The Effect of the Presence of an Internet-Connected Mobile Tablet Computer on Physical Activity Behavior in Children.

BACKGROUND: Mobile Internet-connected electronic devices provide access to activities that have traditionally been associated with sedentary behavior. Because they are portable, these devices can be utilized in any environment. Therefore, providing children with access to these devices in environments that typically promote physical activity may result in a reduction in physical activity behavior. PURPOSE: To assess children's physical and sedentary (ie, sitting) activity with and without the presence of a mobile Internet-connected tablet computer. METHODS: A total of 20 children [6.7 (1.9) y old] participated in 2 simulated recess conditions in a gymnasium on separate days. During each condition, children had free-choice access physical activity options and a table of sedentary activities for 40 minutes. During 1 session, the iPad was present, and in the other session, it was not. Physical activity was monitored via an accelerometer, and sedentary time was monitored via a stopwatch. RESULTS: Children significantly (P ≤ .03) reduced average physical activity intensity and increased their sedentary behavior with the iPad present [4.4 (4.0) metabolic equivalents/min and 20.9 (12.4) min sitting] versus the condition without the iPad present [5.3 (4.0) metabolic equivalents/min and 13.6 (13.2) min sitting]. CONCLUSION: Introducing an mobile Internet-connected tablet computer into a gymnasium reduced children's physical activity intensity by 17% and increased sedentary behavior by 54%.

The Effect of Parental Involvement on Children's Physical Activity.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the amount, intensity, enjoyment, and preference of children's physical activity in a controlled gymnasium setting under 3 experimental, social conditions: alone, with a parent watching, and with a parent participating. STUDY DESIGN: Children (n = 10 girls, 10 boys), 3-6 years old, along with 1 parent (n = 17 mothers, 3 fathers) per child participated in each social condition on separate days for 30 minutes in which they could choose from a variety of physical and/or sedentary activities. RESULTS: A greater number of accelerometer counts (P ≤ .02) were accumulated during the parent participating (109,523 ± 32,155 counts) condition than the alone (67,938 ± 37,857 counts) and parent watching (85,624 ± 44,985 counts) conditions. Counts during parent watching were also greater (P = .01) than alone. More time (P ≤ .008) was allocated to sedentary activities during the alone (16.2 ± 9.6 minutes) condition than parent watching (9.6 ± 9.3 minutes) and parent participating (3.8 ± 5.1 minutes). Children liked (P ≤ .02) the parent participating (9.9 ± 0.45 cm) condition more than alone (8.0 ± 2.72 cm) and parent watching (8.7 ± 1.52 cm). A greater (P < .001) proportion of children identified the parent participating (80%) as their preferred condition over either the parent watching (10%) or alone (10%) conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Parental participation during physical activity (or at minimum direct supervision) may be an important component in the development of physical activity environments intended to maximize physical activity behavior in children.

The Effects of a 12-Week Faculty and Staff Exercise Program on Health-Related Variables in a University Setting.

The obesity epidemic has grown in the past decade due to physical inactivity (i.e., having a sedentary job) and an increase in caloric intake. This problem combined with the reluctance of many faculty and staff members exercising in the same environment as student's presents a unique challenge in an academic setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 12-week exercise program focused toward the faculty and staff in improving several health-related variables such as curl-ups, push-ups, sit-and-reach, and balance. Fifty-seven faculty and staff participated in the current study. Participants engaged in a variety of exercise classes taught by certified instructors three days a week for 12-weeks. Paired samples t-tests illustrated a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in body mass and significant (p ≤ 0.001) improvements in curl-ups, push-ups, sit-and-reach, and balance. This data demonstrates that a 12-week faculty and staff exercise program has the potential to improve performance in several health-related variables such as curl-ups, push-ups, sit-and-reach, and balance. The ability of this program to improve health-related variables and possibly delay or prevent the development of overweight and/or obesity, sarcopenia, and other chronic diseases is encouraging.

The influence of a Tabata interval training program using an aquatic underwater treadmill on various performance variables.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week aquatic treadmill running (ATM) Tabata interval-training program on various performance variables including body fat percentage, force production, flexibility, and anaerobic power. Totally, 25 participants (17 males and 8 females) were randomized into either a control group (CON), which only completed Pre- and Posttesting, or exercise group (EX), which took part in the 8-week ATM Tabata interval-training program. Pre- and Posttesting consisted of the following measurements: body fat percentage, flexibility, force production, and anaerobic power. The Tabata interval-training program consisted of sprinting on an ATM at 7.5 miles⋅h and with the front jets turned on at 80, 85, 90, and 95% progressively increasing throughout the 8 weeks. A 2-way repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of time (F = 236.13; p < 0.001) and group by time interaction (F = 1.95; p = 0.02). Paired-samples t-test revealed a significant difference in the CON group from Pre- to Posttesting for mean power from the Wingate test (t = -2.20; p = 0.05) and a significant difference in the EX group for right leg goniometry (t = -2.34; p = 0.04) and mean power from the Wingate test (t = -2.81; p = 0.02). These results are favorable because it demonstrates that participants who engage in an ATM Tabata interval-training program can elicit a strong enough stimulus to improve flexibility and anaerobic power in terms of mean power while decreasing musculoskeletal impact placed on the ligaments, joints, and tendons.