David Kahan

Physical Activity, Public Health, and Elementary Schools.

Physical inactivity is a serious public health problem that is associated with numerous preventable diseases. Public health concerns, particularly those related to the increased prevalence of overweight, obesity, and diabetes, call for schools to become proactive in the promotion of healthy, physically active lifestyles. This article begins by differentiating physical activity from associated concepts (e.g., physical education, physical fitness) and then summarizes the literature related to the importance of physical activity for children and the need for its promotion in elementary schools. We describe numerous opportunities for children to accrue physical activity in elementary schools (e.g., physical education classes, program integration with other subject areas, recess, extracurricular programs, and active transport to school) and provide recommendations for sound educational practice.

Islam and Physical Activity: Implications for American Sport and Physical Educators

T he chapter on physical activity and fitness in Healthy People 2010 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000) contains data that demonstrate disparities in physical activity (PA), based upon gender, race, and ethnicity, in youth and adult populations. Missing from the data is PA as a function of peoples religion, which has been theoretically posited (Kahan, 2002) and empirically demonstrated (e.g.,Merrill &Thygerson, 2001) as contributing to PA disparity within and between religions. In the wake of the events that occurred on September 11, 2001, members of the American educational system have demonstrated a more intense interest in Islam and Muslims (Brown, 2001). Survey-based estimates of the Muslim population in America are in dispute and vary from 1.1 million (Kosmin & Mayer, 2001), to 1.4 million (Smith, 2002), to 6 to 7 million (Bagby, Perl, & Froehle, 2001). Although adherents of minority religions may constitute only 3.7 percent of the United States population (Kosmin & Mayer, 2001), addressing the American Muslim population in the context of physical education and sport is important for four reasons. First, according to survey data, the Muslim population doubled from 1990 to 2000, making it the fastest growing religion in the United States (Kosmin & Mayer, 2001). Second, orthodox Muslim children, who require special understanding and accommodations

Correlates of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity among preschoolers during unstructured outdoor play periods

OBJECTIVE Quantify moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and its correlates in preschool children during outdoor unstructured play periods using direct observation. METHODS Cross-sectional data consisting of 204 observation periods collected from 51 four- and five-year-old children using the Observation System for Recording Physical Activity in Children - Preschool (OSRAC-P) at a preschool in southern California, autumn and spring 2009-2010. Gender and BMI classification and OSRAC-P environmental codes were related to observed MVPA in multiple logistic regression models. RESULTS Less than 21% of intervals were spent in MVPA overall. Boys and normal weight children engaged in higher intensity levels than their respective counterparts. More MVPA was associated with normal weight (OR=2.49-3.25, R(2)=3%), location (grass, playground, looping cycle path; OR=3.21-4.90, R(2)=4-12%), play context (ball/objects, wheel, open space; OR=2.78-8.51, R(2)=9%), and group composition (solitary, one-on-one; OR=1.34-2.08, R(2)=1%). CONCLUSION Open spaces located in playgrounds and grass fields, and activity-genic portable equipment, manipulative objects, and riding vehicles are some design and equipment features that appear to foster MVPA. Lowering play space density and engaging children through teacher prompts and teacher-arranged activities may further increase MVPA on playgrounds.

Recess, Extracurricular Activities, and Active Classrooms: Means for Increasing Elementary School Students' Physical Activity.

