Background: Effective family functioning, such as communication, family organization, and family cohesion, is essential for family well-being and child development. Promoting family physical activity (PA) through shared activities offers a promising strategy for enhancing family dynamics. Developing a strong parenting PA identity (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChild Care Health Dev
July 2025
Objective: This paper aimed to review and synthesize screen time research among children and youth with disabilities.
Methods: Seven online databases were searched, and a machine learning-assisted systematic review model was used to identify relevant studies. English and French papers reporting on screen time among children and youth with a disability were eligible.
J Sport Health Sci
July 2025
Background: Investigators from low-, middle-, and high-income countries representing 6 continents contributed to the development of the Global Adolescent and Child Physical Activity Questionnaire (GAC-PAQ). The GAC-PAQ is designed to assess physical activity (PA) across all key domains (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Ambient environmental conditions, both influenced by and contribute to climate change, is affecting many aspects of daily life, including active and playful lifestyle activities. This systematic review and qualitative synthesis investigated the association(s) between ambient environmental conditions and active outdoor play across the lifespan.
Methods: Seven databases were used to identify studies measuring ambient environmental conditions (meteorological conditions, atmospheric pressure, land-use/environmental factors) and its associations (null, favorable, unfavorable) with active outdoor play.
Objective: This paper aimed to explore the association between school learning models (virtual vs. in-person) and child health behaviours (daily screen time, physical activity, outdoor time, sleep duration, and sleep onset time) during COVID-19, and whether these associations were modified by child's age, sex, and family income.
Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among children four to 13 years from the TARGet Kids! COVID-19 Study of Children and Families between November 2020 and July 2022.
Background: Canada has produced 16 national Report Cards on the Physical Activity of Children and Youth over the past 20 years. This manuscript details the impact of the most recent Report Cards released between 2015 and 2024, updating evidence since the publication of the impact paper focused on the first 10 years (2005-2014).
Methods: Various quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed to catalogue the developmental history and background of the Report Card, its leadership and sources of funding; consolidate and discuss the various evaluations and assessments that have been performed on the Report Card from 2015 to 2024; describe the distribution and reach of the Report Card from 2015 to 2024; and, examine the multi-dimensional impact of the Report Card on propelling the movement to get children and youth moving over the past 10 years in Canada and internationally.
Objective: To update the evidence on the effects of financial incentives (FI) on physical activity (PA) in adults.
Methods: A systematic search of nine databases (Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, EconLit, SPORTDiscus, and Cochrane) was conducted to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and pilot RCTs published between June 1, 2018 and March 31, 2024 examining FI-for-PA interventions. 'Vote counting' and random-effects meta-analyses assessed short- (<6 months) and long-term (≥6 months) FI effects, as well as impact during follow-up (incentive withdrawal).
Purpose: To quantitatively synthesize published evidence on the association between 24-hour movement behavior composition with adiposity in children and adolescents aged 3-18 years.
Methods: Systematic literature searches were conducted in five electronic databases to identify papers published between January 2015 and January 2024. A machine learning-assisted systematic review was conducted to identify studies applying compositional data analysis to examine the association between 24-hour movement behaviors and adiposity in children and youth.
Front Child Adolesc Psychiatry
February 2024
Background: An increase in child screen time has been observed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Home environment and parenting practices have been associated with child screen time. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between parental use of routines, limit setting, and child screen time during the (COVID-19) pandemic to inform harm-reducing strategies to limit the potential harms ensued by excessive screen use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPaediatr Perinat Epidemiol
November 2024
Background: Child growth influences future health and learning. School readiness refers to a child's ability to meet developmental expectations at school entry. The association of early growth rate and patterns with school readiness remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Social climate refers to the general feelings, norms, and opinions in a society and may be affected by experiences of discrimination. This study examined whether experiences of discrimination are associated with the social climate of physical (in)activity and support for policies addressing dual benefits of physical activity (PA) and climate change.
Methods: Data from the 2023 Social Climate Survey were used (n = 1950; ≥18 y).
