Towards a Functional Approach to the Assessment of Daily Life Physical Activity in Children: Are the PAQ-C and Fitbit Flex-2 Technically Adequate?

Considering the need for functional physical activity (PA) measures in PA settings, this study sought to determine the technical adequacy of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) and the Fitbit Flex-2, two instruments with promising features for wide use, using the Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer as the criterion reference. A total of 218 Greek children (94 boys, 124 girls; mean age = 10.99 ± 1.

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors of Young Children: Trends from 2009 to 2018.

Over the last decade, the lives of children in several countries, including Greece, have been affected by recession. The aim of the present study was (a) to examine time trends in physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) of Greek preschool children, together with their family affluence (FA), from 2009 until 2018, and to explore the associations among them; and (b) to investigate the connections of parental educational level and children's BMIs to their achieving ST (<1h/day) and PA (11,500 steps/day) guidelines. A total of 652 children from four cross-sectional cohorts participated.

Physical activity in pre-school children: Trends over time and associations with body mass index and screen time.

Pre-school years are important for adopting health behaviours; however, today's children seem to be overweight, present low physical activity (PA) levels and exceed screen time (ST) recommendations. To examine (a) time trends in PA in Greek pre-school children, (b) the associations among PA, body mass index (BMI) and ST and (c) potential PA differences between boys and girls. Data from five cross-sectional cohorts (2005 [ = 252]; 2008 [ = 212]; 2011 [ = 187]; 2014 [ = 194]; 2017 [ = 128]) were compared.

Enhancing Motor Competence and Physical Activity in Kindergarten.

Background: This study aimed at evaluating the effect of the "Walk," an 8-month physical activity (PA) program led by classroom and physical education teachers, on the motor competence (MC) and PA of 5- to 6-year-old children.

Methods: A total of 143 children (mean age = 61.51 [1.

Child and parental physical activity: Is there an association with young children activity?

Objectives: The aim of the study is to examine the physical activity (PA) of young children and their parents on weekdays and at the weekend, as well as possible associations between them.

Methods: Fifty-eight children (29 boys), aged 5-8 years (mean age = 6.53 years) and the parent who spent more time with them (25 fathers, 33 mothers, mean age 40.

Physical activity may be a potent regulator of bone turnover biomarkers in healthy girls during preadolescence.

This study investigated the effects of different levels of habitual physical activity (PA) assessed by pedometry on bone turnover markers of preadolescent girls according to a cross-sectional experimental design. Sixty prepubertal girls of similar chronological age, bone age, maturity level, and nutritional status were assigned to a low PA (LPA; n = 25), a moderate PA (MPA; n = 17), or a high PA (HPA; n = 18) group. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure areal bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of the lumbar spine (L2-L4) and dominant hip (femoral neck and trochanter).

Can Motor Proficiency in Preschool Age Affect Physical Activity in Adolescence?

Background: This study investigated if motor proficiency (MP) in preschool age associate with physical activity (PA) in adolescence.

Methods: In 2004, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Short Form (BOTMP-SF) (7) was administered to 413 children, aged 4-6 years, who were classified to MP groups according to their BOTMP-SF total score (TS). In 2014, the PA of 106 former participants (47 boys, 59 girls) was measured with Omron pedometers.

A 2-Month Linear Periodized Resistance Exercise Training Improved Musculoskeletal Fitness and Specific Conditioning of Navy Cadets.

Vantarakis, A, Chatzinikolaou, A, Avloniti, A, Vezos, N, Douroudos, II, Draganidis, D, Jamurtas, AΖ, Kambas, A, Kalligeros, S, and Fatouros, IG. A 2-month linear periodized resistance exercise training improved musculoskeletal fitness and specific conditioning of navy cadets. J Strength Cond Res 31(5): 1362-1370, 2017-Major objectives of army and navy training are the development of readiness, performance, and injury prevention.

Construct and Concurrent Validity of the Democritos Movement Screening Tool for Preschoolers.

Purpose: To examine the construct and concurrent validity of the Democritos Movement Screening Tool for Preschool Children (DEMOST-PRE).

Methods: The DEMOST-PRE was administered to 435 Greek children, aged 48 to 71 months. Construct validity was investigated through correlations between total scores and individual item scores, and scores according to age and sex, whereas concurrent validity was checked by using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-Long Form as the test-criterion on a subsample of 50 children.

ORGANIZED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH IN PRESCHOOL AGE: A REVIEW.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate how organized Physical Activity (oPA) can contribute to the promotion of preschool aged children's health and specifically to health indicators such as adiposity, bone and skeletal health, cardiometabolic health, motor skill development, cognitive development, and psychosocial health.

Methods: A literature search of interventions aimed at improving health in preschool age was conducted in five electronic databases. Included in the review were only studies meeting the following criteria: published or accepted for publication studies; written in English; intervention with any type of oPA; 2-6 years old participants; pre- and post-objective assessments of the intervention effects; presence of a control group.

Antioxidation improves in puberty in normal weight and obese boys, in positive association with exercise-stimulated growth hormone secretion.

Background: Oxidative stress is associated with obesity while the evidence for the role of GH in pro- and antioxidation is inconclusive. This study investigates the relationships between growth hormone (GH), pro- and antioxidation in relation to obesity and puberty before and after an acute bout of exercise.

