Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of implementation intentions on physical activity in older adults with stronger and weaker executive control resources (ECRs). Methods: One hundred and ten community dwelling older adults (Mage=74.42) were randomly assigned to receive either a physical activity implementation intention intervention, a control intervention, or no-treatment. Three ECR facets (inhibition, task-switching, working memory), baseline behaviour and baseline intentions were assessed during the initial laboratory session. During 4 weekly follow-up telephone interviews, participants reported physical activity behaviour for the previous week, and refreshed implementation intentions for each upcoming week. Results: A main effect of treatment condition on 1-month self-reported physical activity was observed, with those in the experimental group reporting significantly higher physical activity than those in the control or no-treatment conditions. In addition, a significant 2-way (intention strength by treatment condition) interaction emerged, with the experimental group showing higher intention-behaviour correspondence than the control and no-treatment groups. A marginal 2-way interaction of intention and behavioural inhibition was also detected; those with stronger behavioural inhibition had higher intention-behaviour correspondence relative to those with weaker behavioural inhibition across all three treatment conditions. Conclusions: Implementation intentions are effective in facilitating physical activity in healthy older adults. The findings also indicate that behavioural inhibition may be important for the moderation of intention-behaviour relationships in the context of physical activity, regardless of goal setting strategy.

In Canada, obesity and associated chronic diseases disproportionately affect First Nations children. The objectives of this research were to assess obesity, physical activity, and perceptions of lifestyle behaviors in Cree First Nations children (5-12 years) in one Alberta reserve community. Levels of obesity (20.0%), abdominal obesity (49.5%), and physical inactivity (64.0%) were high. Most overweight and obese children were also abdominally obese (88.0%). Focus groups interviews indicated that cultural/traditional knowledge was overarching and integral to childrens understandings of health, food, and activity. Discussions revealed that family members were childrens main source of health knowledge. Explanations of the meaning of health included healthy foods and activities, respectful relationships with nature, and the absence of chronic conditions. Children preferred foods and activities they considered to be healthy. Our findings indicate the need to develop local strategies that integrate cultural/traditional practices and ensure family participation to promote healthy weights in First Nations children. / Nutrition & Metabolism

This dissertation is organized in a traditional format while including three essays that address specific research questions. Essay 1 examined the relationship between physical activity and community engagement and their effect on mental well-being among older men and women. Data from National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) from 2018 to 2020 were explored and the posited relationships were tested. This essay provides empirical support that older adults who are reasonably active and involved in the community have greater mental well-being than those who isolate themselves. Essay 2 provides insight into older adults' motivation to improve their physical activity through the use of a fitness tracker. The key finding from this study is that wearables, especially fitness trackers, can significantly facilitate increased physical activity. Essay 3 is a mixed-methods study to understand older adults' perception of the usefulness of fitness trackers and interaction with such devices. Findings suggest that to increase the adoption of fitness trackers among older adults, makers could improve the esthetics and quality of the wristband in addition to the battery life of the tracker.

