This study assesses environmental factors in the exercise and food environment, demographic factors, physical activity behavior, and fruit and vegetable consumption in 26 rural Georgia counties. The purpose of the study is to identify environmental indicators of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption; to see what agencies in Georgia, if any, are collecting these types of data systematically throughout the state; and, to analyze potential relationships between environmental factors and health behaviors. Physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption were derived from the Georgia Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005). Demographic data were from the U.S. Census (2000). Environmental data were collected using Reference USA. Analysis was conducted using Pearson’s correlation (one-tailed). No statistically significant associations were found between the food environment and fruit and vegetable consumption nor the exercise environment and physical activity; suggesting associations found in urban areas may not exist in rural areas. Fruit and vegetable consumption was positively associated with travel time to work (P < .05). Physical activity was positively related to travel time to work (P < .01) and education (P < .05) and negatively related to federal spending per person (P < .05). Findings should improve understanding of the relationship between the environment and physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption in rural GA. Recommendations for improved data collection and interdepartmental cooperation are made.

This research assessed correlations between funding for pedestrian facilities, presence of walkways, and daily and weekly walking trips in a sample of United States residents living in metropolitan areas. The purpose of the research was to identify factors at the policy and environmental level which are associated with a greater frequency of walking trips, and therefore may influence physical activity levels. Data from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s 2001 National Household Travel Survey and the Thunderhead Alliance’s 2007 Benchmarking Report: Bicycling and Walking in the U.S. were combined to provide variables for the number of daily and weekly walking trips, perceived lack of walkways, age, distance to work, housing unit density for each household, household income, and per capita federal and non-federal funding for pedestrian facilities for each metropolitan area. Correlation analysis and analysis of variance was conducted to test for associations with walking trip frequency and lack of walkways. The results suggested that increased walking trips were associated with increased non-federal funding but not with increased federal funding; and that increased federal funding was associated with reduced lack of walkways (but not increased non-federal funding), especially for lower-income respondents. These associations were statistically significant but not strong. Very little research has been conducted on the health effects of funding for pedestrian facilities; this research showed that more extensive study in this area is needed and that further integration of public health into transportation planning is in order.

Darbo objektas – nuteistųjų fizinio aktyvumo ir sveikatos sąsajos. Tyrimo problema. Sparčiai pilnėjant įkalinimo įstaigoms, nuteistiesiems pakinta gyvenimo sąlygos, o tuo pačiu ir jų požiūris į sveiką gyvenseną. Tarp nuteistųjų daugėja sveikatai rizikingos elgsenos atvejų. Dėl įtampos, depresijos dažnėja nusiskundimų sveikata. Svarbu tirti ir nustatyti įvairius veiksnius, leidžiančius išlaikyti gerą tiriamųjų sveikatos būklę. Fizinis aktyvumas gali būti vienu iš tokių veiksnių. Tyrimo tikslas - atskleisti Pravieniškių trečiuose pataisos namuose kalinčių asmenų fizinį aktyvumą kaip geros sveikatos palaikymo prielaidą. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1) Nustatyti pataisos namuose kalinčių asmenų fizinio aktyvumo ypatumus. 2) Nustatyti pataisos namuose kalinčių asmenų sveikatos ypatumus. 3) Atskleisti sąsajas tarp nuteistųjų sveikatos ir fizinio aktyvumo. Hipotezės: 1) Fiziškai aktyvių nuteistųjų sveikata yra geresnė negu fiziškai pasyvių. Išvados: 1. Nuteistieji supranta fizinio aktyvumo naudą jų sveikatai, tačiau mankštinasi tik daugiau nei trečdalis. Dažniausiai tiriamieji veiklą, kaip sėdimas/stovimas darbas, kai šiek tiek vaikštoma ir kaip judamas darbas, kai daug vaikštoma, kilnojama. Tirtų asmenų vyraujantis laisvalaikio mankštinimosi dažnis 4-6 kartai per savaitę (mankštinasi daugiau nei 30 minučių taip, kad pagreitėtų kvėpavimas ir suprakaituotų). Penktadalis tirtų nuteistųjų nurodė, jog negali mankštintis dėl ligos ar invalidumo. 2. Dauguma tiriamųjų savo dabartinę sveikatos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Research problem. Load of penal institutions is rapidly increasing and inmates living conditions are changing. As a result their approach to a healthy lifestyle is also changing. The health risk behavior is increasing among the prisoners . Because of the tension and depression complaints about health appears more frequently. It is important to investigate and determine the various factors that enable patients to maintain good health. Physical activity may be one such factor. Research objective - to reveal Pravieniškės 3rd house of correction prisoners physical activity as good health maitenance assumption. Research tasks: 1) Identify prisoners physical activity characteristics. 2) Identify prisoners health characteristics. 3) Evaluate the relationship between prisoners good health and their physical activity. Hypotheses: 1) Physically active prisoners have better health conditions than passive ones. Conclusions: 1. Convicts understand the benefits of physical activity to their health, but only a little more than a third of them exercises. Most subjects described their activities as sitting/standing work with a little movement and work with lots of movement and lifting. Exercise frequency of research subjects is 4-6 times per week (exercise more than 30 minutes so as to speed up breathing and get sweat). One fifth of investigated prisoners mentioned that they cannot exercise due to illness or disability. 2. Most of the subjects defined... [to full text]

