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Biomedical subjects

Ronald C Plotnikoff

Publications and source records attributed to Ronald C Plotnikoff.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Testing a conceptual model related to weight perceptions, physical activity and smoking in adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to test a conceptual model based on theoretical and empirically supported relationships related to the influences of weight perceptions, weight concerns, desires to change weight, friends, age and location in relation to physical activity (PA) and smoking in adolescents. A total of 1242 males and 1446 females (mean age = 15.6 +/- 1.3) were recruited from rural and urban Canadian schools. Study respondents provided self-reports of PA, 'smoking', 'perceived body weight', 'desire to change weight', 'concern about weight gain' and 'friends' smoking and PA behaviors'. Results revealed an acceptable fitting model chi2 (40) = 155.63, P < 0.05, root mean square error of approximation = 0.047 and comparative fit index = 0.98. Large effect sizes for both genders were observed between friends' and adolescents' smoking behavior, and between perceived body weight and desire to change weight. Further, significant differences were identified between the male and female models [chi2 difference (24) = 65.28, P < 0.05]. Several findings of this study point to the need to design programs to motivate adolescent females to adopt healthy weight-control practices and to target young peoples' social networks to promote health behaviors, especially with regard to smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Development and evaluation of a theory-based physical activity guidebook for breast cancer survivors.

This study's objective was to develop and evaluate the suitability and appropriateness of a theory-based physical activity (PA) guidebook for breast cancer survivors. Guidebook content was constructed based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) using salient exercise beliefs identified by breast cancer survivors in previous research. Expert judges completed the Maine Area Health Education Center's 18-item attribute checklist for evaluating written health information. Judges indicated that the PA guidebook achieved desirable attributes for the suitability and appropriateness of the guidebook. A subset of TPB expert judges completed items designed to determine the degree of match between the guidebook content and the respective TPB components. Mean item-content relevance ratings indicated at least a "very good match" between the PA guidebook content and the keyed TPB domains. Theoretically based PA information may be an effective strategy for increasing PA in breast cancer survivors at the population level.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2006

The evolution of integrated chronic disease prevention in Alberta, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Recognition of the common risk factors for leading chronic diseases in Canada has contributed to the development of integrated chronic disease prevention and health promotion approaches. The Alberta Heart Health Project studied the capacity of health organizations in Alberta, Canada, to engage in heart health promotion. This article describes how the Alberta Heart Health Project acted on emerging research findings describing the preliminary stages of integrated chronic disease prevention in Alberta to provide leadership to encourage provincial chronic disease prevention efforts. CONTEXT: Political support for integrated chronic disease prevention was evident at the provincial and federal levels in Canada. As a result of organizational restructuring, loss of key health promotion champions, and decreased funding allocations, Alberta's regional health authorities sought increased efficiency in their chronic disease prevention efforts. METHODS: Descriptive data were derived from a brief questionnaire on regional health authorities' chronic disease prevention priorities and activities, an inventory of regional health authority health promotion programs and services, content analysis of key regional health authority documents, and focus groups with regional health authority staff, management, and policymakers. CONSEQUENCES: In 2002, the Alberta Heart Health Project data revealed that many regional health authorities were beginning to engage in integrated chronic disease prevention. However, little collaboration occurred across the health organizations; provincial leadership to facilitate collaboration and networking for integrated chronic disease prevention was needed. INTERPRETATION: Results supported the growing momentum for provincial leadership to enhance collaboration for integrated chronic disease prevention, which contributed to the development of the Alberta Healthy Living Network. The government's assistance is also needed to support the intersectoral collaborations essential for integrated chronic disease prevention.

Alberta↗
PubMed2006

Understanding action control: predicting physical activity intention-behavior profiles across 6 months in a Canadian sample.

