Suchergebnisse

Purpose. Evidence on environmental correlates of physical activity (PA) conducted in Western developed countries may not be generalizable to Africa. This study examined the associations between perception of the neighborhood environment and PA and walking in African young adults. Design. Cross-sectional analysis of self-reported survey. Setting. University of Ibadan, in the capital city of Oyo State, Nigeria. Subjects. A representative sample of undergraduates of a Nigerian university, age 16 to 39 years and 50.7% female. Measures. Total walking activity and PA were measured with the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Sixteen perceived neighborhood environmental variables were measured using the Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale (PANES), which was used to assess environmental correlates of PA that are internationally relevant. Outcomes were meeting health-related guidelines for sufficient PA and walking activity. Results. After adjustments for demographics and dormitory site, the proximity of bus/transit stop (odds ratio [OR] = 1.41), traffic as not a problem (OR = .45; unexpected direction), and not many four-way intersections (OR = .72; unexpected direction) were significantly associated with sufficient PA. Low crime rate at night (OR = 1.53), many interesting things to look at (OR = 1.90), and seeing many people active (OR = .59; unexpected direction) were significantly associated with sufficient walking. Inconsistent patterns were also observed in gender-specific analyses. Conclusion. Few neighborhood environment correlates of PA or walking reported in the international literature were replicated with African young adults. Environmental measures need to be developed that are tailored to low- and middle-income countries, such as those in Africa, so that research in understudied regions can advance. (Am J Health Promot 2011;25[5]:e10-e19.)

Purpose: Understanding factors that influence accurate assessment of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) is important to measurement development, epidemiologic studies, and interventions. This study examined agreement between self-reported (International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Long Form[IPAQLF]) and accelerometry-based estimates of PA and SB across six countries and identified correlates of between-method agreement. Methods: Self-report and objective (accelerometry-based) PA and SB data were collected in 2002–2011 from 3865 adult participants in eight cities from six countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States). Between-method relative agreement (correlation) and absolute disagreement (mean difference between conceptually and intensity-matched IPAQ-LF and accelerometry-based PA and SB variables) were estimated. Also, sociodemographic characteristics and PA patterns were examined as correlates of betweenmethod agreement. Results: Observed relative agreement (relationships of IPAQ-LF with accelerometry-based PA and SB variables) was small to moderate (r = 0.05–0.37) and was moderated by sociodemographic (age, sex, weight status, and education) and behavioral (PAtype) factors. The absolute disagreement was large, with participants self-reporting higher PA intensity and total time in moderate-tovigorous-intensity PA than accelerometry. Also, self-reported sitting time was lower than accelerometry-based sedentary behavior. After adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors, the absolute disagreement between pairs of IPAQ-LF and accelerometry-based PA variables remained significantly different across cities/countries. Conclusions: Present findings suggest systematic cultural and/or linguistic and sociodemographic differences in absolute agreement between the IPAQ-LF and the accelerometry-based PA and SB variables. These results have implications for the interpretation of international PA and SB data and correlate/determinant studies. They call for further efforts to improve such measures. ; This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (R01 CA127296). US data collection and multisite coordinating center processing was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant nos. R01 HL67350 [NHLBI] and R01 CA127296 [National Cancer Institute] to J.F.S). E.C. is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT no. 140100085). The contributions of N.O. were supported by an NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship (no. 1003960) and by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. The Danish study was partly funded by the Municipality of Aarhus. Data collection in the Czech Republic was supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (grant no. MSM 6198959221). The United Kingdom study was funded by the Medical Research Council under the National Preventive Research Initiative. The Spanish study was partially founded by the Navarra Government Health Department (grant no. 02/09).

