Establishing a university food pantry: growth, changes in shopper characteristics and recommendations.

Objective: Describe trends in usage and shoppers of Eastern Michigan University's (EMU) food pantry over four academic years. Participants: Shoppers of EMU's pantry between September 2015 and April 2019. Methods: Data come from shopper questionnaires and pantry records of daily visits and food distribution. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to explore shopper characteristics and pantry use over time. Results: Pantry use increased over four academic years (from 1,021 to 3,080 visits/year). An increasing proportion of shoppers use the pantry ≥ once/month (6.1% in 2015/2016; 15.1% in 2018/2019). Compared to irregular shoppers (≤7 visits/year), regular shoppers (≥8 visits) reported higher rates of housing instability and were less likely to have a university meal plan. Conclusion: Data revealed substantial growth of the campus pantry, likely reflecting greater awareness and greater need. The findings highlight financial and social challenges faced by Michigan's college students. Recommendations for pantry establishment/maintenance are indicated.

Influence of Guideline Operationalization on Youth Activity Prevalence in the International Children's Accelerometry Database.

INTRODUCTION: The United Kingdom and World Health Organization recently changed their youth physical activity (PA) guidelines from 60 min of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) every day, to an average of 60 min of MVPA per day, over a week. The changes are based on expert opinion due to insufficient evidence comparing health outcomes associated with different guideline definitions. This study used the International Children's Accelerometry Database to compare approaches to calculating youth PA compliance and associations with health indicators. METHODS: Cross-sectional accelerometer data (n = 21,612, 5-18 yr) were used to examine compliance with four guideline definitions: daily method (DM; ≥60 min MVPA every day), average method (AM; average of ≥60 min MVPA per day), AM5 (AM compliance and ≥5 min of vigorous PA [VPA] on ≥3 d), and AM15 (AM compliance and ≥15 min VPA on ≥3 d). Associations between compliance and health indicators were examined for all definitions. RESULTS: Compliance varied from 5.3% (DM) to 29.9% (AM). Associations between compliance and health indicators were similar for AM, AM5, and AM15. For example, compliance with AM, AM5, and AM15 was associated with a lower BMI z-score (statistics are coefficient [95% CI]): AM (-0.28 [-0.33 to -0.23]), AM5 (-0.28 [-0.33 to -0.23], and AM15 (-0.30 [-0.35 to -0.25]). Associations between compliance and health indicators for DM were similar/weaker, possibly reflecting fewer DM-compliant participants with health data and lower variability in exposure/outcome data. CONCLUSIONS: Youth completing 60 min of MVPA every day do not experience superior health benefits to youth completing an average of 60 min of MVPA per day. Guidelines should encourage youth to achieve an average of 60 min of MVPA per day. Different guideline definitions affect inactivity prevalence estimates; this must be considered when analyzing data and comparing studies.

Implementing physically active learning: Future directions for research, policy, and practice.

Purpose: To identify co-produced multi-stakeholder perspectives important for successful widespread physically active learning (PAL) adoption and implementation. Methods: A total of 35 stakeholders (policymakers n = 9; commercial education sector, n = 8; teachers, n = 3; researchers, n = 15) attended a design thinking PAL workshop. Participants formed 5 multi-disciplinary groups with at least 1 representative from each stakeholder group. Each group, facilitated by a researcher, undertook 2 tasks: (1) using Post-it Notes, the following question was answered: within the school day, what are the opportunities for learning combined with movement? and (2) structured as a washing-line task, the following question was answered: how can we establish PAL as the norm? All discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Inductive analyses were conducted by 4 authors. After the analyses were complete, the main themes and subthemes were assigned to 4 predetermined categories: (1) PAL design and implementation, (2) priorities for practice, (3) priorities for policy, and (4) priorities for research. Results: The following were the main themes for PAL implementation: opportunities for PAL within the school day, delivery environments, learning approaches, and the intensity of PAL. The main themes for the priorities for practice included teacher confidence and competence, resources to support delivery, and community of practice. The main themes for the policy for priorities included self-governance, the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services, and Skill, policy investment in initial teacher training, and curriculum reform. The main themes for the research priorities included establishing a strong evidence base, school-based PAL implementation, and a whole-systems approach. Conclusion: The present study is the first to identify PAL implementation factors using a combined multi-stakeholder perspective. To achieve wider PAL adoption and implementation, future interventions should be evidence based and address implementation factors at the classroom level (e.g., approaches and delivery environments), school level (e.g., communities of practice), and policy level (e.g., initial teacher training).

