Browsing by Author "Ginja, Samuel"
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- Accelerometer-measured physical activity in Portuguese children from a rural area: a school-based cross-sectional studyPublication . Vasques, Catarina; Sampaio, Tatiana; Teixeira, José Eduardo; Ginja, Samuel; Magalhães, PedroYoung people are leading increasingly sedentary lives replacing physical activity with activities such as watching TV, internet surfing and video gaming. Of particular importance for physical activity promotion are schools where physical activity can be incorporated to improve student health outcomes and cognitive performance. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for children and adolescents (between 5-18 years of age). However, few children follow these recommendations. In Portugal, some data suggest that as few as 7% do so. Furthermore, most physical activity studies take place in urban areas, so little is known about how active children and adolescents are in more rural parts of the country. The Acti-Study is a collaboration between the Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (Portugal) and Ulster University (UK) with the primary aim of assessing MVPA levels in students (age 10-16) from a high school in a rural town, in the Northeast of Portugal. Data collection will take place between September 2022 and January 2023, using a cross-sectional design. Students will receive a study pack containing information materials, a sociodemographic questionnaire and consent form for parental completion, and an assent form for student completion. Optionally, the questionnaire may be completed online. Participants will be informed that participation is voluntary and that they can withdraw at any time. Once children have returned the relevant documents completed and signed, they will be instructed to wear a hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph®, either GT3X or GT1M), on an elastic belt, for seven consecutive days (including weekend). Children who return their accelerometer will be rewarded with a 5€ voucher, and with a second one if they wore the accelerometer for a minimum of three days (at least 6h/day and at least one weekend). Data will be analysed through descriptive statistics, mostly in tables, divided by gender. With participant consent, data on anthropometric measures (height and weight), available through the school, will also be used. Primary analysis will consist of percentage of students who meet MVPA guidelines; secondary analyses will include exploring the relationship between sociodemographic variables (e.g., parental education) and MVPA, between parent-reported MVPA and accelerometer MVPA, and between accelerometer MVPA and anthropometric data. The results are expected to provide an understanding of the levels and factors associated with MVPA in rural Portugal, to allow comparison with other samples (e.g., from urban areas), to raise awareness to the problem and stimulate more physical activity initiatives. Study with ethics approval by Ulster University (REC/22/0060).
- Acti-study: avaliação dos níveis de atividade física em crianças da região de Trás-os-MontesPublication . Sampaio, Tatiana; Vasques, Catarina; Teixeira, José Eduardo; Magalhães, Pedro; Ginja, SamuelThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children engage in at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity (FA) for children and adolescents. However, there are few children who follow these recommendations. In Portugal, some data suggest that only 7% of young people comply with it. Unfortunately, most studies on physical activity take place in urban areas, so we still know relatively little about how active children and adolescents are in regions such as Alfândega da Fé. Thus, the Acti-study aims to evaluate the levels of PA in children and adolescents between 5th and 9th grade with ages between 10 and 16 years, of the Alfândega da Fé. Subsequently, it is intended to analyse the differences in PA levels between rural and urban areas. The project includes two phases: (1) Implementation of sociodemographic questionnaire to obtain general information about the target population; (2) An intervention phase through the assessment of the PA levels using accelerometry (ActiGraph®) and body composition by anthropometric measures. The first phase will be based socio-demographic questionnaires in representative sample of children living in rural zones to understand the determinants for the physical activity. Data collection will be conducted in the municipality of Alfandega da Fé between September and December 2022. As a research hypothesis, higher levels of regular PA are defined for children in rural areas.
