Longitudinal relationship between organised and non-organised physical activities and overall physical activity in children aged 3-11 years.

Young children's physical activity (PA) has been decreasing while their sports participation has been increasing. Therefore, the aim of this research was to longitudinally examine whether and, if so, how organised and non-organised PA participation by early childhood education and care (ECEC)-aged children (T1; 3-8 years) predicted their accelerometer-measured PA at primary school age (T2; 7-11 years). Secondarily, changes in organised and non-organised PA participation over time were investigated. The cluster-randomised study participants comprised 501 Finnish children (52.3% girls: T1, Mage = 5.57 ± 1.06; T2, Mage = 8.80 ± 1.07). PA participation was queried via guardian questionnaire at T1 and T2. Organised PA participation was operationalised as non-participation, participation in one sport or multisport (two or more) participation; non-organised PA was operationalised as time spent outdoors on weekdays and on weekend days. PA at T2 was measured using accelerometers. The primary outcome was tested using linear regressions, while a paired sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U test assessed differences between T1 and T2. The results showed outdoor time and organised sports participation increased from T1 to T2. Moreover, outdoor time at T1 predicted more moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and less sedentary time at T2, while multisport participation predicted significantly more MVPA and less sedentary time at T2. Overall, being outdoors and multisport participation at younger ages appear to have predicted Finnish children's later (MV) PA and sedentary behaviour.

Process- and Product-Oriented Fundamental Movement Skills in Early Childhood as Predictors of Later Health-Related Fitness.

INTRODUCTION: The skill domains of fundamental movement skills (FMS), emphasizing gross motor movements, including locomotor skills (LMS) and object control skills (OCS), along with process- and product-oriented measures of FMS, may predict cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness (MF) differently. This study investigates the longitudinal relationship from early childhood FMS, focusing on process-oriented LMS and OCS and product-oriented FMS, to CRF and MF in late childhood. METHODS: The study involved 441 Finnish children (49.9% female; mean age at baseline, 5.5 yr) over a 6-yr period. FMS was evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development, third version, for process-oriented LMS and OCS, and the Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder (KTK) was used to evaluate the product-oriented FMS. CRF was assessed through the total number of laps completed in the 20-m shuttle run test, whereas MF was measured via repetitions of curl-ups and push-ups. Employing a two-level cross-classified regression analysis and Cholesky decomposition, this study aimed to determine the contributions of product-oriented KTK and process-oriented LMS and OCS. Adjustments for variations in age, measurement intervals, and maturation were achieved through residualization. In addition, gender and body mass index were incorporated as covariates in the analysis. RESULTS: The analysis revealed that process-oriented LMS (CRF: Δ R2 = 0.016; MF: Δ R2 = 0.014) significantly predicted later health-related fitness, whereas OCS did not. However, KTK exhibited a better ability to predict both CRF (Δ R2 = 0.092) and MF (Δ R2 = 0.032), overshadowing process-oriented measures. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the findings suggest that KTK, which potentially encompasses a broader spectrum of fitness elements along with FMS, more effectively predicts health-related fitness components than process-oriented FMS.

A Web-Based Physical Activity Promotion Intervention for Inactive Parent-Child Dyads: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Low levels of physical activity are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, yet sedentary lifestyles are common among both children and adults. Physical activity levels tend to decline steeply among children aged between 8 and 12 years, even though children's behavioral patterns are largely governed by familial structures. Similarly, parents' activity levels have been generally reported as lower than those of nonparents of comparable age. For this reason, family-based physical activity promotion interventions are a potentially valuable and relatively underresearched method for mitigating physical activity declines as children develop into adolescents and for increasing physical activity in parents. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel theory-based web-based physical activity promotion intervention among parent-child dyads in Finland who do not meet physical activity recommendations at baseline. METHODS: Participants (target N=254) will be recruited from the general population using a panel company and advertisements on social media and randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention consists of 4 web-based group workshops over the course of 10 weeks, web-based tasks and resources, and a social support chat group. Data on physical activity behavior and constructs from the integrated behavior change model will be collected through self-report surveys assessing physical activity, autonomy support, autonomous motivation, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention, self-monitoring, habit, and accelerometer measurements at baseline, post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. Exit interviews with participants will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention procedures. RESULTS: This study will reveal whether the intervention changes leisure-time physical activity among intervention participants relative to the control group and will examine the intervention's effects on important theoretical predictors of physical activity. It will also yield data that can be used to refine intervention materials and inform further implementation. Trial recruitment commenced in September 2023, and data collection should be completed by December 2024. CONCLUSIONS: The planned intervention has potential implications for both theory and practice. Practically, the use of an entirely web-based intervention may have scalable future uses for improving physical activity in 2 key populations, while also potentially informing on the value of dyadic, family-based strategies for encouraging an active lifestyle as an alternative to strategies that target either parents or children independently. Further, by assessing change in psychological constructs alongside potential change in behavior, the intervention also allows for important tests of theory regarding which constructs are most linked to favorable behavior change outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06070038; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06070038. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/55960.