Background Information: There is substantial evidence demonstrating the significant benefits of regular physical activity (PA) and the burden of morbidity and mortality associated with inactivity. In Australia however, approximately 40% of the adult population is not meeting recommended levels of PA, the rates of inactivity may be increasing, and improving population levels of PA has been identified as a public health priority. Research is needed therefore, to develop a better understanding of the variables that limit and facilitate PA levels within the population, so as to guide the development of population-based PA promotion. Although a range of psychological, social and environmental variables have been associated with PA, few studies have integrated correlates across these domains and compared their relative contribution. The current evidence base is also limited by too few population-based studies, insufficient assessment of the measurement properties of correlate scales, minimal information on PA item non-response, and a lack of specificity among PA domains. Aims: This research program aimed to develop measures and examine the relative contributions of self-reported psychological, social, and environmental variables to explain variation in leisure-time PA (LTPA) among adults in the general population. Methods: This research program comprised three studies that utilised a crosssectional design and a mail survey methodology with a population-based random sample drawn from Brisbane, Australia (N=5000). Study one involved development and assessment of the measurement properties of a battery of scales to measure correlates of LTPA, using principal components and internal reliability analyses. Study two assessed the magnitude of and sociodemographic variables associated with LTPA item non-response on the mail survey, using logistic regression. Study three examined the independent contributions of self-reported psychological, social, and environmental variables to variation in walking, moderate- and vigorousintensity LTPA, using logistic regression adjusted for sociodemographic covariates. Results: Study one produced a battery of 28 scales to assess self-reported psychological, social and environmental correlates of LTPA. The scales used a total of 123 items to measure activity history (habit, mastery, exposure), health (physical, psychological), activity-related cognitions (self schemata, activity schemata, demand, need, knowledge), self-efficacy, anticipated benefits (psychological, health, challenge, improved appearance, social, weight management), perceived barriers (expense/low access, poor skill, poor personal functioning, time organization, disinterest, family obligations), social support (encouragement, discouragement) and neighborhood environment (available facilities, physical characteristics, aesthetic features, traffic). Of the 28 scales that were factorially derived, 25 had acceptable or marginal levels of internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.65 to 0.89. Study two indicated that 28% of the mail survey respondents had incomplete LTPA data with 8% of respondents missing the walking item, and 18% and 23% missing the vigorous-intensity and moderate-intensity LTPA items respectively. Respondents who missed all three LTPA items were more likely than those with complete LTPA data to be female, less educated, from low-income households, in poor health, and a current smoker. Respondents who missed the walking item were significantly more likely to be a current smoker, and to have limited education and low household income. Incomplete moderate-intensity LTPA data was associated with single parenthood and vocational education. Those who missed the vigorousintensity LTPA item were more likely to be 35-54 years old, in fair or poor health, and obese. Respondents with incomplete LTPA data were also more likely to miss sociodemographic items assessing education, household composition, and household income. In study three, the sociodemographic and correlate variables collectively accounted for 43% of the variation in total LTPA, 45% of vigorous-intensity LTPA, 26%of walking, and 22% of moderate-intensity LTPA (Nagelkerke R square). The individual correlates accounted for 0.0 - 4.0% of unique variation across the different domains of LTPA. Habit, self-efficacy, and social encouragement tended to contribute more unique variation for each LTPA domain. Physical health, discouragement, competition, and time management barriers contributed more unique variation to vigorous-intensity LTPA. Anticipated benefits of social interactions and weight management contributed more unique variation to moderate-intensity LTPA. Neighbourhood aesthetics contributed more unique variation to walking variation. Conclusions. This research program demonstrates the importance of integrating psychological, social, and environmental variables to explain PA, and that the relative importance of these correlates is likely to differ among PA domains. More research is needed to enhance the conceptualisation and measurement of correlate variables, in particular PA opportunities across the lifecourse, the anticipated benefit of a balanced lifestyle, the barriers of an unpredictable lifestyle and family obligations, social discouragement, and environmental variables. Population-based mail surveys of LTPA may under-represent population subgroups that are insufficiently active for health, and proactive strategies are needed to maximise their full participation in research and obtain complete survey data, in particular among individuals of low socioeconomic position and for the assessment of moderateintensity LTPA. Generic promotion to increase overall levels of LTPA in the population could focus on promoting self-efficacy for PA and habitual LTPA, as well as enhancing social encouragement. Tailored promotion for vigorous-intensity LTPA could reduce barriers associated with physical health, discouragement, competitiveness, and time management. Tailored promotion for moderate-intensity LTPA and walking should focus on supportive local neighbourhoods and promote the benefits of weight management and social interactions. In time, the successful implementation of such policy and promotion may arrest the decline of PA levels in the population, reduce preventable morbidity and mortality and economic burden associated with inactivity, and facilitate improved health for all Australians.

