Physical activity concepts
Provide an example of incidental physical activity
E.g. household/chores, active transport, occupational physical activity or play
Type II diabetes results from too much sugar in the blood, which occurs because the body doesn't properly use or produce ___?
Insulin
Is direct observation an objective or subjective measure of physical activity?
Objective
The young people/youth guidelines are for people of what age (provide the range)?
13 to 17 years
Explain how weather can be both an enabler and barrier to exercise
Good weather = walk outside
Bad weather = don't want to leave the house
Define "inactivity"
People undertaking "insufficient" physical activity to achieve measurable health outcomes
Exercise alters insulin sensitivity - but does it increase or decrease it?
Increases insulin sensitivity
Insulin allows the body to move sugar from the blood into the cells; therefore, blood sugar levels remain elevated
- Direct observation
- Accelerometer
- Recall survey
- Diary/log
- Proxy report
What is one of the sedentary behaviour guidelines for adults?
- Break up long periods of sitting frequently
- Minimise the amount of time in prolonged sitting
Describe an example of a policy an employer could introduce to reward staff when they are active
When staff join the lunchtime walking group, they can have an extra 15 minutes added to their lunch break on the days that they walk
State the four domains of physical activity
Leisure-time, household/gardening, occupational and active transport
What is the BMI cut-off of someone who is overweight and someone who is obese?
Overweight = 25
Obese = 30
Which of the FITT principles does a pedometer capture?
None
On how many days should adults do muscle strengthening activities?
Two days
What is counselling and which level of the SEM does it target?
Counselling by professionals e.g. PT or doctor about being physically active
Targets beliefs, self-efficacy or attitudes
Targets the individual level
Aerobics is (on average) performed at an intensity of 6.5 METs. What does this mean? And, is this considered a moderate or vigorous intensity?
1 MET represents the energy expended at rest. Therefore, when doing aerobics, you are expending 6.5 x the energy you expend at rest
Above 6 METs = moderate
Aerobics = vigorous
Provide a reason as to why BMI is not considered to be an overly accurate measure of overweight/obesity
It doesn’t take into account age, ethnicity, gender and body composition
It does not distinguish between fat mass and fat free mass (think about athletes with a lot of muscle!)
Provide an advantage and disadvantage of using an accelerometer to record physical activity
Advantages
- Records frequency, intensity and time
- Non-burdensome/non-intrusive (small and lightweight)
- Records data in real time
- Records incidental physical activity
Disadvantages
- Not super accurate for upper body exercises
- Expensive
- Not waterproof
- Reactivity
- No information about type
State three of the four physical activity guidelines for young people
- At least 60 mins of moderate to vigorous activity
- Include a variety of aerobic activities
- Do muscle strengthening activities twice per week
- Engage in more activity, up to several hours daily
“I don’t want to exercise alone". Explain a workplace intervention that could address this concern, and which level of the SEM is it targeting?
Group fitness classes (social environment)
Provide three characteristics of "sport"
- Structured
- Involves skill
- Has set rules
- Involves competition and winning is important
- Requires training and preparation
- Involves vigorous physical activity
State five physical health benefits of physical activity
- Improved strength or endurance
- Improved cardiovascular function
- Greater bone density
- Decreased risk of cancer, stroke, type II diabetes
- Lower risk of muscle injury and back problems
Provide an advantage and disadvantage of using a diary to record physical activity
- Captures both qualitative and quantitative info
- Provides info on all of FITT
- Cost-effective
Disadvantages
- Reactivity
- Burdensome due to regular inputs
- Social desirability bias
How many minutes should adults be active for each week?
150 to 300 mins (moderate) or 75 to 150 mins (vigorous)
Identify five changes to the physical environment that could be made to make a playground more likely to be used
- Walking tracks/bike paths/public transport to access it
- Drinking fountains
- Better lighting
- Traffic control measures: traffic lights, speed humps etc.
- Even/smooth path
- Plant trees (aesthetics)
- Shaded areas