Child perceived motor competence as a moderator between physical activity parenting and child objectively measured physical activity.

This longitudinal study aimed to examine how physical activity parenting (PAP) directly predicted objectively measured children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentariness over a three-year transitional period from early to middle childhood, and second, whether the children's perception of motor competence (PMC) mediated or moderated the influence of PAP to children's MVPA or sedentariness. At time 1 (T1), PAP and children's (N = 396, mean age 5.80, SD 1.04) PA were assessed by parental questionnaire. Three years later, at time 2 (T2), children's (N = 396, mean age 8.80, SD 1.04) PMC was measured by a validated pictorial scale, and MVPA and sedentariness were measured by accelerometers. All the analyses were conducted using the Mplus statistical package (Version 8.4). The models were adjusted for the following covariates: children's PA (T1), gender (T1), age (T1), mean accelerometer measurement in hours per day (T2), and parents' education level (T1). Results showed that PAP at T1 did not significantly predict level of MVPA or sedentary time at T2 and, therefore, PMC did not mediate the PAP-children's MVPA or sedentary time relationship either. However, PMC significantly moderated the relationship between PAP and MVPA but not between PAP and sedentary time. The results suggested that parental support positively predicts children's MVPA among children with low PMC but not among children with high PMC. This unique finding proposes that family-based PA interventions could benefit from screening of children with low PMC and provision of PA counselling to their parents.

Perceived motor competence in early childhood predicts perceived and actual motor competence in middle childhood.

The study aims were to (1) identify perceived motor competence (PMC) and actual motor competence (AMC) profiles in children at two time points (early and middle childhood) 3 years apart, (2) explore transitions between the profiles from T1 to T2, and (3) investigate how PMC-AMC profiles at T1 differ in their mean values for AMC and PMC variables at T2. PMC was assessed by the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for young children (PMSC). At T1, AMC was measured with Test of Gross Motor Development-third version (TGMD-3), and at T2, a shortened TGMD-3 was used. To identify the PMC-AMC profiles using latent profile analysis, the Mplus statistical package (version 8.7) was used. For aim 3, the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars (BCH) method was used. There were 480 children (mean age 6.26 years, 51.9% boys) at T1, 647 children (mean age 8.76 years, 48.8% boys) at T2 (some children were too young to have the PMC assessment at T1), and 292 at both time points. For aim 1, three profiles were identified at each time point for each gender. Boys had two realistic profiles with medium and low levels of PMC-AMC, and an overestimation profile. Girls had a medium realistic profile, an overestimation, and an underestimation profile. The PMC-AMC profile in early childhood predicted the PMC-AMC profile (aim 2) and AMC and PMC variables (aim 3) in middle childhood, especially if a child had low PMC in early childhood. Children with low PMC in early childhood are at risk of low PMC and less AMC development in middle childhood.

Learning to Cycle: A Cross-Cultural and Cross-Generational Comparison.

Background: Learning to cycle is an important milestone for children, but the popularity of cycling and the environmental factors that promote the development and practice of this foundational movement skill vary among cultures and across time. This present study aimed to investigate if country of residence and the generation in which a person was born influence the age at which people learn to cycle. Methods: Data were collected through an online survey between November 2019 and December 2020. For this study, a total of 9,589 responses were obtained for adults (self-report) and children (parental report) living in 10 countries (Portugal, Italy, Brazil, Finland, Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, Mexico, Croatia, and the Netherlands). Participants were grouped according to their year of birth with 20-year periods approximately corresponding to 3 generations: 1960-79 (generation X; n = 2,214); 1980-99 (generation Y; n = 3,994); 2000-2019 (generation Z; n = 3,381). Results: A two-way ANOVA showed a significant effect of country, F(9,8628) = 90.17, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.086, and generation, F(2,8628) = 47.21, p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.122, on the age at which individuals learn to cycle. Countries with the lowest learning age were the Netherlands, Finland and Belgium and countries with the highest learning age were Brazil and Mexico. Furthermore, the age at which one learns to cycle has decreased across generations. There was also a significant country x generation interaction effect on learning age, F(18,8628) = 2.90, p < 0.001; however, this effect was negligible ( ηp2 = 0.006). Conclusions: These findings support the socio-ecological perspective that learning to cycle is a process affected by both proximal and distal influences, including individual, environment and time.

