Biomedical subjects

Sarah M Lee

Publications and source records attributed to Sarah M Lee.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The social ecological model and physical activity in African American women.

Little is known about the social and contextual correlates (e.g., social norms, environment, social networks, and organizational support) influencing the adoption and maintenance of regular physical activity among minority and underserved populations. The purpose of this review was to apply the social ecological model to better understand physical activity among African American women. A review of the literature pertaining to correlates of physical activity among African American women was conducted and applied to a social ecological perspective. Understanding and addressing social and contextual correlates of physical activity behavior among African American women are necessary to establish comprehensive programs, particularly within community settings. The social ecological model provides a strong theoretical basis to guide physical activity intervention in this population.

Black or African American↗

PubMed2006

Applying the School Health Index to a nationally representative sample of schools.

The School Health Index (SHI) is a self-assessment and planning tool that helps individual schools identify the strengths and weaknesses of their health policies and programs. To determine the percentage of US schools meeting the recommendations in the SHI, the present study analyzed data from the School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2000. The SHPPS 2000 data were collected through computer-assisted personal interviews with faculty and staff in a nationally representative sample of schools. The SHPPS 2000 questions were then matched to SHI items to calculate the percentage of schools meeting the recommendations in 4 areas: school health and safety policies and environment, health education, physical education and other physical activity programs, and nutrition services. Although schools nationwide are meeting a few SHI items in each of these areas, few schools are addressing the entire breadth of items. A more coordinated approach to school health would help schools reinforce health messages.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Children's pedometer-determined physical activity during the segmented school day.

PURPOSE: To describe the sex-specific patterns of school children's daily pedometer-determined physical (PA) during physical education (PE), recess and lunchtime, and before and after school. METHODS: Eighty-one sixth-grade students (28 boys, age = 11.9 +/- 0.4 yr, BMI = 18.8 +/- 4.1 kg x m(-2); 53 girls, 11.8 +/- 0.5 yr, BMI = 20.2 +/- 4.6 kg x m(-2)) wore pedometers for four school days and were prompted to record steps accumulated at arrival and departure from school and during pre- and postrecess, lunchtime, and PE class. RESULTS: Boys took significantly (P < 0.001) more steps per day than girls: 16,421 +/- 5,444 vs 12,332 +/- 3,056 steps per day, and more steps during release time (e.g., before-school Delta = 1289 steps, recess Delta = 479 steps, lunchtime Delta = 608 steps, and after-school Delta = 1872 steps) but the same number of steps during structured PE classes (1429 +/- 567 vs 1410 +/- 445 steps; P = 0.87). Lunchtime PA represented the most important source of daily PA (15-16%) obtained during school hours for both boys and girls, whereas recess accounted for 8-9% and PE class accounted for 8-11% of total steps per day. Regardless, almost half of daily steps taken are attributable to after-school activities. CONCLUSION: These data provide greater understanding of sex-specific PA patterns and the relative contribution of distinct segments of the school day to school children's total PA.

Child↗

PubMed2005

Pedometer-determined step count guidelines for classifying walking intensity in a young ostensibly healthy population.

PURPOSE: (a) To establish pedometer steps/min intensity categories (i.e., light, moderate, hard, very hard) for adults under controlled conditions, and (b) use these cut-points to ascertain the number of steps expected in 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity. METHODS: 25 men and 25 women, ages 18-39 years, performed 6-min exercise bouts at 3 treadmill speeds (4.8, 6.4, and 9.7 km/hr). Yamax SW-200 pedometers indicated steps, and steady-state VO2 was recorded. METs were calculated by dividing steady-state VO2 by 3.5 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1). Linear regression was used to quantify the relationships between steps/min and METs across all speeds. Ten participants (5 M, 5 F) were randomly selected from the original 50 and constituted a holdout sample for cross-validation purposes (i.e, comparing actual and predicted METs; paired t-test). RESULTS: The regression equation for males was: METs = -7.065 + (0.105 x steps/min) r2 = 0.803. For females it was: METs = -8.805 + (0.110 x steps/min) r2 = 0.830. Cross-validation was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: Pedometer cut-points corresponding to minimal moderate intensity walking were 96 steps/min in men and 107 steps/min in women, or roughly 100 steps/min for both. This translates to approximately 3,000 steps in 30 min of moderate-intensity ambulatory activity for both genders.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Physical activity among minority populations: what health promotion practitioners should know--a commentary.

Leisure time and moderate-level physical activity participation in the United States is low among the majority of the population. Minority populations are especially inactive and report having fewer opportunities and access to be physically active. Physical activity programs utilizing a strong health promotion framework (including needs assessment, program plan and design, program implementation, and evaluation) are limited, particularly among minority populations. The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of physical activity, briefly review and describe current literature, identify the need for physical activity programs among minority populations, and relate the concepts of a health promotion framework to physical activity programs that are usable among practitioners. The article also provides health promotion practitioners with various resources for improving physical activity programs.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Motion sensor accuracy under controlled and free-living conditions.

