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Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Children’S Physical Activity During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emma Ostermeier, Patricia Tucker, Danielle Tobin, Andrew Clark, Jason Gilliland

Geography & Environment Publications

Background

COVID-19 has drastically changed the everyday lives of children, including limiting interactions with peers, loss of regularly organized activities, and closure of schools and recreational facilities. While COVID-19 protocols are in place to reduce viral transmission, they have affected children’s access to physical activity opportunities. The purpose of this study was to understand how COVID-19 has affected children’s engagement in physical activity and to identify strategies that can support children’s return to physical activity programming in public places.

Methods

Parents of past participants in the Grade 5 ACT-i-Pass Program in London, Ontario, Canada were invited to participate in a …

Parents’ Report Of Canadian Elementary School Children’S Physical Activity And Screen Time During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study, Emma Ostermeier, Patricia Tucker, Andrew Clark, Jamie A. Seabrook, Jason Gilliland

Paediatrics Publications

COVID-19 public health protocols have altered children’s daily routines, limiting their physical activity opportunities. The purpose of this study was to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected children’s (ages 10–12 years) physical activity and screen time, and to explore the impact of gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and public health constraints (i.e., facility use and social interaction) on the changes in children’s health behaviors. Online surveys were disseminated to parents at two time points: before COVID-19 (May 2019 to February 2020) and during COVID-19 (November to December 2020). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to assess changes in physical activity and screen …

Examining How Children's Gender Influences Parents’ Perceptions Of The Local Environment And Their Influence On Children's Independent Mobility, Alina Medeiros, Andrew F. Clark, Gina Martin, Jamie A. Seabrook, Jason Gilliland

Paediatrics Publications

Physical inactivity among children is a public health concern. Children's ability to travel independently is associated with increased physical activity and social connectedness. Consequently, it is concerning that children's independent mobility has decreased in recent years. Studies have highlighted that rates of independent mobility vary by gender; this study analyzed how correlates of independent mobility vary between boys (n = 476) and girls (n = 618) attending 32 elementary schools in Southwestern Ontario. Hierarchical logistic regression modeling methods were used. All analyzes were stratified by gender. For boys, age was negatively associated with travel with peers. Having one or more …

Process Evaluation Of The Healthesteps™ Lifestyle Prescription Program, Wendy Blunt, Dawn P. Gill, Brendan Riggin, Judith Belle Brown, Robert Petrella

Lifestyle Research Team

Background: Physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour, and poor diet are contributing to the rise in chronic disease rates throughout the world. HealtheSteps™ is a lifestyle prescription program focused on reducing risk factors for chronic disease through in-person coaching sessions, goal setting and tracking, and technology supports.

Purpose:A process evaluation was conducted alongside a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to: a) explore the acceptability of HealtheSteps™ program from coach and participant perspectives; and b) identify where the program can be improved.

Methods:Participants at risk or diagnosed with a chronic disease were recruited from five primary care/health services …

The Physical Activity Levels And Sedentary Behaviors Of Latino Children In London (Ontario, Canada), Gillian E. Mandich, Shauna Burke, Anca Gaston, Patricia Tucker

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Publications

OBJECTIVE: To assess the physical activity and sedentary behaviors of a sample of Latino children in London, Ontario, Canada.

METHODS: Seventy-four Latino children (54.1% male; mean age = 11.4) completed self-report questionnaires related to physical activity and sedentary behaviors. A subset of children (n = 64) wore Actical (Mini Mitter, Respironics) accelerometers for a maximum of four days.

RESULTS: Latino children self-reported moderate levels of physical activity (i.e., mean score of 2.8 on 5-point scale). Accelerometer data revealed that children spent an average of 50.0 min in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; 59.2 min on weekdays and 50.6 min on weekend …

Perceived Facilitators And Barriers To Physical Activity For Rural Youth: An Exploratory Study Using Photovoice, Saagar Walia, Beverly Liepert

Nursing Publications

Introduction: Decreasing physical activity levels, particularly among youth, continue to be a prominent health concern in Canada, and youth living in rural areas may encounter unique facilitators and barriers to physical activity. In addition, current research suggests that overweight and obesity rates are higher for youth in some rural areas compared with urban areas. The goal of this study was to identify the perceived facilitators and barriers to physical activity for a selected sample of rural youth at a rural secondary school in south-western Ontario and examine how rural barriers and facilitators affect rural youth physical activity. Current Canadian literature …

Physical Activity Of Remote Indigenous Australian Women: A Postcolonial Analysis Of Lifestyle, Doug Macdonald, Rebecca Abbott, David Jenkins

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

In the context of rising chronic diseases amongst Indigenous peoples, there are calls for the adoption of more healthy “lifestyles.” In this context, this paper explores thoughts about physical activity from 21 Indigenous families through the voices of women and girls living in remote rural communities in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area, Australia. Speaking back to physical activity as a lifestyle “choice,” three consistent themes emerged: shame, gendered positioning, and welfarism. In conclusion, the perspectives of Torres Strait islanders and Northern Peninsula Area communities suggest that there are deeply embedded ways of thinking about the body, familial obligations, …

Physical Activity And Screen Time Behaviour In Metropolitan, Regional And Rural Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Australians Aged 9–16 Years, James Dollman, Carol Maher, Tim S. Olds, Kate Ridley

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objectives: While there is consistent evidence that rural adults in Australia are less active than their urban counterparts, studies relating geographical remoteness to activity patterns in Australian adolescents have yielded inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to describe objectively and subjectively measured patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviours across remoteness categories in a representative sample of 9–16 year old Australians. Design: Cross-sectional observational study. Methods: 2071 Australian adolescents provided self-report use of time data on four days and wore a pedometer for at least 6 days within the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey. …

Environmental Equity Is Child's Play: Mapping Public Provision Of Recreation Opportunities In Urban Neighbourhoods, Jason Gilliland, Martin Holmes, Jennifer D. Irwin, Patricia Tucker

Geography & Environment Publications

This paper examines the spatial distribution of recreational opportunities for children and youth in a mid-sized Canadian city (London, Ontario), in relation to the socioeconomic status of neighbourhoods and estimated local need for publicly provided recreation spaces. Public recreation facilities (N = 537) throughout the city were identified, mapped and analysed in a geographic information system. To explore potential socio-environmental inequities, neighbourhoods (N = 22) were characterized by socioeconomic and environmental variables, an index of neighbourhood social distress, a neighbourhood play space needs index, and measures of the prevalence and density of recreational opportunities. The results of the …