2022 French Report Card on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in Children and Youth: From Continuous Alarming Conclusions to Encouraging Initiatives.

BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence and public health reports keep highlighting the continuous and alarming worldwide progression of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors in children and adolescents. The present paper summarizes findings from the 2022 French Report Card (RC) on physical activity for children and youth and compares them to the 2016, 2018, and 2020 RCs. METHODS: The 2022 edition of the French RC follows the standardized methodology established by the Active Healthy Kids Global Matrix. Ten physical activity indicators have been evaluated and graded based on the best available evidence coming from national surveys, peer-reviewed literature, government and nongovernment reports, and online information. The evaluation was also performed in children and adolescents with disabilities. Indicators were graded from A (high level of evidence) to F (very low level of evidence) or INC for incomplete. RESULTS: The evaluated indicators received the following grades: overall physical activity: D-; organized sport participation and physical activity: C; active play: F; active transportation: C; sedentary behaviors: D-; family and peers: D; physical fitness: C; school: C-; community and the built environment: F; government: B. CONCLUSIONS: While this 2022 French RC shows progression for 7 out of the 10 indicators considered, it also underlines the continuous need for actions at the local, regional, and national levels to develop better surveillance systems and favor a long-term improvement of youth movement behaviors.

Dissemination, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Effective School-Based Intervention to Promote Physical Activity in Adolescents: A Study Protocol.

Adolescents around the world do not engage in sufficient physical activity and the Spanish context is no exception. Understanding the educational context as a complex system, school-based multi-level and multi-component interventions seem to be an effective strategy to reverse this trend. Moreover, a co-creational approach seems to facilitate the mobilization of community partnerships and the engagement of stakeholders in the intervention process. This study aims to describe the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation process of an effective school-based intervention program in another setting using the replicating effective programs framework and a co-participatory approach. This study will be conducted in two Spanish secondary schools located in the region of Aragon (experimental vs. control school) in a sample of adolescents in the second grade (13-14 years old). To evaluate the effectiveness, different health behaviors such as physical activity, sleep, sedentary time with screens, nutrition, and psychosocial variables will be quantitatively measured at baseline and after the implementation of the intervention. Qualitative methods will also be used to better understand the implementation process and the co-creation approach, as well as to provide insights into the sustainability of the intervention program. The current study has the potential to provide strong information about the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation process of school-based programs to promote healthy behaviors among adolescents.

Accelerometer-Based Physical Activity Assessment During Intermittent Conditions: Effect of Epoch Length on Energy Expenditure Estimate.

Purpose: This study analyzed the effect of epoch length on energy expenditure (EE) estimates and on the moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) measure obtained from EE estimates during accelerometer-based assessment. Methods: Ten active students exercised on a treadmill for four 5-min bouts, using two effort intensities (running and walking) and two physical activity (PA) patterns (continuous or intermittent) wearing an accelerometer. The criterion measure of EE was achieved using indirect calorimetry. Data obtained from the accelerometer were reintegrated into 1-sec, 10-sec, 30-sec and 60-sec epochs. Results: During the running intermittent condition, EE and MVPA estimates from the accelerometer were no different from the criterion measure with 30- and 60-sec epoch lengths but they were different with shorter epoch lengths. During the walking intermittent condition, no difference was observed between EE estimates and the criterion measure, regardless of the epoch length. During the running continuous condition, EE estimated from the accelerometer was significantly lower than the EE obtained with the criterion measure, regardless of the epoch length. During the walking continuous condition, no difference was observed. Conclusion: During the intermittent running condition, longer epoch lengths gave the best EE and MVPA estimates. This conclusion is contrary to the current general view that shorter epochs are the most accurate for PA assessment. However, PA estimates are closer to an external load estimates whereas EE estimates are closer to the internal load estimate. Depending on the objective of their study, researchers should be aware of these findings.

France's 2020 Report Card on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in Children and Youth: Results and Progression.

BACKGROUND: There is an alarming and constant worldwide progression of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviors in children and adolescents. The present paper summarizes findings from France's 2020 Report Card on physical activity for children and youth, comparing its results to its 2 previous editions (2016 and 2018). METHODS: France's 2020 Report Card follows the standardized methodology established by the Active Healthy Kids Global Matrix, grading 10 common physical activity indicators using the best available evidence. The grades were informed by national surveys, peer-reviewed literature, government and nongovernment reports, and online information. RESULTS: The expert panel awarded the following grades: Overall Physical Activity: D; Organized Sport Participation and Physical Activity: C-; Active Play: INC; Active Transportation: C-; Sedentary Behaviors: D-; Family and Peers: D-; Physical Fitness: D; School: B-; Community and the Built Environment: F; Government: C. CONCLUSIONS: This 2020 edition of France's Report Card again highlights the alarming levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviors among French children and adolescents, calling for the development of effective national action. It also draws attention to the particular deleterious effects of the COVID-19 confinement on youth's movement behaviors, which significantly worsened the situation.

