using subjective data.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):468-74.
• Article: Physical activity level and ischemic heart disease prevalence among individuals aged 45 years and older with normal weight, BRFSS, 2007.

  Xiao Jun Wen, Lina S Balluz
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  ABSTRACT: Most ischemic heart disease (IHD) prevention programs that promote physical activity (PA) have focused on overweight/obese populations. Persons with normal body mass index (BMI) may mistakenly think that they are not at risk for IHD and remain physically inactive. Studies exploring the risk of IHD and PA level among adults aged 45 years and older with normal weight are limited. Cross-sectional study to examine the prevalence of IHD and PA level among 94455 respondents aged 45 years and older with normal BMI using the 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Approximately 50% of respondents reported low/inactive PA. The prevalence of IHD among persons with inactive, low, medium, and high PA was 16.6% (95% CI=15.1-18.1%), 9.6% (8.9-10.3%), 8.9% (8.3-9.6%), and 5.4% (4.9-5.9%). The adjusted odds ratios of IHD among persons with low, medium, and high PA compared with those with inactive PA was 0.68 (95% CI=0.59-0.79), 0.63 (0.54-0.73), and 0.49 (0.42-0.57). The percentage of respondents with low or inactive PA among populations aged 45 years and older with BMI 18 to <25 was alarmingly high and independently associated with higher IHD prevalence. Persons who are not overweight/obese still need to have adequate PA to reduce the risk of IHD.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):475-80.
• Article: User demographics and physical activity behaviors on a newly constructed urban rail/trail conversion.

  Julian A Reed, Steven P Hooker, Suresh Muthukrishnan, Brent Hutto
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  ABSTRACT: To examine demographic characteristics and physical activity (PA) behaviors of trail users on a newly constructed 2-mile urban rail/trail (ie, abandoned rail line converted to a recreational trail). A systematic evaluation process was initiated to monitor PA behaviors using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC). Slightly more males (n=2578, 54%) than females (n=2198, 46%) were observed using the rail/trail since its inception. A significant age group difference (F=16.68, P<.001) was observed among users with the vast majority being adults (n=3317, 69%). Women were 2.2 times more likely than men (95% CI 1.7-3.0) to be sedentary rather than vigorously active adjusted for age and race. Whites were 2.8 times more likely than nonwhites (95% CI 2.4-3.2) to engage in vigorous activity rather than walking, adjusted for age and gender. Rail/trail users resided on average 2.89 miles from the trail. The most frequent users of the rail/trail were male, white adults, and observed PA varied for gender and age. More research is needed to better understand differences in patterns of trail use by various population groups.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):534-42.
• Article: Physical activity and C-reactive protein levels: the confounding role of body fat.

  James LeCheminant, Larry Tucker, Kenric Russell
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  ABSTRACT: This study investigated the relationship between objectively-measured total physical activity (PA), and intensity of PA and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) in 211 healthy, middle-age women (43.1±3.0 y). In addition, this study examined the extent to which age, BMI, abdominal circumference, and body fat percentage operated as confounders in these associations. PA was objectively measured for 7 continuous days using accelerometry. Fasting blood samples were taken, from which CRP was measured using a solid phase ELISA. Body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2), abdominal circumference measured at the umbilicus, and body fat percentage using air displacement plethysmography, were assessed. Total PA (activity counts) was significantly and inversely related to CRP concentrations (F=7.76, P=.006) as was vigorous-intensity PA. After adjusting for differences in body fat percentage, total PA and vigorous-intensity PA were no longer significant predictors of CRP. Abdominal circumference and BMI also tended to weaken the relationship between total or vigorous-intensity PA and CRP but not to the same extent as body fat percentage. These findings suggest that higher total and vigorous-intensity PA levels are significantly related to lower CRP levels in healthy, middle-age women; however, this relationship is largely a function of differences in body fat percentage.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):481-7.
• Article: A statistical summary of mall-based stair-climbing interventions.

