Publications

Individual, social and physical environmental correlates of sedentary behaviours in adults: a systematic review protocol

Adults spend the majority of their time being sedentary, and evidence suggests that those who spend more of their day engaged in sedentary activities (TV viewing, sitting, screen-based activities) are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality, regardless of whether they exercise regularly. In order to develop effective interventions to reduce sedentary time, it is necessary to identify and understand the strongest modifiable factors of these behaviours. Therefore, the objective of this systematic review is to examine the available evidence in order to identify individual, social, environmental and policy correlates and determinants of sedentary behaviours (TV time, sitting time, screen time) and total sedentary time among adults. Six electronic databases will be searched to identify all studies that report on individual, social and/or environmental correlates and determinants of sedentary behaviours and total sedentary time in adults. Grey literature sources including theses, published conference abstracts and websites from relevant organizations will also be included. Articles that report on modifiable individual (e.g. health behaviours and status, self-efficacy, socio-economic status), social (e.g. crime, safety, social support, climate and capital), environmental (e.g. weather, workplace, home, neighbourhood, recreation environment, transportation environment) and policy correlates and determinants (based on study design) of sedentary behaviours in an adult population (mean age ≥18 years) will be included. Study quality and risk of bias will be assessed within and across all included studies. Harvest plots will be used to synthesize results across all correlates, and meta-analyses will be conducted where possible among studies with sufficient homogeneity. This review will provide a comprehensive examination of evidence in the field and will serve to highlight gaps for future research on the determinants of sedentary behaviours and inform intervention design. PROSPERO CRD42014009814

Television viewing and food intake during television viewing in normal-weight, overweight and obese 9- to 11-year-old Canadian children: a cross-sectional analysis

It is unclear if children of different weight status differ in their nutritional habits while watching television. The objective of the present paper was to determine if children who are overweight or obese differ in their frequency of consumption of six food items while watching television compared with their normal-weight counterparts. A cross-sectional study of 550 children (57·1 % female; mean age = 10 years) from Ottawa, Canada was conducted. Children's weight status was categorised using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut-points. Questionnaires were used to determine the number of hours of television watching per day and the frequency of consumption of six types of foods while watching television. Overweight/obese children watched more television per day than normal-weight children (3·3 v. 2·7 h, respectively; P = 0·001). Obese children consumed fast food and fruits/vegetables more frequently while watching television than normal-weight or overweight children (P < 0·05). Children who watched more than 4 h of television per d had higher odds (OR 3·21; 95% CI 1·14, 9·03; P = 0·03) of being obese, independent of several covariates, but not independent of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The finding that both television watching and the frequency of consumption of some food items during television watching are higher in children who are obese is concerning. While the nature of the present study does not allow for the determination of causal pathways, future research should investigate these weight-status differences to identify potential areas of intervention.

Parental support of the Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for children and youth: prevalence and correlates

Background To explore the prevalence of parental support for meeting the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth, identify key interactive support profiles among the four movement behaviors, and investigate subsequent sociodemographic and social cognitive correlates of these profiles. Methods A sample of Canadian parents ( N = 1208) with children aged 5 to 17 years completed measures of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and support of the four child movement behaviors via questionnaire. Differences in the proportion of parents supporting these four health behaviors were explored and demographic and social cognitive (attitude and perceived control) correlates of combinations of parental support for the four health behaviors were evaluated. Results Child and youth sleep behavior had the highest parental support (73%) and moderate to vigorous physical activity support had the lowest prevalence (23%). Interactive profiles of the four movement behaviors yielded six primary clusters and comprised wide variation from parents who supported none of these behaviors (19%), to parents who supported all four behaviors (14%). These profiles could be distinguished by the age of the child (younger children had higher support) and the gender of the parent (mothers provided more support), as well as constructs of the TPB, but TPB cognitions were more specific predictors of each health behavior rather than general predictors of aggregate health behavior clusters. Conclusions Teenagers and fathers may represent key targets for parental support intervention of the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. Intervention content may need to comprise the underlying foundations of attitude and perceived behavioral control to change parental support while considering the unique features of each health behavior to maximize related intervention effectiveness.

