At-Home Immersive Virtual Reality Exergames to Reduce Cardiometabolic Risk Among Office Workers: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: The worldwide rise in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases has increased the recognition of the need to identify modifiable risk factors for preventing and managing these diseases. The office worker, as a representative group of physically inactive workers, is exposed to risk factors for metabolic syndrome, which is a primary driver of noncommunicable diseases. The use of virtual reality (VR) exergames may offer a potential solution to the problem of increasing noncommunicable disease prevalence, as it can help individuals increase their physical activity levels while providing a more immersive experience.

Association of 24-Hour movement behavior and cognitive function in older Taiwanese adults.

Objectives: This study investigates how 24-hour movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary time, sleep) relate to cognitive performance in older adults.

Methods: 213 adults (aged 65+) wore accelerometers to track activity. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Building on muscles: how built environment design impacts modern sports science.

Sports science focuses on enhancing athletes' performance, requiring a multifaceted approach. It is evolving from a purely muscle-centred approach to an interdisciplinary one. This paper investigates built environment design science, a dimension less explored in relation to enhancing athlete performance in sports science.

Reallocating desk workers' sitting time to standing or stepping: associations with work performance.

Background: Studies have suggested that sitting time at work may lead to underperformance but they may underestimate the benefits to desk workers' performance of reducing occupational sitting time without considering the relative effects of the specific activities replaced.

Aims: To estimate differences in work performance (presenteeism, absenteeism and engagement) when occupational sitting time is reallocated to standing/stepping in desk workers.

Methods: Data for middle-aged desk workers were from a Japan-wide online survey (n = 2228).

Urban Form Metrics for Promoting Walking: Street Layouts and Destinations.

There is evidence that higher street connectivity and availability of destinations can support walking behavior. However, the availability of data and comparability between previous studies remain a challenge. Based on a large Canadian adult sample, this study examined the associations between street layout and walking behaviors and explored whether objectively measured destinations may mediate these relationships.

Urban design and cardio-metabolic risk factors.

Accumulating evidence suggests that the built environment may be associated with cardiovascular disease via its influence on health behaviours. The aim of this study was to estimate the associations between traditional and novel neighbourhood built environment metrics and clinically assessed cardio-metabolic risk factors among a sample of adults in Canada. A total of 7171 participants from Albertas Tomorrow Project living in Alberta, Canada, were included.

Diurnal pattern of breaks in sedentary time and the physical function of older adults.

Background: The association of breaks in sedentary time with outcomes of physical function can vary according to the time of day. We examined the association of the diurnal pattern of breaks in sedentary time with physical function outcomes in older adults.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 115 older adults (≥60 years).

The Metaverse, the Built Environment, and Public Health: Opportunities and Uncertainties.

There has been a growing interest in the "metaverse," and discourse about how this platform may contribute to different fields of science is already beginning to emerge. In this paper, we discuss key opportunities and uncertainties about how a metaverse might contribute to advancing knowledge in the interdisciplinary field of the built environment and public health aimed at reducing noncommunicable diseases.

Associations between neighborhood walkability and walking following residential relocation: Findings from Alberta's Tomorrow Project.

Introduction: Cross-sectional studies consistently find that the neighborhood built environment (e.g., walkability) is associated with walking.

Sedentary behaviour and sleep quality.

High-quality sleep is an important factor in sustaining health and improving well-being. Previous evidence has demonstrated the positive associations between increased physical activity and reduced sedentary behaviour (SB) with sleep quality. The substitutional relationships between SB, light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) need to be considered when examining how a particular behaviour may impact sleep quality.

The relationships between parents' and children's screen times on body mass index: a cross-sectional path analysis.

Background: Understanding factors contributing to an individual reducing screen time is essential for promoting a healthy weight. Parents' behavior affects children by influencing their daily decision-making through modeling, rules or restrictions, social support, and co-participation. We examined how the direct and indirect effects of parents' and children's behaviors regarding screen time influenced body mass index (BMI) among Japanese elementary school children.

Correlates of domain-specific sedentary behaviors and objectively assessed sedentary time among elementary school children.

Understanding the correlates of sedentary behavior among children is essential in developing effective interventions to reduce sitting time in this vulnerable population. This study aimed to identify correlates of domain-specific sedentary behaviors and objectively assessed sedentary time among a sample of children in Japan. Data from 343 children (aged 6-12 years) living in Japan were used.

