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Biomedical subjects

P L Hoy

Publications and source records attributed to P L Hoy.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Correlations among physical activity and eating behaviors in 4- to 7-year-old Anglo- and Mexican-American children.

Physical activity and dietary behaviors are often correlated in adults and adolescents. This association was examined in 351 Anglo- and Mexican-American children between the ages of 4 and 7 years. Behaviors were assessed by structured observations and interviews at home and school. Observed physical activity was significantly correlated with energy intake (r = .43), but was unrelated to the percentage of calories from total fat or saturated fat. Thus, interventions with young children to improve dietary behavior or physical activity should not be expected to automatically lead to changes in the other.

Child↗

Direct home observations of the prompting of physical activity in sedentary and active Mexican- and Anglo-American children.

Social interactions are important correlates of physical activity in children. Previous studies used global measures; the present study examined the influence of specific social interactions on immediate physical activity in children with data obtained from the Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Child Health: Evaluation System (BEACHES). The study examined parental and peer prompting of physical activity at home among 178 Mexican-American and 113 Anglo-American children at age 4 years and again at age 6.5 years. Most activity prompts came from adults interacting with children when they were sedentary. A reduction in the frequency of prompts from baseline to follow-up occurred in the prompter group (adult or child peer), gender, ethnicity, and preprompted activity level categories. Children's responses to these prompts showed that as they aged, they seemed to rely less on the interpersonal (especially adult) aspects of their environment for cues to be more active.

Adult↗

Physical activity levels and prompts in young children at recess: a two-year study of a bi-ethnic sample.

We investigated physical activity and encouragement for activity in a bi-ethnic cohort during recess. Activity and associated interactions of 287 children were recorded at preschool and again 2.2 years later. Children expended nearly twice as much energy at preschool recess than at elementary recess. Activity levels declined as recess time elapsed. At preschool, European-American children engaged in more moderate to vigorous activity than Mexican-Americans. As participants moved to elementary school, teachers' prompts to be active decreased and prompts from peers increased. Boys and girls received similar amounts of activity prompts at preschool, but prompts to boys increased over time. The findings suggest that school environments could be altered to promote healthful physical activity among young children.

Age Factors↗