Predictors of school students' leisure-time physical activity: An extended trans-contextual model using Bayesian path analysis.

The present study aimed to examine effects of motivational and social cognition constructs on children's leisure-time physical activity participation alongside constructs representing implicit processes using an extended trans-contextual model. The study adopted a correlational prospective design. Secondary-school students (N = 502) completed self-report measures of perceived autonomy support from physical education (PE) teachers, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure-time contexts, and social cognition constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), intentions, trait self-control, habits, and past behavior in a leisure-time physical activity context. Five weeks later, students (N = 298) self-reported their leisure-time physical activity participation. Bayesian path analyses supported two key premises of the model: perceived autonomy support was related to autonomous motivation in PE, and autonomous motivation in PE was related to autonomous motivation in leisure time. Indirect effects indicated that both forms of autonomous motivation were related to social cognition constructs and intentions. However, intention was not related to leisure-time physical activity participation, so model variables reflecting motivational processes did not account for substantive variance in physical activity participation. Self-control, attitudes, and past behavior were direct predictors of intentions and leisure-time physical activity participation. There were indirect effects of autonomous motivation in leisure time on intentions and physical activity participation mediated by self-control. Specifying informative priors for key model relations using Bayesian analysis yielded greater precision for some model effects. Findings raise some questions on the predictive validity of constructs from the original trans-contextual model in the current sample, but highlight the value of extending the model to incorporate additional constructs representing non-conscious processes.

Construct validity and reliability of the physical activity parenting questionnaire for children (PAP-C).

BACKGROUND: Children's perception of parenting is hypothesised to significantly affect their physical activity (PA). This study aimed to examine construct validity, factorial invariance and reliability of a new tool: Physical Activity Parenting questionnaire for Children (PAP-C). METHODS: PAP-C comprised 22 items hypothesised to cover 3 theory-guided factors of physical activity parenting (PAP)-namely, structure for activity, autonomy support and involvement. Construct validity and internal consistency of PAP-C were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and composite reliability in a sample of Finnish first, second- and third graders (n = 456; mean age 8.77 ± 0.84 years, girls 51.1%). Factorial invariance of PAP-C across grade levels was investigated using sequential multigroup CFA. Intra-class correlation (ICC) coefficients of the sum factors were calculated in a sample of children who completed a 4-week PAP-C retest (n = 450; mean age 8.83 ± 0.87 years, girls 48.0%). RESULTS: A first-order 3-factor model of the structure for activity, autonomy support and involvement, with 20 items (two items removed), showed an acceptable fit. The model demonstrated configural, metric, and scalar invariance across grade levels. Composite reliabilities indicated moderate-to-good internal consistency (from .74 to .87) for the factors. ICCs (from .494 to .750, p < .001) showed moderate to excellent test-retest stability for all grade levels. CONCLUSIONS: PAP-C can be considered to be a promising tool for investigating 7-10-year-old children's perceptions of PAP.