The purpose of this study was threefold. Primarily it was to identify the underlying motivational influences determining why mature age men and women continue playing sport competitively, long after they have reached their peak performance level. Secondly, the study sought to ascertain whether there was a change in specific temperament attributes, such as competitiveness, as Squash players became older, and whether any changes were restricted primarily to the sporting environment, or did changes pervade other areas ofthe individuals' lives. The third purpose of the study was to design a new measurement instrument for use in effectively identifying the primary motivations of mature age squash participants within Australia. The research study comprised a multi-system methodology which allowed for triangulation analysis of results. It involved both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches, with four phases of investigation. The first phase focused on the development of a new motivation measurement instrument, titled Masters Sport Motivation Inventory (MSMI). The second phase involved a Pilot study aimed at implementing the MSMI instrument and evaluating it for validity and reliability, and sampled mature-age participants from nine different sports. The outcomes ofthe Pilot study demonstratedvalidityandreliability ofthe MSMI instrument. The third phase ofthe research comprised the main area ofinvestigation, which was to examine the motivations of Masters squash players in Australia. It used the MSMI instrument to obtain relevant data concerning the motivation of this cohort of sports competitors.The fourth phase comprised in-depth personal interviews from Australian Masters squash players. Interviewees had the opportunity to provide a greater insight into the importance of continued sporting participation into their older adult years. The MSMI data for both the Pilot and Main studies was analysed with the SPSS 15 analysis program. It was determined that there were 12 logical and interpretable motivational factors that were relevant to mature-age sports people and Australian Masters squash players. The results of the quantitative approach generally concurred with the outcomes derived from previous research which has examined the motivations of mature-age athletes, which found that health, enjoyment, fitness and competitiveness were highly relevant motives. In addition, this study extended the outcomes to include other motives viewed as being important to older athletes' sporting aspirations, such as self-awareness, team, aesthetics, skill, stress, recognition, social, and travel, The interview information was examined in two ways. Firstly, it was examined manually by the researcher. The material obtained during the interview process was classified according to groups of responses with similarities in contextual meaning, and the descriptive response data were calculated in the form ofmanual frequencies and percentages. Winning was the primary motive/outcome. Interview responses were also examined via an analysis program called Leximancer, and results revealed that differences in responses among mature-age squash players based on gender, age-class and ability level were minimal. Interview results indicated that many Masters squash players in Australia were still highly competitive, still very determined to win their matches, and still very focused on their goals and game plans. The motives derived from the Masters squash players involved in the qualitative approach generally concurred with the outcomes derived from the quantitative approach, thereby adding consistency and outcome strength to the overall research. The opportunity for mature-age squash participants to elaborate on their feelings, sporting goals and motivations to continue playing their chosen sport enabled a greater depth and wealth ofrelevant information to be examined, and revealed a change in motivational emphasis from health and fitness issues to competitive and win-related issues. The results ofthis research as a whole, in relation to the outcomes obtained from the MSMI instrument, as well as from the personal interviews, differs somewhat from the philosophy of Masters sport, whereby it is assumed and promoted that older athletes primarily participate for fun, enjoyment and social opportunities. The results obtained in this research do not necessarily support this view. Many Australian Masters squash players play to win, and they give their all in an effort to achieve this goal and to reap the pleasure of recognition and rewards for doing so.

Environments that support physical activity (PA) engagement are now seen as an important part of the solution for accumulating daily physical activity which confers health benefits, particularly transport-related PA (TPA). Despite this recognition, understanding the determinants of health-related PA has traditionally focused on identifying associations between the social environment and non-specific PA domains. As such, prior to commencing this thesis little was known about the relationships between the built environment and overall PA engagement within the New Zealand context. Little was also known about associations between TPA attitudes and behaviours, and urban design. This research sought to overcome this paucity of knowledge by investigating associations between overall PA and TPA engagement and perceptions, health outcomes, urban design, and socio-demographic variables from a public health perspective. The body of research was initiated with two literature reviews that formed the context for the following six empirical chapters. Data in the empirical chapters were drawn from three self-report surveys using adult samples. The research commenced by examining associations between urban design and overall PA engagement, and then narrowed towards TPA-specific relationships. TPA relationships were identified through the development and implementation of a reliable survey that captured associated behaviours and attitudes. Several new findings were drawn from this body of work. Overall, 21% of adults recognised they could replace automobile journeys on at least two days per week, and walking was deemed an acceptable travel alternative. Adult TPA engagement levels were low; 7% commuted to place of work/study and 32% travelled to the convenience shop by TPA modes. Furthermore, when compared with those who commuted to an occupation by TPA, respondents who used motorised travel were less likely to be classified as active (odds ratio (OR)=0.5) and be of normal body mass index (OR=0.5). No significant health relationships existed for convenience shop travel. As well, 4% of adults reported no automobile availability. When this group was compared with those with unrestricted automobile availability, they were less likely to be classified as active (OR=0.3), but were more likely to engage in TPA modes to access destinations (occupation, OR=6.3; convenience shop, OR=9.8). Occupation-related commute distances also revealed interesting findings. Overall, 50% of respondents perceived they could, and 10% of the sample actually did, commute by TPA modes for distances less than five kilometres, and relationships were strongly mediated by distance. Other urban design variables were objectively assessed with TPA engagement for occupation-related commute distances less than five kilometres. Those who travelled along the most connected street networks were more likely to engage in TPA modes (OR=6.9) when compared with respondents travelling along the least connected networks. No relationships were found with other urban design variables and TPA engagement.This research substantially contributes to this research area by identifying associations between overall PA and TPA engagement and perceptions with urban design. It is likely that shifting the perceptions of adults who recognise they can employ TPA modes, into actual TPA engagement will result in promising population health gains. Future PA initiatives with adults should consider promoting walking for transport as a sustainable solution. A lack of TPA interventions is evident; however, methodological issues need to be resolved before developing such initiatives. Although strategies aimed towards changing perceptions may be valuable for future TPA interventions, it is likely macro-scale urban design modifications (e.g., improved job-housing balance, highly-grained street networks) and legislation (e.g., automobile restrictions) will have the greatest success for increasing TPA engagement in the adult population.

