A comprehensive physical activity promotion programme at elementary school: the effects on physical activity, physical fitness and psychosocial correlates of physical activity. Tracking of physical activity from early childhood through youth into adulthood. Physical inactivity is a risk factor for physical activity-related injuries in children Physical activity and its correlates in children: a cross-sectional study (the GINIplus & LISAplus studies) Assessment of a two-year school-based physical activity intervention among 7-9-year-old children Development and evaluation of two web-based interventions for the promotion of physical activity in older adults: study protocol for a community-based controlled intervention trial Correlates of preschool children’s objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior: a cross-sectional analysis of the SPLASHY study Efficacy of a web-based, center-based or combined physical activity intervention among older adults. A school-based physical activity program to improve health and fitness in children aged 6–13 years ("Kinder-Sportstudie KISS"): study design of a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN15360785] Associations between Physical Activity and Health Parameters in Adolescent Pupils in Egypt Effects of Child Care Intervention on Physical Activity and Body Composition. Physical activity and skills intervention: SCORES cluster randomized controlled trial. A cluster-randomized controlled trial to reduce sedentary behavior and promote physical activity and health of 8-9 year olds: The Transform-Us! Study Intervention Effects on Adolescent Physical Activity in the Multicomponent SPACE Study: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Promoting physical activity to older adults: a preliminary evaluation of three general practice-based strategies. Randomized trial of three strategies to promote physical activity in general practice. Secular and longitudinal physical activity changes in population‐based samples of children and adolescents
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of a comprehensive physical activity ( PA ) promotion programme in elementary schools on children 's total PA levels , leisure-time PA , physical fitness and psychosocial correlates of PA . DESIGN A pre-test-post-test design over two school years . SETTING AND SUBJECTS Sixteen elementary schools ( 764 children , mean age : 11.2 + /- 0.7 years ) were r and omly assigned to the intervention condition ( n = 8) and the control condition ( n = 8) . The intervention included a health-related physical education programme , an extracurricular PA promotion programme and classroom-based PA education lessons . In the total sample , leisure-time PA , psychosocial correlates of PA and physical fitness were measured using a PA question naire and the Eurofit test battery . In a sub- sample , total PA levels were measured using an accelerometer . RESULTS According to accelerometer data , children 's moderate PA and moderate-to-vigorous PA ( MVPA ) levels decreased less in the intervention schools than in the control schools ( P < 0.01 ) . The average time spent on MVPA decreased by 9 min per day in the intervention schools compared with 33 min per day in the control schools . Children in the intervention schools reported significantly more moderate PA in leisure time than the controls ( P < 0.05 ) . No overall improvement of physical fitness and no effects on the psychosocial correlates of PA were found . CONCLUSIONS The comprehensive PA promotion programme was successful in preventing a decline in children 's  total activity levels . Furthermore , the intervention increased children 's PA engagement in leisure time . Therefore , implementation needs to be encouraged PURPOSE The aim of the study was to investigate the  tracking of physical activity ( PA )  from preschool age to adulthood in six age cohorts of males and females . METHODS A r and om sample of 3596 boys and girls age 3 - 18 yr participated in the Cardiovascular Risks in Young Finns Study in 1980 . The follow-up measurements were repeated in 1986 , 1992 , 2001 , and 2007 . The  PA  was measured by mother 's report in 3- and 6-yr-olds and self-report in 9-yr-olds and older .  Tracking of PA  was analyzed using the Spearman rank-order correlation and a simplex model . RESULTS Mother-reported PA at age 3 and 6 yr significantly predicted self-reported PA in youth and in young adulthood , and there was a significant indirect effect of mother report on adult PA 2007 in males . Simplex models that fitted the data very well produced higher stability coefficients than the Spearman rank-order correlations showing moderate or high tracking . The tracking was higher in males than that in females . CONCLUSION This study has shown that physically active lifestyle starts to develop very early in childhood and that the stability of PA is moderate or high along the life course from youth to adulthood Objectives To describe the risk factors associated with injuries result