Purpose. Neighborhood built environments are related to obesity and physical activity (PA), but inconsistently to sedentary behaviors. This study investigated the mediating effects of PA and sedentary time on the associations of neighborhood environmental factors and body mass index (BMI) among Nigerian adults. Design. The study design was cross-sectional. Setting. The study setting was metropolitan Maiduguri, Nigeria. Subjects. Nigerian adults (n = 1411) were randomly selected from diverse neighborhoods and had complete data (43.1% women, 33.8% overweight or obese). Measures. PA, sedentary time, and 16 perceived neighborhood environmental factors were measured using Nigerian adaptations of validated international questionnaires. Outcomes were measured BMI and interviewer-led self-reports of moderate to vigorous PA, walking, total PA, and sitting time. Analysis. The product-of-coefficient test using generalized linear models was used to assess the mediating effects of outcomes on the associations between environmental factors and BMI. Results. Walking and total PA significantly mediated the association between BMI and perception of higher residential density (αβ = –.025 and –.037, respectively), absence of garbage (αβ = –.046 and –.076, respectively), and more safety from crime at night (αβ = –.044 and –.083, respectively). In addition, walking, moderate to vigorous PA, and total PA significantly mediated the association between BMI and perception of better aesthetics (αβ = –.035, –.022, and –.071, respectively). Sedentary time was not a significant mediator of any associations between environmental factors and BMI. Conclusion. The association of several neighborhood environmental variables with BMI was partially mediated by PA in Nigerian adults. Including questions on specific types of sedentary behaviors in future prospective studies may improve understanding of the relative influence of sedentary behavior and physical activity on obesity control and prevention among sub-Saharan African adults.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a pandemic that ravaged the world in manners that were never seen in the recent past, and one of the measures to stem the tide of this ravaging pandemic is a stay-at-home order referred to as lockdown. This study compares the physical activity status and perceived health of Nigerians before and during the lockdown. RESULTS: Social media platform users (n = 205) were surveyed using a two-part questionnaire. The first part elicited the sociodemographic characteristics of the subject. In the second part, information about their exercise and physical activity, general health, and economic palliatives as offered by the government, non-governmental organizations, and philanthropists were elicited. The frequency of exercise was significantly more (p < 0.05) during the lockdown than before the lockdown. The duration and intensity of the exercise per week were comparable. There was also a negative relationship between the body mass index, frequency, and duration of exercise before and during the lockdown. The subjects perceived their health as worse during (3.70 ± 1.05) the lockdown than before (3.95 ± 0.97) lockdown (Z = − 3.69, p = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Overall, for these cohorts of social media platform users, lockdown did not adversely affect their exercise routine. It is recommended that there should be specific recommendation on exercise as an important Instrumental Activity of Daily Living [IADL]. Therefore, while this pandemic lockdown lasts and beyond, the safety measures to follow while partaking in this IADL should be included in the public health recommendation.

This study examined the strength and shape of associations between perceived environmental attributes and adults' recreational walking, using data collected from 13,745 adult participants in 12 countries. Perceived residential density, land use mix, street connectivity, aesthetics, safety from crime, and proximity to parks were linearly associated with recreational walking, while curvilinear associations were found for residential density, land use mix, and aesthetics. The observed associations were consistent across countries, except for aesthetics. Using data collected from environmentally diverse countries, this study confirmed findings from prior single-country studies. Present findings suggest that similar environmental attributes are associated with recreational walking internationally. ; Australian data collection was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia Project Grant #213114. The contributions of Neville Owen were supported by NHMRC Program Grant #569940, NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellowship #1003960, and by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. Data collection in Hong Kong was supported by the HK Research Grants Council GRF grants (#HKU740907H and #747807H) and HKU URC Strategic Research Theme (Public Health). US data collection and Coordinating Center processing was supported by the NIH grants R01 HL67350 (NHLBI) and R01 CA127296 (NCI). The Danish study was partly funded by the Municipality of Aarhus. Data collection in the Czech Republic was supported by the grant MEYS (# MSM 6198959221). The study conducted in Colombia was funded by Colciencias grant 519_2010, Fogarty and CeiBA. Data collection in New Zealand was supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand grant # 07/356. Data collection in Mexico was supported by the CDC Foundation which received a training grant from The Coca-Cola Company. The UK study was funded by the Medical Research Council under the National Preventive Research Initiative.