Physical Literacy Knowledge Questionnaire: feasibility, validity, and reliability for Canadian children aged 8 to 12 years.

BACKGROUND: Physical literacy is defined as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, and knowledge and understanding to engage in physical activity for life. Physical literacy knowledge and understanding encompasses movement (how to move), performance (evaluation of movement), and health and fitness (value of exercise, need for relaxation and sleep, etc.). This paper describes the development and evaluation of a standardized assessment of physical literacy knowledge and understanding for Canadian children in grades 4, 5, and 6. METHODS: Proposed Physical Literacy Knowledge Questionnaire (PLKQ) content was identified through expert consultation and a review of provincial/territorial physical education curricula for grades 4 to 6. Open-ended questions verified language and generated response options. Feasibility was assessed via completion time and error frequency. Item validity assessed scores by age, gender, and teacher ratings of student knowledge. Test-retest reliability was assessed over short (2-day) and long (7-day) intervals. RESULTS: Subsets of 678 children (54% girls, 10.1 ± 1.0 years of age) completed the feasibility and validity assessments. Response errors (missing or duplicate responses, etc.) were minimal (2% or less) except for one question (7% error) about the use of safety gear during physical activity. A Delphi process among experts in children's physical activity and fitness achieved consensus on the core content and supported an item analysis to finalize item selection. As expected, knowledge scores increased with age (partial eta2 = 0.07) but were not related to gender (p = 0.63). Teacher ratings of children's knowledge of physical activity behaviour (r = 0.13, p = 0.01) and fitness (r = 0.12, p = 0.03), but not movement skill (r = 0.07, p = 0.19) were associated with PLKQ scores. Test-retest reliability for PLKQ score and individual questions was substantial to excellent for 71% of comparisons over a 2-day interval, but lower over a 7-day interval (53% substantial or excellent). Items with low reliability had high or low proportions of correct responses. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides feasibility and validity evidence for the Physical Literacy Knowledge Questionnaire as an assessment of physical literacy knowledge for Canadian children in grades 4, 5, and 6. Completion rates were high and knowledge scores increased with age. Streamlining of the content in accordance with Delphi panel recommendations would further enhance feasibility, but would also focus the content on items with limited reliability. Future studies of alternative item wording and responses are recommended to enhance test-retest reliability.

Objectively-measured sleep and its association with adiposity and physical activity in a sample of Canadian children.

Cross-sectional associations between objectively-measured sleep duration, sleep efficiency and sleep timing with adiposity and physical activity were examined in a cohort of 567 children from Ottawa, Canada. Five-hundred and fifteen children (58.8% female; age: 10.0 ± 0.4 years) had valid sleep measurements and were included in the present analyses. Physical activity, sedentary time and sleep parameters were assessed over 7 days (actigraphy). Height, weight and waist circumference were measured according to standardized procedures. Percentage body fat was assessed using bioelectric impedance analysis. Light physical activity and sedentary time were greater in children with the shortest sleep durations (P < 0.0001), whereas children with the highest sleep efficiencies had lower light physical activity and more sedentary time across tertiles (P < 0.0001). In multivariable linear regression analyses, and after adjusting for a number of covariates, sleep efficiency was inversely related to all adiposity indices (P < 0.05). However, sleep duration and sleep timing were not associated with adiposity indices after controlling for covariates. Inverse associations were noted between sleep duration and light physical activity and sedentary time (P < 0.0001). Sleep efficiency (P < 0.0001), wake time and sleep timing midpoint (P < 0.05) were negatively associated with light physical activity, but positively associated with sedentary time. In conclusion, only sleep efficiency was independently correlated with adiposity in this sample of children. Participants with the shortest sleep durations or highest sleep efficiencies had greater sedentary time. More research is needed to develop better sleep recommendations in children that are based on objective measures of sleep duration, sleep efficiency and sleep timing alike.

Correlates of objectively measured sedentary time and self-reported screen time in Canadian children.