ing from physical education ( PE ) , leisure time physical activity ( leisure time PA ) and sports in 9–12-year-old children . Design Prospect i ve cohort study . Setting Primary schools . Participants Nine hundred and ninety-five children aged 9–12 years . Main outcome measures Injuries occurring during either PE class  , leisure time PA or sports , and caused the child to at least stop the current activity were recorded prospect ively . Individual weekly exposure was estimated from baseline and follow-up question naires . Potential risk factors were gender , age , socioeconomic status , ethnicity , habitual level of PA , body mass index and a motor fitness . A multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression model was developed , accounting for clustering within schools . Results Gender , age and level of PA were independent significant risk factors for injury . Different modalities of PA had different injury risk factors . Most importantly , the low levels of habitual PA  significantly increased injury risk . Conclusions The children at highest injury risk are the target audience of the contemporary PA promotion efforts . PA promotion should also focus on injury prevention Background Physical inactivity  among children is an increasing problem that adversely affects children ’s health . A better underst and ing of factors which affect  physical activity ( PA ) will help create effective interventions aim ed at raising the activity levels of children . This cross-sectional study examined the associations of PA with individual ( biological , social , behavioral , psychological ) and environmental ( East vs. West Germany , rural vs. urban regions ) characteristics in children . Methods Information on PA and potential correlates was collected from 1843 girls and 1997 boys using question naires during the 10-year follow-up of two prospect i ve birth cohort studies ( GINIplus and LISAplus ) . Study regions represent urban and rural sites as well as East and West of Germany . Logistic regression modeling was applied to examine cross-sectional associations between individual as well as environmental factors and  PA levels . Results Five of fourteen variables were significantly associated with  PA .  Among children aged 10 , girls tended to be less active than boys , especially with respect to vigorous PA ( OR = 0.72 for summer ) . Children who were not a member of a sports club showed a substantially reduced amount of PA in winter ( OR = 0.15 ) . Rural environments promote moderate PA  , particularly in winter ( OR = 1.88 ) , whereas an increased time outdoors primarily promotes moderate PA in summer ( OR = 12.41 ) . Children with abnormal emotional symptoms  exhibited reduced physical activity , particularly in winter ( OR = 0.60 ) . BMI , puberty , parental BMI , parental education , household income , siblings , TV/PC consumption , and method of arriving school , were not associated with PA . Conclusions When considering correlates of PA from several domains simultaneously , only few factors ( sex , sports club membership , physical environment , time outdoors , and emotional symptoms ) appear to be relevant . Although the causality needs to be ascertained in longitudinal studies , variables which can not be modified should be used to identify risk groups while modifiable variables , such as sports club activities , may be addressed in intervention programs Background  Physical activity ( PA )  in children has declined in recent decades , highlighting the need for effective intervention programs for school-aged children . The main objective of this study was to assess to what extent PA during and after school hours changed among children who received a progressive two-year long intervention vs. that of children who only received general curriculum-based PA .  Methods A cluster r and omized intervention study was conducted and six elementary schools r and omly assigned to serve as control- or intervention schools . All children attending second grade ( mean age = 7.4 years - born in 1999 ) were invited to participate in the fall of 2006 ( N = 320 , 82 % participated ) , again in 2007 ( midpoint ) and 2008 ( end of intervention ) . The intervention consisted of multi-component PA-intervention during school hours and was conducted by teachers at each intervention school . PA  was assessed by means of accelerometers and subjectively at the intervention schools via teachers ' PA log-books . Results There was no difference in PA intensity ( minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity - min of MVPA ) between the two study groups at baseline , but children in the intervention schools were more physically active at moderate-to-vigorous intensity compared to those in control schools after one year of intervention ( mean difference of MVPAlog-minutes : 0.61 , 95%CI : 0.02 , 1.20 , p = 0.04 ) . Moreover , the model for minutes of MVPA during school hours , showed a significant three-way interaction between time at mid-point , group