Effect of training status and exercise mode on endogenous steroid hormones in men

The purpose of this study was to determine the acute anabolic and catabolic hormone response to endurance and resistance exercise bouts of equal volume in subjects with differing training status. Twenty-two healthy men were recruited who were either resistance trained (n = 7), endurance trained (n = 8), or sedentary (n = 7). Three sessions were completed: a resting session, a 40-min run at 50-55% maximal oxygen consumption, and a resistance exercise session. Expired gases were monitored continuously during exercise, and the endurance and resistance exercise sessions were individually matched for caloric expenditure. Blood samples were drawn before exercise and 1, 2, 3, and 4 h after the start of the exercise. Plasma was analyzed for luteinizing hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, cortisol, and free and total testosterone. Androgens increased in response to exercise, particularly resistance exercise, whereas cortisol only increased after resistance exercise. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels increased during the resistance exercise session and remained elevated during recovery in the resistance-trained subjects. Endurance-trained subjects displayed less pronounced changes in hormone concentrations in response to exercise than resistance-trained subjects. After an initial postexercise increase, there was a significant decline in free and total testosterone during recovery from resistance exercise (P < 0.05), particularly in resistance-trained subjects. On the basis of the results of this study, it appears that the endogenous hormone profile of men is more dependent on exercise mode or intensity than exercise volume as measured by caloric expenditure. The relatively catabolic environment observed during the resistance session may indicate an intensity-rather than a mode-dependent response.

Meeting 24‐h movement guidelines: Prevalence, correlates, and associations with socioemotional behavior in Spanish minors

The aims of this study were to determine for the first time the prevalence of a national sample of Spanish minors meeting the 24-h movement guidelines; to determine their correlates; and to examine their associations with socioemotional behavioral problems. Cross-sectional data from the Spanish National Health Survey (2017) were analyzed for this study. A total of 3772 Spanish minors were included. Physical activity was parent-reported by a modified short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, which included a single question related to the participation in physical activity in free time. Recreational screen time was parent-reported by asking respondents for weekdays and weekends independently: "How much time does your child typically spend in front of a screen, including a computer, tablet, television, video, video game, or cell phone screen?". Sleep duration was parent-reported by the following question: "Can you tell me approximately how many hours your child usually sleeps daily?". The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was applied for the evaluation of socioemotional behavioral problems. The prevalence of meeting of all the three guidelines was 13.5%. Compared to meeting all guidelines, higher odds of socioemotional behavioral problems were found in participants meeting two guidelines (OR = 1.42; CI95%, 1.10-1.83), one guideline (OR = 1.50; 95%CI,1.14-1.96), or none of the guidelines (OR = 1.92; 95%CI,1.30-2.83). Our study demonstrated that the proportion of Spanish minors who meet with all the 24-h movement guidelines is low. Furthermore, it could be relevant to the promotion of the 24-h movement guidelines to prevent the risk of socioemotional behavioral problems.

Joint association of birth weight and physical activity/sedentary behavior with obesity in children ages 9‐11 years from 12 countries

Objective To examine the joint association of birth weight and physical activity/sedentary time with childhood obesity in 12 countries. Methods A cross‐sectional study of 5,088 children aged 9 to 11 years was conducted. Birth weight was recalled by parents or guardians. Moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior were objectively measured using accelerometry. Results The association of birth weight with the odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat was significant among children with either low MVPA or high sedentary time but not among children with either high MVPA or low sedentary time. In comparison with children with normal birth weight and high MVPA, children with high birth weight and low MVPA showed 4.48‐ to 5.18‐fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat; children with normal birth weight and low MVPA showed 3.00‐ to 3.30‐fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat, and children with high birth weight and high MVPA showed 1.16‐ to 1.68‐fold higher odds of obesity, central obesity, and high body fat. Conclusions High MVPA is more important than high birth weight as a correlate of obesity in children.