BACKGROUND: Demographic, family, and home characteristics play an important role in determining childhood sedentary behaviour. The objective of this paper was to identify correlates of total sedentary time (SED) and correlates of self-reported screen time (ST) in Canadian children. METHODS: Child- and parent-reported household, socio-demographic, behavioural, and diet related data were collected; directly measured anthropometric and accelerometer data were also collected for each child. Participants with complete demographic, anthropometric, and either SED (n=524, 41% boys) or ST (n=567, 42% boys) data from the Canadian site of the International Study of Childhood Obesity Lifestyle and the Environment (ISCOLE) were included in analysis. Sixteen potential correlates of SED and ST were examined using multilevel general linear models, adjusting for sex, ethnicity, number of siblings, and socio-economic status. All explanatory variables moderately associated (p<0.10) with SED and/or ST in univariate analyses were included in the final, fully-adjusted models. Variables that remained significant in the final models (p<0.05) were considered correlates of SED and/or ST. RESULTS: Children averaged 8.5 hours of daily SED; no differences in total SED, or total ST were seen between girls and boys, but boys reported significantly more video game/computer usage than girls. Boys also had higher waist circumference and BMI z-scores than girls. In the final models, waist circumference and number of TVs in the home were the only common correlates of both SED and ST. SED was also negatively associated with sleep duration. ST was also positively associated with mother's weight status, father's education, and unhealthy eating pattern score and negatively associated with healthy eating pattern score, and weekend breakfast consumption. Few common correlates existed between boys and girls. CONCLUSION: Several factors were identified as correlates of SED and/or of ST in Canadian children; however, few correlates were common for both SED and ST, and for both boys and girls. This suggests that a single strategy to reduce SED and ST is unlikely to be effective. Future work should examine a variety of other, non-screen based sedentary behaviours and their potential correlates in the hopes of creating tailored public health messages to reduce SED and ST in both boys, and girls.

Mediating role of television time, diet patterns, physical activity and sleep duration in the association between television in the bedroom and adiposity in 10 year-old children.

BACKGROUND: Having a TV in the bedroom is associated with adiposity in children. It is not known how lifestyle behaviours (television viewing time, diet patterns, physical activity, and sleep duration) mediate this association. The objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of these lifestyle behaviours in the association between TV in the bedroom and percent body fat (% BF). METHODS: Cross-sectional data from 1 201 children (57.3% female; mean age = 9.8 years) from Ottawa, Canada and Baton Rouge, USA were examined. % BF was directly measured. Accelerometers were used to determine physical activity and sleep duration (24-h, 7-day protocol). Questionnaires were used to assess TV viewing time and healthy/unhealthy diet patterns (derived using factor analysis from food frequency questionnaire data). RESULTS: Canadian boys and girls with a TV in their bedroom had a higher % BF, watched more TV and had unhealthier diets. American boys and girls with a TV in their bedroom watched more TV, while boys had a higher % BF and a more unhealthy diet, and girls had less MVPA. In Canadian girls, TV viewing time mediated the association between having a TV in the bedroom and adiposity, independent of diet patterns, MVPA, and sleep duration. Other lifestyle mediators were not significant in Canadian boys or in US children. CONCLUSION: TV viewing is a mediating lifestyle behaviour in the association between TV in the bedroom and adiposity in Canadian girls. Future research is needed to identify lifestyle behaviours as intermediate mediators.

The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy: methods for children in grades 4 to 6 (8 to 12 years).

BACKGROUND: Physical literacy is described as the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge and understanding to value and engage in a physically active lifestyle. As such, it is expected that those who have greater physical literacy would be more likely to obtain the health benefits offered by habitual physical activity. A theoretical model and assessment battery, the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL), for the assessment of childhood physical literacy had been proposed in theory but validity data were lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore validity evidence for the CAPL among children in grades 4 to 6. METHODS: CAPL validity was evaluated through three analyses that utilized cross-sectional data obtained through local schools in Eastern Ontario, Canada. A confirmatory factor analysis compared the data to the theoretical model. Patterns of association between self-reported age and gender and the CAPL total and domain scores were examined using regression models. Teacher ratings of participants' knowledge, attitude and physical activity competence were compared to assessment results. RESULTS: The CAPL was completed by 963 children (55 % female) in grades 4, 5 and 6. Children were 8 to 12 years of age (mean 10.1 years), with 85 % of children approached agreeing to participate. A confirmatory factor analysis using data from 489 children with complete raw scores supported a model with four domains: engagement in physical activity (active and sedentary), physical competence (fitness and motor skill), motivation and confidence, and knowledge and understanding. Raw domain scores followed expected patterns for age and gender, providing evidence for their validity. Interpretive categories, developed from age and gender adjusted normative data, were not associated with age indicating that the CAPL is suitable for use across this age range. Children's gender was associated with the physical competence, motivation and engagement in physical activity domain scores, indicating that further research is required regarding the gender adjustment of the raw CAPL scores. CAPL domain and total scores were statistically significantly associated with teacher ratings of the child's motivation, attitudes, fitness, skill and overall physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: CAPL offers a comprehensive assessment of engagement in physical activity, physical competence, motivation and confidence, and knowledge and understanding as components of childhood (grades 4 to 6, 8 to 12 years) physical literacy. Monitoring of these measures enhances our understanding of children's physical literacy, and assists with the identification of areas where additional supports are required.

