Shelter dogs, university employees, and lunchtime walks: A pilot study.

Background: Workplace walking interventions can lead to positive physical and psychological outcomes for employees. For optimal success, however, innovative approaches that appeal to employees are needed.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the physical activity levels and experiences of university staff members who walked shelter dogs during their lunch breaks.

Classroom-Based Physical Activity: Minimizing Disparities in School-Day Physical Activity Among Elementary School Students.

Background: Evidence of the positive effects of school physical activity (PA) interventions, including classroom-based PA (CBPA), is rapidly growing. However, few studies examine how variations in scheduled PA opportunities and teacher-implemented CBPA affect students' PA outcomes.

Methods: Teachers at 5 elementary schools attended training on how to implement CBPA.

Before-School Running/Walking Club and Student Physical Activity Levels: An Efficacy Study.

Purpose: Before-school programs, one of the least studied student-related comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) components, may be a promising strategy to help youth meet the physical activity (PA) guidelines. This study's purpose was to examine: (a) how much PA children accrued during a before-school running/walking club and during the school day, (b) whether children compensated for the PA accumulated in the before-school program by decreasing their school-day PA, and (c) potential sex and body mass index (BMI) differences.

Method: An alternating treatments design with a baseline phase was first conducted at a private school (School A) and was subsequently replicated at a public school (School B).

Before-school running/walking club: Effects on student on-task behavior.

Before-school programs provide a good opportunity for children to engage in physical activity (PA) as well as improve their readiness to learn. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a before-school running/walking club on elementary school children's on-task behavior. The study employed a two-phase experimental design with an initial baseline phase followed by an alternating treatments phase, and was first conducted at a private school (School A) and subsequently replicated at a public school (School B).

The Invisible Employee: University Housekeeping Employees' Perceptions of Physical Activity.

Background: A significant literature links race and socioeconomic status with physical inactivity and negative health outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore physical activity (PA) perceptions of an underserved, lower socioeconomic minority sector of the workforce.

Methods: Two focus groups were conducted to examine university housekeepers' perceptions of physical activity.

Cross-Validation of Aerobic Capacity Prediction Models in Adolescents.

Cardiorespiratory endurance is a component of health-related fitness. FITNESSGRAM recommends the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) or One mile Run/Walk (1MRW) to assess cardiorespiratory endurance by estimating VO2 Peak. No research has cross-validated prediction models from both PACER and 1MRW, including the New PACER Model and PACER-Mile Equivalent (PACER-MEQ) using current standards.

Development of an aerobic capacity prediction model from one-mile run/walk performance in adolescents aged 13-16 years.

A popular algorithm to predict VO2Peak from the one-mile run/walk test (1MRW) includes body mass index (BMI), which manifests practical issues in school settings. The purpose of this study was to develop an aerobic capacity model from 1MRW in adolescents independent of BMI. Cardiorespiratory endurance data were collected on 90 adolescents aged 13-16 years.

Critical measurement issues/challenges in assessing aerobic capacity in youth.

We discuss current measurement issues related to tests of aerobic capacity in the FITNESSGRAM. Interpretation of tests of aerobic capacity is difficult because the criterion measure of aerobic capacity, maximal rate of oxygen uptake (VO2(max)) expressed relative to body weight, is inversely related to body fatness and body mass index (BMI). This association cannot be easily be eliminated in a way that maintains the units commonly used to express aerobic capacity (i.

Feasibility of retrofitting a university library with active workstations to reduce sedentary behavior.

Background: Libraries are an inherently sedentary environment, but are an understudied setting for sedentary behavior interventions.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of incorporating portable pedal machines in a university library to reduce sedentary behaviors.

Methods: The 11-week intervention targeted students at a university library.

The Bland-Altman method should not be used in regression cross-validation studies.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the bias in the Bland-Altman (BA) limits of agreement method when it is used to validate regression models. Data from 1,158 men were used to develop three regression equations to estimate maximum oxygen uptake (R2 = .40, .

Accuracy of intensity and inclinometer output of three activity monitors for identification of sedentary behavior and light-intensity activity.

Purpose. To examine the accuracy of intensity and inclinometer output of three physical activity monitors during various sedentary and light-intensity activities. Methods.

Cross-validation of an equating method linking aerobic FITNESSGRAM® field tests.

Background: Field tests measuring the same construct, in this case, aerobic capacity, use different scales, which makes fitness assessment of children and youth potentially confusing. The Primary Field Test Centered Equating Method has been developed to set tests on the same scale, as illustrated by the conversion of Progressive Aerobic Capacity Endurance Run (PACER) scores to 1-mile run/walk times to estimate VO(2)max.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to cross-validate the Primary Field Test Centered Equating Method by using a data set of middle school students to assess its effectiveness.

Estimation of aerobic fitness from 20-m multistage shuttle run test performance.

