Characterization of bilateral reaching development using augmented reality games.

Bilateral coordination is commonly impaired in neurodevelopmental conditions including cerebral palsy, developmental coordination disorder, and autism spectrum disorder. However, we lack objective clinical assessments that can quantify bilateral coordination in a clinically feasible manner and determine age-based norms to identify impairments. The objective of this study was to use augmented reality and computer vision to characterize bilateral reaching abilities in typically developing children.

Higher order affordances.

Affordances are opportunities for action for a given animal (or animals) in a given environment or situation. The concept of affordance has been widely adopted in the behavioral sciences, but important questions remain. We propose a new way of understanding the nature of affordances; in particular, how affordances are related to one another.

A cross-cultural investigation of active transportation and community participation: Results from the WHO survey of Global Ageing and Adult Health.

Little is known about how the associations between active transportation and community participation may vary across national contexts. Using representative datasets from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa collected in the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (N = 33,535), we estimated multi-group confirmatory factor analyses, tests of measurement invariance, and predictive models. Standardized coefficients were equivalent across countries and showed a modest positive association between active transportation and community participation (the variance explained by active transportation ranged from 1.

A robot-aided visuomotor wrist training induces motor and proprioceptive learning that transfers to the untrained ipsilateral elbow.

Background: Learning of a visuomotor task not only leads to changes in motor performance but also improves proprioceptive function of the trained joint/limb system. Such sensorimotor learning may show intra-joint transfer that is observable at a previously untrained degrees of freedom of the trained joint.

Objective: Here, we examined if and to what extent such learning transfers to neighboring joints of the same limb and whether such transfer is observable in the motor as well as in the proprioceptive domain.

A novel method to map community- and neighborhood-level access to rural physical activity built environments in the United States.

Physical activity (PA) built environments may support PA among rural youth and families. In the United States (U.S.

Breast cancer survivors' physical activity, psychosocial beliefs, daily trip behaviors, and subjective well-being: A descriptive study.

Background: Physical inactivity has been a great public health concern among breast cancer survivors (BCS), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is closely related to a higher risk of cancer recurrence and mortality. The positive impacts of psychosocial beliefs in promoting physical activity (PA) have been well acknowledged. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects of psychosocial beliefs on PA in BCS to prevent physical inactivity.

Comparative Effectiveness of Physical Activity Intervention Programs on Motor Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

: To evaluate how different physical activity (PA) interventions (traditional, exergaming, and teacher/parent education) impacted children's motor skills (object control, locomotor, and gross motor). : Systematic review and network meta-analysis. : PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO.

Effects of Family-Based Interventions Using Mobile Apps on Youth's Physical Activity: A Systematic Review.

. This review synthesized the currently available literature on the effects of family-based interventions using smartphone apps on youth physical activity. .

The Dilemma of Analyzing Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior with Wrist Accelerometer Data: Challenges and Opportunities.

Physical behaviors (e.g., physical activity and sedentary behavior) have been the focus among many researchers in the biomedical and behavioral science fields.

Investigating Relationships between Preschool Children's Perceived Competence, Motor Skills, and Physical Activity: A Cross-Lagged Panel Model.

Background: Motor skill competence (MSC) and perceived competence (PC) are primary correlates that are linked with physical activity (PA) participation, yet there is limited evidence of the mutual longitudinal or temporal associations between these variables in preschoolers. Therefore, this study's purpose was to examine the bidirectional relationships between MSC and PA, MSC and PC, and PC and PA in preschoolers over time.

Methods: The final sample were 61 preschoolers (M = 4.

Randomized trial examining the effect of exercise and wellness interventions on preventing postpartum depression and perceived stress.

Background: Approximately 13-19% of postpartum women experience postpartum depression and a majority report at least some stress during the postpartum phase. Traditional interventions such as psychotherapy and antidepressant medications are often not feasible or desirable. The purpose of this study was to examine two low cost, brief, accessible interventions designed to prevent postpartum depression and perceived stress among women at high risk.

Investigating the neuroanatomy underlying proprioception using a stroke model.

Neuroanatomical investigations have associated cortical areas, beyond Primary Somatosensory Cortex (S1), with impaired proprioception. Cortical regions have included temporoparietal (TP) regions (supramarginal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, Heschl's gyrus) and insula. Previous approaches have struggled to account for concurrent damage across multiple brain regions.

Effectiveness of Smartphone-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Individuals' Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

Design: A systematic review. . 114 studies were gathered using the following search descriptors: ("mobile phone" OR "smartphone" OR "cell phone" OR "mobile device" OR "mobile apps" OR "mHealth") AND ("exercise" OR "physical activity" OR "physical fitness" OR "motor activity") AND ("physiological outcomes" OR "weight outcomes" OR "psychological outcomes" OR "health" OR "health behavior").