Canada is unique in that it has established four national strategies in support of sport, physical activity, and/or recreation (SPAR). Though some of these strategies identify potential social and environmental correlates of SPAR, and articulate societal outcomes such as changes in behaviour and health, there are no explicit links to larger global initiatives such as the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given that countries are expected to propose a plan for addressing the 17 SDGs, and that obvious overlap exists between several of the proposed development goals and SPAR, Canada should consider whether common indicators can be identified across these strategies and the SDGs simultaneously to facilitate more efficient and effective action.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Public Health
September 2024
Background: Several recent global events may have impacted adolescent sleep and exacerbated pre-existing disparities by social positions (i.e., social roles, identity or sociodemographic factors, and/or group memberships that are associated with power and oppression due to the structures and processes in a given society at given time).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Regular engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during childhood yields a myriad of health benefits, and contributes to sustained MVPA behaviors into adulthood. Given the influence of parents on shaping their child's MVPA behaviour, the family system represents a viable target for intervention. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of two intervention conditions designed to increase child MVPA: (1) A standard education + planning intervention providing information about benefits, action planning, and coping planning; and (2) An augmented physical activity education + planning intervention that includes the components of the standard intervention, as well as a focus on family identity promotion and developing as an active member of the family.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: This study examined the effectiveness of an early childhood educator (ECE)-focused physical activity e-Learning course on children's physical activity and sedentary time in childcare.
Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 12 childcare centers in London, Ontario, Canada. A total of 145 preschoolers and 42 ECEs participated in this study.
Introduction: Global surveillance of physical activity (PA) of children and adolescents with questionnaires is limited by the use of instruments developed in high-income countries (HICs) lacking sociocultural adaptation, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs); under-representation of some PA domains; and omission of active play, an important source of PA. Addressing these limitations would help improve international comparisons, and facilitate the cross-fertilisation of ideas to promote PA. We aim to develop and assess the reliability and validity of the app-based Global Adolescent and Child Physical Activity Questionnaire (GAC-PAQ) among 8-17 years old in 14 LMICs and HICs representing all continents; and generate the 'first available data' on active play in most participating countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Early childhood educators play a critical role in promoting physical activity and reducing sedentary time in childcare centres. However, early childhood educators receive limited specialised pre- and in-service learning opportunities relating to these behaviours and may lack the capacity to effectively engage children in healthy movement behaviours. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of an e-Learning course on increasing early childhood educators' physical activity and sedentary behaviour-related capacities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of individuals globally. However, less is known about the characteristics that contributed to some people having mental health problems during the pandemic, while others did not. Mental health problems can be understood on a continuum, ranging from acute (.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScreen time for children under 5 is associated with various health risks. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, screen use among young children increased significantly. Mothers were more likely than fathers to be the primary caregivers and disproportionally assumed the responsibility of monitoring their children's screen time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: To assess whether changes in breakfast and water consumption during the first full school year after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic varied based on sex/gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status among Canadian adolescents.
Methods: Prospective annual survey data collected pre- (October 2019-March 2020) and post-COVID-19 onset (November 2020-June 2021) the Cannabis, Obesity, Mental health, Physical activity, Alcohol, Smoking, and Sedentary behaviour (COMPASS) study. The sample consisted of 8,128 students; mean (SD) age = 14.
The objective of this study was to investigate the association between children's parent-reported physical activity levels and weight changes during the COVID-19 pandemic among children and youth in Ontario Canada. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in parents of children 5-17 years living in Ontario from May to July 2021. Parents recalled their child's physical activity and weight change during the year prior to their completion of the survey.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Calls to action addressing the interconnections between physical (in)activity and the climate crisis are increasing. The current study aimed to investigate public support for policy actions that potentially have co-benefits for physical activity promotion and climate change mitigation.
Methods: In 2023, a survey through the Angus Reid Forum was completed by 2507 adults living in Canada.
Social-ecological models suggest that a strategy for increasing population physical activity participation is to reconstruct the "social climate" through changing social norms and beliefs about physical activity (PA). In this study, we assessed whether the PA social climate in Canada has changed over a five-year period after controlling for sociodemographic factors and PA levels. Replicating a survey administered in 2018, a sample of adults in Canada (n = 2,507) completed an online survey assessing social climate dimensions, including but not limited to descriptive and injunctive norms.
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