A cross-sectional examination of socio-demographic and school-level correlates of children's school travel mode in Ottawa, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Active school transport (AST) is an important source of children's daily physical activity (PA). However, decreasing rates of AST have been reported in multiple countries during the last decades. The purpose of the present study was to examine the socio-demographic and school-level correlates of AST. METHODS: A stratified sample of children (N = 567, mean age = 10.0 years; 57.8% female) was recruited in the Ottawa area. Four sources of data were used for analyses: 1) child questionnaire including questions on school travel mode and time; 2) parent questionnaire providing information on household socio-demographic characteristics; 3) school administrator survey assessing school policies and practices pertaining to PA; and 4) school site audit performed by the study team. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify socio-demographic and school-level correlates of AST while controlling for school clustering. RESULTS: Individual factors associated with higher odds of AST were male gender (OR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.30-3.03), journey time <5 minutes vs. >15 minutes (OR = 2.26; 95% CI = 1.17-4.37), and 5-15 minutes vs. >15 minutes (OR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.27-4.03). Children were more likely to engage in AST if school administrators reported that crossing guards were employed (OR = 2.29; 95% CI = 1.22-4.30), or if they expressed major or moderate concerns about crime in the school neighbourhood (OR = 3.34; 95% CI = 1.34-8.32). In schools that identified safe routes to school and where traffic calming measures were observed, children were much more likely to engage in AST compared to schools without these features (OR = 7.87; 95% CI = 2.85-21.76). Moreover, if only one of these features was present, this was not associated with an increased likelihood of AST. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that providing crossing guards may facilitate AST. Additionally, there was a synergy between the identification of safe routes to school and the presence of traffic calming measures, suggesting that these strategies should be used in combination.

Feasibility, validity and reliability of the plank isometric hold as a field-based assessment of torso muscular endurance for children 8-12 years of age.

This project examined the feasibility, validity, and reliability of the plank isometric hold for children 8-12 years of age. 1502 children (52.5% female) performed partial curl-up and/or plank protocols to assess plank feasibility (n = 823, 52.1% girls), validity (n = 641, 54.1% girls) and reliability (n = 111, 47.8% girls). 12% (n = 52/431) of children could not perform a partial curl-up, but virtually all children (n = 1066/1084) could attain a nonzero score for the plank. Plank performance without time limit was influenced by small effects with age (ß = 6.86; p < .001, η(2) = 0.03), flexibility (ß = 0.79; p < .001, η(2) = 0.03), and medium effects with cardiovascular endurance (ß = 1.07; p < .001, η(2) = 0.08), and waist circumference (ß = -0.92; p < .001, η(2) = 0.06). Interrater (ICC = 0.62; CI = 0.50, 0.75), intra-rater (ICC = 0.83; CI = 0.73, 0.90) and test-retest (ICC = 0.63; CI = 0.46, 0.75) reliability were acceptable for the plank without time limit. These data suggest the plank without time limit is a feasible, valid and reliable assessment of torso muscular endurance for children 8-12 years of age.

Predilection for physical activity and body mass index z-score can quickly identify children needing support for a physically active lifestyle.

Comprehensive physical literacy assessments can be time-consuming and require a gymnasium space and examiner training. This project sought to identify easy-to-administer tasks, suitable for all physical activity and healthcare settings, which could quickly screen a group of children to identify those most likely to benefit from an in-depth assessment or additional physical literacy support. The 40 potential screening tasks were compared with the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy among 226 children (57% female) aged 8 to 12 years. Absolute body mass index z-score above 0.67 or predilection for physical activity less than 31.5/36 points had the highest sensitivity (81% and 83%, respectively) and specificity (45% and 52%, respectively). Predilection less than 31.5 combined with absolute body mass index z-scores achieved 81% sensitivity and 64% sensitivity. When the selected tasks were repeated on a different sample of 71 children (50% female), results were similar with the combination of predilection and absolute body mass index achieving 92% sensitivity and 53% specificity. Predilection for physical activity, absolute body mass index z-score, and a combination of the two are quick and easy screening tasks suitable for all physical activity settings that can identify children likely to need additional support for a physically active lifestyle. Novelty: Physical literacy screening can be completed in recreation, education, allied health, coaching and healthcare settings. Predilection for physical activity and body mass index z-score quickly identify children needing physical literacy support.

