Public Health Commons^™

Barriers: Location, Functionality, And Method Of Access In Childhood Pool/Spa Submersion Incidents, United States, 2000-2017, Alison Miller, Kristina R. Anderson, William D. Ramos

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Drowning is a leading cause of fatality among children in the United States, and residential pools/spas currently account for as much as 80% of these submersion incidents. This study reviewed narrative case reports obtained from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to understand barrier location, type, and functionality as methods of pool/spa access for childhood submersion incidents. Retroactive analysis of 1,523 fatal and non-fatal submersion incidents among children aged 13 years old and younger was conducted using the CPSC in depth investigation dataset from 2000-2017. Narrative descriptions were coded according to the attributes of barrier location, functionality, and …

A Comparison Of Fundamental Movement Skills In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Typically Developing Children, Liangshan Dong, Bo Shen, Jin Bo, Yanli Pang

International Journal of Physical Activity and Health

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is urodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and communication impairments as well as a wide range of behavior deficits. For years, motor disturbance reported in ASD has not been treated as a major core deficit because of the overwhelming problems in sociability and communication. Recent studies, however, reveal that motor deficits are associated with the core symptoms of ASD. Because limited studies have addressed motor behavior of children with ASD, especially in China, the purpose of this study is to explore the development of fundamental movement skills in children with ASD and compare it to that of …

Impact Of A Summer Nutrition And Physical Activity Intervention To Attenuate Obesity In Urban African-American Youth, Jermaine B. Mitchell, Antonio J. Gardner, Zachary Wahl-Alexander, Ben Schwamberger, Douglas Craddock Jr., Carol N. Agomo, Myia C. Lang

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Improved eating behaviors and daily participation in physical activity such as swimming might abate the likelihood of African American youth becoming obese. Yet many African American youth neither consume the recommended daily servings of nutritious foods nor know how to swim. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a culturally tailored multicomponent summer intervention to reduce obesity and unintentional drownings among underserved African American youth. Children (n = 145) participated in a three-hour, community-based intervention for four weeks. Measures of children’s attitudes perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms toward swimming, nutrition, and physical fitness were …

Elementary Classroom Teachers’ Self-Reported Use Of Movement Integration Products And Perceived Facilitators And Barriers Related To Product Use, Roddrick Dugger, Aaron Rafferty, Ethan Hunt, Michael W. Beets, Collin Andrew Webster, Brian Chen, Jeffrey Michael Rehling, Robert Glenn Weaver

Faculty Publications

Movement integration (MI) products are designed to provide children with physical activity during general education classroom time. The purpose of this study was to examine elementary classroom teachers’ self-reported use of MI products and subsequent perceptions of the facilitators of and barriers to MI product use. This study utilized a mixed-methods design. Elementary classroom teachers (n = 40) at four schools each tested four of six common MI products in their classroom for one week. Teachers completed a daily diary, documenting duration and frequency of product use. Following each product test, focus groups were conducted with teachers to assess facilitators …

Effectiveness Of An Intensive Drowning Prevention Program And Skills Retention By Children With And Without Disabilities, Anna L. Forde Otd, Otr/L, Ctrs, Emily A. Zeman Otd, Ms, Otr/L, Lynn Clarke

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This study examined the effectiveness of a drowning prevention program and the retention of swimming and water safety skills for 3-14 year-old children with and without disabilities. The intensive program, SWIM Central, used a top-down approach to teach 6 swimming and water safety skills during 10, 30-minute sessions. A post-participation parent survey results suggested that children ages 3-14 with and without disabilities who had previously participated in SWIM Central retained swimming and water safety skills to a similar degree. The current swim skill assessments showed that there was not an overall difference in swim skill performance in the presence of …

Determinants Of Hydration In Children: The Role Of Physical Activity And Parental Dietary Habits, Hyun-Gyu Suh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

PURPOSE: The purpose of these studies was 1) to examine the factors that influence the water intake in children and 2) to identify the optimal time window to assess hydration status that would be equivalent to 24-hour urine sample in children. METHODS: Study 1: Data for 200 parents (age:3-13y, female:62%, BMI:28.4±7.0kg∙m-2) and 200 children (age:7.5±2.9y, female:44%, BMI:17.7±3.9kg∙m-2) were recruited. Subjects recorded their fluid and food consumption on the 2-day diary, and food data were analyzed by using the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) program. Physical activity levels were assessed with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). All urine samples …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Overweight And Obesity Among Preschool-Aged Children In San Luis Obispo County, 2006-2014, Kristine Z. Jankovitz, Alison K. Ventura, Trevor M. Curry, Victoria B. Howarth, Caitlin C. Moran, Robin M. Mertens, Leland A. Bailey, Kristen Thompson, Karen Mcgaughey

Kinesiology and Public Health

Background and Purpose: National prevalence of overweight and obesity (OW/OB) among children remains high; surveillance of OW/OB at state- and local-levels is needed. This study determines the prevalence and sociodemographic predictors of OW/OB among preschool-age children in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County.