  Oliver J Webb, Frank F Eves, Jacqueline Kerr
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  ABSTRACT: Stair climbing is an accessible activity with proven health benefits. This article summarizes the effectiveness of mall-based stair-climbing interventions, while controlling for, and examining, potential moderators of stair/escalator choice. Six comparable studies were identified, which used poster/ banner prompts to promote stair choice. Original data were combined and analyzed using logistic regression. Pedestrians' stair/escalator choices (N=127,221) provided the dichotomous outcome variable. Demographics (eg, gender), condition (baseline vs. intervention), and 'pedestrian traffic volume' were entered as potential moderators. To examine durability of effects, the rate of stair climbing in each half of the intervention period was compared. Overall, stair choice was more common in men (odds ratio [OR]=1.72), under-60s (OR=1.91), Whites (OR=1.38), those without accompanying children (OR=1.53), and periods of high traffic (OR=1.55). The rate of stair climbing increased in the intervention phase relative to baseline (OR=2.09), with greater effects among women (OR=1.99) versus men (OR=1.86), and under-60s (OR=2.62) versus over-60s (OR=1.93). Intervention effects fell slightly during the second half of the intervention period (OR=0.92). Conventional mass media campaigns engage an extra 5.0% of people in physical activity. The current calculations indicate that comparatively simple poster/banner prompts can increase stair climbing in mall settings by 6.0%.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):558-65.
• Article: The place of physical activity in the time budgets of 10- to 13-year-old Australian children.

  Tim Olds, Carol Ann Maher, Kate Ridley
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  ABSTRACT: Low physical activity has been associated with increased fatness and deceased fitness. This observational study aimed to describe the magnitude, composition, and time-distribution of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in Australian children. A total of 1132 10 to 13 year old schoolchildren completed a 24-h activity recall diary on 2 to 4 occasions. MVPA was defined as any activity requiring ≥3METs, including sport, play, active transport, chores, and other activities. MVPA was higher in boys than girls (173 vs 140 min/day; P<.0001), higher on nonschool days than school days (166 vs 143 min/day; P<.0001), and decreased with age (9 min/day per year of age). MVPA consisted of structured sport (37%), active transport (26%), unstructured play (24%), and chores/miscellaneous activities (13%). Every hour of MVPA was associated with a reduction in screen time (26.5 min), non-screen-based sedentary pastimes (8 min), and sleep (5.5 min). The least active quartile of children were more likely to be girls (OR=3.4), have higher screen time, and sleep more. From 4:00-6:30 PM on school days there were large differences in participation between high-active and low-active children. Findings suggest MVPA interventions should target girls, screen time and focus on the after-school period.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):548-57.
• Article: Physical activity and sedentary activity patterns among children and adolescents: a latent class analysis approach.

  Carrie D Patnode, Leslie A Lytle, Darin J Erickson, John R Sirard, Daheia J Barr-Anderson, Mary Story
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  ABSTRACT: While much is known about the overall levels of physical activity and sedentary activity among youth, few studies have attempted to define clusters of such behaviors. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe unique classes of youth based on their participation in a variety of physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Latent class analysis was used to characterize segments of youth based on patterns of self-reported and accelerometer-measured participation in 12 behaviors. Children and adolescents (N=720) from 6th-11th grade were included in the analysis. Differences in class membership were examined using multinomial logistic regression. Three distinct classes emerged for boys and girls. Among boys, the 3 classes were characterized as "Active" (42.1%), "Sedentary" (24.9%), and "Low Media/Moderate Activity" (33.0%). For girls, classes were "Active" (18.7%), "Sedentary" (47.6%), and "Low Media/Functional Activity" (33.7%). Significant differences were found between the classes for a number of demographic indicators including the proportion in each class who were classified as overweight or obese. The behavioral profiles of the classes identified in this study can be used to suggest possible audience segments for intervention and to tailor strategies appropriately.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):457-67.
• Article: Active commuting to school and association with physical activity and adiposity among US youth.