Introducing physically active lessons in UK secondary schools: feasibility study and pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Assess feasibility, acceptability and costs of delivering a physically active lessons (PAL) training programme to secondary school teachers and explore preliminary effectiveness for reducing pupils' sedentary time. DESIGN AND SETTING: Secondary schools in East England; one school participated in a pre-post feasibility study, two in a pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial. In the pilot trial, blinding to group assignment was not possible. PARTICIPANTS: Across studies, 321 randomly selected students (51% male; mean age: 12.9 years), 78 teachers (35% male) and 2 assistant head teachers enrolled; 296 (92%) students, 69 (88%) teachers and 2 assistant head teachers completed the studies. INTERVENTION: PAL training was delivered to teachers over two after-school sessions. Teachers were made aware of how to integrate movement into lessons; strategies included students collecting data from the environment for class activities and completing activities posted on classroom walls, instead of sitting at desks. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to assess feasibility and acceptability of PAL training and delivery. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and ~8 weeks post-training; measures included accelerometer-assessed activity, self-reported well-being and observations of time-on-task. Process evaluation was conducted at follow-up. RESULTS: In the feasibility study, teachers reported good acceptability of PAL training and mixed experiences of delivering PAL. In the pilot study, teachers' acceptability of training was lower and teachers identified aspects of the training in need of review, including the outdoor PAL training and learning challenge of PAL strategies. In both studies, students and assistant head teachers reported good acceptability of the intervention. Preliminary effectiveness for reducing students' sedentary time was not demonstrated in either study. CONCLUSIONS: No evidence of preliminary effectiveness on the primary outcome and mixed reports of teachers' acceptability of PAL training suggest the need to review the training. The results do not support continuation of research with the current intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN38409550.

Cardiorespiratory fitness in urban adolescent girls: associations with race and pubertal status.

Cardiorespiratory fitness affords health benefits to youth. Among females, weight-relative fitness declines during puberty and is lower among African American (AA) than Caucasian girls. Data indicate racial differences in pubertal timing and tempo, yet the interactive influence of puberty and race on fitness, and the role of physical activity (PA) in these associations have not been examined. Thus, independent and interactive associations of race and pubertal development with fitness in adolescent girls, controlling for PA were examined. Girls in grades 5-8 (n = 1011; Caucasian = 25.2%, AA = 52.3%, Other Race group = 22.5%) completed the Pubertal Development Scale (pubertal stage assessment) and Fitnessgram® Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) test (cardiorespiratory fitness assessment). PA was assessed by accelerometry. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine associations among race, pubertal stage and fitness, controlling for vigorous PA, AA, and pubertally advanced girls demonstrated lower fitness than Caucasian and less mature counterparts. Puberty and race remained significantly associated with fitness after controlling for vigorous PA. The interaction effect of race and puberty on fitness was non-significant. The pubertal influence on fitness is observed among AA adolescents. Associations between fitness and race/puberty appear to be independent of each other and vigorous PA. Pubertally advanced AA girls represent a priority group for fitness interventions.

Age-Related Differences in OMNI-RPE Scale Validity in Youth: A Longitudinal Analysis.

UNLABELLED: RPE scales are used in exercise science research to assess perceptions of physical effort. RPE scale validity has been evaluated by assessing correlations between RPE and physiological indicators. Cross-sectional studies indicate that RPE scale validity improves with age; however, this has not been studied longitudinally. PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine age-related trends in OMNI-RPE scale validity, using a longitudinal study design, and HR and oxygen uptake (V˙O2) as criterion measures. METHODS: Participants performed eleven 5-min activity trials at baseline, 12-, 24-, and 36-month follow-up (V˙O2 data: N = 160; HR data: N = 138). HR and V˙O2 between minutes 2.5 and 4.5 of each activity were recorded. At the end of each activity, participants reported RPE. Children were stratified into the following age-groups: 6-8, 9-10, 11-12, and ≥13 yr. Within-subject correlations between OMNI-RPE and HR/V˙O2 were calculated at each time point. Differences between correlations for consecutive time points were evaluated using 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Among children age 6-8 yr at baseline, correlations progressed from 0.67 to 0.78 (V˙O2) and from 0.70 to 0.79 (HR) for 36 months. Among children age 9-10 yr at baseline, the mean within-subject correlation was 0.78 at baseline and 0.81 at 36-month follow-up. Among children age 11-12 and ≥13 yr at baseline, OMNI-RPE ratings demonstrated strong validity (r ≥ 0.82) at each time point. CONCLUSIONS: For the 36-month follow-up, OMNI-RPE scale validity improved among children age 6-8 yr at baseline and remained strong among children age 9-10, 11-12, and ≥13 yr at baseline. Moderate correlations for the youngest participants suggest that caution should be used when interpreting OMNI-RPE reports from children younger than 8 yr.

Long-Term Outcomes following the MEND 7-13 Child Weight Management Program.

