Suchergebnisse

Purpose. To assess employees' attitudes toward potential barriers to and incentives for their likely use of worksite health promotion services. Methods. Data from the 2004 HealthStyles Survey, a volunteer mail survey, were used to examine selected barriers to, incentives for, and potential use of worksite health promotion programs among adults employed full-time or part-time outside the home (n = 2337). Results. Respondents were 72.7% white and 52.1% female; 36.5% were college graduates, 30.7% had a body mass index of at least 30, and 35.6% were regularly active. The most common reported barriers to use of worksite services were no time during the workday (42.5%) and no time before or after work (39.4%). More than 70% of employees responded that the following incentives would promote their interest in participating in a free worksite wellness program: convenient time, convenient location, and employer-provided paid time off during the workday. Preferred health promotion services reported by respondents were fitness centers (80.6%), weight loss programs (67.1%), and on-site exercise classes (55.2%). Policy practices of paid time to exercise at work and healthy vending or cafeteria food choices were preferred by almost 80% of employees. Conclusions. These HealthStyles Survey data, in combination with needs data from an employer's own workforce, may help employers design wellness programs to include features that attract employees.

Purpose. To assess environmental correlates of neighborhood recreational walking. Design. The study used a cross-sectional survey. Setting. The study was conducted in the local community. Subjects. Participants were adults who recently relocated and walk for recreation in their current neighborhood. Measures. The outcome measure was participant-reported neighborhood recreational walking in participants' prior neighborhood. Exposure measures were (1) participant-reported social and environmental characteristics of the prior neighborhood and (2) geographic information system–derived environmental characteristics assessed within a buffer around participant's prior address. Analysis. Participants reporting current neighborhood recreational walking (n = 231) were characterized by whether they walked for recreation in their prior neighborhood. Associations between neighborhood characteristics and neighborhood recreational walking were assessed using logistic regression. Results. Neighborhood recreational walking was associated with perceptions of the presence of recreational facilities (odds ratio [OR] = 2.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.29–4.84), interesting things to see (OR = 2.82, 95% CI = 1.46–5.45), and others being active (OR = 3.56, 95% CI = 1.80–7.05), and was inversely associated with concerns about crime (OR= .40, 95% CI= .20–.77) and traffic (OR = .43, 95% CI = .22–.87). This behavior was associated with objectively measured presence of walking trails (OR = 3.58, 95% CI = 1.07–4.46), percentage of street length with speed limits ≤25 mph (OR= 1.31 for 10% increase, 95% CI= 1.08–1.61), and percentage of tree canopy coverage (OR= 1.55 for 10% increase, 95% CI = 1.12–2.14). Conclusion. Recreational walking may be influenced by environmental factors that support a safe, enjoyable, and social experience, attributes that are not necessarily prioritized in transportation walking. Outcome and exposure specificity are important when studying recreational walking.

The objectives of this study were to examine the association between objectively measured environmental variables and transportation and recreation bicycling frequency, and to develop transportation and recreation bikeability indices. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the underlying essential structure of the environmental variables under consideration. Many environmental variables were found to be correlated with transportation bicycling frequency, but not recreation bicycling frequency. The final transportation bikeability index included the combined effect of bicycle lanes, residential density, population density, ozone level, distance to transit, parks, and tree canopy coverage, and was found to have a significant direct association with any past-year transportation bicycling (odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.35, 1.52]) and transportation bicycling frequency (incident rate ratio [IRR] = 1.14, 95% CI = [1.09, 1.19]). This work will help advance research on bicycling and public health by providing a tool that can be utilized to examine transportation bicycling and the objective environment in the context of the United States.

Purpose.To determine the association between youth sport team participation and dietary behaviors among elementary school–aged children.Design.Cross-sectional survey.Setting.Public schools in Texas during 2009–2010.Subjects.A total of 5035 ethnically diverse fourth graders.Measures.Participation in organized sports teams, consumption of select food items (fruits, vegetables, beverages, sweets/snacks).Analysis.Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between each food item (eaten at least once on the previous day) and number of sports teams as the independent class variable (0, 1, 2, ≥3), adjusting for body mass index physical activity, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity.Results.Significant dose-response associations were observed between number of sports teams and consumption of fruits and vegetables. For boys, the likelihood of eating fruit and fruit-flavored drinks was significantly higher and the odds of drinking soda were lower with the number of teams. For girls, the likelihood of consuming green vegetables increased as sports teams participation increased, and participation was positively associated with diet soda consumption. A positive association was observed between the number of sports teams and scores on the Healthy Food Index for boys and girls.Conclusion.The findings that sports participation is associated with consumption of fruits and vegetables and lower consumption of soda suggest that efforts should be focused on supporting youth team sports to promote healthier food choices. Since sports are available to all ages, sports may be an important venue for promoting healthier dietary behaviors.

Background: The work of The Global Observatory for Physical Activity-GoPA! is the first global effort to compile standardized country-level surveillance, policy and research data for physical activity in order to better understand how countries and regions address promoting physical activity. GoPA! developed standardized country-specific physical activity profiles ("Country Cards") to summarize country-level data through 2013. The aim of this study was to assess use of the Country Cards, identify the factors associated with their use, and develop recommendations for supporting country-level physical activity promotion. Methods: Cross sectional internet-based survey conducted between August–October 2016. Target study participants were national physical activity leaders and advocates in academia, government and practice from the GoPA! countries, and members of the International Society of Physical Activity and Health. A Country Card use composite score was created based on the diversity and frequency of use. Statistical analyses on the associations between the composite score and respondent characteristics, country characteristics, barriers and opinions were conducted (including descriptive analyses and a logistic regression with robust standard errors). Results: One hundred forty three participants from 68 countries completed the survey. Use of the Country Cards was associated with being part of the GoPA! network, knowing about the Country Cards, and on the stage of country capacity for physical activity promotion. Country Card knowledge varied by country income group, region and the country specific context. More diverse and frequent use of the cards (highest tertile of the composite score for use) was associated with: 1. Being a country contact vs general participant (OR 18.32–95% CI 5.63–59.55, p = 0.002), and 2. Collaborating with a government representative working in NCDs on a monthly or more frequent contact vs less frequent contact (OR 3.39–95% CI 1.00–11.54, P < 0.05). Conclusions: For the Country Cards to have a broader impact, GoPA! will need to widen its reach beyond the academic sector. With further refinement of the cards, and training in their implementation, they could be an important tool for advancing country capacity for contextually-relevant strategies, actions and timelines for PA promotion.