  Jason A Mendoza, Kathy Watson, Nga Nguyen, Ester Cerin, Tom Baranowski, Theresa A Nicklas
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  ABSTRACT: Walking or bicycling to school (ie, active commuting) has shown promise for improving physical activity and preventing obesity in youth. Our objectives were to examine, among US youth, whether active commuting was inversely associated with adiposity and positively associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). We also examined whether MVPA mediated the relationships between active commuting and adiposity. Using data of participants aged 12 to 19 years from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003 to 2004 (n=789 unweighted), we constructed multiple linear regression models that controlled for dietary energy intake and sociodemographics. The main exposure variable was active commuting. The outcomes were BMI z-score, waist circumference, skinfolds and objectively measured MVPA. The product-of-coefficients method was used to test for mediation. Active commuting was inversely associated with BMI z-score (β=-0.07, P=.046) and skinfolds (β=-0.06, P=.029), and positively associated with overall daily (β=0.12, P=.024) and before- and after-school (β=0.20, P<.001) MVPA. Greater before- and after-school MVPA explained part of the relationship between active commuting and waist circumference (Sobel z=-1.98, P=.048). Active commuting was associated with greater MVPA and lower measures of adiposity among US youth. Before- and after-school MVPA mediated the relationships between active commuting and waist circumference.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):488-95.
• Article: A tale of two trails: exploring different paths to success.

  Jennifer G Walker, Kelly R Evenson, William J Davis, Philip Bors, Daniel A Rodríguez
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  ABSTRACT: This comparative case study investigates 2 successful community trail initiatives, using the Active Living By Design (ALBD) Community Action Model as an analytical framework. The model includes 5 strategies: preparation, promotion, programs, policy, and physical projects. Key stakeholders at 2 sites participated in in-depth interviews (N=14). Data were analyzed for content using Atlas Ti and grouped according to the 5 strategies. PREPARATION: Securing trail resources was challenging, but shared responsibilities facilitated trail development. PROMOTIONS: The initiatives demonstrated minimal physical activity encouragement strategies. PROGRAMS: Community stakeholders did not coordinate programmatic opportunities for routine physical activity. POLICY: Trails' inclusion in regional greenway master plans contributed to trail funding and development. Policies that were formally institutionalized and enforced led to more consistent trail construction and safer conditions for users. PHYSICAL PROJECTS: Consistent standards for wayfinding signage and design safety features enhanced trail usability and safety. Communities with different levels of government support contributed unique lessons to inform best practices of trail initiatives. This study revealed a disparity between trail development and use-encouragement strategies, which may limit trails' impact on physical activity. The ALBD Community Action Model provided a viable framework to structure cross-disciplinary community trail initiatives.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):523-33.
• Article: Actical accelerometer sedentary activity thresholds for adults.

  Suzy Lai Wong, Rachel Colley, Sarah Connor Gorber, Mark Tremblay
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  ABSTRACT: Actical accelerometer thresholds have been derived to enable objective measurement of time spent performing sedentary activity in children and adolescents, but not adults. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine Actical accelerometer sedentary activity thresholds for adults. Data were available from 3187 participants aged 6 to 79 years from a preliminary partial dataset of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, who wore an Actical for 7 days. Step count data were used to evaluate the use of 50, 100, and 800 counts per min (cpm) as sedentary activity thresholds. Minutes when no steps were recorded were considered minutes of sedentary activity. The use of higher cpm thresholds resulted in a greater percentage of sedentary minutes being correctly classified as sedentary. The percentage of minutes that were incorrectly classified as sedentary was substantially higher when using a threshold of 800 cpm compared with 50 or 100 cpm. Results were similar for children, adolescents, and adults. These findings suggest that a threshold of 100 cpm is appropriate for classifying sedentary activity of adults when using the Actical. As such, wear periods with minutes registering less than 100 cpm would be classified as time spent performing sedentary activity.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):587-91.
• Article: Assigning metabolic equivalent values to the 2002 census occupational classification system.