Effects of an Intervention to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Time in Disadvantaged Children: Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: In our society, children are particularly vulnerable to physical inactivity and excessive sedentary time (ST). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention designed to promote physical activity (PA) and reduce ST in 6- to 10-years-old children from a disadvantaged neighborhood. METHODS: The first intervention of this randomized trial was carried out in School 1 in 2017/2018 and 2018/2019, School 2 benefited from the same intervention in 2018/2019. Baseline assessments were realized using accelerometers prior to the intervention (T1-T2), after the first intervention (T3) and after the second intervention (T4). School-based actions targeted children, parents, teachers, physical, and organizational environment of school and politics. The chi-square test of independence was used to analyze the evolution of the moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and ST. RESULTS: For School 1, an increase in the percentage of very active children (over 40 minutes MVPA/day) and of having a very low ST (less 240 minutes/day) (p = .00) was found. No further evolution was revealed during the intervention (T2-T3) and 1 year after (T3-T4). For School 2, similar effects on PA and ST were found at T3 (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Positive effects occurred before the intervention in each school and then remained stable.

School-Based Multicomponent Intervention to Promote Physical Activity and Reduce Sedentary Time of Disadvantaged Children Aged 6-10 Years: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: In our modern society, physical activity (PA) is decreasing and sedentary time (ST) is increasing, especially for children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. School-based interventions to promote PA and decrease ST are therefore required among this population in order to change children's lifestyle habits. Moreover, attentional capacities and academic achievement can be enhanced by chronic PA during childhood. The relationships between these variables have been poorly studied with this population. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to present the rationale and methods for a randomized controlled trial among 6-10-year-old children with low socioeconomic status that will (1) evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based intervention designed to promote PA and reduce ST and (2) study the relationships between PA, ST, motor skills, attentional capacities, and academic achievement. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2 eligible primary schools. During academic year 2016-2017, 1 school was randomly assigned as the experiment one and the other was assigned as the control one. Five assessments times were used: baseline (T1 [November 2016] to T2 [June 2017]), follow-up (T3 [November 2017] to T4 [June 2018]), and final assessment (T5 [June 2019]). The school-based intervention included various components on different levels of the socioecological model: (1) curriculum-based program for children; (2) sensitization workshops and newsletters for parents; (3) training workshops for teachers; (4) environmental adaptation of playgrounds and reorganization of recess time; (5) time adaptation of lunch breaks; and (6) collaboration with political groups. PA, ST, motor skills, and attentional capacities were evaluated and academic achievement was recorded. RESULTS: The presented intervention and its different assessments have been successfully implemented. In order to achieve the 2 objectives of this randomized controlled trial, data analyses are about to be completed. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of this randomized controlled trial can help to determine effective strategies to promote PA in the context of increasing prevalence of physical inactivity among children with sedentary lifestyle which will be useful for researchers, stakeholders, and public policy makers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03983447; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03983447. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/17815.

Effect of epoch length on intensity classification and on accuracy of measurement under controlled conditions on treadmill: Towards a better understanding of accelerometer measurement.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of epoch length on intensity classification during continuous and intermittent activities. METHODS: Ten active students exercised under controlled conditions on a treadmill for four 5-min bouts by combining two effort intensities (running and walking) and two physical activity (PA) patterns (continuous or intermittent). The testing session was designed to generate a known level of moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) for each condition. These PA levels were used as criterion measures to compare with the accelerometer measures. Data obtained from the accelerometer were reintegrated into 1-sec, 10-sec, 30-sec and 60-sec epochs. Equivalence testing was used to examine measurement agreements between MVPA values obtained with the different epochs and the reference values. Mean absolute percent errors (MAPE) were also calculated to provide an indicator of overall measurement error. RESULTS: During the intermittent conditions, only the value obtained with the 1-sec epoch was significantly equivalent to the reference value. With longer epochs the difference increased for both intermittent conditions but in an opposite way: with longer epochs, MVPA decreased during walking but increased during running. Regarding the measurement accuracy, the pattern of variations according to the epoch length selected during the intermittent conditions was identical between walking and running: MAPE increased with the increase in epoch length. MAPE remained low only for the 1-sec epoch (7.6% and 2.7% for walking and running, respectively), increased at 31.3% and 34% for the 10-sec epoch and until near 100% with the 30- and 60-sec epoch lengths. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the misclassification of exercise intensity based on accelerometer measurement and described for the first time the extent and the direction of this misclassification. Moreover, we can confirm that the shorter epochs are more accurate to measure the real exercise intensity during intermittent PA whatever the intensity.

Centre for the Promotion of Physical Activity and Health (CAPAS-City): A Pyrenean Cross-Cultural Structure to Lead the Way in the Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Multilevel Physical Activity Interventions.