Darbo tikslas – ištirti Jonavos miesto profesinės mokyklos moksleivių fizinį aktyvumą ir sąsajas su sveikata. Tyrimo metodika. Atlikta anoniminė anketinė Jonavos miesto profesinės mokyklos 11–12 klasių mokinių apklausa. Išdalinta 100 anketų, užpildytas anketas grąžino 100 respondentų (atsako dažnis 100 proc.). Duomenys buvo apdoroti ir analizuojami naudojant statistinių duomenų analizės paketą „SPSS for Windows 20.0“. Vertinant ryšį tarp dviejų kintamųjų buvo taikomas Chi kvadrato kriterijus (χ2). Pasikliautinumo lygmuo 95 proc. (p < 0,05). Rezultatai. Tyrimo rezultatai atskleidė, kad respondentai laikosi mitybos rėžimo, daugelis (40,35 proc.) jų stengiasi pusryčiauti kiekvieną rytą. Didžioji dalis (84,2 proc.) respondentų nesilaiko jokių dietų. Profesinių mokyklų mokiniai yra pakankamai aktyvūs ir fizine, sveikatą stiprinančia veikla užsiima bent 2-3 kartus per savaitę (35,5 proc.) ir tuo užsiima laisvalaikiu po pamokų (53,2 proc.) ar per kūno kultūros pamokas (30,6 proc.). Respondentus būti fiziškai aktyviais skatina teigiamas poveikis jų sveikatai bei kaip priemonė turiningai praleisti laiką. Respondentų teiravomės, ar jie rūpinasi savo sveikata. Rezultatai parodė, kad beveik puse apklaustųjų (48,3 proc.) profesinės mokyklos moksleivių rūpinasi savo sveikata (yra fiziškai aktyvūs, derina maistą, vengia sveikatą žalojančių veiksnių). Moksleiviai, kurie savo sveikatos būklę įvardino kaip gerą (41,9 proc.) arba pakankamai gerą (26,5 proc.), užsiima aktyvia fizine veikla 2-3... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Purpose of Work: to analyze students' physical activity in relationship with their health at Jonava City Vocational School. Method of Analysis. The anonymous questionnaire was executed among 11 and 12th grade students. One hundred questionnaires were delivered to a hundred students. One hundred students responded (one hundred percent of response). The received data was analyzed using statistical data analysis packet “SPSS for Windows 20.0”. Evaluating relationship between two variables Chi square criteria (X2) was used. The level of trustfulness was 95 percent (p<0.05). Results. The analysis of the data revealed that the respondents are keeping up with healthy rules. Many of them ( 40.35%) have their breakfast every morning. The biggest number of respondents ( 84.2%) do not observe any diet though. The students at vocational schools are physically pretty active, do their health relating exercises at least two or three times a week (35.5%). 53.2 percent of them go for sports after school, 30.6 percent get their physical benefits at Physical Education lessons. The motive of the respondents' physical activity is their positive attitude towards personal health. It also helps them spend their free time meaningfully. We asked if they cared for their health, and the answers were mostly positive: 48.3% of them said they did care for their health condition by eating healthy food and avoiding bad habits. 41.9% of students consider themselves being in good heath or good enough (26.5%)... [to full text]