Testing a physical education-delivered autonomy supportive intervention to promote leisure-time physical activity in lower secondary school students: the PETALS trial.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate physical activity in young people is associated with several physical and mental health concerns. Physical education (PE) is a potentially viable existing network for promoting physical activity in this population. However, little research has been conducted on whether PE teachers can influence students' engagement in leisure-time physical activity. The present study therefore examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at increasing PE teachers' autonomy support on students' leisure-time physical activity (the PETALS trial). The intervention was guided by the trans-contextual model (TCM) explaining the processes by which PE teachers' provision of autonomy support during PE promotes students' motivation and engagement in physical activity in their leisure time. METHODS: The study adopted a cluster-randomized, waitlist control intervention design with randomization by school. Participants were PE teachers (N = 29, 44.83%female; M age = 42.83, SD = 9.53 yrs) and their lower secondary school students (N = 502, 43.82%female; M age = 14.52, SD = 0.71 yrs). We measured TCM constructs, including perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure time, beliefs and intentions towards leisure-time physical activity, and physical activity behavior at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-, three-, and six-months. Study hypotheses were tested through a series of ANOVAs and structural equation models using post-intervention and one-month follow-up data. RESULTS: We found no changes in TCM constructs or physical activity behavior in either group at post-intervention or at 1 month. Path analyses supported two propositions of the TCM as change variables: perceived autonomy support had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in PE and autonomous motivation in PE had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in leisure time. Although we found a direct effect of autonomous motivation in leisure time on physical activity, we did not find support for the third premise of the TCM that autonomous motivation in leisure time indirectly affects physical activity through beliefs and intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Current findings did not support the efficacy of the PETALS intervention at changing physical activity behavior and TCM constructs. More research is required to determine whether the TCM predictive validity is supported when other model variables are manipulated through experimental and intervention studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, ISRCTN39374060 . Registered 19 July 2018. Prospectively registered.

"It Is Like Compulsory to Go, but It Is still pretty Nice": Young Children's Views on Physical Activity Parenting and the Associated Motivational Regulation.

Physical activity parenting (PAP) is consistently correlated with children's physical activity (PA). Children's perception of PAP has garnered little attention given that it mediates the relationship between PAP and child PA outcomes. This study aimed to examine 7-10-year-old children's perspectives on PAP practices and how they relate to their motivational regulation of PA. A total of 79 children 7-10 years of age participated in 19 semi-structured focus group interviews. Through qualitative theory-guided content analysis, using frameworks of parenting dimensions and self-determination theory (SDT), we found that children's perceptions of high responsiveness and low demandingness in PAP-according to SDT, autonomy support, involvement, and structure-were associated with satisfaction of all three psychological basic needs-autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In contrast, perceptions of high demandingness and low responsiveness in PAP, i.e., coercive control, were associated with dissatisfaction of autonomy need. However, perceptions of high demandingness and high responsiveness in PAP, specifically parental expectations and facilitation of PA, were associated with satisfaction of competence need. It seems possible to identify different types of PAP practices associated with children's motivation for PA. Different forms of parental demandingness with differing motivational outcomes were uniquely identified from the children's perceptions of PAP.

Comparison of motor competence in children aged 6-9 years across northern, central, and southern European regions.

The present study aimed to examine differences in motor competence (MC) in children aged 6-9 years old in northern, central, and southern European regions using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK). The secondary aim of the study was to examine interactions between region and children's age, sex, and weight status (determined as healthy weight or overweight/obese). Data were pooled from independent studies conducted in Finland (mean age 7.81 ± 1.19 years, n = 690), Belgium (mean age 8.25 ± 1.09 years, n = 1896), and Portugal (mean age 8.31 ± 1.02 years, n = 758) between 2008 and 2016. Cross-cultural differences in MC and interaction effects were tested using ANOVAs and ANCOVAs. Age, sex, and BMI percentile were used as covariates. Geographical region significantly explained 19% of the variance in MC, while BMI (5%), sex (3%), and age (0.3%) were significant covariates. The interaction effect of region and age (5%), region and sex (0.6%), and region and BMI (0.2%) on MC was also significant. Cross-cultural differences in children's MC increased substantially across age, independent of weight status. Girls slightly underperformed in MC compared to boys in regions where the overall level of MC was lower. Interestingly, the association between body weight status and MC was relatively consistent across the regions. Future cross-cultural studies should further explore the influence of individual (eg, physical activity) and environmental (eg, physical activity and sport policy) factors on MC development.

Sedentary Thresholds for Accelerometry-Based Mean Amplitude Deviation and Electromyography Amplitude in 7-11 Years Old Children.