and gender ( mean difference of MVPAlog-minutes : 1.06 , 95%CI : 0.15 , 1.97 , p = .02 ) , indicating a significantly greater increase among the boys in the intervention schools compared to girls . No difference in PA was detected between the study groups at the end of the study period after two years of intervention . Conclusions The results suggest that the objective of increasing PA at school was met after one year of intervention , and it was more pronounced among boys . The lack of increase at the end of the study period suggested that any increase in  PA  during school may highly depend on both motivation and training of general teachers . Boys may respond better to PA interventions such as the one described in this study Background Regular physical activity ( PA ) is a key contributor to healthy ageing . However , despite known health benefits , only one third of older adults in Germany reach the PA levels recommended for persons aged 65 years and above by the World Health Organization . The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of two web-based interventions for the initiation and maintenance of regular PA ( i.e. , intervention groups 1 and 2 ) compared to a delayed intervention control group of older adults aged 65 to 75 years . Methods / Design Study participants will be r and omly assigned to one of three study arms in five communities in the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan region : a ) Participants in the first arm will receive access to a web-based intervention for 10 weeks allowing them to track their weekly PA ( subjective self-monitoring , intervention group 1 ) ; b ) participants in the second arm will receive access to the web-based intervention for 10 weeks and , in addition , track PA using Fitbit Zips ( objective self-monitoring , intervention group 2 ) ; c ) participants in the delayed intervention control group will receive access to the intervention implemented in the first study arm after completion of the 12-week follow-up in the other two groups within each community . In addition , weekly group meetings in the communities will be offered to study participants in the intervention groups providing the opportunity to address questions related to the use of the website and to practice PA in groups ( e.g. , neighborhood walks , strength and balance exercises ) . To evaluate short-term effects of the intervention on physical and psychological health , PA , physical fitness , and cognitive and psychological variables will be assessed at baseline and 12-week follow-up . Discussion This study will provide answers regarding acceptance and effectiveness of web-based interventions promoting uptake and maintenance of regular PA in persons aged 65–75 years . Study findings will contribute to a growing body of evidence in Germany concerning the role of community-based interventions for the promotion of PA and healthy ageing in older adults . Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00010052 ( Date of registration 07–11 - 2016 ) Background Identifying ways to promote physical activity and decrease sedentary time during childhood is a key public health issue . Research on the putative influences on preschool children ’s  physical activity ( PA ) and  sedentary behavior  ( SB ) is limited and has yielded inconsistent results . Our aim was to identify correlates of PA and SB in preschool children . Methods Cross-sectional data were drawn from the Swiss Preschoolers ’ Health Study ( SPLASHY ) , a Swiss population -based cohort study . Of 476 two to six year old children , 394 ( 54 % boys ) had valid PA data assessed by accelerometry .  Information on exposure data was directly measured or extracted from parental question naires . Multilevel linear regression modeling was used to separately assess associations between 35 potential correlates and  total PA ( TPA ) , moderate-to-vigorous PA ( MVPA ) and SB . Results In total , 12 correlates from different domains were identified . TPA and MVPA were greater in boys than girls , increased with age and were positively associated with gross motor skills . Children from single parent families had a higher level of TPA and spent less time sedentary than those living with two parents . Time spent outdoors was positively associated with TPA and negatively with SB . The child ’s activity temperament was related all three outcomes , whereas parental sports club membership , living area per person and neighborhood safety were associated with SB only . Fixed and r and om factors in the final models accounted for 28 % , 32 % and 22 % of the total variance in TPA , MVPA and SB , respectively . Variance decomposition revealed that age , sex and activity temperament were the most influential correlates of both , TPA and MVPA , whereas the child ’s activity temperament , time outdoors and neighborhood safety were identified as the most important correlates of SB . Conclusions A multidimensional set of correlates of young children ’s  activity behavior has been identified . Personal factors had the greatest influence on PA , whereas environmental-level factors had the greatest influence on SB . Moreover , we identified a number of previously unreported , potentially modifiable correlates of young children ’s PA and SB . These factors could serve to define target groups or become valuable targets for change in future interventions .Trial registration Current Controlled Trials IS RCT N41045021 ( date of registration : 21.03.14 ) With more social support and environment-centered interventions being recommended in web-based interventions , this study examined the efficacy of three intervention conditions aim ed at promoting physical activity ( PA ) in older adults . The efficacy analyses included the self-reported PA level , stage of change for PA and awareness about PA among participants . Eligible participants ( N = 149 ; M = 65 years old , SD = 6 ) , recruited in a unique Belgian French-speaking municipality , were r and omized in four research arms for a 3-month intervention : ( i ) web-based ; ( ii ) center-based ; ( iii ) mixed ( combination of web- and center-based ) ; and ( iv ) control ( no intervention ) . Web-based condition included a PA website and monthly tailored emails whereas center-based condition comprised 12 sessions ( 1 per week ) of group exercising . With a significant increase in PA , the PA stage of change and the PA awareness at 12 months , the mixed intervention condition seemed to include the key social and motivating elements for sustainable behavior change . Center-based intervention was more likely to produce significant improvements of the PA level and the stage of change for PA change whereas web-based intervention was more likely to extend the awareness about PA Background Childhood obesity is the result of a long lasting imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure . A major contributing factor is physical inactivity which is closely linked to bone health , cardiovascular disease risk , fitness and psychological factors . The school seems to provide an excellent setting to enhance levels of  physical activity ( PA ) .  However , there is insufficient data from previous school-based intervention trials on how to enhance overall PA . It is also unknown whether an intervention aim ed at increasing PA is effective in improving the children 's health . The purpose of this paper is to outline the design of a school-based r and omized , controlled trial ( RCT ) aim ing to increase overall PA and to improve fitness and health in 6- to 13-year-old children . Methods / Design 15 schools were r and omized to the intervention ( n = 9 ) or the control ( n = 6 ) group , stratified by geographic region ( urban vs. rural ) and by age ( 1st and 5th grade ) . Participation was given for all children in the intervention group since in this group the intervention was part of the normal school curriculum . The intervention during one academic year consisted of : 1 . two additional physical education classes per week given by trained physical education teachers adding up to a total of five PA classes per week , 2 . short PA breaks ( 2–5 min each ) during academic lessons , 3 . PA home work , and 4 . adaptation of recreational areas around the school . All children underwent  anthropometric measurements , blood pressure assessment , fitness testing , measurement of PA  and they filled out question naires . At least 70 % of all children agreed to blood sampling and measurements of body composition and bone mineral measurements by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry . The primary endpoints of the study after one year were an increase in total PA by accelerometry , an increase in aerobic fitness measured by the 20 m shuttle run , a decrease in percent body fat derived from skinfold measurements and an increase in quality of life as assessed by the child health question naire in the intervention group compared to the control group . Secondary outcomes were overall fitness , differences in body composition including body fat distribution , cardiovascular risk factors , psychosocial health , bone mineral content and density of femur , lumbar spine and total body and food intake . Discussion Our preliminary data suggest that the children were representative of Swiss children with respect to sex , socio-demographic status , and body mass index . Short-term results can be expected by the beginning of 2007 . We hypothesized that our intervention will lead to an increase in PA , fitness and overall health . Based on our data , we aim to provide important information regarding the influence of such an intervention on these outcome measures in school-aged children and to provide nationwide guidelines to improve PA in children Physical activity ( PA ) could be protective against  hypertension  , atherosclerosis , coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease . This quantitative study assessed the association between a PA intervention and three anthropometric parameters ( weight , body mass index , body fat ) and four physiological parameters ( cholesterol level , systolic blood pressure , diastolic blood pressure , heart rate ) among secondary school pupils ( N = 160 ) in Egypt through the school term . The pupils were r and omised to an intervention group ( 80 pupils ) and controls ( 80 pupils ) . Measurements were obtained for all pupils twice : at baseline ; and then again after three months . The PA intervention programme comprised an ‘ afterschool ’ one hour of moderate exercise three times a week for three months . Both the controls and the intervention pupils attended the ‘ normal ’ exercise schedule provided by the school ; in addition , the intervention group attended afterschool PA programme from about 2–3 o’clock in the afternoon . At baseline , employing pupil ’s BMI , 27.5 % and 28.8 % of the intervention and control pupils respectively were classified as overweight . After three months , the percentage of overweight decreased to 12.5 % in the intervention pupils , while it increased to 37.3 % in the controls . At the end of the three months period , there were significant improvements across most anthropometric and physiological parameters of the intervention pupils when compared with the control children . The correlation coefficient of the improvements for the boys and the girls was 0.97 , indicating clearly that the intervention was having nearly the same beneficial effect for boys and girls . A moderate PA programme for a modest period of 3 months could be effective in maintaining or enhancing pupil ’s anthropometric and physiological parameters in comparison to the controls where there was deterioration in both parameters . Policy makers and secondary schools in Egypt might need to pay more attention to PA programmes conducted on school days , in order to motivate pupils to attend such programmes . There is also an urgent need to look at current PA systems within schools in Egypt in order to assess PA outside school times INTRODUCTION This study evaluated whether intervening with child care providers would increase physical activity ( PA )  and reduce adiposity in preschoolers . METHODS This was a two-arm , parallel group , cluster RCT whereby six child care centers were r and omly assigned in equal numbers to intervention ( n=40 children ) or control ( n=43 children ) . Participants were aged 3 - 5 years and attended licensed child care centers . Child care providers received two 3-hour train-the-trainer workshops and a training manual at program initiation aim ed at increasing structured and unstructured PA through active play . Control child care centers implemented their st and ard curriculum .  PA and sedentary behavior were measured by accelerometry , and body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance at baseline and 6 months . Data were collected in 2011 - 2012 and analyzed in April 2015 . RESULTS Linear mixed-effects modeling showed that at 6 months , children in the intervention group demonstrated greater increases in minutes per preschool day spent in overall PA ( 22.5 minutes , 95 % CI=8.9 , 36.1 , p=0.002 ) , and light-intensity PA ( 16.1 minutes , 95 % CI=5.2 , 26.7 , p=0.004 ) , but changes between groups in moderate to vigorous PA did not differ . The intervention group showed greater reductions in body fat percentage ( -1.9 % , 95 % CI=-3.5 , -0.3 , p=0.023 ) and fat mass ( -0.3 kg , 95 % CI=-0.7 , -0.1 , p=0.018 ) , but groups did not differ on fat-free mass , BMI , or z- BMI . CONCLUSIONS Provider-led intervention in child care centers increased preschoolers '  PA and reduced adiposity , therefore may represent a viable approach to promoting PA and related health benefits in preschool-aged children . TRIAL REGISTRATION This study is registered at www . clinical trials.gov NCT02293278 PURPOSE  Physical activity ( PA  ) declines dramatically during adolescence , and activity levels are consistently lower among children living in low-income communities . Competency in a range of fundamental movement skills ( FMS ) may serve as a protective factor against the decline in PA typically observed during adolescence . The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a 12-month multicomponent PA and FMS intervention on children attending primary schools in low-income communities . METHODS The Supporting Children 's Outcomes using Rewards , Exercise , and Skills intervention was evaluated using a cluster r and omized controlled trial . The sample included 25 classes from eight primary schools located in low-income communities . Participants were 460 children ( 54.1 % girls ) age 8.5 ± 0.6 yr . Primary outcomes were objective ly measured PA ( ActiGraph GT3X and GT3X+ accelerometers ) , FMS competency ( Test of Gross Motor Development 2 , six locomotor and six object control skills ) , and cardiorespiratory fitness ( 20-m multistage fitness test ) assessed at baseline , midprogram ( 6-months ) , and at posttest ( 12 months ) . Linear mixed models , adjusted for sex , age , body