Daily Physical Activity (DPA) is one component of Ontario&rsquo;s Healthy Schools strategy. This case study of two schools in geographically and culturally diverse contexts explores DPA implementation according to the focus areas of the Ministry of Education. The conceptual framework of Clune (1990) was employed to explore implementation according to three perspectives, revealing disconnects between the policy mandate and educational contexts, as well as potential improvements to the current policy. It was found that time constraints are the most prominent barrier to DPA implementation, and that the primary focus of DPA for educators is often provision, but not quality, of daily physical activities. It was also found that teachers&rsquo; perceptions of policy importance are a stronger predictor of implementation than a supportive school administration, given there is no conflict with other school policies. Recommendations for policy revisions are provided based on the findings.

This final thesis aims to examine the social factors influence to the student’s lifestyle. Our destination was to set the features of student’s lifestyle, social living surroundings and student’s physical activity, point of view of student’s to physical education and social-economical factors connection with student’s lifestyle. The paper employs theory sources analysis, questionnaire and statistical analysis methods. Questionnaire was fulfilling in October 2005. Unsigned questionnaire participate 371 sophomores and seniors from Vilnius Pedagogical University, Mykolo Romerio University and Vilnius University. The results of research: 1. Questionnaire found out these features of student’s lifestyle: • 59.0% of students are sleeping just 5-7 hours a day, one of two students doesn���t eat breakfast, just one of five – has regular meal, because they hard studying and hard working; • 25.0% of students spend more than 14 hours a week on the computer; 22.0% of students watch TV about 15-22 hours a week; 13.0% of students read books about 13-19 hours a week. • One of four students smokes cigarette. Boys are smoking more and oftener than girls. 15.0% of students smoke every day, 22.0% - 3-4 times a week; • 72.0% of students have harmful habits; they drink alcohol often and very often. Boys are drinking alcohol more than girls. Even 22.0% of students used to try a drug. 2. Research showed that student’s physical activity is to low to be healthy and physically fit, only one of four... [to full text]

The results of this study showed, that office's workers act ergonomic risk factors like unsuitable equipment of workplace, uncomfortable position in the context of space and area and uncomfortable arrangement of equipment. After the analyze of data on the physical activity was determinate that the majority (73,4 %) of office’s workers do not make absolutely or make rarely physical activity which influence their health. A big party of office’s workers say that they have to make more often the physical activity. 85 % of respondents note that they do not have of possibilities to develop their physicals features. Between the respondents the most common disorders of health are in cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system. In this study was determinate the statistical confidential relation entire the workplace’s equipment and health discomfort in back, waist, neck, knees, shoulders, buttock , wrist. The workers who work in the office place with unsuitable equipment plain of health discomfort more often that other. Statistical confidential relation (p = 0,001) was determined entire the age of respondents and their physical activity – oldest respondents are more passives.

Context: Little is known about body image and its relationship with physical activity (PA) among people living with heart disease. Purpose: To determine the prevalence and stability of body image issues over time in heart patients, and to determine the bi-directional relationship between body image and PA over time. Method: Participants who completed cardiac rehabilitation (CR; n = 31), and who declined CR (n = 28) were recruited. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing body image and PA at two time intervals, three months apart. Results: Up to 9.7% of participants in CR and 10.7% of those not in CR reported high body image concerns. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed body image changed over time in people not in CR (body surveillance, Wilk’s ? = .768, F = 8.15, p = .008; control beliefs, Wilk’s ? = .837, F = 5.28, p = .030). Linear regressions showed that minutes of moderate PA predicted body image (body shame, ? = -.372, t = -.2.12, p = .043) in people in CR, and that body image (control beliefs) predicted minutes of moderate PA (? = .384, t =2.12, p = .044) in people not in CR. Conclusion/Implications: This research has the potential to lead to the development of more effective PA interventions, thus improving the longevity and quality of life of heart patients.