We investigated the ability of energy expenditure, movement sensing, and muscle activity to discriminate sedentary and non-sedentary activities in children. Thirty-five 7-11-year-old children participated in the study. Simultaneous assessment of oxygen uptake (V̇O2), triaxial accelerometry, and thigh muscle electromyography (EMG) were performed during eight different sedentary and non-sedentary activities including lying down, sitting-, standing-, and walking-related activities, which were performed in a random order. Mean values of V̇O2, accelerometry, and EMG from the concurrent 2 min epochs during each activity were computed. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured during 30 min supine rest. Directly measured metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs, V̇O2 in activities/V̇O2 in REE) were calculated for each activity. Mean amplitude deviation (MAD) was computed for accelerometry. EMG was normalized for mean muscle activity during self-paced walking. The classification accuracy of METs, MAD, and EMG to discriminate sedentary activities from physical activities was investigated by receiver operating characteristic curves and optimal cut-offs based on maximal sensitivity and specificity. Mean (SD) REE was 5.0 ± 0.8 ml/kg/min. MET, MAD, and EMG values ranged from 1.0 to 4.9, 0.0020 to 0.4146 g, and 4.3 to 133.9% during lying down and walking at 6 km/h, respectively. Optimal cut-offs to discriminate sedentary activities from non-sedentary activities were 1.3 for METs (sensitivity = 82%, specificity = 88%), 0.0033 g for MAD (sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 91%), and 11.9% for EMG (sensitivity = 79%, specificity = 92%). In conclusion, this study provides applicable thresholds to differentiate sitting and standing and sedentary and non-sedentary activities based on METs, MAD, and EMG in young children.

Using physical education to promote out-of school physical activity in lower secondary school students - a randomized controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Given the documented decline in levels of physical activity in early adolescence, promoting physical activity in young people is a priority for health promotion. School physical education (PE) is an important existing network in which participation in physical activity beyond school can be promoted to the captive young people. The objective of current article is to present the protocol for a PE teacher-delivered theory-based trial to promote secondary school students' participation in physical activity out-of-school contexts. The intervention will be guided by the trans-contextual model explaining the processes by which PE teachers' support for autonomous motivation in the classroom promotes students' motivation to engage in out-of-school physical activity. We hypothesize that school students receiving the teacher-delivered intervention to promote autonomous motivation toward physical activity will exhibit greater participation in physical activities outside of school, relative to students receiving a control intervention. METHODS: The trial will adopt a waitlist-control design with cluster-randomization by school. PE teachers assigned to the intervention condition will receive a two-week, 12-h training program comprising basic information on how to promote out-of-school physical activity and theory-based training on strategies to promote students' autonomous motivation toward physical activity. Teachers assigned to the waitlist control condition will receive an alternative training on how to monitor physical functional capacity in children with special needs. PE teachers (n = 29) from eleven schools will apply the intervention program to students (n = 502) in PE classes for one month. Physical activity participation, the primary outcome variable, and psychological mediators from the trans-contextual model will be measured at pre-trial, post-trial, and at one-, three- and six-months post-trial. We will also assess teachers' autonomy-supportive techniques and behaviours by observation. DISCUSSION: The study will make a unique contribution to the literature by testing a theory-based intervention delivered by PE teachers to promote school students' participation in out-of-school physical activity. Information will be useful for educators, community stakeholders and policy makers interested in developing programs to promote students' out-of-school physical activity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN39374060 . Registered 19.7.2018.

Correlates of physical activity parenting: The Skilled Kids study.

We examined the relationship between physical activity parenting (PAP) and child, family, and environmental factors in families. The participants were 840 families with young children (n = 993; 5.40 ± 1.14 years) and parents (n = 993; 35.8 ± 5.29 years). Parents' self-reported PAP (co-participation, (in)direct support, and encouragement), child-specific (sex, age, temperament, outdoor time, organized physical activity or sports, sedentary time, media time, PA enjoyment, motor skills compared to peers, PA, and sport facility use), family-specific (respondent's sex, age, education, exercise frequency, family income, family status, number of children in the family, child's birth order and partner's PAP, and exercise frequency), and environment-specific (residential density, access to sport and outdoor facilities, type of house, and access to electronic devices) factors were collected. Children's motor skills and anthropometrics were measured. After adjusting for the family cluster effect, child, family, and environmental factors were entered into a linear mixed-effects model, with PAP as the response variable. The final model consisted of statistically significant factors, and parental education, which was forced into the model. Nine child- and family-related factors explained 15% of parenting variance between the children and 52% between the families. Partner's PAP (B = 0.68, P < 0.001) had the strongest association, whereas the child's temperament (B = 0.08, P < 0.001) and birth order (B = -0.10, P < 0.001) had smaller but novel associations with the respondent's PAP. Partner's PAP and a range of child- and family-related factors should be considered when promoting parental support for child PA.

Children's physical activity and sedentary time compared using assessments of accelerometry counts and muscle activity level.

