Physical Activity for Lent: Changes in and Associations Between Religiosity,Enjoyment, Motivation,and Physical Activity

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Given the unequal distribution of physical activity (PA) opportunities across middle schools, alternative options for promoting it should be explored. Faith-based schools are positioned to offer religious-themed PA interventions, yet few have been reported. We replicated previous research by investigating the effects of the Physical Activity for Lent (PAL) program on change in step count (ΔPA) and its associations with religiosity, enjoyment, and motivation (four subscales). Method: Over the 6-week Lenten season, three Catholic middle schools’ students (n = 128) participated in a randomly allocated controlled crossover trial of a pedometer-based virtual journey that followed Jesus’s life path. We used the Reliable Change Index (RCI), general linear mixed models, and logistic regression to identify changes (pre- to post-Lent) in the independent variables, and their association with ΔPA overall and of being in the highest ΔPA tertile. Results: Between 11.6% (religiosity) and 34.7% (external regulation) of participants’ scores changed. School (School 3 > Schools 1 and 2 by ~2,400 steps/day, p < .001) and grade (6th grade > 7th and 8th grades by ~2,500 steps/day, p < .001) – but not religiosity, enjoyment, or motivation – were significant predictors of ΔPA. As RCI for intrinsic motivation and identified regulation increased, students were more (OR = 2.49) and less (OR = 0.74) likely, respectively, to be in the high ΔPA tertile. Conclusion: Desirable ΔPA was situational (i.e., school, grade) and highest ΔPA tertile was associated with autonomous motivation. Faith-based PA interventions may need to include additional components to realize even greater gains.     

Accuracy of three Android-based pedometer applications in laboratory and free-living settings

This study examines the accuracy of three popular, free Android-based pedometer applications (apps), namely, Runtastic (RT), Pacer Works (PW), and Tayutau (TY) in laboratory and free-living settings. Forty-eight adults (22.5 ± 1.4 years) completed 3-min bouts of treadmill walking at five incremental speeds while carrying a test smartphone installed with the three apps. Experiment was repeated thrice, with the smartphone placed either in the pants pockets, at waist level, or secured to the left arm by an armband. The actual step count was manually counted by a tally counter. In the free-living setting, each of the 44 participants (21.9 ± 1.6 years) carried a smartphone with installed apps and a reference pedometer (Yamax Digi-Walker CW700) for 7 consecutive days. Results showed that TY produced the lowest mean absolute percent error (APE 6.7%) and was the only app with acceptable accuracy in counting steps in a laboratory setting. RT consistently underestimated steps with APE of 16.8% in the laboratory. PW significantly underestimated steps when the smartphone was secured to the arm, but overestimated under other conditions (APE 19.7%). TY was the most accurate app in counting steps in a laboratory setting with the lowest APE of 6.7%. In the free-living setting, the APE relative to the reference pedometer was 16.6%, 18.0%, and 16.8% for RT, PW, and TY, respectively. None of the three apps counted steps accurately in the free-living setting.     

What Are the Contributory and Compensatory Relationships Between Physical Education and Physical Activity in Children?

Limited data are available on the contributory and compensatory relationships between physical education and physical activity in children. Four hundred eighty-five (280 girls) children in first through sixth grades wore sealed pedometers during waking hours, including normally scheduled physical education lessons. The least, moderately, and most active children accumulated approximately 1,700, 1,100, and 2,500 more steps/day, respectively, on school days with physical education. No compensatory increases in physical activity were found on school days that did not offer physical education. The implications of the contributory relationship are highlighted by the evidence that 50% of the least active children were at risk for overweight or overweight and that no compensatory increases in physical activity were found on school days when physical education classes were not scheduled.     

Physical activity levels in American and Japanese men from the ERA-JUMP Study and associations with metabolic syndrome

Background:Metabolic syndrome(MetS) is a global health problem.Physical activity(PA) is a known modifiable risk factor for MetS and individual MetS components.However,the role of PA could differ between sub-populations due to differences in the variability of PA and other MetS risk factors.To examine these differences,multi-country studies with standardized outcome measurement methods across cohorts are needed.Methods:Cross-sectional PA levels(total and domain specific) in healthy middle-aged(44-56 years) men in the Risk Factor Assessment among Japanese and U.S.Men in the Post-World War Ⅱ Birth Cohort(ERA-JUMP) Study(n=730;American:n=417;Japanese:n=313;from population-representative samples in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,USA,and Kusatsu,Shiga,Japan) were compared.The relationships between PA levels and MetS(overall and specific components) in/across the American and Japanese sub-cohorts(adjusting for age,smoking,and alcohol consumption)were also assessed using the same instruments(pedometer and validated questionnaire) to measure PA in both cohorts.Results:A total of 510 individuals provided complete data on PA(American:n=265;Japanese:n=245).The American cohort had significantly lower mean±SD steps/day(7878±3399 steps/day) vs.the Japanese cohort(9055±3797 steps/day)(p <0.001) but had significantly higher self-reported moderate-vigorous leisure PA(American:15.9(7.4-30.3) metabolic task equivalent hours per week(MET-b/week) vs.Japanese:4.0(0-11.3) METh/week,p <0.0001).In both sub-cohorts,each 1000 steps/day increase was associated with lower odds of having MetS(American:OR=0.90,95%CI:0.83-0.98;Japanese:OR=0.87,95%CI:0.79-0.95) and the individual MetS component of high waist circumference(American:OR=0.86,95%CI:0.79-0.94;Japanese:OR=0.87,95%CI:0.80-0.95).In the American cohort only,higher self-reported leisure PA(Met-b/week) was associated with lower odds of MetS and high waist circumference(OR=0.98,95%CI:0.97-0.99 for MetS and waist circumference,respectively).Conclusion:Higher total step counts/day had an important protective effect on MetS prevalence in both the Japanese and American cohorts,despite differences in PA levels and other MetS risk factors.The effect of steps/day(across all intensity levels) was much greater than domainspecific moderate-vigorous PA captured by questionnaire,suggesting the need for measurement tools that can best capture total movement when examining the effects of PA on MetS development.     

Validity of the “Samsung Health” application to measure steps: A study with two different samsung smartphones

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a highly popular pedometer application (Samsung Health). Sixteen adults (28.8 ± 8.9 years of age) wore two Samsung smartphone models, Samsung Galaxy Core Prime (SGCP) and Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGS4), at three body locations (waist, arm, and hand) while walking and running over a 50-m test. All trials were recorded using a video as a gold standard measure of step counts. Results indicated that the validity of Samsung Health varied depending on the smartphone model, its body location, and the type of gait (walking and running). Samsung Health showed acceptable validity when the SGCP was located on the hand (Bias = ?8.3%; RMSE = 5.6), and especially on the arm (Bias = ?7.2%; RMSE = 4.9) while running, and when the SGS4 was located on the arm (Bias = ?7.5%; RMSE = 5.4), and especially on the waist (Bias = 5.4%; RMSE = 3.7) while walking. Samsung Health only showed good validity when the SGS4 was located on the arm (Bias = 2.9%; RMSE = 3.6), and especially on the hand (Bias = 0.5%; RMSE = 2.5) while running. This application showed unacceptable validity in the remaining options.