Šiandien dėl sėslaus gyvenimo būdo blogėja vaikų fizinė būklė, nuolat susiduriama su sveikatos problemomis. Todėl būtina daug aktyviau siekti kūno kultūros tikslų: ugdyti mokinius, motyvuoti būti fiziškai aktyviais, ugdyti jų pasitikėjimą savimi, puoselėti jų požiūrį į sveiką gyvenseną, jos propagavimą ir kūno stiprinimą. Fizinis aktyvumas yra svarbiausias veiksnys, skatinantis organizmą augti ir tobulėti. Kiekviena judėjimo forma optimizuoja žmogaus ne tik motorikos, bet ir jo psichinės bei socialinės brandos vyksmą. Moksliškai nustatyta, kad fizinis pajėgumas, aktyvumas ir sveikata yra labai glaudžiai susiję. Todėl gvildenamos fizinio pajėgumo problemos atskleidžia nagrinėjamos temos aktualumą. Tyrime dalyvavo 7–9 metų amžiaus mokiniai (51 mergaitė, 52 berniukai). / Nowadays when the life is getting more and more sedentary, children physical state is getting worse too, health disorder issues happen to be more often. That’s why it is a must more actively seek for the main physical culture aims: educate pupil, motivate them to be physically active, develop their self – confidence, foster their attitude for the healthy life, propagate it and all in all strengthen their body. In this case the main factor is a physical activity, which allows organism to grow and improve. Every kind of movement optimizes not only person’s motility, but also his mental and social mutuality growth. It was approved scientifically that physical potential, physical activity and health is very close link. That’s how solving the issues of the physical potential problems reveal the actuality of this work. 7-9 years age pupil were questioned in this investigation (51 girl, 52 boys). The object of the research: Physical potential of girls and boys.

The objective of this thesis was to examine age-related changes in weight and body composition as they relate to health in older adults. This thesis was completed in manuscript format and consists of two studies, both of which are based on the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) cohort. The CHS is a prospective cohort study of community-dwelling older (≥65 years) men and women who were followed for 8 years. The first manuscript examined whether physical activity (PA) attenuates age-related weight loss in the elderly. Mixed modeling procedures were employed to create body weight trajectory curves for the 8 year follow-up period according to physical activity level in a sample of 4512 CHS participants. Body weight declined over the follow-up period in all physical activity groups, with an accelerated weight loss occurring in the final years of follow-up. Over the 8 year follow-up, body weight was reduced by 2.72 kg in the least active PA quartile. Compared to the least active quartile, weight loss was attenuated by 0.55 kg (20%), 0.80 kg (29%), and 0.69 kg (25%) within the second through fourth physical activity quartiles. Therefore, participation in modest amounts of PA attenuated age-related weight loss by approximately 25%. The second manuscript examined whether sarcopenic-obesity is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than either sarcopenia or obesity alone, and whether muscle mass or strength is a stronger marker of CVD risk. CHS participants who were free of CVD at baseline (n=3400) were classified as normal, sarcopenic, obese, or sarcopenic-obese based on measures of waist circumference and either muscle mass or strength. Participants were followed for CVD development over 8 years and proportional hazard regression models were used to compare risk estimates for CVD after adjustment for covariates. When based on measures of waist circumference and muscle mass, CVD risk was not increased in sarcopenic, obese, or sarcopenic-obese groups in comparison to the group with a normal body composition. When categorized based on waist circumference and muscle strength, CVD risk was significantly increased (by 38%) in the sarcopenic-obese group but not in either the sarcopenic or obese groups. Thus, sarcopenic-obesity, based on muscle strength, was associated with increased CVD risk implying that strength is more important than muscle mass for cardiovascular health in old age. In summary, the findings of this thesis support the continuation of public health efforts to promote regular PA and balanced nutrition to assist with maintenance of optimal body composition and weight through adulthood and into old age. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2008-05-30 11:56:03.775