Improving physical activity (PA) participation is a public health priority in developed and developing countries to curb the substantial and growing prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases. Early childhood may be an especially important time to encourage PA; however, there is a paucity of research in this area. The aim of this research was to contribute to the limited body of work in PA in early childhood by investigating PA measurement approaches in young children and applying this knowledge to determine socio-environmental associations of preschool PA. An initial literature review provided the background for the thesis and determined the approaches taken in the ensuing chapters. A second literature review provided a detailed critique of research specific to PA measurement in early childhood to further inform the empirical studies. Information for the empirical chapters was drawn from three research projects: two studies were completed that assessed tools for objectively measuring PA in young children (pedometers and accelerometers), and these studies informed a final project to quantify associates of PA in a sample of preschool-aged children. Novel and important findings from the preliminary studies were that pedometer accuracy for measuring free-living PA and walking in children aged 3-5 years was poor, especially for pedometers worn at the back of the child, or during slow walking. Furthermore, when investigating the utility of accelerometers (more complex and frequently adopted tools) to quantify PA intensity in preschoolers, their application and use of commonly employed thresholds resulted in systematic underestimation of PA intensity and poor agreement (=0.09) when compared with a direct observation criterion measure. Application of existing accelerometer thresholds to classify PA intensity in preschoolers was therefore likely to yield biased estimates. Given the dearth of robust alternatives, a novel approach was developed to calculate individual activity rates from the raw accelerometer data. To account for over-dispersion in accelerometer counts, daily average activity rates per second were derived for each participant using negative binomial generalised estimating equation (GEE) models with a first-order autoregressive (AR1) correlation structure. These rates were assumed to be exchangeable between days and normally distributed. Potential socio-environmental associates of children’s activity rates and body size were thus assessed using normal GEE models with exchangeable correlation structures. Parental PA and child age were independently and significantly associated with child activity rates (P≤0.04). No relationships between child body size and PA or television (TV) exposure were found. Common approaches to PA measurement and data consideration were challenged in this research and novel robust methods devised utilising contemporary statistical methods. Accelerometer data can be successfully reduced to individual activity rates to mitigate current issues related to objective PA quantification with preschoolers. Parental involvement in preschool PA interventions is worthy of further investigation, and younger children may stand to benefit more from increased activity. Further exploration of the complex interactions between PA, exposure to media, and health outcomes in preschool-aged children is warranted.