Hemodialysis graft with blind loop inflow segment treated with stent placement.

We report a case of occlusion of a graft related to residual thrombus collection at the inflow in a blind pouch formed by conversion of a previous brachial cephalic fistula to a graft. The thrombus was unable to be dislodged by conventional methods with the use of a Fogarty balloon and maceration of thrombus with angioplasty. A covered stent was placed at the inflow segment over this thrombus in order to restore the flow through the graft. Angiographic evidence for this case is also reported.

Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA): Validity, objectivity, and reliability evidence for children 8-12 years of age.

PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to develop an assessment of the fundamental, combined, and complex movement skills required to support childhood physical literacy. The secondary aim was to establish the feasibility, objectivity, and reliability evidence for the assessment. METHODS: An expert advisory group recommended a course format for the assessment that would require children to complete a series of dynamic movement skills. Criterion-referenced skill performance and completion time were the recommended forms of evaluation. Children, 8-12 years of age, self-reported their age and gender and then completed the study assessments while attending local schools or day camps. Face validity was previously established through a Delphi expert (n = 19, 21% female) review process. Convergent validity was evaluated by age and gender associations with assessment performance. Inter- and intra-rater (n = 53, 34% female) objectivity and test-retest (n = 60, 47% female) reliability were assessed through repeated test administration. RESULTS: Median total score was 21 of 28 points (range 5-28). Median completion time was 17 s. Total scores were feasible for all 995 children who self-reported age and gender. Total score did not differ between inside and outside environments (95% confidence interval (CI) of difference: -0.7 to 0.6; p = 0.91) or with/without footwear (95%CI of difference: -2.5 to 1.9; p = 0.77). Older age (p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.15) and male gender (p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.02) were associated with a higher total score. Inter-rater objectivity evidence was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.99) for completion time and substantial for skill score (ICC = 0.69) for 104 attempts by 53 children (34% female). Intra-rater objectivity was moderate (ICC = 0.52) for skill score and excellent for completion time (ICC = 0.99). Reliability was excellent for completion time over a short (2-4 days; ICC = 0.84) or long (8-14 days; ICC = 0.82) interval. Skill score reliability was moderate (ICC = 0.46) over a short interval, and substantial (ICC = 0.74) over a long interval. CONCLUSION: The Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment is a feasible measure of selected fundamental, complex and combined movement skills, which are an important building block for childhood physical literacy. Moderate-to-excellent objectivity was demonstrated for children 8-12 years of age. Test-retest reliability has been established over an interval of at least 1 week. The time and skill scores can be accurately estimated by 1 trained examiner.

The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy: Development of a Model of Children's Capacity for a Healthy, Active Lifestyle Through a Delphi Process.

BACKGROUND: The Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) was conceptualized as a tool to monitor children's physical literacy. The original model (fitness, activity behavior, knowledge, motor skill) required revision and relative weights for calculating/interpreting scores were required. METHODS: Nineteen childhood physical activity/fitness experts completed a 3-round Delphi process. Round 1 was open-ended questions. Subsequent rounds rated statements using a 5-point Likert scale. Recommendations were sought regarding protocol inclusion, relative importance within composite scores and score interpretation. RESULTS: Delphi participant consensus was achieved for 64% (47/73) of statement topics, including a revised conceptual model, specific assessment protocols, the importance of longitudinal tracking, and the relative importance of individual protocols and composite scores. Divergent opinions remained regarding the inclusion of sleep time, assessment/ scoring of the obstacle course assessment of motor skill, and the need for an overall physical literacy classification. CONCLUSIONS: The revised CAPL model (overlapping domains of physical competence, motivation, and knowledge, encompassed by daily behavior) is appropriate for monitoring the physical literacy of children aged 8 to 12 years. Objectively measured domains (daily behavior, physical competence) have higher relative importance. The interpretation of CAPL results should be reevaluated as more data become available.

Television viewing and food intake during television viewing in normal-weight, overweight and obese 9- to 11-year-old Canadian children: a cross-sectional analysis.