Intention is theorized as the proximal determinant of behavior in some theories of motivation, but the need to understand predictors of action control (i.e., translating an intention into behavior) is warranted to tailor physical activity intervention efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine constructs of the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) as predictors of physical activity intention-behavior profiles across 6 months in a large Canadian sample (N = 1,192). Results showed that 5 of the 8 possible intention-behavior profiles had a substantial number of participants: nonintenders, unsuccessful adopters, successful adopters, unsuccessful maintainers, and successful maintainers. Constructs of the TTM distinguished (p < .01) intention-behavior profiles. Self-efficacy and the behavioral processes of change were particularly good predictors of action control (p < .01), but disaggregated beliefs and processes identified specific intervention targets for successful physical activity adoption and maintenance. The results validate that both action planning and action control are important when understanding physical activity behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Determinants of physical activity after hospitalization for coronary artery disease: the Tracking Exercise After Cardiac Hospitalization (TEACH) Study.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about physical activity levels in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who are not engaged in cardiac rehabilitation. We explored the trajectory of physical activity after hospitalization for CAD, and examined the effects of demographic, medical, and activity-related factors on the trajectory. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. METHODS: A total of 782 patients were recruited during CAD-related hospitalization. Leisure-time activity energy expenditure (AEE) was measured 2, 6 and 12 months later. Sex, age, education, reason for hospitalization, congestive heart failure (CHF), diabetes, and physical activity before hospitalization were assessed at recruitment. Participation in cardiac rehabilitation was measured at follow-up. RESULTS: AEE was 1948+/-1450, 1676+/-1290, and 1637+/-1486 kcal/week at 2, 6 and 12 months, respectively. There was a negative effect of time from 2 months post-hospitalization on physical activity (P<0.001). Interactions were found between age and time (P=0.012) and education and time (P=0.001). Main effects were noted for sex (men more active than women; P<0.001), CHF (those without CHF more active; P<0.01), diabetes (those without diabetes more active; P<0.05), and previous level of physical activity (those active before hospitalization more active after; P<0.001). Coronary artery bypass graft patients were more active than percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients (P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity levels declined from 2 months after hospitalization. Specific subgroups (e.g. less educated, younger) were at greater risk of decline and other subgroups (e.g. women, and PCI, CHF, and diabetic patients) demonstrated lower physical activity. These groups need tailored interventions.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Factors associated with physical activity in Canadian adults with diabetes.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to identify key demographic and health factors associated with physical activity (PA) participation in adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Participants were adults > or = 18 yr of age living in the province of Alberta, Canada who were previously diagnosed with type 1 (N = 697) or type 2 (N = 1614) diabetes. Individuals were recruited from the Canadian Diabetes Association (Alberta) registry and through a random digit-dialing protocol. Multiple and logistic regression models were employed to identify demographic and health factors related to PA levels, of which many to date have not been examined in this population. Analyses were conducted separately for type 1 and type 2 groups. RESULTS: Of those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, 63.7 and 71.9%, respectively, were not achieving recommended PA levels. For those with type 1, higher PA levels were associated with a younger age, being single, higher income, lower level of perceived disability, and not smoking. For the type 2 group, a younger age, male gender, higher education, higher income, lower body mass index, and lower level of perceived disability were associated with higher PA levels. CONCLUSIONS: Many of our results for both diabetes types are consistent with findings from other limited research in this domain. Contrary to previous research, however, a significant negative relationship was reported between body mass index and PA for the type 2 group. In addition, perceived disability was negatively associated with PA, which, to date, has not been reported in the literature with type 2 individuals. Research and practice related to physical activity promotion for this population should take into account specific demographic and health factors associated with PA.

Alberta↗
PubMed2005

Can current physical activity act as a reasonable proxy measure of future physical activity? Evaluating cross-sectional and passive prospective designs with the use of social cognition models.

BACKGROUND: The standard methodological approach for evaluating social cognitive theories when predicting physical activity behavior is the passive prospective/longitudinal survey design. Although this design is logical, a cross-sectional design may be a cost-effective alternative if the relationships between social cognitive constructs and physical activity are relatively stable. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of a concurrent measure of physical activity used in a cross-sectional design in comparison to the standard prospective measure. METHODS: This study included two 6-month prediction time-periods, between 1997 and 1998, for the purpose of analysis replication, and the theory of planned behavior, the transtheoretical model, protection motivation theory, and social cognitive theory as the models of interest in a population sample (N = 703). RESULTS: Results showed trivial (69% of tests; q < 0.10) to small (31% of tests; q = 0.11-0.18) differences in the correlations between social cognitive constructs and vigorous physical activity occur when using a cross-sectional or prospective design. The cross-sectional design estimated slightly larger coefficients than the prospective design. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that a measure of concurrent physical activity included in a cross-sectional design can act as a reasonable proxy measure of future behavior measured in a passive prospective/longitudinal design. These findings support the use of cross-sectional designs when researchers seek a standard correlational investigation of physical activity and social cognitive constructs with the possibility that coefficients may be slightly biased upwards.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Development of measures of individual leadership for health promotion.