mass index z-score , socioeconomic status , ethnicity , and school class as a r and om factor , were used to assess the effect of the intervention . RESULTS At midprogram , there were no significant intervention effects for any of the outcomes . At posttest ( study 's primary time point ) , there were intervention effects for daily moderate-to-vigorous PA ( MVPA ) ( adjusted mean difference , 12.7 min·d of MVPA ; 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) , 5.0 - 20.5 ) , overall FMS competency ( 4.9 units ; 95 % CI , -0.04 to 9.8 ) , and cardiorespiratory fitness ( 5.4 laps ; 95 % CI , 2.3 - 8.6 ) . CONCLUSIONS A school-based multicomponent PA and FMS intervention maintained daily MVPA , improved overall FMS competency , and increased cardiorespiratory fitness among children attending primary schools in low-income communities Background Physical activity ( PA ) is associated with positive cardio-metabolic health and emerging evidence suggests sedentary behavior ( SB ) may be detrimental to children 's health independent of PA . The primary aim of the Transform-Us ! study is to determine whether an 18-month , behavioral and environmental intervention in the school and family setting s results in higher levels of PA and lower rates of SB among 8 - 9 year old children compared with usual practice ( post-intervention and 12-months follow-up ) . The secondary aims are to determine the independent and combined effects of PA and SB on  children 's cardio-metabolic health risk factors ; identify the factors that mediate the success of the intervention ; and determine whether the intervention is cost-effective . Methods / design A four-arm cluster-r and omized controlled trial ( RCT ) with a 2 × 2 factorial design , with schools as the unit of r and omization . Twenty schools will be allocated to one of four intervention groups , sedentary behavior ( SB-I ) , physical activity ( PA-I ) , combined SB and PA ( SB+PA-I ) or current practice control ( C ) , which will be evaluated among approximately 600 children aged 8 - 9 years in school year 3 living in Melbourne , Australia . All children in year 3 at intervention schools in 2010 ( 8 - 9 years ) will receive the intervention over an 18-month period with a maintenance ' booster ' delivered in 2012 and children at all schools will be invited to participate in the evaluation assessment s. To maximize the sample and to capture new students arriving at intervention and control schools , recruitment will be on-going up to the post-intervention time point . Primary outcomes are time spent sitting and in PA assessed via accelerometers and inclinometers and survey . Discussion To our knowledge , Transform-Us ! is the first RCT to examine the effectiveness of intervention strategies for reducing children 's overall sedentary time , promoting PA and optimizing health outcomes . The integration of consistent strategies and messages to children from teachers and parents in both school and family setting s is a critical component of this study , and if shown to be effective , may have a significant impact on educational policies as well as on pedagogical and parenting practice s . Trial registration ACTRN12609000715279 ; Current Controlled Trials IS RCT Background Multicomponent school-based interventions have the potential to reduce the age-related decline in adolescents '  physical activity ( PA  ) , yet there is not consistent evidence to guide non-curricular and school environment interventions . The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a multicomponent environmental school-based intervention , design ed to reduce the age-related decline in PA among adolescents . Methods A cluster r and omized controlled trial was conducted with 7 intervention and 7 control schools . Baseline measurements were carried out in spring 2010 with 2 years of follow-up . A total of 1,348 students ( 11–13 years , in grade 5 and 6 ) enrolled in the study at baseline . The 14 schools included in the study were located in the Region of Southern Denmark . The intervention consisted of organizational and physical changes in the school environment with a total of 11 intervention components . The primary outcome measure was overall PA ( cpm , counts per minute ) and was supported by analyses of time spent in MVPA , and time spent sedentary . Furthermore , a secondary outcome measure was PA in school time and during recess . PA was measured using accelerometer ( Actigraph GT3X ) . Results A total of 797 students completed the trial and had valid accelerometer data . No significant difference was found for overall PA with an adjusted difference of −19.1 cpm ( 95 % CI : −93 , 53 ) or for school time activity with an adjusted difference of 6 cpm ( 95 % CI : −73 , 85 ) . A sensitivity analysis revealed a positive significant intervention effect of PA in recess with an adjusted difference of 95 cpm . Conclusions No evidence was found of the overall effect of a non-curricular multicomponent school-based intervention on PA among Danish