BACKGROUND: This research compared accelerometry (ACC)-derived and muscle electromyography (EMG)-based estimates of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time in typical PA tasks and during the daily lives of children. METHODS: Data was included from two exploratory studies. In Study I, 6-7-year-old children (n = 11, 64% girls) were assessed for eight PA tasks (walking, stair negotiation, climbing, crawling, swinging, balancing, trampoline jumping and a game of tag). In Study II, 7-9-year-old children (n = 14, 38% girls) were assessed for six PA tasks (walking, sitting, static squat, single leg hops, jump for height and standing long jump), and daily PA during one day with and one day without structured exercise. Quadriceps and hamstring muscle activity and inactivity using EMG shorts and acceleration by waist-mounted accelerometer were simultaneously measured and classified as sedentary, light, moderate and vigorous activity. Data from ACC was further analyzed using five different published cut-off points and varying time windows (1-60 s) for comparison with EMG. RESULTS: In the PA tasks ACC counts and EMG amplitude showed marked differences in swinging, trampoline jumping, crawling, static squat, single leg hops, standing long jump and jump for height, the difference being over 170% when signals were normalized to that during walking. Furthermore, in walking, swinging, trampoline jumping, stair negotiation and crawling ACC classified over 60% of the time as vigorous-intensity activity, while EMG indicated primarily light- and moderate-intensity activities. During both days with and without exercise, ACC resulted in greater proportion of light activity (p < 0.01) and smaller proportion of moderate activity compared to EMG (p < 0.05). The choice of cut-off points and epoch length in ACC analysis influenced the classification of PA level and sedentary time. In the analysis of daily activities the cut-off points by Evenson et al. (2008) with epochs of 7.5 s and 15 s yielded the smallest difference (less than 10% of recording time at each intensity) against EMG-derived PA levels. DISCUSSION: This research provides novel insight on muscle activity and thereby on neuromuscular loading of major locomotor muscles during normal daily activities of children. While EMG and ACC provided similar estimates of sedentary time in 13 typical PA tasks, duration of light, moderate and vigorous PA varied considerably between the methods especially during walking, stair negotiation, crawling, swinging and trampoline jumping. Evenson et al.'s (2008) cut-off points with ≤15 s epoch provided similar classification of PA than EMG during daily life. Compared to impacts recorded using ACC, EMG can provide understanding on children's neuromuscular loading during motor tasks that is useful when studying effects of PA interventions on, and development of, motor competence and coordination.

Accelerometer-assessed sedentary work, leisure time and cardio-metabolic biomarkers during one year: Effectiveness of a cluster randomized controlled trial in parents with a sedentary occupation and young children.

BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether reducing sedentary time at work and during leisure time is possible and effective during one year. METHODS: Office workers with young children were recruited for this one-year cluster-randomized controlled trial through kindergartens and primary schools from 7 clusters in the city of Jyväskylä, Finland. After a lecture, face-to-face tailored counseling was used to set contractually binding goals regarding reducing and breaking up sitting periods and increasing light intensity physical activity during work and leisure time. Primary outcomes of total, work and leisure sedentary time (<100 counts/min, cpm), light activity time (<2020 cpm), moderate-to-vigorous activity time (MVPA) and breaks/sedentary hour were assessed with a waist-worn Alive -accelerometer for 7 days, 5 times during the year. Anthropometrics (DXA), fasting biomarkers and self-reported diet were assessed as secondary outcomes. Data were collected between 2011-2013 and analyzed between 2013-2016 with a linear mixed-effects model fit by REML using likelihood ratio test and intention-to-treat-principle. RESULTS: Participants from intervention (N = 71) and control (N = 62) regions were assessed at baseline and 117 completed the study. Sedentary leisure time decreased [-21.2 (95% CI -37.3 to -5.1) min/8 hours, likelihood ratio P<0.001] and light activity time [13.4 (-2.2 to 29.0) min/8 hours, P = 0.008] and breaks per sedentary hour [1.0 (-0.2 to 2.2), P = 0.010] increased in the intervention group as compared to controls at 3 months. The decrease in sedentary leisure time was maintained throughout the year [-7.9 (-24.0 to 8.3) min/8 hours, P = 0.029]. Small decreases in the control group's work and leisure MVPA were observed mostly at 3 months. Small favorable intervention effects were observed for fasting plasma glucose at 3 months and for leg lean mass and apoB/apoA-1 ratio at 12 months, with no changes in other outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Behavioral counseling induced a small decline in sedentary leisure time throughout one year in parents with a sedentary occupation and young children. Small concurrent changes in different biomarkers suggest that reducing sedentary leisure time during one year may be beneficial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN28668090, registered 30 November 2011.