- Avaliação dos níveis de atividade física em crianças da região de Trás-os-Montes: uma perspectiva pós-pandemiaPublication . Sampaio, Tatiana; Vasques, Catarina; Teixeira, José Eduardo; Magalhães, Pedro; Ginja, SamuelO confinamento, motivado pela pandemia da COVID-19, teve um impacto significativo ao nível da atividade física (AF) e da exploração motora das crianças. Baseado neste pressuposto, o presente projeto tem como objetivo avaliar os níveis de AF após pandemia em crianças, com idades compreendidas entre os dez e dezasseis anos, que habitam em zonas rurais da região de Trás-os-Montes (Portugal). Posteriormente, pretende-se analisar as diferenças nos níveis de AF entre crianças de zonas rurais e urbanas. O projeto contempla 2 fases: (1) Implementação de questionários sociodemográficos para a obtenção de dados gerais da população alvo; (2) fase de intervenção através da avaliação dos níveis de AF por acelerometria (ActiGraph GT3X®) e aferição da composição corporal por medidas antropométricas. A primeira fase será baseada na aplicação de questionários sociodemográficos numa amostra representativa de crianças da zona rural brigantina, de forma a entender quais as determinantes para a prática de AF. A recolha de dados será realizada no concelho de Alfandega da Fé entre setembro e dezembro de 2022. Como hipótese de estudo, delimitam-se níveis mais elevados de prática de AF habitual para as crianças das zonas rurais. O estudo pretende fornecer uma atualização epidemiológica do possível impacto da pandemia nos níveis de AF das crianças de um concelho da região de Trás-os-Montes.
- Individualized accelerometer-based physical activity assessment reports from ACTI-study in Portuguese children from a rural areaPublication . Vasques, Catarina; Sampaio, Tatiana; Teixeira, José Eduardo; Ginja, Samuel; Magalhães, PedroPhysical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles have become a public health problem in developed countries, by increasing the prevalence of hypokinetic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obesity (Magalhães et al., 2023; Teixeira et al., 2022). The Portuguese population, specifically children and young people, are no exception to the trend and have some of the highest values of physical inactivity and sedentary behavior in the European community (Vasques et al., 2014). Thus, the aim of the ACTI-study was to assess the physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) levels in 5th and 9th grade children and young people from Alfândega da Fé (Bragança, Portugal). In addition, it is intend to understand if Portuguese children from rural areas comply with the minimum recommendations for PA practice, specifically the average of 60 minutes of activity per day. For this, an observational cross-sectional research was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023. The ACTI -study evaluated the moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels in students (age 10-16) from a high school in a Portuguese Northeast rural town. The PA assessment were conducted a hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph®, either GT3X or GT1M), on an elastic belt, for seven consecutive days (including weekend) (Vasques et al., 2023). Body mass index (BMI) was computed by dividing weight (kg) by height (m2) (Magalhães et al., 2023; Vasques et al., 2014). The average daily time spent at each intensity level during the week was 707 minutes (low level), 880 minutes (moderate), 24 minutes (vigorous); 1 minute (very vigorous). Regarding the 60 minutes of MVPA per day, the accelerometer data show that there were only one day where the values did not met that cut value: (1) Monday (136 minutes), (2) Tuesday (112 minutes), Wednesday (97 minutes), Thursday (58 minutes), Friday (128 minutes), Saturday (102 minutes) and Sunday (95 minutes). Thus, it is possible to conclude that in contrast to the trends of previous national and international epidemiological reports, the sampled rural children showed adequate levels of PA practice (Di Cesare et al., 2019). More so, when it refers to the crucial MVPA levels. Future investigations should focus on SB levels and expand the individualized accelerometer-based physical activity assessment reports for overall population.