Folate status of the population in the Canadian Health Measures Survey

<h3>Background</h3> Low folate concentrations are inversely associated with birth defects, including neural tube defects, congenital heart disease and oral clefts. Conversely, high folate concentrations may be associated with adverse outcomes, including increased risk of colorectal cancer among those with pre-existing neoplasms. The purpose of our study was to investigate the folate status of a nationally representative sample of Canadians, including a subset of women of childbearing age. <h3>Methods</h3> We examined red blood cell folate concentrations among members of the general population aged 6–79 years (<i>n</i> = 5248) and separately among women of childbearing age (15–45 yr, <i>n</i> = 1162), as recorded by the Canadian Health Measures Survey and measured by immunologic assay. We assessed the data for significant differences by age, sex and socioeconomic status. <h3>Results</h3> Less than 1% of Canadians showed folate deficiency (red blood cell folate &lt; 305 nmol/L) and 40% showed high folate concentrations (&gt; 1360 nmol/L). Among women of childbearing age, 22% showed concentrations below those considered optimal for maximal neural tube defect-risk reduction (&lt; 906 nmol/L). Significant differences by age and socio-economic status, but not sex, were evident in median red blood cell folate concentrations, although concentrations in all groups exceeded recommended levels. No differences by age or income were found among women of child-bearing age. <h3>Interpretation</h3> Folate deficiency is virtually nonexistent in the Canadian population, although high folate concentrations are evident. Additional research is needed to better understand the determinants of red blood cell folate among women of childbearing age who have concentrations below levels that are maximally protective against neural tube defects. Ongoing monitoring of the folate status of Canadians and the relationship between red blood cell folate and health outcomes is warranted.

Physical Activity and Ethnicity

No abstract is provided for this article.

Lignes directrices et guides sur l’activité physique à l’intention des Canadiens : les faits et l’avenir

This article summarizes the main findings from the papers included in this journal supplement. It consolidates the evidence currently available to inform and advance the development of physical activity guidelines for Canadians, and it highlights the specific needs of various population subgroups. The challenges of translating guideline information into effective and persuasive physical activity messages, of campaigns to disseminate messages and of related evaluations are underlined. Recommendations on how to proceed are based on the evidence base provided by this series of papers; the immediate next steps mandated by this initiative are outlined and priorities for future research are indicated.

Association between meeting 24‐h movement guidelines and academic performance in a sample of 67,281 Chinese children and adolescents

This study aimed to explore the association between meeting 24‐h movement guidelines and academic performance among Chinese children and adolescents. Cross‐sectional data on 67,281 Chinese children and adolescents were used for the analyses. Adherence to 24‐h movement guidelines and academic performance (i.e., grades in Chinese, Math, and English), as well as sociodemographic information, were measured using a self‐reported questionnaire. 24‐h movement guidelines recommend at least 60 min/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), no more than 2 h/day of recreational screen time (ST), and 9–11 h/night of sleep for ages 11–13 years or 8–10 h/night for ages 14–17 years. Multilevel generalized linear models were used to explore the associations between 24‐h movement guidelines and academic performance. Results indicated that compared to not meeting any of the three 24‐h movement guidelines, participants meeting one or more guidelines were more likely to report better academic performance in Chinese, Math, and English. Meeting all the three guidelines was associated with better academic performance in Chinese (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56), Math (OR = 1.51), and English (OR = 1.73). Additionally, meeting the physical activity (PA) guidelines only was associated with better academic performance in Chinese; meeting only the ST guidelines, both ST and sleep guidelines, and both ST and PA guidelines were associated with better academic performance in Chinese, Math, and English. Subgroup analyses indicated that the associations between 24‐h movement guidelines and academic performance varied across grade groups and course subjects. As such, in general, adherence to 24‐h movement guidelines was related to better self‐reported academic performance. Healthy movement behaviors should be promoted for health and academic achievement in Chinese children and adolescents.

Canadian Health Measures Survey: ethical, legal and social issues.

This article describes how the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) of Statistics Canada has addressed the ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) arising from the survey. The development of appropriate procedures and the rationale behind them are discussed in detail for some specific ELSI. Health Canada's Research Ethics Board, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and the Data Access and Control Services Division at Statistics Canada, provided advice to the CHMS on ELSI. Statistics Canada's legal obligation to protect confidentiality, the oath of office, and security measures at Statistics Canada are explained. Additional information on safeguards specific to the CHMS is presented. The ELSI discussed include communication and consent, privacy and confidentiality, reporting results to survey respondents, inclusiveness, and storage of biospecimens. Common to all ELSI is the need for respondents' awareness and acceptance of their role in the survey process, and the obligation of the CHMS to respect respondents and the data they provide.