Background: Aerobic fitness (VO(2)max) is a key component of youth fitness testing. Criterion-referenced (CR) assessments are used in FITNESSGRAM(®) to assess health risk.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop and cross-validate regression models to estimate VO(2)max from Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) 20-m shuttle run performance in boys and girls aged 10-16 years.

Impact of short bouts of physical activity on attention-to-task in elementary school children.

Objective: The study's objective was to describe the measurement of on-task behavior and review the research on the effects of short physical activity breaks on attention-to-task in elementary school students, with a particular focus on a promising approach to improving on-task behavior with short bouts of physical activity in the classroom setting.

Methods: Procedures to directly observe attention-to-task were detailed. Published studies that measured attention-to-task in elementary school students following physical activity breaks were reviewed.

A randomized controlled trial of continuous activity, short bouts, and a 10,000 step guideline in inactive adults.

Objective: Although several studies have examined the effect of accumulated bouts on health outcomes, the impact of recommending short bouts on activity-related behavior in health promotion efforts has received minimal investigation.

Method: During this 5-week study in 2007-2008, 43 university employees (8 male, 35 female) in the Southeastern United States were randomly assigned to a group recommended to achieve (a) 10,000 steps (10K), (b) 30-minutes (30 min) of continuous physical activity, or (c) 30-minutes of activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes (bouts).

Results And Conclusions: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the 10K group showed the largest increase in step counts whereas the bouts group showed the smallest change over the intervention period, p=0.

Stride rate recommendations for moderate-intensity walking.

Unlabelled: Current physical activity guidelines recommend physical activity of at least moderate intensity to gain health benefits. Previous studies have recommended a moderate-intensity walking cadence of 100 steps per minute for adults, but the influence of height or stride length has not been investigated.

Purpose: the purpose of the current study was to determine the role of height and stride length in moderate-intensity walking cadence in adults.

Individual information-centered approach for handling physical activity missing data.

The purpose of this study was to validate individual information (II)-centered methods for handling missing data, using data samples of 118. We used a semisimulation approach to create six data sets: three physical activity outcome measurements (i.e.

Energy expenditure of obese, overweight, and normal weight females during lifestyle physical activities.

Objective: To quantify energy expenditure of various lifestyle physical activities of obese, overweight, and normal-weight girls.

Methods: In total, fifty-five girls participated in six activities: a treadmill walk at 4.0 km x hr(-1), run, football throw, walk in open area, cycle, and riding a scooter.

Walking and measurement.

Walking is an important form of physical activity. It is practiced by people of nearly all ages, throughout the world. Walking is an integral part of life, and there is accumulating evidence that it is essential to good health.

Daily walking in older adults: day-to-day variability and criterion-referenced validity of total daily step counts.

Objective: To determine the day-to-day variability of older adults' physical activity, and to evaluate the accuracy of the 10,000-step goal for classifying whether older adults obtain 30 minutes of MVPA.

Methods: Ninety-one adults of age over 60 years of age wore a Yamax pedometer and Actigraph accelerometer for 7 days. Interday reliability was estimated via two-way ANOVA ICCs, and classification accuracy was evaluated via sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curve analysis.

Investigating the youth physical activity promotion model: internal structure and external validity evidence for a potential measurement model.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the measurement properties of questionnaires associated with the Youth Physical Activity Promotion (YPAP) model. Data were collected from 296 children in Grades 5-8 using several existing questionnaires corresponding to YPAP model components, a physical activity questionnaire, and 6 consecutive days of pedometer data. Internal validity of the questionnaires was tested using confirmatory factor analyses, and external validity was investigated via correlations with physical activity and body composition.

Agreement between skinfold-predicted percent fat and percent fat from whole-body bioelectrical impedance analysis in children and adolescents.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the agreement of percent body fat estimates and obesity classification derived via whole-body bioelectrical impedance analysis (% BF-BIA) with percent body fat estimates and obesity classification from skinfolds (% BF-SF) in children and adolescents.

Methods: BIA and SF data were collected on 609 boys and 645 girls aged 7 to 14 years.

Results: Although moderate correlations were observed between the measures, Bland-Altman analyses revealed fixed and proportional bias, and 95% limits of agreement covered a range of over 20% BF.

Effects of a classroom-based program on physical activity and on-task behavior.

Purpose: This study evaluated the effects of a classroom-based physical activity program on children's in-school physical activity levels and on-task behavior during academic instruction.

Methods: Physical activity of 243 students was assessed during school hours. Intervention-group students (N = 135) received a classroom-based program (i.

Multitrait-multimethod investigation of a novel body image measurement technique.

A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix was used to evaluate validity evidence for a digital image manipulation (DIM) body image measurement technique in young women. One hundred one young women completed the DIM procedure and the Thompson and Gray (1995) Contour Drawing Rating Scale to measure self-ideal discrepancy and size perception accuracy components of body image. Seven-day test-retest reliability was acceptable (R = .