Public Health Commons^™

Objectively Measured Physical Activity And Fat Mass In A Large Cohort Of Children, Andy R. Ness, Sam D. Leary, Calum Mattocks, Steven N. Blair, John J. Reilly, Jonathan Wells, Sue Ingle, Kate Tilling, George Davey Smith, Chris J. Riddoch

John Reilly

Background: Previous studies have been unable to characterise the association between physical activity and obesity, possibly because most relied on inaccurate measures of physical activity and obesity.

Methods and Findings: We carried out a cross sectional analysis on 5,500 12-year-old children enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Total physical activity and minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were measured using the Actigraph accelerometer. Fat mass and obesity (defined as the top decile of fat mass) were measured using the Lunar Prodigy dual x-ray emission absorptiometry scanner. We found strong negative associations between MVPA and …

Efficacy Of In-Service Nutrition Training For Mid-Level Providers To Improve Feeding Practices Among Hiv-Positive Children In Tanga, Tanzania: Study Protocol For A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Bruno F. Sunguya, Krishna C. Poudel, Linda B. Mlunde, David P. Urassa, Masamine Jimba, Junko Yasuoka

Krishna C. Poudel

The Influence Of The Physical Environment And Sociodemographic Characteristics On Children's Mode Of Travel To And From School, Kristian Larsen, Jason Gilliland, Peter Hess, Patricia Tucker, Jennifer Irwin, Meizi He

Trish Tucker

Objectives: We examined whether certain characteristics of the social and physical environment influence a child's mode of travel between home and school. Methods: Students aged 11 to 13 years from 21 schools throughout London, Ontario, answered questions from a travel behavior survey. A geographic information system linked survey responses for 614 students who lived within 1 mile of school to data on social and physical characteristics of environments around the home and school. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the influence of environmental factors on mode of travel (motorized vs "active") to and from school. Results: Over 62% of …

Healthy Eating And Physical Activity Challenges And Opportunities In After-School Programs: Providers’ Perspectives, Heather Thomas, L. Fellner, Patricia Tucker, Jennifer Irwin

Trish Tucker

The purpose of this study was to understand after-school program providers’ perspectives of (a) current physical activity and nutrition curriculum, practices, and challenges, and (b) necessary modifications, program suggestions or resource needs to improve the healthy eating and active living practices within their after-school program for children aged 6 to 12 years. This qualitative study targeted a sample of nine after-school program providers in London, Ontario. Data was collected via in-depth interviews and a demographic survey between January and April 2009. Strategies to enhance data trustworthiness were incorporated throughout. After-school program providers identified insufficient healthy eating curriculum and requested interactive, …

Kawasaki Syndrome In Texas, Alberto Coustasse, Julius J. Larry, Witold Migala, Cody Arvidson, Karan P. Singh

Alberto Coustasse, DrPH, MD, MBA, MPH

The authors examined hospitalization rates of Kawasaki Syndrome (KS) among Texas children to isolate clusters, identify demographic disparities, and suggest possible causative factors. Using a retrospective cross-sectional study design, they studied 330 KS cases from 2,818,460 hospital discharges. The majority of the cases (61.5%) occurred within the 1-4-years-old category, representing the highest hospitalization rate (14.3 per 100,000 children). Almost 75% of the KS population was less than 5 years old, with hospitalization rates approximately 8 times higher than that of all other children (p < .05). KS diagnosis occurred for only 49.4% of all KS cases upon admission. Along with high-density …

Review Of Physical Activity Prevalence Of Asian School-Age Children And Adolescents, Andre M. Müller

Andre M Müller

Overweight and obese populations in Asia are high and increasing rapidly. Physical activity prevalence studies have found low physical activity rates among Asian school-age children and adolescents. The purpose of this review is to establish a baseline for physical activity rates in Asian school-age children and adolescents and serve as a platform for additional research. Thirty articles published between 2000 and 2011 on physical activity prevalence of school-age children and adolescents were included in the review. Fourteen studies were conducted in East Asia, 10 in Southeast Asia, 2 in South Asia, and 2 in West Asia. Studies used subjective methods …