The Consequences of Sedentary Behaviors: Keeping Interpretations Anchored in Evidence

Research on the health consequences of certain sedentary behaviors and excessive sedentary time has increased in recent years and is commanding increased attention in public health and exercise science-related research (1,2). The Sedentary Behavior Research Network recently published an article reporting the findings from a global terminology consensus project where standardized definitions of key terms used in sedentary behavior research were presented, with the hope of further advancing research in this new field (3). There is clear evidence of enthusiasm in this area of research, and the sensibility of both a temporal trend toward increased sedentary time in contemporary lifestyles and the presumed negative health consequence of such a trend are intuitive and seemingly opportunistic. But are these sensibilities supported by robust scientific evidence? Or has the field of study gotten ahead of itself? Are we overinterpreting the existing evidence base? Are the relations more complex than previously conceptualized? In this issue of Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews (ESSR), Professor Stuart Biddle and colleagues provide a brief review critically examining the evidence that sedentary behavior is causally related to adiposity in young people (4). They argue that despite some consistency of the evidence supporting the observation that increased sedentary behavior/screen/TV time is associated with undesirable adiposity measures in young people, the magnitude of the relations is usually small, based predominantly on associational research, and inconsistent between reported and direct measure methods and often fails to control or account for important factors (e.g., physical activity, diet, sleep) that could mediate or moderate the relations observed. The authors conclude that the current evidence does not support a causal association between sedentary behaviors and adiposity in young people, and they propose a conceptual model illustrating the complexity of this relation. Although the authors restrict their discussion to childhood obesity and adiposity, they remind us of the need to ensure that our research rhetoric does not supersede the underlying evidence. Sedentary behavior research is in its infancy, or at best childhood, and although seems to be a plausible, prominent, and pervasive public health threat, there is some concern that related guidelines, recommendations, and messages may be ahead of the evidence supporting them. In addition to the caution conveyed by Biddle et al. (4), a recent American Heart Association Advisory (1) concluded that "further evidence is required to better inform public health interventions and future quantitative guidelines on sedentary behavior and cardiovascular health outcomes." A comprehensive review by Prince et al. (5) "identifies the need for longitudinal studies, as well as further research on factors in the physical, social, and policy environments" and "recognizes the need to standardize methodology for collecting, defining, and reporting sedentary behavior and correlates." Ekelund et al. (6) concluded that 60–75 min·d−1 of moderate-intensity physical activity may eliminate the increased risk of death associated with excessive sitting in adults but does not eliminate the elevated risk associated with high TV-viewing time specifically. The collective evidence is structurally weak if not equivocal. Balancing the demand for public health guidance in relation to sedentary behaviors with the current state of the evidence is a challenge, and much more experimental research, with measures of the fidelity of interventions, is required. Nevertheless, as Biddle et al. (4) agree, the current approach of discouraging excessive sedentary behaviors, especially TV time, is sensible and the likelihood of benefit exceeds the risk of harm. Mark S. Tremblay Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) Research Group Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute Ottawa, ON, Canada

Associations between physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, and obesity in Mexican children

No abstract is provided for this article.

Application of the Multi‐Process Action Control Framework to Understand Parental Support of Child and Youth Physical Activity, Sleep, and Screen Time Behaviours

Background The purpose of this paper was to apply a framework designed to evaluate the intention–behaviour gap, known as multi‐process action control (M‐ PAC ), to understand parental support for the Canadian 24‐Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth. Method Parents ( N = 1,208) of children 5–17 years of age, completed measures of reflective (attitudes, perceived control), regulatory (planning), and reflexive (identity, habit) processes as well as intention and support behaviours. Results Parents had significantly ( p &lt; .01) higher intentions in descending order to support sleep (86%), reduce screen time (62%), or support physical activity (65% to 61%). Translation of these intentions into behaviour was also significantly ( p &lt; .01) higher in a descending pattern for sleep support (80%), screen time reduction (68%), and physical activity support (56% to 31%). Congruent with M‐ PAC , a discriminant function analysis of the results showed that the translation of parental support intentions into behaviour was associated with a combination of reflective, regulatory, and reflexive antecedents but these varied by the behaviours. Conclusion The majority of parents have positive intentions to support child and youth health behaviours, yet many fail to enact this support. Translation of intention into action was associated with attitudinal aspects, control over support, self‐regulation skills, and parental habits and identity.

