Jim McKenna

• Ph.D.
• Professor at Leeds Beckett University

To ensure that elite adolescent athletes meet their unique training, growth and maturation demands, it is imperative to have access to valid measures of energy intake. Contemporary methods demand close attention-to-detail, meaning that athletes often do not fully adhere to real-time protocols. This study represents the first investigation of a real...

Simple Summary This article explores the relationship between sarcopenia, cardiovascular disease and metabolic diseases. The authors suggest non-drug treatments such as exercise, dietary modifications and behavioural interventions as potential strategies to help older adults manage these conditions. This review highlights the importance of combinin...

Physical inactivity is common in people with chronic airways disease (pwCAD) and associated with worse clinical outcomes and impaired quality of life. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to characterise and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions promoting step-based physical activity (PA) in pwCAD. We searched for studies that i...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenously generated single-stranded RNAs that play crucial roles in numerous biological processes, such as cell development, proliferation, differentiation, metabolism and apoptosis. They negatively regulate target gene expression by repressing translation of messenger RNA into a functional protein. Several miRNAs have bee...

Background Physical activity (PA) is a key behaviour for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, healthcare professionals’ (HCP) recommendations (walking advice), which are short-term and individually focused, did not reduce the PA drop-out ratio in the long run. Using a socio-ecological model approach may contribute to reducing patient drop...

This study examined associations between changes in domain-specific sedentary behaviors and changes in health-related lifestyles of Spanish secondary school students (n = 113) to their first year of university. During the transitions from the end of high school to the beginning of university, engagement in sedentary behaviors have emerged as potent...

Background Exercise is advocated in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, uncertainty around the acute effects of exercise on pain and inflammation may be stopping people with RA from exercising more regularly. Objectives To determine the acute effects of exercise on pain symptoms, clinical inflammatory markers, and inflammatory cyt...

Objective Although physical activity (PA) is a key behaviour for controlling Type 2 Diabetes, problematic adoption and/or adherence continues to impair disease management. This study aims to understand how patients with T2D live and experience nurses PA promotion during consultations in Spanish context. Method The present study is a qualitative re...

Sport has the potential to support psychosocial development in young people. However, extant studies have tended to evaluate purpose-built interventions, leaving regular organised sport relatively overlooked. Moreover, previous work has tended to concentrated on a narrow range of outcomes. To address these gaps, we conducted a season-long ethnograp...

The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions have significantly reduced population-wide physical activity (PA) levels. However, the impact of the pandemic and relevant restrictions on PA participation, and any potential barriers to it, in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are not clear. Furthermore, we are unsure if any such PA chan...

Following publication of the original article [1], the authors identified that the funding section was incomplete. The incorrect and correct funding section is shown below. The original article has been updated.

Background Engaging in regular physical activity requires continued complex decision-making in varied and dynamic individual, social and structural contexts. Widespread shortfalls of physical activity interventions suggests the complex underlying mechanisms of change are not yet fully understood. More insightful process evaluations are needed to de...

This paper explores why teachers adopt physically active learning (PAL). Data were collected through ‘go-alongs’ supplemented by individual interviews with 13 teachers in seven Norwegian lower secondary schools. Data were then analysed thematically. Results indicated that as well as to enhance their teaching and pupils' learning, teachers adopt PAL...

Background Obesity remains one of the most challenging public health issues of our modern time. Despite the face validity of claims for influence, studies on the causes of obesity have reported the influence of the food environment to be inconsistent. This inconsistency has been attributed to the variability of measures used by researchers to repre...

Objective A stepped-down program is one where clients transition from the care of a health professional to self-managed care. This study reviewed the effectiveness of stepped-down interventions to promote self-managed physical activity for health in military service veterans. Design Systematic review. Methods Literature searches of 11 electronic...

Background: Engaging in regular physical activity requires continued complex decision-making in varied and dynamic individual, social and structural contexts. Widespread shortfalls of physical activity interventions suggests the complex underlying mechanisms of change are not yet fully understood. More insightful process evaluations are needed to d...

The professionalization of soccer academies has intensified, with youth players exposed to demanding performance-focused environments in pursuit of a career in the professional game. Yet, academies are also under increasing pressure to show that they develop players who can function in life beyond soccer. Therefore, this study explored the retrospe...

Purpose: The aim of this pilot validation study was to determine the accuracy of a smartphone (iPhone®) pedometer in adults with and without asthma. Methods : Ten adults with asthma and ten healthy controls underwent clinical assessment prior to completing two separate trials. Phase 1. standardised treadmill and self-paced walking tests. Total st...