Effect of Wearable Technology-Based Physical Activity Interventions on Breast Cancer Survivors' Physiological, Cognitive, and Emotional Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review synthesized all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled trials examining the effects of wearable health technology-based physical activity interventions on physiological, cognitive, and emotional outcomes in breast cancer survivors (BCS). We searched NCBI, Academic Search Premier, EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, and Medline from inception to March 2021. We included studies which: (1) were RCTs or controlled trials ≥8 weeks in duration; (2) were peer-reviewed and published in English; (3) sampled BCS in full remission and had not received treatment for at least six months; (4) utilized wearable health technology (e.

Upper limb proprioception and fine motor function in young pianists.

Background: This study investigated if intensive piano training may be associated with improved motor and somatosensory function. We systematically examined upper limb proprioception, which is known to play an essential role in skill movements, and motor function in young pianists.

Method: Forty-four typically developing children who either regularly played piano for more than six years (N = 16) or had no experience playing musical instruments (N = 28) participated.

Community-based intervention effects on older adults' physical activity and falls: Protocol and rationale for a randomized optimization trial (Ready Steady3.0).

The Ready Steady 3.0 trial is designed to test the main and interactive effects of two behavior change intervention components, within an 8-week physical activity intervention, on older adults' physical activity (PA). Each component is comprised of behavior change strategies that emphasize two different evidence-based ways to motivate older adults to be active: interpersonal and intrapersonal.

Universal childhood obesity prevention in a rural community: Study design, methods and baseline participant characteristics of the NU-HOME randomized controlled trial.

Childhood obesity is a major health concern in the United States (US) and those living in rural communities are at higher risk than their urban counterparts. Few prevention trials have engaged whole families of school-age children in community settings, and none to date have promoted family meals, family activity and healthful home environments in rural settings through a rigorous, randomized controlled trial (RCT). The New Ulm at HOME (NU-HOME) study recruited 114 parent/child dyads in a two-arm (intervention versus wait-list control) RCT to test the efficacy of a family meals-focused program aimed to prevent excess weight gain among 7-10 year-old children in rural Minnesota.

The Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Exercise on Individual's Physiological, Psychological and Rehabilitative Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

This review synthesized the literature examining the effects of virtual reality (VR)-based exercise on physiological, psychological, and rehabilitative outcomes in various populations. A systematic review. 246 articles were retrieved using key words, such as "VR", "exercise intervention", "physiological", "psychology", and "rehabilitation" through nine databases including Academic Search Premier and PubMed.

Foam rolling is an effective recovery tool in trained distance runners.

Purpose: Many endurance athletes use foam rolling (FR) to decrease muscle soreness, but it is unclear whether FR effectively treats soreness in this population. Moreover, the effects of FR in highly trained runners are unknown. The aim of this study was to use downhill running (DHR) to induce muscle soreness in runners and to determine the influence of FR on soreness and running performance when compared to sham compression tights.

The relationships between age and running performance variables in master runners.

Purpose: Peak aerobic capacity (O) declines with age, but running economy (RE) may not. We evaluated O and RE in master runners and determined whether age is associated with these measures.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, runners completed two running tests within four weeks of a goal race of 10-26.

Emerging Technology in Promoting Physical Activity and Health: Challenges and Opportunities.

Sedentary behavior has been identified as one of the major causes of many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and obesity [...

Effectiveness of Combined Smartwatch and Social Media Intervention on Breast Cancer Survivor Health Outcomes: A 10-Week Pilot Randomized Trial.

Physical activity (PA) among breast cancer survivors (BCS) can improve this population's health and quality of life (QoL). This study evaluated the effectiveness of a combined smartwatch- and social media-based health education intervention on BCS's health outcomes. Thirty BCS ( X ¯ = 52.

Association between sporting event attendance and self-rated health: an analysis of multiyear cross-sectional national data in Japan.

Background: This study examined the extent to which sporting event attendance is associated with self-rated health. Drawing from an economic model of health production and psychological research on the health benefits of psychosocial resources, sporting event attendance was hypothesized to have a positive relationship with self-rated health.

Methods: A two-level multilevel ordered logistic regression was used to analyze multiyear cross-sectional data collected from national surveys in Japan.

Rationale, design, and baseline data for the Healthy Mom II Trial: A randomized trial examining the efficacy of exercise and wellness interventions for the prevention of postpartum depression.

Approximately 13-19% of women experience postpartum depression and approximately one-third of women who have a history of depression develop depression during the postpartum phase. Exercise is an efficacious intervention for depression among adults; however, few studies have examined the effect of exercise on postpartum depression. The purpose of this study was to conduct a randomized controlled trial examining the effect of exercise and wellness interventions on preventing postpartum depression among women at risk.