PURPOSE: This purpose of this research was to develop and establish psychometric properties of scales measuring individual leadership for health promotion. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Scales to measure leadership in health promotion were drafted based on capacity assessment instruments developed by other provinces involved in the Canadian Heart Health Initiative (CHHI), and on the literature. Content validity was established through a series of focus groups and expert opinion appraisals and pilot testing. Psychometric analyses provided empirical evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the leadership scales in the baseline survey (n = 144) of the Alberta Heart Health Project. FINDINGS: Principal component analysis verified the construct of the leadership scales of personal work-related practices and satisfaction with work-related practices. Each of the theoretically a prior determined scales factored into two scales each for a total of four final scales. Scale alpha coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) ranged between 0.71 and 0.78, thus establishing good scale internal consistencies. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Limitations include the relatively small sample size used in determining psychometric properties. In addition, further qualitative work would enhance understanding of the complexity of leadership in health organizations. These measures can be used by both researchers and practitioners for the assessment leadership for health promotion and to tailor interventions to increase leadership for health promotion in health organizations. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Establishing the psychometric properties and quality of leadership measures is an innovative step toward achieving capacity assessment instruments which facilitate evaluation of key relationships in developing health sector capacity for health promotion.

Canada↗
PubMed2005

Development of measures of organizational leadership for health promotion.

This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of four scales measuring leadership for health promotion at an organizational level in the baseline survey (n=144) of the Alberta Heart Health Project. Content validity was established through a series of focus groups and expert opinion appraisals, pilot testing of a draft based on capacity assessment instruments developed by other provinces involved in the Canadian Heart Health Initiative, and the literature. Psychometric analyses provided empirical evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the organizational leadership scales. Principal component analysis verified the unidimensionality of the leadership scales of (a) Practices for Organizational Learning, (b) Wellness Planning, (c) Workplace Climate, and (d) Organization Member Development. Scale alpha coefficients ranged between .79 and .91 thus establishing good to high scale internal consistencies. These measures can be used by both researchers and practitioners for the assessment of organizational leadership for health promotion and heart health promotion.

Alberta↗
PubMed2005

A conceptual model of community capacity development for health promotion in the Alberta Heart Health Project.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to derive a conceptual model of community capacity development for health promotion based on the 5-year demonstration phase of the Alberta Heart Health Project. METHOD: Community actions associated with successful implementation and uptake of initiatives in four diverse target sites were identified by case study evaluation. RESULTS: Thirteen common elements of capacity development were found across the projects and categorized to define three primary dimensions of the process: (a) leadership that provided a driving force for implementation, (b) policy making that ensured diffusion and sustainability, and (c) use of local community resources and infrastructure. A conceptual model was constructed using these 3 dimensions and their interactions. CONCLUSION: Effective implementation of community health initiatives to promote heart health can be conceptualized as the involvement of local leadership, policy advocacy, and enhancement of existing infrastructure. The model highlights building these dimensions of community capacity development for health promotion.

Alberta↗
PubMed2005

Development of an ecological assessment tool for a workplace physical activity program standard.

This project was undertaken to develop a Workplace Physical Activity Assessment Tool to evaluate workplace physical activity programs based on a standard of best practices indicated in the literature and by key stakeholders. The development of the Assessment Tool was structured on an ecological model for health and physical activity promotion and an occupational health and safety audit instrument. The project included a review and synthesis of pertinent literature, expert and stakeholder reviews, interrater reliability appraisals, and workplace consultations over three distinct study phases. The Assessment Tool was received positively by the expert reviewers (i.e., academics, policy makers, and practitioners) and revealed generally high interrater reliability. The Workplace Physical Activity Assessment Tool can be used to plan, implement, and evaluate physical activity programs in the workplace. Recommendations for future research are identified.

Alberta↗
PubMed2005

Physical activity of Aboriginals with type 2 diabetes: an exploratory study.

Given the magnitude of the diabetes epidemic among Canadian Aboriginals and the corresponding need to develop physical activity interventions, the aims of this study were to: 1) examine the meaning of physical activity; 2) assess physical activity behavior levels; and 3) examine the association of key Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) constructs with physical activity behavior. Thirty-four Aboriginals with diabetes completed a survey composed of questions regarding: 1) the perceived meaning of physical activity; 2) physical activity behavior; and 3) SCT constructs. An emerging theme revealed that some participants perceived physical activity leisure-time activities as appropriate across the lifespan, while the majority perceived leisure-time activities to be only for youth. Based on the reported energy expenditure estimates, 61.5% of participants were categorized as sedentary. However, when occupational and household activities were taken into account, 33.0% were categorized as sedentary. Bivariate correlations revealed that no SCT constructs were significantly associated with energy expenditure scores. Results suggest that specific SCT construct items may help understand physical activity behavior change.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Towards the development of scales to measure 'will' to promote heart health within health organizations in Canada.