Background Although physical activity (PA) is a key behaviour for preventing and controlling diabetes (T2DM), low adoption-adherence continues to impair patient progress. Importantly, for many patients, intentional PA may have never been central to their wider cultural context. Therefore, progress in behaviour change may be more about collective th...

Background: A large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-min of daily, in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. Methods: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9 ± 0.3 years)...

Background: A large majority of primary school pupils fail to achieve 30-minutes in-school moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The aim of this study was to investigate MVPA accumulation and subject frequency during academic lesson segments and the broader segmented school day. Methods: 122 children (42.6% boys; 9.9±0.3yrs) from six prima...

Outdoor orientation programs are used to provide experiences which aid transition to university. We investigated how an outdoor orientation program for first-year university students in England, UK accelerates social group development, which in turn aids transition and adaptation to university. We employed mixed methods data collection, including t...

To prevent the spread of infection during matches and training activities is a major challenge facing all sports returning from the enforced COVID-19 shutdown. During training and matches, rugby league players make contact with others which can result in SARS-CoV-2 virus transmission. While these interactions characterise the appeal of the game, a...

Regular physical activity is important for children’s physical and mental wellbeing and academic performance. Unfortunately, too many children are not moving enough. Globally, 50% of children don’t meet the internationally-recognized target of 60 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. This rises to four out of five children in wes...

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...].

BACKGROUND A stepped-down program is one in which clients transition from the care of a health professional to self-managed care. Very little is known about the effectiveness of stepped-down physical activity (PA) programs for military service veterans. OBJECTIVE This study will test Active Choices, a stepped-down behavioural support program desig...

Despite literature highlighting numerous risks to the healthy psychosocial development of youth elite academy soccer players, little of this research is based on high-quality research designs. This study employed a prospective longitudinal cohort design to track psychosocial outcomes of academy involvement within male youth elite soccer players (n...

Background The benefits of exercise for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are now widely recognised [1]. However, exercise participation among people with RA remains low. A key reason for that could be the commonly held belief that exercise, may exacerbate disease activity while acutely increasing levels of joint pain. The association of acute...

Outdoor orientation programmes aid transition to university through adventure experience. The assumption is that transition processes are achieved by helping students develop constructive social support systems as well as providing them with feelings of belonging, trust and connection to a group of peers. These peer relationships provide both criti...

International research linking food outlets and body mass index (BMI) is largely cross-sectional, yielding inconsistent findings. However, addressing the exposure of food outlets is increasingly considered as an important adult obesity prevention strategy. Our study investigates associations between baseline food environment types and change in BMI...

Background: The Battle Back Centre offers a bespoke, Self Determination Theory-oriented adapted sport and adventurous training programme centred on experiential learning and reflection to support the recovery of military personnel. Aim: To identify the short-term impact of participation in the programme on positive mental health and psychological n...

The inability of young adults to adapt to university life has been attributed to their declining resilience. Resilience refers to any individuals’ capacity to change or modify behaviour in response to environmental hazards, so they thrive. Outdoor Adventure (OA) residential programmes have helped higher education inductees to acquire skills associa...

UK military personnel have faced increased demands over the last three decades; these have affected their wellbeing and caused multiple physical and mental health problems. Currently, bespoke rehabilitation systems may recommend participation in sports programmes. Although research attention has been drawn to the short-term positive effects of thes...

Talent identification and development systems (TIDS) are commonly used in professional sport to convert youth athletes into sporting stars of the future. Acknowledging that only a few athletes can "make it," the necessity and healthiness of TIDS have recently been questioned based on their increased professionalism, high training, and competition v...

Introduction Despite its intuitive appeal, evidence regarding the impact of The Daily MileTM (TDM) on academic performance (AP) is limited. School based interventions assessing the acute effects of physical activity (PA) on AP and cognition suggest variable effects. This study explored the immediate effects of TDM on AP (maths fluency). Method In...

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the healthy weight services in one local authority in England, where obesity levels have been above the national average since 2006. Design We conducted process and outcome evaluation using a qualitative methodology. Data were generated in focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews wi...

The environment may lead to lower body mass index (BMI) and obesity risk by providing opportunities to be physically active. However, while intuitively appealing, associations are often inconsistent in direction and small scale. This longitudinal study examined if change in BMI and obesity was associated with the availability of physical activity (...

Aims: This study investigates associations between the combined physical activity environment and obesity and explores any sub-group effects by individual-level socioeconomic status. Methods: In a large cross-sectional cohort ( n = 22,889) from the Yorkshire Health Study, body mass index was calculated using self-reported height and weight and o...

