Tracking Children's Physical Activity Patterns across the School Year: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Case Study.

Despite the breadth of health benefits associated with regular physical activity (PA), many children in the UK are not sufficiently active enough to meet health guidelines, and tend to become less active as they mature into and throughout adolescence. Research has indicated that children's school, home and neighbourhood environments can all significantly influence their opportunities to engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, less is known about how children's MVPA patterns within these key environments may change across the school year.

Assessing the Wider Implementation of the SHARP Principles: Increasing Physical Activity in Primary Physical Education.

To assess the wider application of the SHARP (Stretching whilst moving, High repetition of skills, Accessibility, Reducing sitting and standing, and Promotion of physical activity) Principles intervention on children's moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in physical education (PE), when applied by teachers and coaches. A quasi-experimental intervention was employed in nine primary schools (experimental, = 6: control, = 3) including teachers ( = 10), coaches ( = 4), and children (aged 5 to 11 years, = 84) in the West Midlands, UK. Practitioners applied the SHARP Principles to PE lessons, guided by an innovative behaviour change model.

Exploring Children's Physical Activity Behaviours According to Location: A Mixed-Methods Case Study.

The school environment is ideally placed to facilitate physical activity (PA) with numerous windows of opportunity from break and lunch times, to lesson times and extracurricular clubs. However, little is known about how children interact with the school environment to engage in PA and the other locations they visit daily, including time spent outside of the school environment i.e.

Evaluation of a Walking-Track Intervention to Increase Children's Physical Activity during Primary School Break Times.

Despite the known benefits of engaging in daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), only 22% of children in England are meeting the recommended guidelines. School break times have been advocated as a key part of children's daily routines in which their MVPA can be increased. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of installing a walking-track on children's MVPA during school break times.

Increasing physical activity levels in primary school physical education: The SHARP Principles Model.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a one-year teaching intervention to increase moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during primary school physical education (PE).

Methods: A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent group design involving four classes from two primary schools in the West Midlands, UK. In March 2014 schools were selected through purposive sampling to match schools in terms of size and demographics (baseline, n = 111: post-intervention, n = 95); data were collected from children in school years 3 and 4 (aged 7 to 9 years).

Eating Behaviours of British University Students: A Cluster Analysis on a Neglected Issue.

Unhealthy diet is a primary risk factor for noncommunicable diseases. University student populations are known to engage in health risking lifestyle behaviours including risky eating behaviours. The purpose of this study was to examine eating behaviour patterns in a population of British university students using a two-step cluster analysis.

Perceptions of the built environment in relation to physical activity and weight status in british adolescents from central England.

The built environment may influence physical activity (PA) behaviour in young people. However, there is a dearth of data examining this issue in young people which considers weight status, physical activity, and environmental perceptions in the same analysis. Four hundred and five Year 10 pupils (223 boys, 182 girls, mean age ±   S.

The relationship between pedometer-determined physical activity, body mass index and lean body mass index in children.

Objective: To cross-sectionally assess weekend to weekday variation of physical activity in British children and to consider the role of Body Mass Index (BMI, W/H(2)) and Lean Body Mass Index (LBMI, H(2)/W) when examining this issue.

Methods: A total of 496 children aged 8-14 years, were measured for height and weight and the activity levels were analysed using pedometers to measure mean step counts for 4 consecutive days (2 weekdays, 2 weekend days).

Results: Boys had significantly lower BMI than girls.

Differences in physical activity levels between white and South Asian children in the United Kingdom.

The purpose of this study was to compare physical activity levels between white and South Asian children in the UK. The data were obtained from 606, 11-14 year old schoolchildren (397 white; 209 Asian). Physical activity was assessed using the 'four by one day' recall questionnaire from which the time spent in moderate and vigorous physical activity was calculated.

Body fatness and physical activity levels of young children.

Background: The decline in physical activity levels of young children seems to be combined with a high prevalence of obesity and overweight and a reduction in the participation in organized sport. With the ever-increasing interest in exploring the relationship between physical activity and obesity amongst children, it is important to provide a more precise estimate of both physical activity and body fatness. A significant proportion of previous research on this topic has relied on self-report methods to assess physical activity and body mass index as a proxy for actual body fatness.

Pedometer determined physical activity levels in primary school children from central England.

Objective: To assess ambulatory physical activity in school children from central England, to examine any variation in activity between weekdays and weekends and to determine the percentage of children meeting recently identified cut-off steps/day for health.

Method: 208 British primary school children (101 boys and 107 girls, mean age 9.3+/-0.

Test-retest stability of body-image scores in a sample of 12- to 14-yr.-olds.

The present study investigated test-retest variation in Body Image Questionnaire scores among a sample of British school children. 112 participants from three different school years (aged 12 to 14 years) completed the Body Image Questionnaire on two occasions separated by a 6-wk. period.

Relationship between body image and percent body fat among British school children.

The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between body image and percent body fat in British school children. A total of 223 11- to 14-yr.-old children from central England took part in the study.