Parental Support and Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Children: A Yearlong Cluster-Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial.

PURPOSE: We studied whether physical activity (PA) counseling for parents influenced the level of parental support of children's PA and leisure-time PA in children of different levels of initial parental support. We hypothesized that the initial level of parental support would moderate the intervention efficacy. METHOD: Children (n = 44, Mage = 6.09 ± 1.17 years) and their parents (n = 61) randomly assigned to an intervention group received counseling for 6 months. Children in the control group (n = 47, Mage = 6.12 ± 1.11 years) and their parents (n = 63) did not receive any counseling. Parental support was assessed using the Family Physical Activity Environment Questionnaire, and children's leisure-time PA was recorded using triaxial accelerometers at baseline, at 6 months, and at 12 months. The efficacy of the intervention was tested by linear mixed-effects modeling adjusted for confounding variables (Model 1) and additionally for children's participation in organized PA or sports (Model 2). RESULTS: Parents within the lowest initial parental support intervention tertile significantly increased their support, and their children's mean level of leisure-time PA significantly improved compared with the corresponding controls during the counseling period. On the other hand, intervention was found to have an unfavorable influence especially in the PA of children of initially highly supportive parents. CONCLUSION: Targeting PA counseling for parents with low support of their children's PA could contribute to better family-based PA counseling efficacy.

Body Mass Index in the Early Years in Relation to Motor Coordination at the Age of 5⁻7 Years.

Physical activity (PA) and body mass index (BMI) are consistently associated with motor coordination (MC) in children. However, we know very little how BMI in early childhood associates with MC later in childhood. This study investigated associations between BMI in early childhood and BMI, PA, and MC in middle childhood. Children aged 5 to 7 years (n = 64, 32 girls) were measured for MC using Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) and for moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) using triaxial accelerometers. Prevailing body weight and height were measured, and information on weight and height in early years was based on parental report of child health care report cards. Age-adjusted BMIz scores were calculated on the basis of international growth curve references. Associations and the explained variability of MC were investigated by Pearson correlations and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Age and MVPA were found to be significantly associated with MC at middle childhood, in general. BMIz at middle childhood and at ages 4 and 5 years inversely explained 12% (p < 0.05), 6% (p > 0.05), and 7% (p > 0.05) of the variation in MC in girls after adjusting for covariates, respectively. In boys, BMIz scores did not show any trend of association with MC. This study suggests sex-specific mechanisms in the interplay between BMI and motor development in childhood.

Heterogeneity of muscle activity during sedentary behavior.

Replacing sitting by standing has been hypothesized to reduce the health risks of sitting, based on the assumption that muscles are passive during sitting and active during standing. Interventions have been more effective in overweight (OW) than in normal weight (NW) individuals, but subjects' muscle activities have not been quantified. This study compared quadriceps and hamstring muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity between 57 NW (body mass index (BMI) 22.5 ± 1.5 kg/m2, female n = 36) and 27 OW (BMI 28.4 ± 2.9 kg/m2, female n = 8) subjects during non-fatiguing standing (15 s, EMGstanding) and sitting (30 min). EMG amplitude was normalized to EMG measured during maximal isometric knee extension and flexion (% EMGMVC), and sitting muscle inactivity and bursts were determined using 4 thresholds (60% or 90% EMGstanding and 1% or 2% EMGMVC). Comparisons were adjusted for sex, age, knee extension strength, and the individual threshold. Standing EMG amplitude was 36% higher in OW (1.9% ± 1.5% EMGMVC) than in NW (1.4% ± 1.4% EMGMVC, P < 0.05) subjects. During sitting, muscles were inactive 89.8% ± 12.7% of the measurement time with 12.7 ± 14.2 bursts/min across all thresholds. On average, 6% more activity was recorded in NW than in OW individuals for 3 of the 4 thresholds (P < 0.05 for 60% or 90% EMGstanding and 1% EMGMVC). In conclusion, the OW group had higher muscle activity amplitude during standing but more muscle inactivity during sitting for 3/4 of the thresholds tested. Interventions should test whether the observed heterogeneity in muscle activity affects the potential to gain cardiometabolic benefits from replacing sitting with standing.