It is unclear if children of different weight status differ in their nutritional habits while watching television. The objective of the present paper was to determine if children who are overweight or obese differ in their frequency of consumption of six food items while watching television compared with their normal-weight counterparts. A cross-sectional study of 550 children (57·1 % female; mean age = 10 years) from Ottawa, Canada was conducted. Children's weight status was categorised using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut-points. Questionnaires were used to determine the number of hours of television watching per day and the frequency of consumption of six types of foods while watching television. Overweight/obese children watched more television per day than normal-weight children (3·3 v. 2·7 h, respectively; P = 0·001). Obese children consumed fast food and fruits/vegetables more frequently while watching television than normal-weight or overweight children (P < 0·05). Children who watched more than 4 h of television per d had higher odds (OR 3·21; 95% CI 1·14, 9·03; P = 0·03) of being obese, independent of several covariates, but not independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The finding that both television watching and the frequency of consumption of some food items during television watching are higher in children who are obese is concerning. While the nature of the present study does not allow for the determination of causal pathways, future research should investigate these weight-status differences to identify potential areas of intervention.

Expression of plastid-encoded photosynthetic genes during chloroplast or chromoplast differentiation in Cucurbitae pepo L. fruits.

The objective of the study was to determine the patterns of expression of two photosynthetic genes rbcL and psbA, during chloroplast and chromoplast differentiation in fruit tissues of three Cucurbitae pepo L. cultivars: Early Prolific, Foodhook Zucchini and Bicolor Gourds. In two Early Prolific isogenic lines, YYBB and YYB+B+, the steady-state amounts of rbcL and psbA transcripts increased with fruit development upto 14 days post-pollination. The YYB+B+ line in which chloroplast differentiates into chromoplast at about pollination, did not show significantly higher amounts of both transcripts compared to YYBB, in which chromoplast develops early prior to pollination. In the Bicolor Gourds, in which the chromoplast and chloroplast containing tissues lie in juxtaposition on the same fruit, showed little differences in rbcL and psbA transcripts between the two tissues, if any the chromoplast containing tissue contained more of both transcripts than the chloroplast containing tissue. In Fordhook Zucchini fruits, where the chloroplast containing tissue developed early prior to pollination and was maintained, the steady-state amounts of rbcL transcripts increased to a maximum at 3 days post-pollination and levelled at 14 and 21 days post-pollination. In contrast, in Fordhook Zucchini fruits, the psbA transcript increased gradually up to 21 days post-pollination. In Fordhook Zucchini, the apparent ratios of psbA transcripts versus rbcL transcripts ranged from 2.5 to 3.9, at day 3 to 21 post-pollination, while in Bicolor Gourds were 2.9 and 4.5 at days 14 and 21 post-pollination. The two photosynthetic genes, psbA and rbcL were developmentally regulated and differentially expressed. However, their expression in chloroplast containing fruit tissues was not higher than in the chromoplast containing fruit tissues.

Physical fitness, motor skill, and physical activity relationships in grade 4 to 6 children.

The present study sought to quantify the relationships among physical activity (PA), health-related fitness, and motor skill in children (grades 4 to 6), and to determine whether specific tests of fitness or motor skill are independently associated with objectively measured PA level. Four hundred and ninety-one students (56.4% female) wore a Digi-Walker pedometer for 7 consecutive days. Standardized protocols were used to assess health-related fitness (body mass index percentile, waist circumference, 20-m shuttle run, plank, handgrip, and trunk flexibility). Motor skill was evaluated using a validated obstacle course. Pearson correlations (with Holm adjustments for multiple comparisons) initially assessed associations among PA, health-related fitness, and motor skill. Multi-variable linear regression was used to determine which factors were significantly associated with daily step counts, while adjusting for gender, age, testing season, and socioeconomic status. Step counts were significantly correlated with predicted aerobic power (r = 0.30), obstacle course time (r = -0.27), obstacle course score (r = 0.20), plank isometric torso endurance (r = 0.16), and handgrip strength (r = 0.12), but not with waist circumference (r = -0.10), trunk flexibility (r = 0.10), or overweight status (ρ = -0.06). In the multi-variable model, predicted aerobic power, obstacle course time, testing season, gender, and the predicted aerobic power by gender interaction were significantly associated with step counts, explaining 16.4% of the variance. Specifically, the relationship between predicted aerobic power and step counts was stronger in girls. These findings suggest that aerobic fitness and motor skill are independently associated with children's PA. Future longitudinal studies should evaluate whether interventions to enhance aerobic fitness and motor skill could enhance daily PA among children of this age.