Objective To examine the impact of acute classroom movement break (CMB) and physically active learning (PAL) interventions on physical activity (PA), cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour. Design Systematic review. Data sources PubMed, EBSCO, Academic Search Complete, Education Resources Information Center, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus...

Designing and implementing successful dietary intervention is integral to the role of sport nutrition professionals as they attempt to positively change the dietary behaviours of athletes. High-performance sport is a time-pressured environment where immediate results can often supersede pursuit of the most effective evidence-based practice. However...

Little research has investigated associations between a combined measure of the food and physical activity (PA) environment, BMI (body-mass-index) and obesity. Cross-sectional data (n=22,889, age 18-86years) from the Yorkshire Health Study were used [2010-2013]. BMI was calculated using self-reported height and weight; obesity=BMI≥30. Neighbourhood...

Objectives The purpose of this paper was to use a storytelling approach to explore the role of a 5-day inclusive residential adapted sport and adventurous training (AS & AAT) programme in the recovery of military personnel diagnosed with PTSD. Design: Narrative storytelling approach. Method A first-person story was developed from the participant's...

We evaluated the impact of a workplace 'sit less, move more' programme (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS, 19-week) on self-reported activity-related energy expenditure (AREE) in Spanish office employees (n = 264; 42 ± 10 years; 171 female) randomly assigned to Intervention (IG; used W@WS; n = 129) or comparison groups (CGs; n = 135). A linear mixed model asses...

We evaluated the impact of a workplace 'sit less, move more' programme (Walk@WorkSpain, W@WS, 19-week) on self-reported activity-related energy expenditure (AREE) in Spanish office employees (n = 264; 42 ± 10 years; 171 female) randomly assigned to Intervention (IG; used W@WS; n = 129) or comparison groups (CGs; n = 135). A linear mixed model asses...

Objective: This study validated the Walk@Work-Application (W@W-App) for measuring occupational sitting and stepping. Methods: The W@W-App was installed on the smartphones of office-based employees (n=17; 10 women; 26±3 years). A prescribed 1-hour laboratory protocol plus two continuous hours of occupational free-living activities were performed....

Background Recent research has demonstrated that neighbourhood features such as fast-food outlets and supermarkets may co-occur. However, little research has investigated the combined influences of both the built food and physical activity (PA) environments and associations with body mass index and obesity. This study aims to use latent class analy...

Public health is increasingly engaging with multi-faceted obesity prevention efforts. Although parks represent key community assets for broader public health, they may not be distributed equitably and associations with obesity are equivocal. We investigated park access and quality relative to deprivation and obesity with individual-level data from...

This study explored the extent of financial constraints experienced by athletes on the England Talent Pathway, as perceived by talent leads from various sports. Using a mixed-methods approach, 34 participants completed online surveys with 26 follow-up interviews. Findings showed the prevalence of financial constraints on individuals within the syst...

Expressing intervention outcomes using mean changes can overlook variable responsiveness and mask some intervention successes. The present study, in the form of a poster explores subgroup analysis based on pre-activity levels to explore varied responsiveness to a school-based, teacher-led pedometer intervention in primary school children.

Aim The study aimed to determine whether an outdoor orientation programme (OOP) could increase personal development, develop resilience and aid transition and adaptation in 1st year university students. OOPs are thought to aid transition through adventure experience. Based on student development theory, outdoor orientation programmes accelerate psy...

To ensure that elite adolescent athletes meet their unique training, growth and maturation demands it is imperative to have access to valid measures of energy intake. Contemporary methods demand close attention-to-detail, meaning that athletes often do not fully adhere to real-time protocols. This study represents the first investigation of a real-...

Background Few studies have examined the impact of ‘sit less, move more’ interventions on workplace performance. This study assessed the short and mid-term impacts of and patterns of change within, a 19-week workplace web-based intervention (Walk@WorkSpain; W@WS; 2010–11) on employees´ presenteeism, mental well-being and lost work performance. Meth...

Lay-led walking group interventions to increase physical activity often use community engagement methods to ensure intervention reach and to address the determinants of neighbourhood walking. More needs to be known about how social factors support engagement and maintenance of group activity. This paper presents results from qualitative research on...

The technical demands of games can be affected by changing the number of players, pitch size and rules. This controlled trial compared the frequency of technical skills between a ‘traditional’ and newly introduced systematically ‘modified’ game of primary rugby league. A total of 475 primary rugby league players (Under 7s to 9s) were filmed playing...

