User talk:Jdjimmyd2011

Adolescents: improving physical activity and sedentary behaviour
The following is an analysis of the article "Successful overweight prevention in adolescents by increasing physical activity: a 4-year randomized controlled intervention " by Arveiler et al.(2008) (main reference).

What is the background to this research?
it has been found that obesity/ overweight comes with a greater risk of adverse health outcomes(1). in adolescents, an increase in excess weight has been found (2), which is believed to be due to a decrease in physical activity and an increase in sedentary behaviour during this age group (3). Other research also suggests that an active lifestyle during adolescents will lead to a more active and healthier lifestyle later in life (4)(5), an intervention is needed to counter this global problem (6) .This study focuses on an intervention designed to promote physical activity by changing attitudes through debates and attractive activities, and by providing social support and environmental changes encouraging physical activity (main reference).

Where is the research from?
The study was carried out from the university Louis Pasteur University of Strasbourg, in Strasbourg, France.

What kind of research was this?
qualitative research. This type of research is used to gain an understanding of reasons and motives. Data was collected through body Measurements: Body mass index (BMI) and body composition, plasma lipids and glucose, insulin resistance and physical activity questionnaires.

What did the research involve?
Four-year randomized trial started in 2002 in eight middle schools of Eastern France. The intervention, randomized at school level, was designed to promote physical activity by changing attitudes through debates and attractive activities, and by providing social support and environmental changes encouraging physical activity. 954 (479 controls and 475 intervention students) 12-year-old six-graders participated in the intervention program that begun during the first school year and lasted until the end of the fourth school year. It needs to be noted that the intervention program came in addition to the standard school curriculum (which, in France, includes three 50-min physical education classes per week)

The controls followed their usual school curriculum without any intervention. The theory-based multilevel intervention, open and free of charge, involved not only the school settings but numerous partnerships with three objectives: (1) changing attitudes toward physical activity, (2) promoting social support by parents and educators (3) providing environmental and institutional conditions encouraging the adolescents to use the knowledge and physical activity skills they have acquired.26 The program included an educational component focusing on physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

focusing on fun and increasing the number of activities and opportunities for adolescents to be more active.

What were the basic results?
Arveiler et al found that Intervention students showed a lower increase in BMI over the time controlled period compared to that of the controlled group.It was also found that the total incidence of overweight participants after the study was lower in the intervention group than that of the controlled group.The study found that At 4 years, 4.2% of the initially non-overweight students were overweight in the intervention schools, compared to 9.8% in the control schools. a beneficial increase of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations was also observed, however short term BMI effects in overweight students did not continue over time. It was also found that Supervised leisure physical activity increased in intervention students, whereas it slightly decreased in the controls group. Intervention students also had a greater reduction over time of TV/video viewing than controls

What conclusions can we take from this research?
Adolescent interventions focusing on changing attitudes towards physical activity could potentially be an effective way to combat the obesity and overweight epidemic in adolescents and help towards the obesity epidemic the world currently faces (8). Using strategies from this study, based off the results from the intervention group the benefits would be to increase physical activity levels (improve lesuire physical activity time also), decrease sedentary behaviour, and increase of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. Further studies should be conducted to see the liklihood of continuation in these activities through to adulthood. It should also be noted in terms of body weight, the short-term BMI effects in overweight students did not continue despite a favorable modification of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol which indicates the physical activity level necessary for weight loss may be higher than for other health-related benefits (7) which would be good to further investigate.

Practical advice
In this article the authors have discussed the positive implications of an adolescence intervention plan, with changing attitudes and behaviours towards physical activity along with a support network supporting these ideas being the focal point of their research.

Although this research has favourable results, it may not be practical to implement in all schools as the social support structure and environmental differences may be too different to change. In saying this, more can be done to help counter the attitude towards physical activity and fight against the low physical activity levels and high sedentary behaviour levels we currently see world wide (reference). Schools should follow this research in terms of giving adolescents more opportunities to participate in physical activity with a variety of different sports or activities for them to participate in. It is important that when talking about physical activity in adolescents, it is kept fun and simple, This will allow for an increase liklihood of improved physical activity levels later in life (9).

Further information on physical activity and sedentary behaviours in adolescents:

 * Australia's Physical Activity and Sedentary Behsviour Guidelines, Young People: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pubhlth-strateg-phys-act-guidelines/$File/FS-YPeople-13-17-Years.PDF
 * Make a Difference at Your School: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/keystrategies/pdf/make-a-difference.pdf
 * https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Exercise_as_it_relates_to_Disease/Strategies_to_increase_physical_activities_in_youth_sedentary_behaviour