This study describes a Pyrenean cross-cultural structure called Centre for the Promotion of Physical Activity and Health (CAPAS-City) that was created to promote physical activity (PA) in Huesca (Spain) and Tarbes (France). The main aim of this centre is to lead the way in the design, implementation, and evaluation of multilevel PA interventions to improve their efficacy and sustainability inside the city. CAPAS-City responds to the main challenges related to multilevel PA interventions, through six guiding principles: (1) promoting sustainability, (2) playing a leadership role, (3) promoting multisectoral partnerships, (4) using evidence-based strategies, (5) promoting integrated knowledge translation, and (6) using a participatory research approach. Five multilevel PA interventions were designed in both cities by CAPAS-City with these principles in mind. Through the example of the Annual MOT Test adapted to bikes, we also illustrate one practical application of the use of these principles, following the Social-Ecological approach, in which the main agents of influence are involved at different levels to encourage cycling. According to the promising results found in this study, CAPAS-City appears to be a structure that is able to respond to the main needs and challenges of multilevel interventions to increase PA levels in the whole population of both cities.

Eye eccentricity modifies the perception of whole-body rotation.

In order to explore the effect of gaze orientation on whole-body rotation perception, ten healthy participants were rotated in the dark while fixating on a visual target located either straight ahead or 15 degrees to the right. A vestibular-memory contingent saccade paradigm was used to estimate the rotation perception. The results attest to the participants' ability to accurately perceive their rotation, based solely on the intrinsic inputs (somesthetic and mainly vestibular), since the correlation between the imposed body rotation and the saccade amplitude was significant and positive. However, the rotation perception was less accurate and of lesser magnitude when the gaze was deviated in the opposite direction to the rotation than when it was either straight ahead or deviated in the direction of the rotation. This can be interpreted as the perceptual equivalent of Alexander's law.

Visual control of manual aiming movements in 6- to 10-year-old children and adults.

Recent results indicate that adults modulate their initial movement impulse toward a stationary visual target by processing visual afferent information. The authors investigated whether the mechanisms responsible for those modulations are already in place in young children or develop as the children grow older. Adults (n = 10) and 6-, 8- and 10-year-old children (ns = 6, 7, and 7, respectively) performed a video-aiming task while vision of the cursor they were moving was (acquisition) or was not (transfer) visible. The results indicated that within-participant variability of the initial impulse trajectory of the children's aiming movement leveled-off in acquisition between peak extent deceleration and the end of the initial impulse, whereas it increased linearly as movement unfolded in transfer. The results also indicated that children modulate their initial movement impulse when visual afferent information is available, although to a lesser extent than adults do, and strongly imply that contrary to past suggestions, the initial impulse of an aiming movement is not ballistic.

Planning and control of straight-ahead and angled planar movements in adults and young children.

In the present study we wanted to determine why straight-ahead movements performed along one's mid-line are directionally more accurate than movements toward eccentric targets. We also wanted to determine whether the processes underlying this difference were the same in young children as in adults. Six-to-seven-year-old children and adults practiced a video-aiming task using different starting base and target combinations without vision of their ongoing movements. The results indicated that adults and children were directionally more accurate and less variable when pointing toward targets located straight ahead of the starting base rather than eccentric or concentric targets. This was true, regardless of whether the movement was performed along one's midline or not. These results suggest that angled movements are directionally less accurate than straight-ahead movements because of difficulty in defining the orientation of the appropriate movement vector in the workspace and/or in transforming it into appropriate motor commands. A kinematic analysis revealed large coefficients of direction and of extent variability early after movement initiation. However, these coefficients of variability were largely reduced by the occurrence of peak extent velocity, revealing that noise in initial movement planning was quickly reduced by on-line control processes. Finally, the results indicated largely similar planning and control processes for young children and adults.

Developmental aspects of the control of manual aiming movements in aligned and non-aligned visual displays.

The goal of the present study was to determine for children and adults whether practice of a manual aiming task performed on a vertical computer display by moving a mouse facilitates performance of the same task but with a different display orientation. Children (6, 7-8, and 9-10 year olds) and adults practiced a video aiming task using a vertical display. Prior to and after this practice phase, they performed the same task but this time using a horizontal display simulating aiming performance in a normal environment. For all age groups, the results indicated that, on the amplitude component of the task, what has been learned with a vertical display transferred positively to performance of the same task with a horizontal display. No transfer, either positive or negative, was noted on the direction component of the task. A kinematic analysis of the participants' aiming movements revealed that the positive transfer noted on the amplitude component of the task resulted from positive transfer occurring for both the response planning and the motor control processes. Also differences in aiming performance noted between the children and the adults were caused by both more efficient movement planning and online control processes. Finally, the kinematic analysis revealed that both children and adults were able to modulate online their initial movement impulse, providing evidence of continuous or pseudo-continuous movement control based on visual afferent information.