  Catrine Tudor-Locke, Barbara E Ainsworth, Tracy L Washington, Richard Troiano
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  ABSTRACT: The Current Population Survey (CPS) and the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) use the 2002 census occupation system to classify workers into 509 separate occupations arranged into 22 major occupational categories. We describe the methods and rationale for assigning detailed Metabolic Equivalent (MET) estimates to occupations and present population estimates (comparing outputs generated by analysis of previously published summary MET estimates to the detailed MET estimates) of intensities of occupational activity using the 2003 ATUS data comprised of 20,720 respondents, 5323 (2917 males and 2406 females) of whom reported working 6+ hours at their primary occupation on their assigned reporting day. Analysis using the summary MET estimates resulted in 4% more workers in sedentary occupations, 6% more in light, 7% less in moderate, and 3% less in vigorous compared with using the detailed MET estimates. The detailed estimates are more sensitive to identifying individuals who do any occupational activity that is moderate or vigorous in intensity resulting in fewer workers in sedentary and light intensity occupations. Since CPS/ATUS regularly captures occupation data it will be possible to track prevalence of the different intensity levels of occupations. Updates will be required with inevitable adjustments to future occupational classification systems.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):581-6.
• Article: Determining activity monitor wear time: an influential decision rule.

  Wendy C King, Jia Li, Kira Leishear, James E Mitchell, Steven H Belle
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  ABSTRACT: Accurately measuring physical activity (PA) with activity monitors requires sufficient monitor wear time which can be difficult to assess. Monitor sensitivity to movement and population characteristics (eg, children vs. adults) may dictate the duration of monitor inactivity indicative of nonwear. A standardized method for determining appropriate decision rules to identify wear time is needed. Several decision rules based on minimum durations of monitor inactivity (ie, 60, 90, 120, 150 minutes) to identify nonwear were applied to Stepwatch Activity Monitor data from 1064 adult bariatric surgical candidates. The frequency, pattern, and duration of resulting nonwear and wear periods were examined. Generalized Estimating Equations tested the effect of these decision rules on PA measures. A 60-minute duration resulted in unreasonably large percentages of subjects with unlikely wear patterns [eg, ≥3 nonwear periods in a day (29.9%); ≥2 wear periods of less than an hour in a day (28.7%)]; 120 minutes appeared most reasonable. Wear time decision rules impacted PA measures. The methods described in this paper can be used to determine appropriate instrument and population specific wear time decision rules. Recognizing monitor wear time is estimated, PA measures least affected by wear time are preferable.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):566-80.
• Article: Association between ambulatory physical activity and injuries during United States Army Basic Combat Training.

  Joseph J Knapik, Keith G Hauret, Sara Canada, Roberto Marin, Bruce Jones
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  ABSTRACT: Associations between physical activity and injuries have been previously examined using self-reports. The present investigation examined this association using objective measures of activity and injury. To quantify ambulatory activity, pedometers were worn daily by recruits in 10 Army Basic Combat Training companies during the 9-week training cycle. Injuries were obtained from a medical surveillance system, defined as traumatic or overuse events resulting in a medical care provider visit. A daily questionnaire documented whether or not recruits wore the pedometers and trained with their companies for the entire day. Training companies were categorized by activity level into 3 groups with higher activity (HA, 17,948±550 steps/day), 4 with moderate activity (MA, 16,346±768 steps/day) and 3 with lower activity (LA, 14,772±400 steps/day). Among men, the MA and HA groups were at 1.52 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]=1.15-2.01) and 1.94 (95% CI=1.46-2.61) times higher injury risk, respectively, compared with the LA group. Among women, the MA and HA groups were at 1.36 (95% CI=1.07-1.73) and 1.53 (95% CI=1.24-1.89) times higher injury risk, respectively, compared with low LA group. The relationships remained significant after considering physical characteristics and physical fitness. In consonance with previous self-report studies, higher physical activity was associated with higher injury risk.
  Journal of physical activity & health 05/2011; 8(4):496-502.
• Article: Accelerometer-determined lifestyle activities in US adults.