Methods: In this case-control study, 76 healthy normal-weight and obese, prepubertal and pubertal boys underwent a blood sampling before and immediately after an aerobic exercise bout until exhaustion at 70% maximal oxygen consumption.

Pedometer determined physical activity and obesity prevalence of Greek children aged 4-6 years.

Background: Pre-school age is important for developing healthy attitudes towards physical activity (PA). However, research on pre-schoolers' pedometer-determined PA is limited.

Aim: To describe pre-schoolers' ambulatory activity; investigate step count differences in respect to Body Mass Index (BMI) categories and examine the prevalence of obesity.

The Democritos Movement Screening Tool for Preschool Children (DEMOST-PRE©): development and factorial validity.

The aim of this study was (a) to develop an assessment tool (the Democritos Movement Screening Tool for Preschool Children - DEMOST-PRE), designed to provide preschool educators, clinicians and researchers with information about assessment and screening of the motor proficiency of children aged 4-6 years, as well as the development and control of movement programmes and (b) to assess its factorial validity. First, tool's content and face validity were established and its final structure was determined. Then, the DEMOST-PRE was administered to 435 children (197 girls) aged 48-71 months (M=60.

The microcycle of inflammation and performance changes after a basketball match.

Basketball incorporates intense eccentric muscle activity that induces muscle microtrauma and an inflammatory response. This study investigated time-dependent inflammatory and performance responses during a weekly microcycle after a basketball match. Twenty elite-standard players underwent a trial that comprised a match followed by a 6-day simulated in-season microcycle.

A microcycle of inflammation following a team handball game.

This study investigated the time-course of performance and inflammatory responses during a simulated 6-day in-season microcycle following a team handball (TH) game. Twenty-four handball players participated in a 1-week control trial and in an experimental trial (TH game participation followed by a 6-day training microcycle). Concentrations of lactate, glucose, glycerol, triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs), and ammonia were measured pregame and postgame.

Physical activity is associated with bone geometry of premenarcheal girls in a dose-dependent manner.

Objective: To determine the relationship between habitual physical activity (PA) level and peripheral qualitative computed tomography-determined quantitative tibia characteristics of premenarcheal girls.

Methods: Premenarcheal girls matched for age (10-13 years), bone age and maturity level were assigned into: a) low PA group (LPA, n=25), b) moderate PA group (MPA, n=17), and c) high PA group (HPA, n=18). Participants' daily dietary intake, tibia's geometry and serum levels of calcium and vitamin D were assessed.

The effect of leg kick on sprint front crawl swimming.

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of leg kick on the pattern, the orientation and the propulsive forces produced by the hand, the efficiency of the arm stroke, the trunk inclination, the inter-arm coordination and the intra-cyclic horizontal velocity variation of the hip in sprint front crawl swimming. Nine female swimmers swam two maximal trials of 25 m front crawl, with and without leg kick. Four camcorders were used to record the underwater movements.

The time-frame of acute resistance exercise effects on football skill performance: the impact of exercise intensity.

The purpose of this study was to determine the recovery rate of football skill performance following resistance exercise of moderate or high intensity. Ten elite football players participated in three different trials: control, low-intensity resistance exercise (4 sets, 8-10 repetitions/set, 65-70% 1 repetition maximum [1RM]) and high-intensity resistance exercise (4 sets, 4-6 repetitions/set, 85-90% 1RM) in a counterbalanced manner. In each experimental condition, participants were evaluated pre, post, and at 24, 48, 72 h post exercise time points.

The relationship between motor proficiency and pedometer-determined physical activity in young children.

Unlabelled: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between motor proficiency and pedometer-determined physical activity in 5-6 year-old children. Participants (n = 232) were randomly recruited and assessed from 30 kindergartens in Northern Greece. Two trained researchers administered the measurements for the assessment of children's motor proficiency by using the BOTMP-SF.

The validity of two Omron pedometers during treadmill walking is speed dependent.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of walking speed on the accuracy of measurement of steps, distance, and energy expenditure of two commercially available Omron pedometers [HJ-720IT-E2 (HJ-720) and HJ-113-E (HJ-113)]. Twenty-four untrained males (age, 22.7 ± 2.

Reliability and validity of age band 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children--second edition.

The purpose of this study was to examine specific aspects of the reliability and validity of age band 1 of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children--Second Edition (MABC-2) (Henderson, Sugden, & Barnett, 2007) in Greek preschool children. One hundred and eighty-three children participated in the study; the children ranged in age from 36 to 64 months old (M = 50 months, SD = 9 months). Test-retest reliability of the MABC-2 was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Can the movement assessment battery for children-test be the "gold standard" for the motor assessment of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder?

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is an important risk factor in the development of children that can have a significant academic and social impact. This reinforces the need for its timely identification using appropriate assessment methods and accurate screening tests. The commonly used standardized motor test for the DCD identification is the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Test (M-ABC Test) (Henderson & Sugden, 1992).

Motor assessment of preschool aged children: A preliminary investigation of the validity of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency - short form.

The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency - short form (BOTMP-SF) [Bruininks, R. (1978). Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency: Examiners manual.