Methods: Cross-sectional convenience samples of Head Start, California State, and private preschools were surveyed in 2006 (n=482), 2009/10 (n=559), and 2014 (n=442). At all waves, preschool children aged 3-5 years were measured for height and weight using standardized stadiometer and digital scale protocols. In 2014, parents completed a demographics questionnaire.

Results: Children assessed in 2009/10 and 2014 were …

Measuring Australian Children’S Water Safety Knowledge: The National Water Safety Quiz, Amy E. Peden, Richard Charles Franklin, Justin Scarr

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Water safety knowledge levels of Australian children are poorly understood. Royal Life Saving developed an online National Water Safety Quiz (NWSQ) as an interactive means of determining water safety knowledge amongst Australian primary school children (ages 5 to 12 years). Over a period of 8 months, a total of 4,215 children participated in the NWSQ. The NWSQ identified areas of water safety where knowledge was poor including the topics of CPR, swimming, and river safety. Children achieved a better result as they aged. Females out-performed males overall and specifically from ages 10-12 years. Children from independent schools performed better. This …

Feasibility Of A Combined Physical Activity And Sleep Education Intervention For Girls Living In A Low Socioeconomic Status Urban Community, Cory J. Greever

Doctoral Dissertations

Declining sleep duration and poor sleep quality is a public health epidemic disproportionately effecting elementary age girls living in low socioeconomic status urban communities. The Girls Dancing and Sleeping for Health (Girls DASH) program was designed to test the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a combined physical activity and sleep education program in this population. In combination with baseline data from a previously conducted intervention in elementary age urban girls living in a low SES community in Springfield, MA, results from a cross-sectional analysis indicated that greater screen time was positively associated with parental reports of child’s sleep quality. Additionally, …

Early Child Care And Adiposity At Kindergarten Entry, Jessica D. Mackle

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The association between pre-school child care participation and markers of adiposity at kindergarten entry was examined using parent reported previous child care exposure and directly measured body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) of kindergarten children (N=201; boys=106, girls=95). It was hypothesized that kindergarten children with previous exposure to full-time non-parent child care (FNPC; >20h/week) would have increased risk of overweight/obesity (BMI≥ 85^th percentile) and high central adiposity (WC ≥80^th percentile) compared to parent care (PC). The data suggest that there was no significant relationship between FNPC (n=112) and risk of overweight/obesity (OR=1.17, …

Examining Activity Levels And Motor Proficiency: A Comparison Of Children Who Are Overweight And At A Healthy Weight To Their Parents And Peers, Aaron Copeland, Maresa Madsen, Riley Phelps, Brandon Richards

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine relationships and differences between motor proficiency, activity level, and parental activity level in children who are at a healthy weight and children who are overweight or obese.

Methods: Forty-four children (26 children at a healthy weight and 18 children who were overweight or obese) between the ages of 8-16 (BMI: 14.3-43.6 kg/m2) and 36 parents (BMI: 18.1-44.7) participated in this study. Children and parents wore StepWatch activity monitors (SAM) to measure activity levels over a 72 hour period. Tests reflecting several determinants of motor performance were also administered to …

Effects Of Environment On Children's Motor Scores, Eligibility Status, And Administration Times, Derrick Mittelstadt, Abigail Parker, Kirsten Pickett, Heather Temkin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Best practices for assessing developmental skills in young children focus on naturalistic observation in everyday settings, but the effects of environment on test scores, eligibility status and administration time have not been explored. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2) was administered to 34 children aged 18 to 59 months in natural and pull-out settings. PDMS-2 total, gross, and fine motor quotient (TMQ, GMQ, and FMQ) scores were significantly lower in the natural environment (p’s≤.014). Based on our results, more children would qualify for services when tested in natural environments using TMQ and GMQ scores. It also took significantly longer …