- Reliability and feasibility of a voucher‐based strategy for physical activity assessment based on accelerometer in Portuguese children from a rural areaPublication . Vasques, Catarina; Sampaio, Tatiana; Teixeira, José Luis; Ginja, Samuel; Magalhães, PedroLast decades, children have left the streets, the pranks and the playgrounds for the physical inactive and sedentary times of watching TV, internet surfing and video gaming (Carbone et al., 2021; Kelly et al., 2005). It is therefore important to understand whether this trend covers Portuguese children from rural areas, previously characterized as presenting greater opportunities for physical activity (PA) practice (Machado-Rodrigues et al., 2012). However, the adherence to observational studies is often low and it is important to create strategies for increased participation (Shrank et al., 2011). Thus, this research aimed to assess the reliability and feasibility of voucher‐based strategy for physical activity assessment based on accelerometer in Portuguese children from a rural area. An observational cross-sectional research was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023. The ACTI-Study evaluated the moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels and sedentary behavior (SB) in students (age 10-16) from a high school in a Portuguese Northeast rural area. The PA assessment were conducted a hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph®, either GT3X or GT1M), on an elastic belt, for seven consecutive days (including weekend) (Vasques et al., 2023). Body mass index (BMI) was computed by dividing weight (kg) by height (m2). Normal (25.0 kg/m2), overweight (25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2), and obese (30.0 kg/m2) were defined using European BMI cut-offs (Magalhães et al., 2023; Vasques et al., 2014). Previous, a questionnaire for sample's sociodemographic and determinants of physical activity practice was applied. For applying the voucher-based strategy, children who returned the accelerometer were rewarded with a 5€ voucher, and a second one was given if they wore the accelerometer for a minimum of three days (at least 6h/day and at least one weekend) (Ginja et al., 2019). After, wore the accelerometer for a minimum of three days (two weekdays and one of the weekend) would mean receiving an extra 5€ voucher. Friedson's (2005) criteria was used to measure MVPA levels. Troiano (2007) algorithm was computed to assess compliance with the minimum of 360 minutes over three monitored days (Kakinami et al., 2018; Vanhelst et al., 2012). Only two children did not fulfill the criterion established for the use of the accelerometer, which means that the values found in the study correspond to the MVPA levels and SB time is representative in 97.8% of the selected sample. This means that applying voucher-based strategies for accelerometer-based physical activity assessment in Portuguese rural children is reliable and feasible, and all researchers should consider this strategy if they want to reduce research dropouts (Ginja et al., 2017, 2019). Finally, the next ACTI-Study milestones will be to assess the average daily number of MVPA minutes (accelerometer based and parent reported), percentage spent in MVPA (accelerometer based), number of steps (accelerometer based) and sedentary time bouts.
- Reliability and feasibility of a voucher‐based strategy for physical activity assessment based on accelerometer in Portuguese children from a rural areaPublication . Vasques, Catarina; Sampaio, Tatiana; Teixeira, José Eduardo; Ginja, Samuel; Magalhães, PedroLast decades, children have left the streets, the pranks and the playgrounds for the physical inactive and sedentary times of watching TV, internet surfing and video gaming (Carbone et al., 2021; Kelly et al., 2005). It is therefore important to understand whether this trend covers Portuguese children from rural areas, previously characterized as presenting greater opportunities for physical activity (PA) practice (Machado-Rodrigues et al., 2012). However, the adherence to observational studies is often low and it is important to create strategies for increased participation (Shrank et al., 2011). Thus, this research aimed to assess the reliability and feasibility of voucher‐based strategy for physical activity assessment based on accelerometer in Portuguese children from a rural area. An observational cross-sectional research was conducted between September 2022 and January 2023. The ACTI-Study evaluated the moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) levels and sedentary behavior (SB) in students (age 10-16) from a high school in a Portuguese Northeast rural area. The PA assessment were conducted a hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph®, either GT3X or GT1M), on an elastic belt, for seven consecutive days (including weekend) (Vasques et al., 2023). Body mass index (BMI) was computed by dividing weight (kg) by height (m2). Normal (25.0 kg/m2), overweight (25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2), and obese (30.0 kg/m2) were defined using European BMI cut-offs (Magalhães et al., 2023; Vasques et al., 2014). Previous, a questionnaire for sample's sociodemographic and determinants of physical activity practice was applied. For applying the voucher-based strategy, children who returned the accelerometer were rewarded with a 5€ voucher, and a second one was given if they wore the accelerometer for a minimum of three days (at least 6h/day and at least one weekend) (Ginja et al., 2019). After, wore the accelerometer for a minimum of three days (two weekdays and one of the weekend) would mean receiving an extra 5€ voucher. Friedson's (2005) criteria was used to measure MVPA levels. Troiano (2007) algorithm was computed to assess compliance with the minimum of 360 minutes over three monitored days (Kakinami et al., 2018; Vanhelst et al., 2012). Only two children did not fulfill the criterion established for the use of the accelerometer, which means that the values found in the study correspond to the MVPA levels and SB time is representative in 97.8% of the selected sample. This means that applying voucher-based strategies for accelerometer-based physical activity assessment in Portuguese rural children is reliable and feasible, and all researchers should consider this strategy if they want to reduce research dropouts (Ginja et al., 2017, 2019). Finally, the next ACTI-Study milestones will be to assess the average daily number of MVPA minutes (accelerometer based and parent reported), percentage spent in MVPA (accelerometer based), number of steps (accelerometer based) and sedentary time bouts.