Family-based physical activity interventions and family functioning: A systematic review.

Family physical activity (PA) can confer multiple health benefits, yet whether PA interventions affect general family functioning has not been appraised. The purpose of this review was to evaluate studies that have examined the effect of family PA interventions, where child PA was the focus of the intervention, on constructs of family functioning. Literature searches were concluded on January 11, 2022 using seven common databases. Eligible studies were in English, utilized a family PA intervention, and assessed a measure of family functioning as a study outcome. The initial search yielded 8413 hits, which was reduced to 20 independent PA interventions of mixed quality after screening for eligibility criteria. There was mixed evidence for whether family PA interventions affected overall family functioning; however, analyses of subdomains indicated that family cohesion is improved by PA interventions when children are in the early school years (aged 5-12). High-quality studies also showed an impact of family PA interventions on family organization. Targeted interventions at specific family subsystems (e.g., father-son, mother-daughter), characteristics (low-income, clinical populations, girls), and broad multibehavioral interventions may have the most reliable effects. Overall, the findings show that family PA interventions can promote family cohesion and organization, particularly among families with children in the early school years. Higher quality research, employing randomized trial designs and targeting specific intervention and sample characteristics (e.g., different clinical conditions, specific parent-child dyads), is recommended in order to better ascertain the effectiveness of these approaches.

A feasibility randomized controlled trial of a multi-process action control web-based intervention that targets physical activity in mothers.

The onset of motherhood is associated with a decline in moderate- to vigorous-physical activity (MVPA) and this deficit can remain for years to come. This study explored the feasibility of a web-based intervention, informed by the multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework, to promote PA in mothers. Forty-one inactive mothers of children <16 were randomized to a 10-week web-intervention (n = 20) or wait-list control (n = 21). Primary outcomes of recruitment and retention were measured with frequency counts; usability and satisfaction were measured via self-report questionnaires and qualitative interviews; secondary outcomes of MVPA and M-PAC constructs were assessed via self-report. Recruitment was 41%, retention was 88%, and satisfaction and usability were high. Participants logged in 7.94 (SD = 3.87) times and spent 37.71 (SD = 20.21) minutes per week on the web-intervention. Suggestions for intervention improvement included additional content targeting mothers, reminders, and optimized navigation. Intervention participants trended toward improved MVPA and M-PAC constructs, particularly action control processes of habit, self-identity, and behavioral regulation. The high feasibility ratings of recruitment, retention, satisfaction, and usability demonstrated that the study can be extended to a full-scale RCT with minor additions to the intervention such as content targeting mothers, reminders, and optimized navigation.

Perceptions of physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines among end-users and stakeholders: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Many of the world's population, across all age groups and abilities, are not meeting or even aware of internationally recommended physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) guidelines. In order to enhance awareness and uptake, guidelines should be perceived positively by targeted users. The purpose of this study was to review the literature on end-user and stakeholder perceptions of PA and SB guidelines. METHODS: The electronic databases APA PsycInfo, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and SPORTDiscus, using EBSCOhost Research Platform, and Web of Science were searched from inception to June, 2021 with keyword synonyms for "perceptions", "PA guidelines", and "SB guidelines". Studies of any design that collected stakeholder and/or end-user responses to a PA and/or SB guideline were included and assessed for risk of bias. The PA and/or SB guideline could be any type of official form (e.g., national documents, organizational guidelines, expert consensus statements, etc.) from any country, that targets individuals at the regional, provincial/statewide, national, or international level, and includes all types of guidelines (e.g., strength, aerobic, clinical, nonclinical, screen-time, sitting, etc.). Data were extracted and analyzed using thematic synthesis. RESULTS: After screening 1399 abstracts and applying citation screening, 304 full-texts were retrieved. A total of 31 articles met the inclusion criteria. End-users and stakeholders for PA guidelines across all age groups expressed the need for simplified language with more definitions, relatable examples and imagery, and quantification of PA behaviours. There was concern for the early years and child PA guidelines leading to guilt amongst parents and the SB guidelines, particularly the recommendations to limit screen-time, being unrealistic. General age group PA guidelines were not perceived as usable to populations with differing abilities, clinical conditions, and socioeconomic status. Guidelines that targeted clinical populations, such as persons with multiple sclerosis and persons with spinal cord injury, were well received. CONCLUSIONS: There is a clear need to balance the evidence base with the pragmatic needs of translation and uptake so that the guidelines are not ignored or act as a barrier to actual engagement.