adolescents . The intervention was positively associated with PA during school time and recess , however , with small estimates . Lack of effect on overall PA could be due to both program theory and different degrees of implementation . Trial Registration www.Controlled-Trials.com IS RCT The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of an exercise scientist ( ES ) working in general practice to promote physical activity ( PA ) to 55 to 70 year old adults . Participants were r and omised into one of three groups : either brief verbal and written advice from a general practitioner ( GP ) ( G1 , N=9 ) : or individualised counselling and follow-up telephone calls from an ES , either with ( G3 , N=8 ) or without a pedometer ( G2 , N=11 ) . PA levels were assessed at week 1 , after the 12-wk intervention and again at 24 weeks . After the 12-wk intervention , the average increase in PA was 116 ( SD=237 ) min/wk : N=28 , p<0.001 . Although there were no statistically significant between-group differences , the average increases in PA among G2 and G3 participants were 195 ( SD=207 ) and 138 ( SD=315 ) min/wk respectively , compared with no change ( 0.36 , SD=157 ) in G1 . After 24 weeks , average PA levels remained 56 ( SD=129 ) min/wk higher than in week 1 . The small numbers of participants in this feasibility study limit the power to detect significant differences between groups , but it would appear that individualised counselling and follow-up contact from an ES , with or without a pedometer , can result in substantial changes in PA levels . A larger study is now planned to confirm these findings OBJECTIVE To evaluate three strategies for promoting physical activity ( PA ) in a primary care setting . METHOD Data were collected between 2002 and 2004 from 136 patients attending two general practice s in Brisbane , Australia . Inactive patients ( 50 - 70 years ) were r and omly allocated to one of three hierarchical intervention groups : the general practitioner ( GP ) group received ' brief ' advice ; the GP+ES group also received behavior change advice from an exercise scientist ( ES ) ; and the GP+ES+P group also received a pedometer .  Self-reported PA and its determinants were measured at baseline and weeks 12 and 24 . Cardio-respiratory variables were measured at baseline and week 12 . RESULTS Overall , mean PA time increased by 84 and 128 min/week at weeks 12 and 24 ( p<.01 ) with no significant group differences . Small improvements in blood pressure and post-exercise heart rate were observed . At week 24 , the GP+ES+P group were more likely to report meeting PA guidelines than the GP group ( OR=2.39 95 % CI : 1.01 , 5.64 ) . CONCLUSION PA levels can be increased in mid- to older-age adults , either by brief advice from motivated GPs alone , or from collaboration between GPs and ESs . The most intense intervention ( GP+ES+P ) showed the most promising results The aims of this study were to investigate whether  physical activity ( PA ) and sedentary time ( ST )  in 9- and 15-year-olds differed between 2005 - 2006 and 2011 - 2012 ( secular change ) , and to investigate changes in PA and ST from age 9 to 15 ( longitudinal change ) . In 2005 - 2006 , we invited nationally representative sample s of Norwegian 9- ( n=1470 ) and 15-year-olds ( n=1348 ) to participate . In 2011 - 2012 , we invited a new nationally representative sample of 9-year-olds ( n=1945 ) , whereas 15-year-olds ( n=1759 ) were invited to participate either based on previous participation in 2005 - 2006 or from a r and om sample of schools . We assessed PA and ST objective ly using accelerometers . In 2011 - 2012 , both 9- and 15-year-olds spent more time sedentary ( ≥35.7 min/d , P<.001 ) and less time in light PA ( ≥35.2 min/d , P<.001 ) compared to their peers in 2005 - 2006 . Nine-year-old girls also spent less time in moderate-to-vigorous PA ( MVPA ) ( 4.2 min/d , P=.041 ) . In both age groups , the proportion accumulating an average of 60 min/d of MVPA did not differ between the two cohorts . From age 9 to 15 , girls and boys decreased their time spent in LPA ( ≥106.7 min/d , P<.001 ) and in MVPA ( ≥20.8 min/d , P<.001 ) . During the same period , ST increased by a mean of > 2 h/d ( P<.011 ) . We observed an adverse secular change in PA from 2005 - 2006 to 2011 - 2012 among 9- and 15-year-olds , and a large decline in PA in the participants followed longitudinally from age 9 to 15 years
PA correlates/determinants were relatively consistent between objective and subjective PA measures .
A small number of demographic/biological and social/cultural factors were associated with PA .
CONTEXT Being physically active during the early years ( age 0 - 6 years ) is vital for healthy development .
Identifying correlates and determinants of physical activity ( PA ) is crucial to guide effective interventions .
This systematic review synthesized studies investigating potential correlates and determinants of PA during the early years , accounting for different types of PA assessment .