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The Influence Of The Childcare Environment On Physical Activity Among Preschool-Aged Children: A Feasibility Study, Leigh M. Vanderloo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study sought to: (1) measure moderate-vigorous physical activity (PA) levels of a sample of preschoolers; (2) assess which attributes (e.g., space, equipment, policies) within centre-based childcare environments influence PA; and, (3) pilot the methodology to ensure the feasibility of undertaking a full-scale study. Thirty-one preschoolers from five childcare centres across London, Canada participated. Actical® accelerometers were worn by participants for one day during childcare hours to assess activity levels using a 15-second epoch length. The Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation instrument was used to conduct a full-day evaluation of the childcare environment. On average, participants engaged in 11.45 …

School Day Segmented Physical Activity Patterns Of High And Low Active Children, Stuart J. Fairclough, Aaron Beighle, Heather Erwin, Nicola D. Ridgers

Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Variability exists in children's activity patterns due to the association with environmental, social, demographic, and inter-individual factors. This study described accelerometer assessed physical activity patterns of high and low active children during segmented school week days whilst controlling for potential correlates.

METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-three children (mean age: 10.7 ± 0.3 yrs, 55.6% girls, 18.9% overweight/obese) from 8 north-west England primary schools wore ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers for 7 consecutive days during autumn of 2009. ActiGraph counts were converted to minutes of moderate (MPA), vigorous (VPA) and moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) physical activity. Children were classified as high active (HIGH) or …

Comparing The Validity Of 2 Physical Activity Questionnaire Formats In African-American And Hispanic Women, Louise C. Mâsse, Janet E. Fulton, Kathleen B. Watson, Susan Tortolero, Harold W. Kohl Iii, Michael C. Meyers, Steven N. Blair, William W. Wong

Faculty Publications

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the validity of 2 physical activity questionnaire formats - one that lists activities (Checklist questionnaire) and one that assesses overall activities (Global questionnaire) by domain.

Methods: Two questionnaire formats were validated among 260 African-American and Hispanic women (age 40-70) using 3 validation standards: 1) accelerometers to validate activities of ambulation; 2) diaries to validate physical activity domains (occupation, household, exercise, yard, family, volunteer/church work, and transportation); and 3) doubly-labeled water to validate physical activity energy expenditure (DLW-PAEE).

Results: The proportion of total variance explained by the Checklist questionnaire was 38.4% with …