Associations between neighbourhood street connectivity and sedentary behaviours in Canadian adults: Findings from Alberta's Tomorrow Project.

Evidence suggests that neighbourhood street connectivity is positively associated with physical activity, yet few studies have estimated its associations with sedentary behaviour. We estimated the associations between space syntax derived street integration, a novel measure of street connectivity, and sedentary behaviours among Canadian adults. Data were sourced from a population-based study-Alberta's Tomorrow Project (n = 14,758).

Linear and non-linear associations of device-measured sedentary time with older adults' skeletal muscle mass.

Background: Time spent sitting is associated adversely with health outcomes in older adults. Nevertheless, it is not clear how sedentary time may be related to appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) - a key attribute of sarcopenia. This cross-sectional study examined associations of total sedentary time with ASM among community-dwelling older Japanese males and females.

Associations of public open space attributes with active and sedentary behaviors in dense urban areas: A systematic review of observational studies.

In the context of rapid urbanization, public open spaces in dense urban areas are critical built environment elements to support active lifestyles. Several reviews have explored the associations of public open space attributes with physically active and sedentary behavior. However, few reviews have included studies from Asia, and no studies have focused on dense urban areas.

The Design Challenges for Dog Ownership and Dog Walking in Dense Urban Areas: The Case of Japan.

There has been growing interest in the role of pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, in managing noncommunicable diseases. The built environment can act as a facilitator or barrier to owning a dog or dog walking. Nevertheless, limited studies conducted in different geographical contexts have examined how the built environment can influence dog ownership and dog walking.

Workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes and sitting at work and for transport among Japanese desk-based workers.

Workplace settings-both internal and external-can influence how workers are physically active or sedentary. Although research has identified some indoor environmental attributes associated with sitting at work, few studies have examined associations of workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes with workplace sitting time. We examined the cross-sectional associations of perceived and objective workplace neighbourhood built-environment attributes with sitting time at work and for transport among desk-based workers in Japan.

Sedentary Behavior and Happiness: The Mediation Effects of Social Capital.

Background And Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations between time spent in 6 different domains of sedentary behavior and happiness and whether social capital mediated such associations among adults and older adults living in a rural area of Japan.

Research Design And Methods: Cross-sectional data from 3,357 participants (mean age: 60 ± 16 years) were used. 6 domains of sedentary behavior, happiness, and social capital were assessed using a self-report questionnaire.

Domain-Specific Active and Sedentary Behaviors in Relation to Workers' Presenteeism and Absenteeism.

Objectives: To examine the associations between domain-specific sedentary and active behaviors and workers' presenteeism and absenteeism in a sample of company employees.

Methods: This study recruited participants (n = 2466) from a nationwide online survey database (Japan, 2019). Participants completed a questionnaire that captured data on relative and absolute presenteeism and absenteeism and domain-specific physical activity and sedentary behaviors.

Sedentary time in a nationally representative sample of adults in Japan: Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates.

Sedentary behaviour is associated with risks of detrimental health outcomes. It is crucial to understand how much time people spend in sedentary behaviour and what factors affect too much sedentary time for effective intervention. However, few studies examined the prevalence and the correlates of sedentary behaviour in Japan.

The relationship between walk score® and perceived walkability in ultrahigh density areas.

Walk Score® is a free web-based tool that provides a walkability score for any given location. A limited number of North American studies have found associations between Walk Score® and perceived built environment attributes, yet it remains unknown whether similar associations exist in Asian countries. The study's objective is to examine the covariate-adjusted correlations between the Walk Score® metric and measures of the perceived built environment in ultrahigh density areas of Japan.

Identifying typologies of diurnal patterns in desk-based workers' sedentary time.

The purpose of this study was to identify typologies of diurnal sedentary behavior patterns and sociodemographic characteristics of desk-based workers. The sedentary time of 229 desk-based workers was measured using accelerometer devices. The within individual diurnal variations in sedentary time was calculated for both workdays and non-workdays.

A longitudinal residential relocation study of changes in street layout and physical activity.

Few longitudinal residential relocation studies have explored associations between urban form and physical activity, and none has used the Space Syntax theory. Using a Canadian longitudinal dataset (n = 5944), we estimated: (1) differences in physical activity between non-movers, and those relocating to neighbourhoods with less or more integrated street layouts, and; (2) associations between changes in street layout integration exposure and differences in physical activity. Adjusting for covariates, we found relative to non-movers, those who moved to more integrated neighbourhoods undertook significantly (p < .