American journal of preventive medicine
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Clinical Trial
Video game-based exercise, Latino children's physical health, and academic achievement.
There is a paucity of research investigating the effects of innovative physical activity programs on physical health and academic performance in the Latino population. ⋯ The DDR-based exercise intervention improved children's cardiorespiratory endurance and math scores over time. Professionals should consider integrating exergaming at schools to achieve the goals of promoting a physically active lifestyle and enhancing academic success among Latino children.
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Despite overwhelming evidence of the health benefits of physical activity, most American youth are not meeting the 60 minutes per day recommendation for moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Policy changes have the potential to bring about substantial increases in physical activity in youth, within school and community settings. ⋯ Of the various policies and built environment changes examined, the largest effects were seen with mandatory physical education, classroom activity breaks, and active commuting to school. Policymakers can use this information along with estimates of the cost, feasibility, and population reach, to identify the best options for increasing physical activity in youth.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The Faith, Activity, and Nutrition program: a randomized controlled trial in African-American churches.
Faith-based interventions hold promise for promoting health in ethnic minority populations. To date, however, few of these interventions have used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, have targeted both physical activity and healthy eating, and have focused on structural changes in the church. ⋯ This faith-based structural intervention using a CBPR framework showed small but significant increases in self-reported leisure-time MVPA. This program has potential for broad-based dissemination and reach.
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Physical inactivity plays a role in the acquisition of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancer. The impact of such noncommunicable diseases on low- and middle-income countries is a major global health concern, but most studies in this area have focused on high-income countries. A better understanding of the factors that may influence physical activity in low- and middle-income countries is needed. ⋯ The prevalence of active commuting was low and varied by city. Personal factors were more consistently associated with bicycling than with walking, whereas perceived environmental features were not related to active commuting.