Publications (2)7.44 Total impact
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Article: Girls' Physical Activity Levels during Organized Sports in Australia.
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ABSTRACT: PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to objectively examine physical activity (PA) levels of girls during organized sport (OS), and to compare the levels between games and practices for the same participants. Secondary aims of this study were to document lesson context and coach behavior during practices and games. METHODS: Participants were 94 girls recruited from 10 teams in three OS (netball, basketball, soccer) from the Western Suburbs of Sydney. Each participant wore an ActiGraph GT3X monitor for the duration of one practice and one game. The SOFIT was concurrently used to document lesson context and coach behavior. RESULTS: Girls spent a significantly higher percentage of time in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) during practices compared to games (33.8% vs. 30.6%; t = 2.94, P > 0.05). Girls spent about 20 min/hr in MVPA during practices and about 18 min/hr in MVPA during games. An average of 2,957 and 2,702 steps/hr were accumulated during practice and games, respectively. However, girls spent roughly two-thirds of their OS time in light PA or sedentary. Based on SOFIT findings, coaches spent a large proportion of practice time in management (15.0%) and knowledge delivery (18.5%). An average of 13.0 and 15.8 occurrences/hr were observed during games and practices where coaches promoted PA. CONCLUSION: For every hour of game play or practice time, girls accumulated approximately one-third of the recommended 60 minutes of MVPA time and about one-quarter of the 12,000 steps that girls are recommended to accumulate daily. For this population, OS appears to make a substantial contribution to recommended amounts of MVPA and steps for participating girls. OS alone, however, does not provide amounts of PA sufficient to meet daily recommendations for adolescent girls.Medicine and science in sports and exercise 07/2012; · 3.71 Impact Factor -
Article: Physical activity and physical function in older adults: the 45 and up study.
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ABSTRACT: To determine the strength of the relationship between physical activity and physical function in older adults. Cross-sectional. The 45 and Up Study baseline questionnaire, New South Wales, Australia. Ninety-one thousand three hundred seventy-five Australian men and women aged 65 and older from the 45 and Up Study. Physical activity engagement (Active Australia Survey), physical function (Medical Outcomes Study Physical Functioning), psychological distress (Kessler-10), and self-reported age, smoking history, education, height, and weight were all measured. Higher levels of physical activity were associated with better physical function in older adults (correlation coefficient = 0.166, P < .001). Participants engaging in higher levels of physical activity had progressively lower likelihoods of functional limitation (middle tertile: odds ratio (OR) = 0.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.38-0.41; highest tertile: OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.27-0.29). This relationship remained significant, but weakened slightly, when adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking history, psychological distress, and educational attainment (middle tertile: adjusted OR (AOR) = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.46-0.50; highest tertile: AOR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.34-0.37). There is a significant, positive relationship between physical activity and physical function in older adults, with older adults who are more physically active being less likely to experience functional limitation than their more-sedentary counterparts. Level of engagement in physical activity is an important predictor of physical function in older adults.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 04/2012; 60(4):719-25. · 3.74 Impact Factor
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2012
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University of Western Sydney
- School of Science and Health
Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
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