A36 Active transportation: are Canadian children and youth reaching the target?

Background Active transportation is an important source of physical activity for children and youth. Since 2005, the annual Active Healthy Kids Canada Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth has been a major knowledge translation tool that outlines how Canada is doing in terms of providing physical activity opportunities for children and youth. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the grades for the active transportation indicator over the last 10 years and highlight the best available evidence that informed these grades. Methods Based on an annual review of the Canadian active transportation literature, a panel of experts assigned a grade by consensus to represent the proportion of children and youth engaging in active transportation. Key considerations included the quality of evidence and the presence of disparities (e.g., time-trends, geographic, gender, and socioeconomic differences). A letter-based grading scheme was used to rate the proportion of children and youth that engage in regular active transportation: A, 81%–100%; B, 61%–80%; C, 41%–60%; D, 21%–40%;F, 0%–20%; INC, incomplete data. The grading scheme also incorporated a plus-minus system depending on trends over time and the presence of disparities (i.e., race/ethnicity, disabilities, immigration status, socioeconomic status, geography, gender, and age). Results Over the last 10 years, the active transportation grade has steadily remained at “D”. This is primarily attributable to consistent evidence showing that about 25-35% of Canadian children and youth engage in active transportation to/from school. Conversely, the 2013 Report Card highlighted that the percentage of young Canadians using only motorized modes rose from 51 to 62% between 2000 and 2010. Furthermore, children living in higher socioeconomic status families, in Eastern provinces, in rural areas or in smaller cities were consistently less likely to engage in active transportation to/from school. Conclusions Canada has consistently received D grades for the active transportation indicator due to the low prevalence of active transportation to/from school. Moreover, motorized school travel has increased over the last decade, thereby depriving children of an important source of physical activity. Very few data are available regarding trips to/from other destinations, underscoring a need for future research. The Report Card has been a successful knowledge translation tool that has recently been replicated in several countries around the world.

Physical activity strategies for preventing school-aged children’s overweight and obesity: a systematic review

Neighbourhood differences in objectively measured physical activity, sedentary time and body mass index

Background: There is limited Canadian research examining whether directly measured physical activity (PA) and body mass index (BMI) differ between neighbourhoods with different objectively measured socioeconomic (SES) and recreation (REC) environments. Purpose: To determine whether mean adult PA levels, sedentary time and BMIs were different across four neighbourhoods with contrasting SES and REC environments in Ottawa, Canada. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design to collect pilot data of objectively measured height, weight and PA (using accelerometry) and self-reported covariates in 113 adults (≥18 years). Four contrasting neighbourhoods (high REC/high SES, high REC/low SES, low REC/high SES, and low REC/low SES) were selected based on data collected as part of the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study. Analysis of covariance and logistic regression were used to perform neighbourhood comparisons for PA, sedentary time and BMI, adjusting for age, sex and household income and possible interactions. Post-hoc comparisons using Tukey's test were performed. Results: Significant neighbourhood-group effects were observed for light intensity PA and sedentary time. Post-hoc tests identified that the low REC/high SES neighbourhood had significantly more minutes of light PA than the low REC/low SES (Mdiff = 56.05 minutes·day, Tukey p = 0.01). Unadjusted BMI differed between the four neighbourhoods, but the differences were not significant after controlling for age, sex and household income. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that light PA and sedentary time differ between neighbourhoods of varying REC and SES environments after controlling for differences in age, sex and household income. Findings also suggest that other area-level factors may explain these neighbourhood differences.

Cross-validation of the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy second edition (CAPL-2) for Spanish children

This study aimed to explore physical literacy (PL) using the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy, second edition (CAPL-2), adapt it to the Spanish context and provide evidence of its validity for use in Spanish children aged 8-12.