This paper describes the development and psychometric evaluation of scales measuring the dimensions of 'will' (belief, confidence, prior action and desire) for heart health promotion specifically and health promotion in general at both an individual and organizational level. Content validity was established through a series of focus groups and expert opinion assessments, based on a compilation of capacity-assessment instruments developed by other provinces involved in the Canadian Heart Health Initiative and the literature. Psychometric analyses of questionnaire data provided empirical evidence of the construct validity and reliability of the 16 individual and 21 organizational level 'will' scales. A series of principal component analyses assisted in verifying the unidimensionality of the measures and all scales yielded high internal consistencies with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging between 0.73 and 0.96. These measures can be used by both researchers and practitioners for assessing the 'will' to promote heart health specifically and health promotion in general.

Alberta↗
PubMed2004

Creating parsimony at the expense of precision? Conceptual and applied issues of aggregating belief-based constructs in physical activity research.

The aggregation of measured social cognitive beliefs to form scales is a common procedure in physical activity research. In this paper, we propose that specific beliefs may actually have unique associations with physical activity, which are obscured by the practice of aggregation. Further, we point out that beliefs may be related in a more complex manner than the theory behind scale aggregation. Both of these factors are interpreted in terms of limiting physical activity intervention efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine alternatives to summative scales of physical activity beliefs using structural equation modeling. Demonstrations were performed using belief-based constructs of self-efficacy, pros and cons with a large Canadian random sample (N = 683) over three, 6-month time points. Results demonstrated that items of belief-based scales are multidimensional and that a correlated belief structure fit the observed data better (P < 0.05) and explained more variance in vigorous physical activity (an additional 6-7%) than aggregated scales. Finally, a causally ordered structure among beliefs was supported, suggesting that items within a scale may be linked causally rather than as indicators of a higher-order latent variable. Implications for future research and physical activity interventions are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The influence of self-efficacy and outcome expectations on the relationship between perceived environment and physical activity in the workplace.

BACKGROUND: Recent research and commentary contends that ecological approaches may be particularly useful for understanding and promoting physical activity participation in various settings including the workplace. Yet within the physical activity domain there is a lack of understanding of how ecological environment factors influence behaviour. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between perceived environment, social-cognitive variables, and physical activity behaviour. METHODS: Participants (N = 897) were employees from three large worksites who completed self-report inventories containing measures of self-efficacy, outcome expectations, perceptions of the workplace environment (PWES), and physical activity behaviour during both leisure-time and incorporated throughout the workday. RESULTS: Results of both bivariate and multiple regression analyses indicated the global PWES scores had a limited association with leisure-time physical activity (R2adj =.01). Sequential regression analyses supported a weak association between physical activity incorporated in the workplace and PWES (R2adj =.04) and the partial mediation of self-efficacy on the relationship between PWES and workplace physical activity (variance accounted for reduced to R2adj =.02 when self-efficacy was controlled). CONCLUSION: Overall, the results of the present investigation indicate that self-efficacy acted as a partial mediator of the relationship between perceived environment and workplace physical activity participation. Implications of the findings for physical activity promotion using ecological-based approaches, and future directions for research from this perspective in worksite settings are discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Age, gender, and urban-rural differences in the correlates of physical activity.

BACKGROUND: The majority of the population is inactive, and strategies to date for promoting regular physical activity have been limited in their effectiveness. Further research is needed to identify correlates of physical activity in different subgroups to design more efficacious interventions. This study sought to identify correlates of physical activity across men and women, urban and rural geographical locations, and four distinct age groups (18-25; 26-45; 46-59; and 60+). METHODS: This study employed data from a large provincial household random sample (N = 20,606) of Canadians. Analyses were utilized to examine the amount of variance explained in self-reported physical activity by a number of demographic and/or biological, psychological, behavioral, social, and environmental variables within each subgroup. RESULTS: Proportion of friends who exercise, injury from past physical activity, educational level, perceived health status, and alcohol consumption were among the strongest correlates across subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: A number of correlates were identified as being significant across all subgroups examined. Most differences in the correlates of physical activity were found within different age groups rather than among urban and rural residents and gender.

Adult↗