BACKGROUND: In the current study, we report outcomes 2.4 years from baseline in a random subsample of overweight and obese children who attended MEND 7-13 programs delivered in UK community settings under service level conditions. METHODS: The study employed an uncontrolled pre-follow-up design. A total of 165 children were measured. Outcomes included anthropometry, parental perception of emotional distress, body esteem, and self-esteem. RESULTS: Overall, there were significant improvements in all outcomes apart from BMI z-score. In boys, BMI z-score, waist circumference z-score, and psychometrics all improved. In girls, there were no statistically significant differences at 2.4 years, except for body esteem. CONCLUSIONS: In real-world settings, the MEND intervention, when delivered by nonspecialists, may result in modest, yet positive, long-term outcomes. Subsequent research should focus on improving the outcome effect size, providing effective behavior change maintenance strategies, and further investigating the reasons behind the observed gender differences.

Age related differences in the validity of the OMNI perceived exertion scale during lifestyle activities.

PURPOSE: The OMNI perceived exertion scale was developed for children to report perceived effort while performing physical activity; however no studies have formally examined age-related differences in validity. This study evaluated the validity of the OMNI-RPE in 4 age groups performing a range of lifestyle activities. METHODS: 206 participants were stratified into four age groups: 6-8 years (n = 42), 9-10 years (n = 46), 11-12 years (n = 47), and 13-15 years (n = 71). Heart rate and VO2 were measured during 11 activity trials ranging in intensity from sedentary to vigorous. After each trial, participants reported effort from the OMNI walk/run scale. Concurrent validity was assessed by calculating within-subject correlations between OMNI ratings and the two physiological indices. RESULTS: The average correlation between OMNI ratings and VO2 was 0.67, 0.77, 0.85, and 0.87 for the 6-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-15 y age groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The OMNI RPE scale demonstrated fair to good evidence of validity across a range of lifestyle activities among 6- to 15-year-old children. The validity of the scale appears to be developmentally related with RPE reports closely reflecting physiological responses among children older than 8 years.

Maturity-associated variation in physical activity and health-related quality of life in British adolescent girls: moderating effects of peer acceptance.

BACKGROUND: Using a Biocultural Model of Maturity-Associated Variance in physical activity (PA) as a conceptual framework, the main and interactive effects of biological maturity status and perceived peer acceptance on PA and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescent girls were examined. METHODS: Three hundred forty-two female British students in years 7 to 9 (13.2±0.83 years) participated in the study. All participants completed the PA Questionnaire for Adolescents and KIDSCREEN-10, a measure of HRQoL. Self-reported perceptions of peer acceptance were measured by items from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.Maturity status was estimated as the percentage of predicted adult (mature) height attained at the time of observation. RESULTS: Analysis of covariance suggested an influence of peer acceptance on maturity-associated differences in PA, but not on HRQoL. Girls early and "on time" in maturation with higher perceptions of peer acceptance reported greater involvement in PA than girls early and "on time" in maturation with lower perceptions of peer acceptance. A reverse association was observed for late-maturing girls. CONCLUSIONS: Peer acceptance is an important moderator of maturity-associated variation in PA.

Contribution of Active Videogame Play to Physical Activity Among College Students.

BACKGROUND: Fewer than half of college students meet physical activity (PA) recommendations. Active videogames (AVGs) may increase PA. The contribution that AVGs make to total PA is unknown. This study aimed to examine the contribution of AVG play to total PA and to compare sedentary, light, and moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA (MVPA) on game-days and non-game-days. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 1 week, the PA of 42 students (mean age, 20.4±1.3 years) was assessed by accelerometry. During this week an AVG was played one to three times, for 30 minutes each. The percentage contribution of AVG play to MVPA was calculated. To compare PA on game-days versus non-game-days, t tests were used. RESULTS: Students performed an average of 47.2±32.0 minutes of MVPA/day, during the monitored weekdays. MVPA during AVG play contributed 4.8±8.1 percent to total MVPA on game-days. The percentage of time spent in moderate PA was significantly higher on game-days (4.9 percent) than on non-game-days (3.3 percent). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to examine the contribution of AVG play to daily PA. These data support further investigation of AVGs as a means of increasing health-enhancing PA and reducing sedentary behavior among college students.

The mediating role of physical self-concept on relations between biological maturity status and physical activity in adolescent females.

The current study examined the mediating role of physical self-concept on relations between biological maturity status and self-reported physical activity in adolescent British females. Biological maturity status, physical self-concept and physical activity were assessed in 407 female British year 7-9 pupils (M age = 13.2 years, SD = 1.0). Participants completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (Kowalski, Crocker, & Donen, 2004) and the Children and Youth Physical Self-Perceptions Profile (Whitehead, 1995). Percentage of predicted adult height attained at measurement was used as an estimate of biological maturity status. Structural equation modelling using maximum likelihood estimation and bootstrapping procedures revealed that perceptions of sports competence, body attractiveness and physical self-worth mediated an inverse relation between maturity status and physical activity. The results provide partial support for Petersen and Taylor's (1980) Mediated Effects Model of Psychological and Behavioural Adaptation to Puberty within the context of physical activity.