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Background: Global forced displacement has been rising steeply since 2015 as a result of wars and human rights abuses. Forcibly displaced people are often exposed to physical and mental strain, which can cause traumatic experiences and poor mental health. Physical activity has been linked with better mental health, although such evidence is scarce among those populations. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships of self-reported physical activity and fitness with mental health indices among people residing in a refugee camp in Greece as asylum seekers. Methods: Participants were 151 individuals (76 women, 75 men; mean age 28.90 y) displaced from their homes for an average of 32.03 months. Among them, 67% were from Afghanistan and countries from southwest Asia, and 33% from sub-Saharan African countries. Participants completed self-report measures assessing physical activity, fitness, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and well-being. Results: High prevalence of mental health disorder symptoms and poor well-being were identified, with women and Asians showing poorer mental health. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety were related to perceived fitness, but not to self-reported physical activity. Regression analysis showed that perceived fitness (β: 0.34; 95% CI, 0.43 to 1.52) and low-intensity physical activity (β: 0.24; 95% CI, 0.001 to 0.009) significantly positively predicted well-being, showing small to medium effect. Conclusions: The findings provide useful insights regarding the link between physical activity and well-being; nevertheless, further research examining objectively measured physical activity is warranted to complement these data and further explore the associations between physical activity and mental health.

Background: Twenty-four hour movement behaviors (ie, physical activity [PA], screen time [ST], and sleep) are associated with children’s health outcomes. Identifying day-level contextual factors, such as child care, that positively influence children’s movement behaviors may help identify potential intervention targets, like improving access to child care programs. This study aimed to examine the between- and within-person effects of child care on preschoolers’ 24-hour movement behaviors. Methods: Children (N = 74, 4.7 [0.9] y, 48.9% girls, 63.3% White) wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer on their nondominant wrist 24 hours per day for 14 days to measure PA and sleep. Parents completed surveys each night about their child’s ST and child care attendance that day. Linear mixed effects models predicted day-level 24-hour movement behaviors from hours spent in child care. Results: Children spent an average of 5.0 (2.9) hours per day in child care. For every additional hour of child care above their average, children had 0.3 hours (95% CI, −0.3 to −0.2) less ST that day. Between-person effects showed that compared with children who attended fewer overall hours of child care, children who attended more hours had less overall ST (B = −0.2 h; 95% CI, −0.4 to 0.0). Child care was not significantly associated with PA or sleep. Conclusions: Child care attendance was not associated with 24-hour PA or sleep; however, it was associated with less ST. More research utilizing objective measures of ST and more robust measures of daily schedules or structure is necessary to better understand how existing infrastructure may influence preschool-aged children’s 24-hour movement behaviors. In addition, future research should consider how access to child care may influence child care attendance.

Background: Women with higher body mass index report low rates of and face unique barriers to exercise. Increasing exercise participation can improve mental and physical health independent of weight loss; however, most exercise programs targeting this population focus predominately on losing weight. This paper aims to describe the development of Fit&Fab, a community-based exercise intervention focused on increasing exercise participation and enjoyment for women with obesity. Methods: In partnership with the YMCA, we recruited women ages 35–64 years (body mass index ≥ 30) to participate in 4 focus groups to understand exercise preferences. Formative work was used to identify theory constructs and associated intervention components. Women from the focus groups were recruited for a community advisory board that finalized the intervention design, recruitment, and evaluation plan. Results: Focus groups participants (N = 29) preferred to exercise without men and wanted a cohort-style class that included women of similar exercise levels and body types, incorporated social support, fun activities, and broke exercise into smaller bouts. They wanted a supportive instructor who was fit but understood weight-related challenges. The community advisory board and research team used focus group findings to inform design of the final intervention including group exercise classes, psychosocial support sessions, personalized training, exercise tracking, outcome monitoring, and rewards. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the need to focus on exercise enjoyment and benefits other than losing weight to improve exercise participation among women with higher body mass index. In addition to having outcomes other than weight loss, exercise interventions with this population should also consider group composition, instructor, and class format.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate gender differences in authorship in physical activity and health research. Methods: A bibliometric study including 23,399 articles from 105 countries was conducted to estimate the participation of female researchers in physical activity publications from 1950 to 2019. The frequency of female researchers was analyzed and classified by first and last authors and the overall percentage of female authors by region and country. Results: The proportion of female first authors increased from <10% in the 50s and 80s to 55% in the last decade. On the other hand, the proportion of last authors increased from 8.7% to 41.1% in the same period. Most publications with female researchers were from the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Spain, England, Germany, Sweden, and China. Nine of these countries had over 50% of the articles published by female first authors. However, in all 10 countries, <50% of the articles were published by female last authors. Conclusions: The proportion of female researchers increased over time. However, regional differences exist and should be addressed in gender equity policies. There is a gap in the participation of female researchers as last authors. By actively addressing the gender gap in research, the global society can harness the full potential of all talented individuals, regardless of gender, leading to more inclusive and impactful scientific advancements.

Background: In the United States, many classroom teachers also teach physical education (PE). However, there is a dearth of evidence- and standard-based PE programs designed to support classroom teachers to deliver PE effectively in schools. Methods: The purpose of this study was to establish proof-of-concept for the Pocket PE 3–5 digital app in school settings with 10 third- to fifth-grade classroom teachers. We assessed fidelity of program implementation, measured via observations of PE quality. Students used wrist-worn heart rate monitors during Pocket PE 3–5 lessons to measure time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Program feasibility was primarily assessed through teacher-reported surveys of usability, satisfaction, and acceptability and exit interviews. Results: Mean PE observation scores were 18.6 (SD = 1.5) on a scale of 5 to 20. On average, students spent 56.7% (SD = 13.1%) of class time engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Mean survey scores, reported on a 5-point scale, were 4.5 (SD = 0.6) for acceptability, 4.8 (SD = 0.4) for usability, and 4.7 (SD = 0.7) for satisfaction. Teachers liked how easy the app was to use but mentioned some technological challenges. Conclusions: This program evaluation study established the proof-of-concept for the Pocket PE 3–5 elementary school PE program.

Introduction: Lack of physical activity (PA) is associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Parenting practices influence PA in young children. However, there is little evidence available for adolescents. We examined whether parenting practices were associated with out-of-school PA (OSPA) in US adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional 2019 study analyzed data from the 2014 FLASHE study, a web-based, quota-sampled survey of parent–adolescent dyads. Inclusion required survey completion and parents to live with their teen (ages 12–17 y old). Physically limited adolescents were excluded. Dyads were stratified by teen age. Exposures included parental modeling, monitoring, facilitation, restriction, guided choice, and pressure. The outcomes of interest were OSPA Youth Activity Profile scores. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using adjusted logistic regressions. Results: A total of 1109 dyads were included. Guided choice increased odds of OSPA for 15- to 17-year-olds (OR = 2.12; 95% CI, 1.17–3.84). Facilitation increased odds of OSPA for 12- to 14-year-olds (OR = 2.21; 95% CI, 1.13–4.33). Monitoring decreased odds of OSPA for 15- to 17-year-olds (OR = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.20–0.57) and 12- to 14-year-olds (OR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.27–0.74). Friend support increased odds of OSPA in 15- to 17-year-olds (OR = 4.03; 95% CI, 2.29–7.08) and 12- to 14-year-olds (OR = 3.05; 95% CI 1.69–5.51). Conclusion: Future interventions should prioritize (1) shared decision making for older teens, (2) access to PA opportunities for younger adolescents, and (3) promoting peer PA and friend support for everyone.