  Sarah M Camhi, Susan B Sisson, William D Johnson, Peter T Katzmarzyk, Catrine Tudor-Locke
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  ABSTRACT: Objective physical activity data analyses focus on moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) without considering lower intensity lifestyle-type activities (LA). We describe 1) quantity of LA (minutes and steps per day) across demographic groups, 2) proportion of LA to total physical activity, and 3) relationships between LA and MVPA using NHANES 2005-2006 accelerometer adult data (n = 3744). LA was defined as 760 to 2019 counts per minute (cpm) and MVPA as ≥2020 cpm. LA was compared within gender, ethnicity, age, and BMI groups. Regression analyses examined independent effects. Correlations were evaluated between LA and MVPA. All analyses incorporated sampling weights to represent national estimates. Adults spent 110.4 ± 1.6 minutes and took 3476 ± 54 steps per day in LA. Similar to MVPA, LA was highest in men, Mexican Americans, and lowest in adults ≥60 years or obese. When LA was held constant, ethnic differences no longer predicted MVPA minutes, and age no longer predicted MVPA steps. LA and MVPA minutes (r = .84) and steps per day (r = .72) were significantly correlated, but attenuated with MVPA modified bouts (≥10 minutes sustained activity). LA accumulation differs between demographic subgroups and is related to MVPA: adults who spend more minutes and steps in MVPA also spend them in LA.
  Journal of physical activity & health 03/2011; 8(3):382-9.
• Article: Metabolic cost and speech quality while using an active workstation.

  Ronald Howard Cox, Jared Guth, Leah Siekemeyer, Brianna Kellems, Susan Baker Brehm, Christina M Ohlinger
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  ABSTRACT: The effect of active workstation implementation on speech quality in a typical work setting remains unclear. To assess differences between sitting, standing, and walking on energy expenditure and speech quality. Twenty-two females and 9 males read silently, read aloud, and spoke spontaneously during 3 postural conditions: sitting, standing, and walking at 1.61 km/h. Oxygen consumption (VO2), blood pressure, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were obtained during each condition. Expert listeners, blinded to the purpose of the study and the protocol, assessed randomized samples of the participants' speech during reading and spontaneous speech tasks in 3 postural conditions. Standing elevated metabolic rate significantly over sitting (3.3 ± 0.7 vs. 3.6 ± 0.9 ml·kg-1·min-1). Walking at 1.6 km/h while performing the respective tasks resulted in VO2 values of 7.0 to 8.1 ml·kg-1·min-1. There was no significant difference in the average number of syllables included in each speech sample across the conditions. The occurrence of ungrammatical pauses was minimal and did not differ across the conditions. Conclusion: The significant elevation of metabolic rate in the absence of any deterioration in speech quality or RPE support the utility of using active work stations to increase physical activity (PA) in the work environment.
  Journal of physical activity & health 03/2011; 8(3):332-9.
• Article: Correlates of physical activity among Hispanic adults.

  Timothy J Bungum, Melva Thompson-Robinson, Sheniz Moonie, A F Lounsbery M
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  ABSTRACT: Health behaviors of minority populations, including Hispanics, are important from a public health perspective because this subpopulation is growing and health behaviors of this subgroup are understudied. Physical activity is a component of healthy lifestyles and Hispanics have been shown to be less active than are Caucasians. It will be necessary to know correlates of physical activity to enhance the physical activity of this group. Recently, the importance of environmental and cultural factors has been recognized as correlates of physical activity behavior. The purpose of this study was to identify environmental and cultural correlates of physical activity among Hispanic adults. A 52-item telephone survey was employed to assess physical activity and its potential correlates. The sample included 175 females and 156 males. Respondent ages ranged from 18 to 82 years (x = 38.39 ± 15.0). Approximately 20% of respondents were assigned to a "higher physical activity" group. Predictors of being in this group were having supportive environments, being acculturated, attending some college, and age. Providing environmental supports may be an effective strategy to enhance physical activity levels of adult Hispanics. Older Hispanics, those with lower educational attainments and those of lower acculturation should be targeted for intervention.
  Journal of physical activity & health 03/2011; 8(3):429-35.