Physical activity throughout pregnancy: guideline critical appraisal and implementation tool.

OBJECTIVE: The 2019 Canadian guideline for physical activity throughout pregnancy provides evidencebased recommendations to promote maternal, fetal, and neonatal health. We aimed to 1) critically appraise the 2019 Canadian guideline for physical activity throughout pregnancy; and 2) develop a guideline summary for clinicians to facilitate the uptake of recommendations into practice. METHODS: We used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument to critically appraise the quality and reporting of this guideline. Four reviewers independently scored between 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) for 23 items organized into six quality domains. RESULTS: AGREE II quality domain scores ranged from 47%-64% and the overall quality of the guideline was rated as 83% (high quality). CONCLUSION: Based on its methodological quality, we recommend the use of this guideline. Our guideline summary includes six recommendations and other safety precautions that are relevant for clinicians in Canada.

OBJECTIF: L'édition de 2019 des Directives canadiennes en matière d'exercice physique pendant la grossesse fournit des recommandations fondées sur des données probantes visant à favoriser la santé de la mère, du fœtus et du nouveau-né. Notre objectif était 1) d'examiner d'une façon critique l'édition de 2019 de ces lignes directrices; et 2) de faire un résumé à l'intention des cliniciens pour faciliter leur adoption dans l'exercice. MÉTHODOLOGIE: On a utilisé la grille Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) pour évaluer la qualité et le contenu des lignes directrices. Quatre examinateurs indépendants ont attribué une cote allant de 1 (fortement en désaccord) et 7 (fortement d'accord) à 23 éléments répartis dans six groupes d'aspects de la qualité. RÉSULTATS: Les cotes attribuées aux aspects de qualité de la grille AGREE II ont varié de 47 à 64 %. La cote attribuée à la qualité globale des lignes directrices s'est élevée à 83 % (grande qualité). CONCLUSION: Compte tenu de la qualité de la méthode avec laquelle elles ont été élaborées, on recommande l'adoption de ces lignes directrices. Nous résumons six recommandations et des consignes de sécurité pertinentes pour les cliniciens canadiens.

Effects of tailored advice on injury prevention knowledge and behaviours in runners: Secondary analysis from a randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether biweekly tailored advice was more effective than general advice at baseline alone for enhancing evidence-based running-related injury (RRI) prevention knowledge and behaviours in runners. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial, blinded statistical analysis, secondary analysis. SETTING: Recreational running clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Running clinics were cluster randomised into intervention or control groups. All participants (n = 51) received general RRI prevention advice (baseline), after which the intervention group (n = 31) received additional biweekly tailored advice (weeks 3-11), before all participants completed a Final Questionnaire (week 13). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Between-group differences in change of evidence-based RRI prevention knowledge and behaviours. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, the number of correct knowledge responses significantly increased in the intervention group (5.77, 95% CI 4.73, 6.81) and remained unchanged in controls (0.25, 95% CI -1.04, 1.55), outlining a positive effect only in the intervention group (p = 2.06 × 10-8). The number of correct behaviour responses significantly increased in the intervention group (1.94, 95% CI 0.94, 2.93) however this increase was not significantly greater than controls (p = 0.075). CONCLUSIONS: Biweekly tailored advice improved RRI prevention knowledge in runners. Further research into the impact of knowledge and behavioural change on RRI occurrence is warranted. ISRCTN 17357362.