PURPOSE: Two studies were conducted to examine the concurrent accuracy of the Yamax SW-200 (YAM), Omron HJ-105 (OM), and Sportline 330 (SL) pedometers, as well as a CSA accelerometer. METHODS: In study 1, motion sensor performance was evaluated against actual (observed) steps taken during 5-min bouts at five different treadmill speeds (54, 67, 80, 94, and 107 m x min) using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA (instrument x speed). Additionally, the direction and magnitude of motion sensor error was examined. In study 2, pedometer performance during 24 h of free-living was evaluated against the steps detected by the CSA criterion. The direction and magnitude of pedometer error was also examined in the free-living condition. RESULTS: In study 1, the SL showed significant differences from actual steps taken at all treadmill speeds (P < 0.05). Further, the absolute value of percent error was greatest for the SL at all treadmill speeds. At the slowest treadmill speed (54 m x min), the absolute value of percent error increased for the YAM and OM. In study 2, only the SL detected fewer steps than the CSA criterion (P < 0.05). The YAM demonstrated the lowest absolute value of percent error under free-living conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Different brands of motion sensors detect steps differently; therefore, caution must be used when comparing step counts between studies that have employed different brands of motion sensors. Taking into consideration the results of both studies and the initial walking test used for instrument screening purposes, it appears that, of the three pedometers tested, the YAM pedometer is most consistently accurate under both controlled and free-living conditions. Future research must consider presenting motion sensor accuracy in absolute terms so that the magnitude of error is not underestimated.

Acceleration↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Barriers to physical activity maintenance after cardiac rehabilitation.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the contextual determinants for the maintenance of physical activity after cardiac rehabilitation. This study aimed to examine perceived social, psychological, and health-related barriers to the maintenance of physical activity among phase 2 cardiac rehabilitation graduates. METHODS: Researchers using an open-ended format asked 160 participants (121 men and 39 women) 6 months after rehabilitation to identify perceived barriers to physical activity maintenance. The content of the participant responses was analyzed through categorization and coding of data, with independent review used to assess accuracy and reliability of decision rules. A social ecologic perspective was used for secondary coding and categorization. A chi analysis of categories was conducted to explore differences by gender, ethnicity, education, and employment. RESULTS: Four categories were developed from the coded responses: intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental, and organizational. In their responses, 93% of the participants reported intrapersonal barriers, with 24% reporting interpersonal barriers, 18% reporting environmental barriers, and 11% reporting organizational barriers. Years of education contributed significantly to acceptance of an inactive lifestyle among those less educated (chi = 32.489; P = .028). Employment status showed significant differences for work as a barrier among those employed full-time (chi = 13.570, P = .004). Barriers to physical activity by gender showed significant differences for interpersonal barriers as a whole (chi = 6.804; P = .009). CONCLUSIONS: The open-ended format provided rich narrative data regarding barriers to the maintenance of physical activity. The acknowledgment of barriers, particularly from a social ecologic perspective, is needed to guide innovative, multilevel interventions for promoting physical activity maintenance among those with diagnosed coronary heart disease.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Suitability of commuting by bicycle to Arizona elementary schools.

PURPOSE: To determine the biking suitability (i.e., bikeability) of and prevalence of biking in 14 elementary schools representing two extremes of bused students (2.4% vs. 53.6%). METHODS: Street segments (within 0.25-mile radius of school) were scored for bikeability. Bikes in racks per school student population established biking prevalence. Mann-Whitney U-test compared bikeability and prevalence of biking between groups. RESULTS: A total of 12.5 +/- 2.2 streets per school were assessed. Thirteen schools scored very good (< 3.0) and one scored fair (4.0-4.9). Median bikeability score was 0.69 for the low-busing schools and 0.53 for the high-busing schools (nonsignificant). Median biking prevalence was 3.1% in the low-busing schools and 1.3% in the high-busing schools (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Streets surrounding schools were adequate for biking. Biking prevalence was significantly higher in low-busing schools but was relatively low in both low- and high-busing schools. Other factors, including intraindividual, social, school, and community, likely contribute to choice of biking to school.

Arizona↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of quality of commercial pedometers.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to: 1) evaluate the quality of promotional pedometers widely distributed through cereal boxes at the time of the 2004 Canada on the Move campaign; and 2) establish a battery of testing protocols to provide direction for future consensus on industry standards for pedometer quality. METHODS: Fifteen Kellogg's* Special K* Step Counters (K pedometers or K; manufactured for Kellogg Canada by Sasco, Inc.) and 9 Yamax pedometers (Yamax; Yamax Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) were tested with 9 participants accordingly: 1) 20 Step Test; 2) treadmill at 80m x min(-1) (3 miles x hr(-1)) and motor vehicle controlled conditions; and 3) 24-hour free-living conditions against an accelerometer criterion. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of the K pedometers passed the 20 Step Test compared to 100% of the Yamax. Mean absolute percent error for the K during treadmill walking was 24.2+/-33.9 vs. 3.9+/-6.6% for the Yamax. The K detected 5.7-fold more non-steps compared to the Yamax during the motor vehicle condition. In the free-living condition, mean absolute percent error relative to the ActiGraph was 44.9+/-34.5% for the K vs. 19.5+/-21.2% for the Yamax. CONCLUSIONS: K pedometers are unacceptably inaccurate. We suggest that research grade pedometers: 1) be manufactured to a sensitivity threshold of 0.35 Gs; 2) detect +/-1 step error on the 20 Step Test (i.e., within 5%); 3) detect +/-1% error most of the time during treadmill walking at 80m x min(-1) (3 miles x hr(-1)); as well as, 4) detect steps/day within 10% of the ActiGraph at least 60% of the time, or be within 10% of the Yamax under free-living conditions.

Adult↗