Workplace physical activity practices in real life: a scoping review of grey literature for small- and medium-sized enterprises.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to scale-up effective physical activity (PA) programmes for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), where the uptake of PA interventions is low. Identifying real-life workplace practices in PA could contribute to a better understanding of what PA programmes might be most grounded in the 'real world'. However, there is a scarcity of evidence showing what gets done. This study aimed to identify, describe and comprehensively summarize the real-life implementations of workplace PA initiatives, particularly in Europe, as a prior step to disseminating future feasible PA practices for SMEs. METHODS: A scoping review of grey literature included a systematic search in the Google advanced search platform that permuted a combination of key concepts (PA, workplace, interventions/programmes), internet domains, and search operators in six different languages (Catalan, Finnish, French, Dutch, English and Spanish) between 2015 and November 2020. The analysis process was iterative, and multiple methods were used to sort, group and categorize the initiatives. RESULTS: There were a total of 713 real-life workplace PA initiatives from different-sized organizations identified. These were categorized into five themes: active work and living, exercise and fitness programs, management and leadership, communication and dissemination, and facilities. Finally, feature trees showing a menu for real-life workplace PA practices were implemented. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying real-life practice providing a state-of-the-art snapshot of current PA practices in workplaces, which is a starting point to better understand feasible practices in the context of small- and medium-sized workplaces.

Differences in fitness level between women aged 60 and over participating in three different supervised exercise programs and a sedentary group.

The aim of this study was to compare fitness levels in women aged 60 and over participating in a supervised exercise program (involving tai chi, recreational gymnastics, and/or aquatic fitness) with those in a sedentary group. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on a total of 171 women aged from 60 to 92 who attended public community clubs for older adults. The instruments used included the Senior Fitness Test, the Tinetti Balance Assessment Tool, the Katz Index, and the Lawton & Brody Activities of Daily Living Scale. Significant differences in fitness levels were observed when we compared the exercise groups with the sedentary group. Women with better fitness levels had a lower risk of suffering falls and greater autonomy in performing activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Agility and gait control were found to be independently associated with exercise groups.

Feasibility Assessment of the Let's Walk Programme (CAMINEM): Exercise Training and Health Promotion in Primary Health-Care Settings.

Exercise is related to many individual health outcomes but impact evaluations of exercise programmes are seldom conducted. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of an exercise prescription intervention in primary health-care settings (CAMINEM Programme) located in two socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The CAMINEM was a pragmatic-driven intervention with opportunistic recruitment. It followed the 5As framework for health promotion and also the exercise training principles. Feasibility was evaluated using the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance). Patients with non-communicable chronic diseases participated in a 12-month home-based moderate-intensity exercise program, counselled by exercise physiologists. Participants were grouped according to their physical activity behaviour at baseline and 6-month adherence. CAMINEM reached 1.49% (n = 229) of the eligible population (N = 15374) and included a final sample of 178. Health outcomes for adhered participants followed positive patterns. Non-adhered participants visited their practitioner more compared to adhered participants. Thirty-three practitioners (40%) referred patients. Nurses referred four times more than physicians (81% and 19% respectively). The delivery of exercise prescriptions proved to be easy to complete and record by participants as well as easy to monitor and adjust by the exercise physiologists. One out of four participants adhered during the 12-month intervention. This intervention has been feasible in primary care in Catalonia, Spain, to safely prescribe home-based exercise for several conditions.

Health and Well-Being in Protected Natural Areas-Visitors' Satisfaction in Three Different Protected Natural Area Categories in Catalonia, Spain.

Protected natural areas (PNAs) can be a source of health and well-being, but little research has been carried out regarding outcomes in terms of satisfaction (the difference between motivations and benefits). Inspired by previous research that examines the motivations and benefits perceived by visitors to various PNAs in Canada, and based on importance-performance analysis (IPA) and service quality gap (GAP) analysis theory, the aim of this study was to identify the outcomes generated by protected areas in terms of satisfaction, especially with regard to the PNAs' individual protection categories. The study was based on survey data from visitors (n = 360) to three PNAs in Catalonia: one national park, one natural park and one periurban park. The results indicate that anticipated environmental, psychological, physical and social benefits were of major personal value in choosing to visit a PNA. The results indicate that, generally, visitors were satisfied with regard to the benefits anticipated. Differences between parks in this respect could be explained in part by sociodemographic factors and visitors' behavior. The results are discussed in terms of their applicability and how they relate to the role of PNAs in the promotion of visitors' health and well-being.

Determination of functional fitness age in women aged 50 and older.

BACKGROUND: The construction of useful and attainable indicators of fitness assessment deserves special attention in clinical practice. We aimed to construct an indicator of the functional fitness age (FFA) of women aged 50 and older by an equation using fitness outcomes and its correlation with chronological age (CA) and to analyze the external validity of our results by comparing our sample to others. METHODS: Participants (n = 459, age: 70.3 ± 7.9 years, mean ± SD) were evaluated using the Senior Fitness Test battery. We applied a multiple regression and a subsequent Holt's exponential smoothing to analyze the outcomes. RESULTS: We obtained a statistically significant expression of F(6, 452) = 328.384; p < 0.0005 in which the coefficients of the equation explain 81% of variability (R 2 corrected = 0.813). The equation correlates fitness assessment in women aged 50 and over with regards to CA: FFA = 40.146 + 0.350 × CS (stand) - 0.714 × AC (rep) - 0.110 × ST (step) - 0.177 × CSR (cm) - 0.101 × BS (cm) + 8.835 × FUG (s) where CS means chair stand test, AC means arm curl test, ST means 2-min step test, CSR means chair sit-and-reach test, BS means back scratch test, FUG means 8-foot up-and-go test. We compared this index with percentiles distribution from our sample and from other studies. CONCLUSION: We suggest the use of FFA as a valid indicator of fitness in adult and senior women as well as a useful motivational tool to undertake exercise programs.

Assessing the Influence of Visitors' Sociodemographic and Trip Characteristics on Physical Activity Intensities in Alt Pirineu Natural Park, Spain.

BACKGROUND: Protected natural areas provide a promising opportunity for improving healthy life habits through engagement in a variety of physical activities (PAs). As visitors to protected natural areas do not behave as a homogenous group, it is necessary to better understand the association between their characteristics and the level of activities engaged in. Using Alt Pirineu Natural Park (Spain) as a case study, the purpose of this work is to examine the influence of visitors' sociodemographic and trip characteristics on the likelihood of the visitors engaging in distinct PA intensities. METHODS: Data were systematically collected from visitors (N = 1427) by means of self-administered questionnaires using a face-to-face approach. RESULTS: To identify distinct groups of PA intensities reported activities of visitors were classified following the Compendium of PA and metabolic equivalent consumption. Three groups were identified and labeled as follows: light PA group (16.8%), moderate PA group (63.9%), and vigorous PA group (19.3%). A logistic regression analysis indicated that the capacity of selected descriptors to predict group membership was positively associated with the increment in PA intensities. CONCLUSION: The study findings may aid park managers in developing effective management strategies for promoting health-enhancing PA in protected natural areas.