Prevalence of Sufficient Physical Activity Among Parents Attending a University

Objective: The benefits of regular physical activity are well documented. However, approximately half of all university students are insufficiently active, and no research to date exists on the activity behavior of university students who are also parents. Participants and Methods: Using an adapted version of the Godin Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (ie, the Physical Activity Prevalence Questionnaire), the authors examined the prevalence of sufficient physical activity among 245 parent students from 6 faculties and 12 programs. Results: Half (49.5%) of the students who were not parents (n = 90) were sufficiently physically active, compared with 16% of students who were parents (n = 3, p < .002). The authors found that 33.3% of parents and 13% of nonparents limited their activity level as a result of illness or injury (p < .05). Conclusions: Most parent students in this study were insufficiently active and at potential risk for the negative health consequences of inactivity. This is a grossly understudied population, and researchers must conduct further studies to understand what can be done to facilitate physical activity among this potentially vulnerable group of students.     

Presence and Visibility of Outdoor and Indoor Physical Activity Features and Participation in Physical Activity Among Older Adults in Retirement Communities

Abstract

In this paper we examine how the presence and visibility of outdoor and indoor physical activity resources (e.g., walking path/ trail, outdoor tennis courts, gardens, etc.) influences participation in physical activity among elderly residents in non-profit continuing care retirement communities and other senior housing communities. This paper reports findings from a survey of 800 such communities. A social ecological model was used to study the relationships between the environment and physical activity behavior. A fifty-two percent response rate (n = 398) was obtained. Campuses with more attractive outdoor and indoor physical activity facilities had more residents participating in different types of physical activity.     

Therapeutic Effects of an Outdoor Activity Program on Nursing Home Residents with Dementia

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this one-year pilot study was to obtain preliminary information on the effects of an outdoor activity program, in comparison to an indoor activity program, on sleep and behavior in nursing home residents with dementia. Structured activity programs have been shown to improve dementia-related behavior problems, and there are some indications that improved behavior is associated with improved sleep. Previous research has shown that sleep disturbance is common in nursing home residents, and that limited exposure to light bright enough to entrain circadian rhythms contributes to their sleep problems. Thus, we expected to see improvements in behavior in both the outdoor and indoor activity groups, but improvements in sleep in the outdoor activity group only.

Methodology: A two-group (outdoor program, indoor program) two phase (baseline, intervention) design was used. Subjects were randomized to the outdoor or indoor program groups. Sleep and behavior disturbance were assessed over a 10-day period at baseline (usual activity conditions, which were expected to include little or no time spent outdoors) and at intervention (daily structured activity program offered outdoors or indoors). Sleep was assessed with wrist actigraphs with photocells, which also allowed for monitoring of light exposure. Behavior disturbance was assessed with the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory. Both activity programs were offered Monday-Friday over a 2 week period, included similar content and were offered by research project staff. The analytical approach emphasized primary changes between baseline and intervention measures of sleep and behavioral symptoms in the two activity groups. Because this was a pilot study, the significance level was set a priori at p< 0.10.

Findings: The outdoor activity group experienced significant improvements in maximum sleep duration. Both groups showed significant improvements in total sleep minutes. There also was a significant improvement in verbal agitation in the outdoor activity group.     

Social Activity,School-related Activity,and Anti–substance Use: Media Messages on Adolescent Tobacco and Alcohol Use

In this article, we present the effects of three hypothesized protective factors—social activities, school-related activities, and anti–substance use media messages—on adolescent tobacco and alcohol use. Data were drawn from the “Monitoring the Future” research project, which was conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. The sample included 2,551 twelfth-grade students. The results of the structural equation model showed that exposure to media anti-drug messages had an indirect negative effect on tobacco and alcohol use through school-related activity and social activity. The results suggest that comprehensive ecological interventions encompassing media, family, and school can increase the preventive effects of adolescent's substance use.     

Physical Activity as a Helpful Adjunct to Substance Abuse Treatment

ABSTRACT

While limited research exists on the topic of physical activity as an adjunct to substance abuse treatment, a review of relevant multidisciplinary literature indicates a logical rationale for its potential benefits to recovery from addiction. This article provides an overview of common variables that contribute to addictive disease and summarizes the relationship of regular physical activity to improvements on many of these variables. The stages of change from the Transtheoretical Model (TTM, Prochaska & DiClemente, 1982; Prochaska & Velicer, 1997) are described in the context of effectively matching clients in substance abuse therapy to interventions that may include physical activity. Finally, important practical suggestions for implementing physical activity as a useful adjunct to substance abuse treatment are provided.     

An Empirical Examination of Sexual Relations Between Adolescents and Adults

SUMMARY

The American view that adolescent-adult sexual relations are by definition “child sexual abuse” has spread throughout the Western world and reshaped public policy. This paper, originally presented as a talk, examines the scientific validity of this view. A historical perspective traces the conflation of the adolescent experience with rape, incest, and that of the young, prepubescent child. Biological and cognitive perspectives support the view that adolescents have more in common with adults than children. Sweeping claims that adolescents react as children are said to is critically tested by examining two types of relations-those between heterosexual teenage boys and women and those between gay or bisexual teenage boys and men. Non-clinical empirical data show overwhelmingly that such relations are characterized mostly by positive reactions based on consent if not initiative on the part of the minor, with perceived benefit rather than harm as a correlate. It is concluded that the American view is false, and that public policy that heightens official reaction to such relations, such as that currently proposed by the European Union, are either misinformed or disingenuous in alleging to protect when the motive is to control adolescents.     

治水新解——对历史上若干治水案例的分析

治水小则影响人民的生产生活,大则影响社稷安危,所以治水不单纯是一个技术问题,而是蕴含了复杂的社会科学问题。以“大禹治水”、都江堰水利工程、治黄故事、三门峡大坝等历史事件为案例,从治水中的局部利益与整体利益、长远利益与近期利益,治水人的科学精神和敬业精神,特别是治水方法论等角度重新解读,认为早期的以解决“水量”问题为主要特征的治水经验与教训,对当下的以解决“水质”问题为核心的治水仍然有重要的启示意义。     

Technology at the planning table: Activity theory,negotiation and course management systems

Abstract

This paper presents results from a qualitative inquiry into how online courses in UK and US HEIs are shaped by stakeholder negotiations around course management systems. The investigation used a multi-theory framework composed of Cervero and Wilson's (1994) negotiation of power and interests model and activity theory. Forty-six stakeholders from seven sites participated in the study. The findings identified four primary benefits that prompt stakeholders to employ specific course management systems and described two types of relationships that exist between the stakeholders and their CMS.     

简析活动课程的设计与实施

时值活动课程研究深化时期，本文从澄清活动课程基本结构、呈示活动课程的一般编制入手，揭示活动课程的不同运行形式，总结活动课程的实施原则，最终形成系统化的有代表性活动课程的操作模式。本文以探寻活动课程微观运营模式为核心，以期为活动课程相关理论的完善提出一些建设性建议。