Decision making in elite level sporting competition is often regarded as distinguishing success from failure. As an intricate brain-based process it is unlike other physical processes because it is invisible and is typically only evidenced after the event. This case study shows how an individual achieved great success in elite level professional fo...

Background To investigate associations between the food and physical activity (PA) environments and obesity. Methods Cross-sectional data (n = 22,889) from the Yorkshire Health Study were used. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using self-reported height and weight; obesity was defined as BMI ? 30. Waist circumference (WC) was also self-reporte...

Inconsistencies in methodologies continue to inhibit understanding of the impact of the environment on body mass index (BMI). To estimate the effect of these differences, we assessed the impact of using different definitions of neighbourhood and data sets on associations between food outlet availability within the environment and BMI. Previous rese...

Talent development in sport is well represented in scientific literature. Yet, the drive to protect ‘trade secrets’ often means that access to these high performing groups is rare, especially as these high-level performances are being delivered. This leaves the details of high-end working practices absent from current academic commentary. As a resu...

Key finding This study offers little support for the notion that more or higher quality parks increase walking behaviors or reduce the risk of obesity.

Most weight management programmes emphasise weight loss as a primary outcome of such interventions. As a result, little research has explored the other outcomes that, beyond weight loss, are personally meaningful for individuals in the process of behaviour change. Using semi structured interviews with 30 hard-to-engage men who attended a weight los...

Background: Increasingly the health impacts of physical inactivity are being distinguished from those of sedentary behaviour. Nevertheless, deleterious health prognoses occur when these behaviours combine, making it a Public Health priority to establish the numbers and salient identifying factors of people who live with this injurious combination....

2105 Board #257 June 2, 2: 00 PM - 3: 30 PM

Background and objectives: Variation in the existing literature on the psychosocial benefits of weight loss in obese youth results, in part, from methodological limitations and modest weight loss. Accordingly, this research assessed perceived self-competence and low self-esteem during an intensive weight loss programme in a large sample of obese y...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Adequate protein intake is essential to retaining muscle and maintaining physical function, especially in the elderly, and L-Leucine has received attention as an essential amino acid (EAA) that enhances protein retention. The study’s aim was to compare the efficacy of EAAs mixtures on lean tissue mass (LTM) and functional per...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Increasing prevalence of sarcopenia is a consequence ofgreater longevity and has significant health and economic costs. Adequate protein intake is essentialto retaining muscle and maintaining physical function, especially in the elderly, and L-Leucine has received particular attention as an essential amino acid (EAA) that enh...

Whilst acknowledging that inactive communities which increase participation in sport, exercise and physical activity will benefit health fitness, with far-reaching implications for contemporary health systems, the authors warn against conflation of the terms ‘physical activity’, ‘exercise’ and ‘sport’, and assumption that the promotion of sport alo...

The rationale of physical activity (PA) for health is well documented (WHO 2010). Sport England, one of the lead bodies for sport in England, has set out a strategy to increase sports participation in 14-25 year olds (Sport England 2012). This group is heavily engaged with the Higher Education sector and sport is an important mode of PA for many of...

Little is known about how sitting time, alone or in combination with markers of physical activity (PA), influences mental well-being and work productivity. Given the need to develop workplace PA interventions that target employees' health related efficiency outcomes; this study examined the associations between self-reported sitting time, PA, menta...

It has been suggested that football and communities are inextricably linked. Healthy lifestyles are an important component in maintaining the sustainability of local communities, not least, because a convincing evidence base supports the holistic benefits that can be derived from health-enhancing behaviours, such as regular physical activity. As su...

For men, unhealthy lifestyle behaviours including physical inactivity, a poor diet, smoking and excess alcohol represent major, modifiable causes of non-communicable disease worldwide. Innovative approaches that seek to overcome the barriers that men experience when attempting to deploy more self-care to manage these behaviours are required. This s...

There are a number of assertions being made for a £10 m investment by the English Premier League for primary school sport. For example, it is claimed that Physical Education plus school sport can improve cognitive functioning, concentration, behaviour, educational attainment and overall physical health. However, far from being sufficient in helping...

Objectives: The accurate mass assessment of physical activity is essential for effective Public Health policy and practice. Combined with a desire to minimize participant burden, the self-reported single-item physical activity screening measure has become increasingly attractive and widespread. To help reduce any potential misclassification, refini...

Unsurprisingly obese adolescents – who are likely to be inactive-often report deficits in an important facet of executive functioning, inhibition control. Acute bouts of exercise, in normal weight children, improve executive function (Hillman et al., 2009) To optimise the value of intervention programmes for obese young people, planners need to und...