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Background: Social support is a crucial factor influencing the sustainability of physical activity (PA). This proof-of-concept study presents the development of a Social Physical Activity Index for Area (SPAIFA) an indicator reflecting opportunities for individuals to actively participate as part of a group within which opportunities for social interaction can be developed. Methods: Six government councils in the state of New South Wales, Australia, were selected encompassing 174 suburbs. Using 2 search engines’ map tools, we identified PA venues for each suburb (eg, park, studios, etc). To enumerate activities per suburb, we used (1) venue websites, (2) New South Wales Office of Sport website, (3) national websites of grassroots PA for nonorganized activity (eg, parkrun, meetup, etc), and (4) social media. The database was linked to the suburb demographic profile, the area disadvantage score, walkability and open space scores, and the proportion of insufficiently active residents. Spatial analysis techniques were used to identify SPAIFA clusters. Results: SPAIFA councils’ average was 9.9 activities per 10,000 people (ranging from 6.6/10,000 to 16.2/10,000). SPAIFA-Old (ie, activities specific to older adults) varied significantly (ranging from 11.7/10,000 to 0.8/10,000 seniors). Disadvantaged areas and a high proportion of insufficiently active residents were associated with being classified as low SPAIFA (P < .01). Three clusters of low SPAIFA were identified, and 17 high-risk areas where low SPAIFA was compounded by poor environmental support. Conclusions: SPAIFA can be used by councils and policymakers as an indicator for monitoring and intervening in areas where natural and/or urban design is not conducive for PA.

Background: To examine the associations between school-age children’s sedentary behavior, screen time, and 3 physical activity attributes: muscular strength, cardiorespiratory endurance (CRE), and fundamental movement skills. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 2734 children in years 2 and 4 and 3671 adolescents in years 6, 8, and 10. Total sitting time, 6 screen time behaviors, and physical activity were measured by self-report. Muscular strength was assessed by standing broad jump; CRE by 20-m shuttle run test; and fundamental movement skills by process-oriented checklists. Associations between incremental sitting and screen time (in hours) and meeting the healthy zone of physical activity attributes were examined using logistic regression. Results: After adjusting for covariates and physical activity, children had lower odds of achieving the healthy zone for muscular strength and CRE for each hour of week (but not weekend) screen time. For adolescents, each hour of screen time per day was associated with lower odds of achieving the healthy fitness zone for CRE, locomotor skills, and overall healthy zone, and each hour of weekend screen time was associated with lower odds of achieving the healthy zone for most attributes and overall healthy zone. The associations were slightly stronger among adolescent girls than boys. The findings were similar for total sitting time. Conclusions: Screen time was associated with a lower likelihood to achieve healthy zones of physical activity attributes, and the effect was more consistent and slightly stronger among adolescents than children. This may suggest that the negative effects of screen time are incremental, emerging during adolescence.