Electronic screens in children's bedrooms and adiposity, physical activity and sleep: do the number and type of electronic devices matter?

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the number and type of electronic screens available in children's bedrooms matter in their relationship to adiposity, physical activity and sleep. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 502 children aged 9-11 years from Ottawa, Ontario. The presence (yes/no) of a television (TV), computer or video game system in the child's bedroom was reported by the parents. Percentage body fat was measured using bioelectrical impedance. An accelerometer was worn over seven days to assess moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), total sedentary time, sleep duration and sleep efficiency. Screen time was self-reported by the child. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, ethnicity, annual household income and highest level of parental education, children with 2-3 screens in their bedroom had a significantly higher percentage of body fat than children with no screen in their bedroom. However, while children with 2-3 screens in their bedroom engaged in more screen time overall than those with no screen, total sedentary time and MVPA were not significantly different. Sleep duration was not related to the number of screens in the bedroom, but sleep efficiency was significantly lower in children with at least 2 screens in the bedroom. Finally, children having only a TV in their bedroom had significantly higher adiposity than those having no screen at all. In contrast, the presence of a computer in children's bedrooms was not associated with higher adiposity than that of children with no screen. CONCLUSIONS: A higher number of screens in a child's bedroom was associated with higher adiposity, more total screen time and lower sleep efficiency. Having a TV in the bedroom appears to be the type of screen presence associated with higher levels of adiposity. Given the popularity of screens among children, these findings are increasingly relevant to health promotion strategies.

Independent and combined associations of total sedentary time and television viewing time with food intake patterns of 9- to 11-year-old Canadian children.

The relationships among sedentary time, television viewing time, and dietary patterns in children are not fully understood. The aim of this paper was to determine which of self-reported television viewing time or objectively measured sedentary time is a better correlate of the frequency of consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods. A cross-sectional study was conducted of 9- to 11-year-old children (n = 523; 57.1% female) from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Accelerometers were used to determine total sedentary time, and questionnaires were used to determine the number of hours of television watching and the frequency of consumption of foods per week. Television viewing was negatively associated with the frequency of consumption of fruits, vegetables, and green vegetables, and positively associated with the frequency of consumption of sweets, soft drinks, diet soft drinks, pastries, potato chips, French fries, fruit juices, ice cream, fried foods, and fast food. Except for diet soft drinks and fruit juices, these associations were independent of covariates, including sedentary time. Total sedentary time was negatively associated with the frequency of consumption of sports drinks, independent of covariates, including television viewing. In combined sedentary time and television viewing analyses, children watching >2 h of television per day consumed several unhealthy food items more frequently than did children watching ≤2 h of television, regardless of sedentary time. In conclusion, this paper provides evidence to suggest that television viewing time is more strongly associated with unhealthy dietary patterns than is total sedentary time. Future research should focus on reducing television viewing time, as a means of improving dietary patterns and potentially reducing childhood obesity.

Validity of the SC-StepMX pedometer during treadmill walking and running.

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the SC-StepMX pedometer for measuring step counts. A convenience sample of 40 participants wore 4 SC-StepMX pedometers, 2 Yamax DigiWalker pedometers, and 2 Actical accelerometers around their waist on a treadmill at 4 speeds based on each participant's self-paced walking speed (50%, 100%, 180%, and 250%; range: 1.4-14.1 km·h(-1)). The SC-StepMX demonstrated lower mean absolute percent error (-0.2%) compared with the Yamax DigiWalker (-20.5%) and the Actical (-26.1%). Mean measurement bias was lower for the SC-StepMX (0.1 ± 9.1; 95% confidence interval = -17.8 to 18.0 steps·min(-1)) when compared with both the Yamax DigiWalker (-15.9 ± 23.3; 95% confidence interval = -61.6 to 29.7 steps·min(-1)) and the Actical (-22.0 ± 36.3; 95% CI = -93.1 to 49.1 steps·min(-1)). This study demonstrates that the SC-StepMX pedometer is a valid tool for the measurement of step counts. The SC-StepMX accurately measures step counts at slower walking speeds when compared with 2 other commercially available activity monitors. This makes the SC-StepMX useful in measuring step counts in populations that are active at lower intensities (e.g., sedentary individuals, the elderly).