Psychological Aspects of Stair Use: A Systematic Review.

Stair use, a common lifestyle activity, is a moderate-to-vigorous physical activity that, despite often being brief in duration, may contribute to psychological health. A systematic literature review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) method to summarize psychological aspects related to stair use. Included studies examined at least 1 psychological outcome in relation to either objective measures of stair use, such as time or stair height, or subjective measures of, or measures related to, stair use such as perceived difficulty using stairs. A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria; 12 used subjective stair use measures and 10 used objective stair use measures. The limited evidence from studies using self-reports supported that (1) perceived difficulty using stairs was positively associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression and (2) stair use was not associated with a reduced incidence of mental illnesses such as depression, suicide, or dementia. Studies using objective measures of stair use supported that (3) elevated symptoms of anxiety and depression are negatively associated with stair use performance. Given the widespread use of stairs, there is surprisingly little data about the extent to which, and for whom, stair use influences psychological health.

Examining adolescents' obesogenic behaviors on structured days: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The structured days hypothesis posits that 'structured days' (i.e., days with pre-planned, segmented, and adult-supervised environments) reduce youth obesogenic behaviors. Structured days may be especially important for adolescents', as adolescence (12-19 years) is a period of developmental milestones and increased autonomy. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the relationship between structured days and adolescents' obesogenic behaviors (i.e., physical activity, diet, screen time, and/or sleep). METHODS: From February to April of 2020, four databases (i.e., Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and PsychINfo) were searched for cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention (i.e., baseline data only) studies reporting obesogenic behaviors on more structured versus less structured days (i.e., weekday versus weekend or school year versus summer/holiday). RESULTS: A total of 42,878 unique titles and abstracts were screened with 2767 full-text articles retrieved. After review of full-text articles, 296 studies were identified (sleep k = 147, physical activity k = 88, screen time k = 81, diet k = 8). Most studies were conducted in North America, Europe & Central Asia, or East Asia & the Pacific used self-report measures and compared school days to weekend days. Meta-analyses indicated that adolescents' physical activity (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.25 [95%CI - 0.48, -0.03]) and screen time (SMD = -0.48 [95%CI - 0.66, -0.29]) were less healthy on less structured days. Differences did not reach statistical significance for sleep (SMD = -0.23 [95%CI - 0.48, 0.02]) and diet (SMD = -0.13 [95%CI - 0.77, 0.51]), however, sleep timing (SMD = -1.05 [95%CI - 1.31, -0.79]) and diet quantity (SMD = -0.29 [95%CI - 0.35, -0.23]) were less healthy on less structured days. The review identified studies with large heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that adolescents' physical activity, screen time, sleep timing, and diet quantity are less healthy on less structured days. Interventions for adolescents to prevent and treat obesity may be more successful if they are designed to target times that are less structured.

Novel use of radio frequency identification (RFID) provides a valid measure of indoor stair-based physical activity.

This study sought to test the validity of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to measure indoor stair walking. RFID and Bluetooth sensors (accelerometers with the proximity function) were placed at landings across three floors within a stairwell. Participants (n = 29) were randomized to stair walking or sedentary control and concomitantly wore RFID tags at the hip, chest and neck. An accelerometer worn at the hip captured criterion physical activity data. RFID devices detected sedentary control and stair walking participants (mean RFID detections: 15.50, 47.33 respectively). Neck lanyard RFID tags were detected most frequently. RFID correctly classified all participants in both groups. RFID-based energy expenditure estimates were strongly correlated with accelerometer estimates (r = 0.78-0.94). Percent agreement for floor detection between the Bluetooth and RFID readers (38.6%) was consistent with known limitations of Bluetooth proximity sensing. It is concluded that, during self-paced stair walking in young adults, RFID devices provide valid data on participant movement and estimated energy expenditure.