JOPERD • Volume 79 No. 2 • February 2008 T he link between physical activity and childhood health cannot be overstated. Nationally, the prevalence of at-risk-of overweight and overweight sixto 11-year-old children has risen to 37.2 percent, nearly an eight-point rise in six years (Ogden et al., 2006). While parents and communities are urged to take more responsibility in promoting youth physical activity, schools have been identifi ed as playing a key role in the development of physical fi tness and the provision of physical activity opportunities for children (Story, Kaphingst, & French, 2006). Physical education is traditionally thought of as the primary means of providing physical activity in the school environment. However, only 17 to 22 percent of elementary schools offer daily physical education with a cumulative duration of about 85 to 98 minutes per week (Parsad & Lewis, 2006). This is far short of the recommendation that children accumulate at least 60 minutes of physical activity on all or most days of the week (National Association for Sport and Physical Education [NASPE], 2004). Based on pedometer counts of weekday physical activity, lunch recess and other recess periods combined provide 23 to 25 percent of children’s daily step count, whereas physical education provides only 8 to 11 percent (Tudor-Locke, Lee, Morgan, Beighle, & Pangrazi, 2006). Since physical education alone provides an insuffi cient amount of weekday physical activity, attention is increasingly being given to multifaceted, noncurricular approaches for increasing physical activity (Jago & Baranowski, 2004). The purpose of this article is to make general recommendations—as supported by the literature and large-scale research studies—for increasing physical activity opportunities for elementary school students through recess, extracurricular activities, and active classrooms. The order of topics is based on the author’s assumptions regarding progressive feasibility; individual readers may order the topics differently based on their unique school conditions. Recess, Extracurricular Activities, and Active Classrooms Means for Increasing Elementary School Students’ Physical Activity

Strategies for recruiting Middle Eastern-American young adults for physical activity research: a case of snowballs and Salaam.

Recruitment of minorities into health studies is a process that has been the subject of recent research effort. The prevalence of hypokinetic disease in the fast growing Middle Eastern-American community is higher than whites and some minority groups and descriptive research is needed to further quantify morbidity status and antecedent behavior. To date, we know of no study that reports recruitment methods of Middle Eastern-American young adults, a demographic group that is transitioning into an at-risk stratum for ethnically associated morbidity. We report and analyze a multi-method approach used in recruiting 240 young adults of this ethnic group into a 1-week study of physical activity utilizing activity logs and pedometers. Participants were primarily recruited through snowball sampling (48.3%), flyers (15.8%), presentations to university campus organizations (15.4%), and graduate research assistants (10.8%). Access was facilitated by assistants who were community insiders; active recruitment was more successful than passive recruitment; and different techniques appealed to different group segments based on gender and religion.

The Potential and Reality of Physical Education in Controlling Overweight and Obesity

Although preventing youth overweight and obesity is a public health priority, quality physical education (PE) is marginalized in practice. In May 2014, we estimated energy expenditure (EE; derived from PE frequency, duration, and intensity; mean student mass; and class size) from national recommendations and data from the 19 US states with PE duration guidelines, under 3 scenarios: potential (quality PE, defined as 50% moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA]), reality (MVPA = 35%), and classroom instruction only. Students in schools following nationally recommended PE standards from grades 1 through 10 could expend from 35 000 to 90 000 more kilocalories than students who received classroom instruction instead. PEs potential for increasing student EE will only be realized with stronger school policies and increased accountability.

Religiosity as a Determinant of Physical Activity: The Case of Judaism

Americans are not engaged in physical activity (PA) at recommended levels for quantity and quality. Research into methods for counteracting this phenomenon is variously rooted; one approach seeks determinants of PA toward identifying factors that facilitate or hinder PA. Identification of determinants provides a useful lens for affecting change through targeted interventions. However, the research consistently demonstrates a multi-factorial basis for determining PA with much variance left unexplained. This paper proposes religionfreligiosity as another or alternative determinant for understanding PA patterns and uses the religion of Judaism as a vehicle for understanding such a relationship. The paper is organized into three major sections: review of previously investigated determinants, argumentation for religion as a determinant, and a limited but focused agenda for beginning study of religion and PA with attention to methodological concerns.

