Int J Behav Nutr Phy
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Int J Behav Nutr Phy · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialScreen-Time Weight-loss Intervention Targeting Children at Home (SWITCH): a randomized controlled trial.
Screen-based activities, such as watching television (TV), playing video games, and using computers, are common sedentary behaviors among young people and have been linked with increased energy intake and overweight. Previous home-based sedentary behaviour interventions have been limited by focusing primarily on the child, small sample sizes, and short follow-up periods. The SWITCH (Screen-Time Weight-loss Intervention Targeting Children at Home) study aimed to determine the effect of a home-based, family-delivered intervention to reduce screen-based sedentary behaviour on body composition, sedentary behaviour, physical activity, and diet over 24 weeks in overweight and obese children. ⋯ A home-based, family-delivered intervention to reduce all leisure-time screen use had no significant effect on screen-time or on BMI at 24 weeks in overweight and obese children aged 9-12 years.
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Int J Behav Nutr Phy · Jan 2014
Sedentary behaviors, physical activity behaviors, and body fat in 6-year-old children: the generation R study.
Childhood overweight and obesity is a major public health concern. Knowledge on modifiable risk factors is needed to design effective intervention programs. This study aimed to assess associations of children's sedentary behaviors (television viewing and computer game use) and physical activity behaviors (sports participation, outdoor play, and active transport to/from school) with three indicators of body fat, i.e., percent fat mass, body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores, and weight status (normal weight, overweight). ⋯ The results of this study indicate that sports participation is inversely associated with percent body fat among ethnically diverse 6-year-old children. More research in varied populations including objective measurements and longitudinal designs are needed to confirm these current results.
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Int J Behav Nutr Phy · Jan 2014
Identifying solutions to increase participation in physical activity interventions within a socio-economically disadvantaged community: a qualitative study.
There is an urgent need to increase population levels of physical activity, particularly amongst those who are socio-economically disadvantaged. Multiple factors influence physical activity behaviour but the generalisability of current evidence to such 'hard-to-reach' population subgroups is limited by difficulties in recruiting them into studies. Also, rigorous qualitative studies of lay perceptions and perceptions of community leaders about public health efforts to increase physical activity are sparse. We sought to explore, within a socio-economically disadvantaged community, residents' and community leaders' perceptions of physical activity (PA) interventions and issues regarding their implementation, in order to improve understanding of needs, expectations, and social/environmental factors relevant to future interventions. ⋯ These findings illustrate the complexity of influences on a community's participation in PA interventions and support a social-ecological approach to promoting PA. They highlight the need for cross-sector working, effective information exchange, involving residents in bottom-up planning and providing adequate financial and social support. An in-depth understanding of a target population's perspectives is of key importance in translating PA behaviour change theories into practice.