The purpose of higher education is to produce active and intellectually well-rounded individuals yet, the transition to higher education seems to have deleterious effects on university and college students' (UCS) fitness levels and physical activity (PA). The aim of this quantitative research was to analyse the influences of organisational factors…

The aim of this study is to evaluate objective and perceived campus walkability as an environmental support for physical activity within a large Southeastern university. Ten university routes were evaluated twice for 24 key walkability characteristics. Eighty-three campus member surveys (62 students, 21 faculty/staff) were administered and…

Background: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) declines during adolescence, particularly among girls. In this randomized control trial, we examined MVPA in a physical activity intervention compared to physical education (PE) class as usual (TAU), stratified by sex and weight classification. Standardized BMI (zBMI) overtime was also…

Purpose: Physical education policies provide guidance and accountability to develop quality programs that increase physical literacy. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of physical education policy research to explore its effects on the school environment and programming as an essential component of physical education.…

Primary-school-aged children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported to engage in lower levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) compared to typically developing (TD) children (Jones et al. in PLoS ONE, 12(2):1-23, 2017). Levels of MVPA in young children with ASD remain unclear. This study aimed to…

Background: Evidence-based comprehensive physical activity programs developed for public schools are abundant yet a theoretical framework for implementation of these programs is lacking. Implementation science in public service organizations is an emerging area of research, but has not been widely successful in the area of physical activity…

Since children spend a large proportion of their time in institutional settings such as schools, health promotion researchers have identified this as an important setting to promote physical activity (PA). Apart from physical education, PA could be integrated into the school curriculum in other ways. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine…

Background: Early care and education providers cite lack of parent engagement as a central barrier to promoting healthy behaviors among young children. However, little research exists about factors influencing parent engagement with promoting healthy eating and activity behaviors in the this setting. Aims: This study aimed to address this gap by…

Purpose: School physical activity (SPA) is a significant component of daily PA. We investigated differences in PA between boys and girls in two differing education systems--Poland and the Czech Republic--which have four and two physical education lessons (PELs) per week, respectively. Method: This project was conducted from 2012-2016 at 17 Polish…

Objective: Stair climbing is considered a good physical activity. Motivational signage has been successful in promoting stair usage in various settings. This study was to investigate the effects of motivational signage on stair usage in a Hispanic serving institution. Participants: A total of 31,067 pedestrians were observed from February to March…

Purpose: Physical education (PE) is an important context for promoting health-related cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth. Within PE, the lesson context and teacher behavior may be relevant for the promotion CRF; however, evidence is scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess whether students' CRF improvement in a school year…

To validate the modified System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time to measure teacher practices related to physical activity promotion (SOFIT+) in physical education (PE) amongst 5-6-year-old-children. Participants (n = 162, 53% female, 6.0 ± 0.3 yrs) were recruited from 9 schools. Video-recordings of 45 PE lessons from 9 teachers/coaches were…

Culturally oriented dance has the potential for positive impact on both physical and mental health among professional dancers as well as among dance students in higher education and community dance programs. West African dance in particular has been found to influence a range of health outcomes. Despite available research demonstrating the…

Background: Research evidence supports the assertion that healthy employees are happier and more productive. Employers prefer to hire healthy workers to reduce absenteeism. Rehabilitation counselors have started to explore health promotion interventions to help individuals with chronic health conditions and disability improve their physical and…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine if automatic enrollment in exercise-promoting courses on a college campus, with a choice to opt out, would increase enrollment. Method: In a simulated course selection paradigm, 317 college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: optimal default (automatic enrollment in an…