Levels of participation in physical activity and sport by the New Zealand population are in decline, whilst the levels of sedentary behaviours are rising. Developing positive physical activity experiences, perceptions and habits in childhood may provide an effective approach to decrease the burden of inactivity. The purpose of this thesis was to improve knowledge of the efficacy of a sport-based intervention to increase physical activity levels of New Zealand children from a low socio-economic background. This was achieved by implementing an after-school soccer intervention at two low decile schools in Auckland, New Zealand. To determine current levels of physical activity, fifty-eight children wore a NL-2000 pedometer for four consecutive days (three weekdays and one weekend). Mean step counts (± SD) for boys were 17018 (± 4640) and for girls 12415 (± 4329) on weekdays, and for boys 12507 (± 4338) and girls 9537 (± 4421) on weekends. Nearly 50% of girls and 37% of boys were not reaching previously published daily step count recommendations of 15,000 for boys and 12,000 for girls during weekdays. The feasibility and efficacy of a six-week after-school soccer programme (2/hr.wk-1) on physical activity levels of 70 children (43 boys, 27 girls) compared to a control group of 25 children (23 boys, 2 girls) was determined in a randomised controlled trial. Measures of physical activity (4 day sealed pedometry), mass and height were completed at baseline, Week 6 (end of the intervention), and at three-month post-intervention. Compared to control, participants in the soccer programme attained higher weekday step counts after 6 weeks (treatment 16980 ± 4515; control 15021 ± 3783) and these were sustained three months post-intervention (treatment 16218 ± 4591; control 14591 ± 3488). However, these step count differences were not statistically significant. When children were grouped into activity tertiles (low, moderate and highly active) the intervention effect was more evident in the low to moderately active children. Further analysis revealed that the treatment groups’ moderate activity tertile was significantly more active than the control at follow up (p = 0.0399). This programme may offer a viable alternative to traditional physical activity interventions which concentrate on other forms of physical activity accumulation such as active transport and physical education. However, additional research needs to be carried out to determine whether the absence of statistical differences is simply a lack of statistical power.

Background: Many Australians do not meet recommended levels of physical activity and GPs can play an important role in addressing this. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise referral scheme, in patients referred by their general practitioner (GP). Design: A pre post evaluation with measurement of outcomes immediately post intervention (five weeks) and again at six months. Intervention: The 42 patients that agreed to participate in the study took part in an initial fitness and lifestyle assessment with an exercise physiologist. They then undertook ten exercise sessions over a period of five weeks, following an individually prescribed exercise program. At the completion of the ten exercise sessions, participants were reassessed (fitness and lifestyle) by the exercise physiologist. This was repeated again six months after they completed the intervention. Main outcomes measured: The primary outcomes measured were changes in self reported physical activity and associated markers including cardiovascular fitness. Secondary outcomes measured include changes in physiological and anthropometric measures, behavioural risk factors (dietary behaviour, alcohol consumption and smoking) and quality of life. Patient well-being (using SF12), patient satisfaction and GP satisfaction with the program was also assessed. Results: There was a large withdrawal of participants. Results have been presented in terms of outcome frequency at each assessment point. There was an 18% increase (from baseline) in the proportion of participants achieving the Australian physical activity guidelines and a 31% increase between baseline and the six month follow-up assessment in those that completed the program. There were statistically significant improvements in cardiovascular fitness measures and small improvements in some physiological, anthropometric, dietary behaviours and general well being measures. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that referral to a community based leisure centre for supervised exercise, supported by a written exercise prescription by an exercise physiologist, may be effective in increasing physical activity levels short and long term in those that complete the program. Exercise referrals can form part of national strategies to increase physical activity, particularly for primary care.

abstract: Recently, much of the Physical Education literature has focused on confronting the challenges associated with the rising number of overweight children in America's schools. Physical Education programs are often looked to as intervention sites to remedy the current obesity epidemic. Teachers are often also not held accountable for curriculum adherence and student outcomes in Physical Education due to the lack of a common curriculum. Therefore, measuring teacher fidelity to specific Physical Education curricula is imperative to determine student outcomes when teachers follow the model as intended. In response to these issues, it has become increasingly important to measure student physical activity levels in Physical Education programs to determine moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels and to learn about teachers' fidelity to curricular models. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate teacher fidelity to the Dynamic Physical Education (DPE) curricular model after having completed DPE methods courses at the university level, when teaching in a DPE supported or non-supported districts. A secondary purpose of this study was to measure students' physical activity (PA) outcomes in classes where the curricular model was used with various levels of district support. Data were collected using mixed methods including an observation instrument, field notes, informal interviews, document analysis, and direct observation of physical activity. Descriptive statistics and t-tests were run to investigate differences between teacher support groups and by teacher fidelity groups. Teachers from both teacher support groups were teaching the curricular model with moderate to high fidelity. Findings suggest that fidelity levels were related to preparation on the DPE curricular model, ongoing professional development, and administrative support. Although the students were often standing (i.e., 40% of the lesson) and 30% of class time was spent in MVPA; teachers were frequently promoting physical activity both within (51%) and outside (50%) of Physical Education and the school day. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Physical Education 2011