Adult physical inactivity prevalence in the Muslim world: Analysis of 38 countries

Objective Physical inactivity surveillance informs policy and treatment options toward meeting the World Health Organizations (WHO) goal of a 10% reduction in its prevalence by 2025. We currently do not know the aggregate prevalence for Muslim-majority countries, many of which have extremely high rates of comorbidities associated with physical inactivity. Method Based on data for 163, 556 persons in 38 Muslim countries that were collected by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, unweighted and weighted physical inactivity prevalence estimates were calculated. I used two-proportion Z tests to determine gender and ethnic differences within the sample and between the sample and 94 non-Muslim countries and odds ratios to determine the magnitude of significant differences. Results Total physical inactivity prevalence was 32.3% (95% CI: 31.9, 32.7). Prevalence among males and females was 28.8% and 35.5%, respectively. Prevalence among non-Arabs and Arabs was 28.6% and 43.7%, respectively. Females and Arabs were more likely physically inactive than their respective counterparts [OR = 1.36 (1.33, 1.39) and OR = 1.94 (1.90, 1.98)]. Muslim countries were more likely physically inactive [OR = 1.23 (1.22, 1.25)] than non-Muslim ones, which was primarily due to the influence of Arabs [OR = 2.01 (1.97, 2.04)], and in particular female Arabs [OR = 2.22 (2.17, 2.27)]. Conclusion Physical inactivity prevalence in the Muslim world is higher than non-Muslim countries and the difference is primarily due to higher rates among Arabs.

Convergent Validity of Four Accelerometer Cutpoints With Direct Observation of Preschool Children's Outdoor Physical Activity

Purpose: More than one fifth of American preschool-aged children are classified as overweight/obese. Increasing physical activity is one means of slowing/reversing progression to overweight or obesity. Measurement of physical activity in this age group relies heavily on motion sensors such as accelerometers. Output is typically interpreted through application of one of several cutpoints to quantify the amount of time spent at various physical activity levels. Cutpoint nonequivalence has resulted in widely varying estimates of physical activity. Thus, we sought to ascertain the convergent validity of four ActiGraph accelerometer cutpoints with the Observation System for Recording Activity in Children–Preschool (OSRAC–P). Method: Two studies were conducted with sixty-nine 4- and 5-year-olds during unstructured outdoor free play at a single university campus preschool in Southern California. In Study 1 (N = 57), percentages of time spent in sedentary behavior (SED) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were compared at the aggregate level using the two-proportion z-test and Bland Altman plots. In Study 2 (N = 12), time-matched 5-s intervals between accelerometery and the OSRAC–P were compared using percent agreement, kappa, and classification functions. Results: In Study 1, cutpoints by Sirard, Trost, Pfeiffer, Dowda, and Pate (2005) best converged with the OSRAC–P estimates of SED and MVPA. In Study 2, Sirard et al. cutpoints and those by Pate, Almeida, McIver, Pfeiffer, and Dowda (2006) were more sensitive in detecting SED and MVPA, respectively. Conclusions: Choosing a cutpoint in this age group should be based on the exposure of interest, epoch/observation interval duration, and required degree of stringency for classifying physical activity level.

Arab American College Students' Physical Activity and Body Composition: Reconciling Middle East-West Differences Using the Socioecological Model

In this study, I conducted focus group interviews with 21 Arab American college students (9 men, 12 women; 9 Muslims, 12 non-Muslims), who were selected for extreme manifestation of religiosity or acculturation, to explore their beliefs and attitudes toward socioecological (SE) factors that facilitated and hindered their individual physical activity (PA) and body composition (I also considered body image and food and eating behavior). To analyze responses, I used a combination of deductive coding, which used levels of the SE model and demographic variable groupings, and inductive coding, to search for common themes among participants within and between research questions. Results revealed that (a) the context of physical activity participation differed by gender; (b) ideal body image was conflicted and varied by gender; and (c) consumption of cultural foods diminished along with Arab social customs related to eating. Interpersonal and cultural/community levels of the SE model were identified as primary influences, with parents regulating and instilling values backed by cultural norms to preserve Arab identity, especially in women. Finally, I identified an indeterminate adjustment period, during which immigrants transitioned between physical activity purpose/form in the Middle East and the United States.