COVID-19 circumstances are two options. Modification of course delivery will mean a new reliance on technology to communicate with students and, therefore, promote student health and well-being. Web-delivered health interventions, in particular tailored interventions, have demonstrated promise among
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The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on US College Students’ Physical Activity and Mental Health
Oliver W.A. Wilson, Kelsey E. Holland, Lucas D. Elliott, Michele Duffey, and Melissa Bopp
Effects of a 10-Week Integrated Curriculum Intervention on Physical Activity, Resting Blood Pressure, Motor Skills, and Well-Being in 6- to 7-Year-Olds
Michael J. Duncan, Katie Fitton Davies, Nduka Okwose, Amy E. Harwood, and Djordje G. Jakovljevic
The benefit of physical activity (PA) on children’s health and well-being is well established. 1 Increasing PA is a key strategy to curb increases in childhood obesity, mental health issues, and other lifestyle-related diseases in children and youth. 1 Despite this, there remain concerns that
Effects of Breaking Up Sedentary Behavior With Short Bouts of Yoga and Tai-Chi on Glycemia, Concentration, and Well-Being
Alexander Colvin, Lynne Murray, Jillian Noble, and Sebastien Chastin
caused adverse effects on mental well-being in previously healthy individuals and worsened well-being in those with preexisting health conditions. 18 These effects on psychological health secondary to the pandemic are unlikely to be attributable to increased periods of sedentary behavior alone, but it
Physical Activity and Children in Care: A Scoping Review of Barriers, Facilitators, and Policy for Disadvantaged Youth
Thomas Quarmby and Katie Pickering
Background:
It is argued that regular engagement in physical activity (PA) has the potential to mitigate the negative health and educational outcomes that disadvantaged children living in care frequently face. However, little is currently known about children in care’s participation in PA. This scoping review primarily aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to PA participation for children in care.
Methods:
The main phases of the scoping review were 1) identifying relevant studies; 2) selecting studies based on predefined inclusion criteria; 3) charting the data; and 4) collating, summarizing, and reporting the results. All relevant studies were included in the review regardless of methodological quality and design.
Results:
The 7 articles that met the inclusion criteria were published between 1998 and 2013 and conducted in the USA (3), England (2), and Norway (2). A social ecological model was incorporated to map results against levels of influence.
Conclusions:
Various factors influence PA engagement for children in care. Barriers include low self-efficacy, instability of their social environment, which impacts on schooling and maintaining friendship groups, and, specific institutional practices and policies that may prevent access to PA. Before fully considering policy implications, further research with children in care is warranted in this area.
Pickleball Participation and the Health and Well-Being of Adults—A Scoping Review
Kim Stroesser, Adam Mulcaster, and David M. Andrews
The health and well-being of older adults have been studied extensively on a global scale. Given the increasing age of adults in most countries around the world, 1 researchers have looked to the benefits of low-intensity exercise as a means of improving the health and well-being of this growing
Objectively Measured Sedentary Behavior, Obesity, and Psychological Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study of Japanese Schoolchildren
Kaori Ishii, Ai Shibata, Minoru Adachi, Yoshiyuki Mano, and Koichiro Oka
Background:
Sedentary behaviors (SB) are associated with health indicators; however, there are currently very few studies that have examined these associations, especially in conjunction with psychological factors, in children. The current study examined the independent relationship between objectively assessed SB, and indicators of obesity and psychological well-being, among Japanese children.
Methods:
A total of 967 elementary-school children completed a cross-sectional survey. SB was measured with accelerometers for 7 consecutive days. Psychological well-being data (eg, anxiety and behavior problems) were collected via a self-report questionnaire. To determine the relationship of SB with degree of obesity and psychological well-being, linear regression analyses were conducted to relate the indicators of obesity and psychological well-being on SB, adjusted by gender, grade, percentage of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, duration spent wearing the accelerometer, and degree of obesity.
Results:
SB was significantly related to behavioral/emotional problems (β = .280, P = .010, R 2 = .015). There was a statistically significant relationship between SB and anxiety (β = .206, P = .059, R 2 = .007). No significant association with degree of obesity was found.
Conclusions:
Excess SB relates higher levels of behavioral/emotional problems and anxiety. These results can inspire the development of interventions that promote well-being and enhance psychological health, by focusing on SB in Japanese children.
Intensity of Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Dimensions of Mental Well-Being: A Reciprocal Approach Using Parallel Latent Growth Curve Modeling
Changwook Kim, Jinwon Kim, and Brijesh Thapa
Well-being, an important barometer of mental health, has been extensively examined over the past few decades. 1 , 2 The World Health Organization has conceptualized mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stress of
Physical Activity, Gender, Weight Status, and Wellbeing in 9- to 11-Year-Old Children: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Gavin Breslin, Diana Gossrau-Breen, Naomi McCay, Gillian Gilmore, Lindsay MacDonald, and Donncha Hanna
Background:
The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between physical activity and wellbeing in children, and to further explore the extent to which this may vary by gender and weight status.
Method:
A representative sample of 1424 9- to 11-year-olds completed a self-report measure of physical activity, the Child Health and Illness Profile, KIDSCREEN, and a self-esteem scale. Body Mass Index (BMI) measurements were also obtained.
Results:
24% of children achieved the recommended level of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) per day, with more boys than girls achieving this level. Children achieving the recommended level of MVPA scored significantly higher on measures of the Child Health and Illness Profile (F(5, 1354) = 5.03; P < .001), KIDSCREEN (F(3, 1298) = 4.68; P = .003), and self-esteem (F(1, 1271) = 18.73; P = .003) than less active children although the effect sizes were small (ηp 2 ≈ .01). Substantial gender differences in wellbeing were found reflecting gender specific behaviors and socialization. Weight status had negligible influence on wellbeing.
Conclusions:
Children who meet the recommended guidelines of MVPA were more likely to have better wellbeing. When attempting to raise children’s physical activity levels consideration should be given to the specific relationships between wellbeing and physical activity.
Active Travel Behavior in a Border Region of Texas and New Mexico: Motivators, Deterrents, and Characteristics
Ipek N. Sener and Richard J. Lee
Background:
Active travel has been linked with improved transportation and health outcomes, such as reduced traffic congestion and air pollution, improved mobility, accessibility, and equity, and increased physical and mental health. The purpose of this study was to better understand active travel characteristics, motivators, and deterrents in the El Paso, TX, region.
Methods:
A multimodal transportation survey brought together elements of transportation and health, with a focus on attitudinal characteristics. The analysis consisted of an initial descriptive analysis, spatial analysis, and multivariate binary and ordered-response models of walking and bicycling behavior.
Results:
The motivators and deterrents of active travel differed for walkers, bicyclists, and noncyclists interested in bicycling. The link between active travel and life satisfaction was moderated by age, with a negative association for older travelers. This effect was stronger for bicycling than it was for walking.
Conclusions:
Based on the findings, several interventions to encourage walking and bicycling were suggested. These included infrastructure and built environment enhancements, workplace programs, and interventions targeting specific subpopulations.
Physical Activity, Mental and Personal Well-Being, Social Isolation, and Perceptions of Academic Attainment and Employability in University Students: The Scottish and British Active Students Surveys
Emily Budzynski-Seymour, Rebecca Conway, Matthew Wade, Alex Lucas, Michelle Jones, Steve Mann, and James Steele
practice. 19 Limited engagement in PA not only acts as a contributor to decreased physical health in students but also is associated with indicators of poorer mental health and well-being, increased risk of depression, and weaker cognitive functioning. 3 , 8 , 13 There is also an emerging body of evidence
