Christina Loitz - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Christina Loitz

PRISMA-P checklist. (DOC 83 kb)

Systematic reviews, Jan 12, 2015

A physically active lifestyle plays a preventative role in the development of various chronic dis... more A physically active lifestyle plays a preventative role in the development of various chronic diseases and mental health conditions. Unfortunately, few adults achieve the minimum amount of physical activity and spend excessive time sitting. Developing targeted interventions to increase active living among adults is an important endeavour for public health. One plausible context to reach adults is the workplace. This systematic review aims to review the effectiveness of workplace interventions on increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviour in the workplace. An advisory group of practitioners will work in collaboration with the research team to inform the systematic review and knowledge mobilization. Fifteen electronic databases will be searched to identify studies examining the effectiveness of workplace interventions on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. All experimental designs and observational studies (non-experimental intervention studies) meeting the...

Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2021

BACKGROUND Regular physical inactivity and excessive sedentary behaviour are public and populatio... more BACKGROUND Regular physical inactivity and excessive sedentary behaviour are public and population health concerns. The workplace is an ideal health promotion intervention setting to support employees, particularly office workers. Workplace assessments are a critical component of workplace health promotion programming. The aim of this project was to conduct a scoping review to systematically identify and describe workplace audit tools that assess physical activity and sedentary behaviour influences, as two independent behaviours, through a social ecological lens. METHODS Fourteen electronic databases were searched for academic literature and 69 web-based resources were searched for grey literature in May 2017. English language workplace audit tools with items on physical activity or sedentary behaviour established in western countries were included. Key characteristics (i.e., aim, type, health behaviour, validity, reliability, theory/model/framework) of the audit tools, checklists or questionnaires for office-based workplaces were identified, described, and summarized. RESULTS The scoping review identified 21 relevant tools. Most tools focused on physical activity alone and did not address sedentary behaviour as a distinct behaviour. Few tools included items assessing physical activity and sedentary behaviour influences across multiple levels of the social ecological model. The most common social ecological focuses in the tools were policy and environmental influences. CONCLUSIONS Numerous workplace physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour audit tools were available. However, a gap was identified as tools and resources that assess and support organizational changes to influence physical activity and sedentary behaviour as two independent health behaviours across multiple social ecological levels within the workplace had not been developed.

Journal of Transport & Health, 2017

Background: Given that the environmental characteristics of neighborhood in which people live (e.... more Background: Given that the environmental characteristics of neighborhood in which people live (e.g., population density, land use mix, street connectivity, etc.) have the potential to enhance or damage individuals' health via their health behavior, we investigated a model on how individual socioeconomic status (SES; Level 1) and the level of neighborhood walkability (Level 2) influence an individual's walking behavior, which in turn is associated with mental health status. Methods: The data were drawn from the 2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS; n ¼42,935 adults aged 18 and older). We first developed a SES composite index. As an alternative to using a single-measure proxy for SES, the SES composite index that we developed incorporates the core SES elements available in the CHIS, such as educational attainment, household income, employment status, and home ownership. Then, we merged the geographic information on the CHIS dataset with the National Walkability Index from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provides walkability scores at the Census block group level. Walkability scores are based upon characteristics of the built environment that influence the likelihood of walking being used as a mode of travel. Finally, we will use a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework to examine the effects of individual SES and neighborhood walkability on individual's walking behavior and mental health. SEM approach allows us to not only develop path models that account for possible relationships among multiple variables in a single model but also handle possible endogenous and exogenous issues. Results: Our preliminary findings demonstrated that lower walkability scores in neighborhood was negatively associated with individual's walking behavior, and lower level of walking behavior was associated with poor mental health. Using SEM approach, we will examine the indirect effects of walking behavior on paths between SES, walkability, and mental health, as well as the direct effects of SES and neighborhood walkability on mental health. Conclusions: Our results will add to the growing literature on the influence of the neighborhood walkability on individuals' walking behavior and mental health status. Such findings should be taken into consideration in tailoring interventions and designing programs that can improve mental health.

Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 2010

Men and women initiate and maintain a regular exercise regime in the pursuit of a muscular body. ... more Men and women initiate and maintain a regular exercise regime in the pursuit of a muscular body. Despite muscularity being a likely reason to exercise, there is currently no physical self-concept (PSC) instrument that includes muscularity. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess items that operationalize muscularity as two constructs: muscle tone (MT), muscle bulk (MB), in contrast to the known constructs: muscle strength (MS), and bodyfat (BF). Thirty-two items were developed (8items/ construct). Academic experts (N=18) agreed to rate the content relevance and representativeness, and to provide evaluative comments. The data were analyzed according to Rogers (2010). The median scores for the relevance of the items ranged from fair to excellent, the representativeness ranged from good to excellent. Conceptually, the experts agreed with the ideas of MT and MB, although they offered suggestions for modifications. Some items were interpreted as having negative connotations. ...

Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 2015

This study examined sources of self-efficacy (SE) and their relationship to task, coping and sche... more This study examined sources of self-efficacy (SE) and their relationship to task, coping and scheduling SE during a 6 month, community-based exercise intervention. Eighty-eight adults (M age = 43.39 years, N = 30 men, N = 58 women) were recruited and results from the first month are reported here. Activity was assessed with a Fitbit Flex. Sources of SE were assessed with 18 items (Warner et al., 2014) representing mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion by others, self-persuasion, negative affect and positive affect. Task, coping and scheduling SE for exercise were assessed with 9 items (Rodgers et al., 2008). Correlations showed that verbal persuasion (r = -.22) and vicarious experience (r = -.23) were related to task SE. Coping SE was related to mastery experience (r = .52), self-persuasion (r = .42), positive affect (r = .23), and negative affect (r = -.22). Scheduling SE was related to mastery experience (r = .69), self-persuasion (r = .58), and positive affe...

Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 2015

Reasons for exercise (RE) were explored after the first month of initiating a 6-month community-b... more Reasons for exercise (RE) were explored after the first month of initiating a 6-month community-based physical activity intervention. The objectives were to examine the importance of health-related and appearance-related RE after 1-month of the intervention; and to assess the role of sex, age, BMI and physical activity status (PA) on RE. Eighty-eight adults (M age = 43.39 years, M BMI = 25.89 kg/m2, N = 30 men, N = 58 women) completed baseline measures. Demographics and the RE Inventory (Silberstein, et al., 1988) were assessed. Participants rated the importance of 24 items representing seven RE domains (weight control, body tone, attractiveness, mood, health, fitness, and enjoyment). Descriptive statistics were assessed. Separate one-way between-group MANOVAs were conducted to investigate sex (male/female), age (above/below 50th percentile), BMI (healthy/overweight-obese) and PA (active/inactive) according to the seven RE domains. Follow-up ANOVAs were conducted when MANOVAs were s...

The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 2012

Background: Physical inactivity has been a significant health concern among the Canadian populati... more Background: Physical inactivity has been a significant health concern among the Canadian population over the last decade. Purpose: To study the trend in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) of Albertans from 2000 to 2011 and to assesses the relationship between sociodemographic factors and LTPA. Methods: Cross-sectional design was used. Data were obtained in 2000 (n = 1200), 2002 (n = 1209), 2005 (n = 1208), 2006 (n=1207), 2008 (n=1313) and 2010 (n=1202) through representative random telephone surveys. The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire was used for all three surveys, in addition to questions about sociodemographic information (age, income, education, marital status). Men and women were considered active if they expended at least 38 or 35 metabolic equivalents (METs) per week, respectively. Results: From 2000 to 2005, the proportion of active Albertans increased from 54.2% to 60.2% whereas from 2006 to 2011 it decreased from 57.4% to 54.3%. Controlling for sex, logistic ...

BMC public health, Aug 9, 2017

Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of serv... more Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of service and program delivery in organizational networks. However, the extent to which organizations are working together to promote physical activity, and use physical activity policies in Canada, is unknown. This project sought to provide a snapshot of the funding, coordination and partnership relationships among provincial active living organizations (ALOs) in Alberta, Canada. Additionally, the awareness, and use of the provincial policy and national strategy by the organizations was examined. Provincial ALOs (N = 27) answered questions regarding their funding, coordination and partnership connections with other ALOs in the network. Social network analysis was employed to examine network structure and position of each ALO. Discriminant function analysis determined the extent to which degree centrality was associated with the use of the Active Alberta (AA) policy and Active Canada 20/20 (AC...

Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2016

UWALK is a multi-strategy, multi-sector, theory-informed, community-wide approach using e and mHe... more UWALK is a multi-strategy, multi-sector, theory-informed, community-wide approach using e and mHealth to promote physical activity in Alberta, Canada. The aim of UWALK is to promote physical activity, primarily via the accumulation of steps and flights of stairs, through a single over-arching brand. This paper describes the development of the UWALK program. A social ecological model and the social cognitive theory guided the development of key strategies, including the marketing and communication activities, establishing partnerships with key stakeholders, and e and mHealth programs. The program promotes the use of physical activity monitoring devices to self-monitor physical activity. This includes pedometers, electronic devices, and smartphone applications. In addition to entering physical activity data manually, the e and mHealth program provides the function for objective data to be automatically uploaded from select electronic devices (Fitbit®, Garmin and the smartphone application Moves) The RE-AIM framework is used to guide the evaluation of UWALK. Funding for the program commenced in February 2013. The UWALK brand was introduced on April 12, 2013 with the official launch, including the UWALK website on September 20, 2013. This paper describes the development and evaluation framework of a physical activity promotion program. This program has the potential for population level dissemination and uptake of an ecologically valid physical activity promotion program that is evidence-based and theoretically framed.

Canadian journal of dietetic practice and research : a publication of Dietitians of Canada = Revue canadienne de la pratique et de la recherche en dietetique : une publication des Dietetistes du Canada, Jun 15, 2016

Lifestyle behaviours among adults reporting awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG) are descri... more Lifestyle behaviours among adults reporting awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG) are described. Data from a cross-sectional survey of adults from Alberta were used to estimate the prevalence of reported health behaviours among respondents aware of the CFG. Respondents (n = 1044) reported general awareness of CFG (mean age 50.3 years; 54.2% female) of whom 82.2% reported awareness of specific CFG recommendations. Respondents reported frequently reading food labels (>58.0%), reading the number of calories (45.5%), the amount of sodium (49.5%), the amount of fat (46.7%), and the type of fat (45.5%) on the food label. Most respondents (90.0%) reported frequently selecting foods to promote health. Approximately one-third of the respondents (35.8%) reported frequently consuming ≥5 portions of vegetables and fruit per day and regularly participating in physical activity (55.3%). Body weight was perceived as healthy by 63.4% of the respondents. Most engaged in 2 health behaviours f...

Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 2012

The authors examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Obligatory Exercise ... more The authors examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire using exploratory factor analyses (Study 1), and confirmatory factor analyses (Study 2). The relationships between obligatory exercise and other psychological variables including: motivation, subjective well-being, physical self-concept, social physique anxiety, and behavioral intention were also examined. The analyses revealed three factors underlying the OEQ: exercise behavior,

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2014

Background: Little is known about the awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG). The present study a... more Background: Little is known about the awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG). The present study aimed to report the general and specific awareness of CFG recommendations among adults in Alberta, Canada. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, respondents (aged >18 years) from randomly selected households completed a telephone survey. Questions pertaining to CFG, physical activity, and vegetable and fruit consumption were included. Logistic regression determined associations between demographic characteristics and awareness of CFG. Results: Thousand two hundred and ten Albertans (50% female, mean age 50.5 years) responded. Most [86.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 84.6-88.4] indicated being generally aware of CFG when prompted and 82.5% were aware of specific CFG recommendations. There were no differences in age between those generally aware and unaware of CFG. Female sex [odds ratio (OR) = 3.6; 95%CI = 24-5.4], Caucasian ethnicity (OR = 3.7; 95% CI = 2.3-5.8), income ≥ Canadian $100 000 per annum (OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.1-2.3), reporting ≥5 vegetables and fruit per day (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.4-3.2), exceeding recommended levels for physical activity (OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.3-2.9) and perception of current weight as healthy (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.2-2.8) were associated with an awareness of CFG. Conclusions: Sex, ethnicity and income were associated with general awareness of CFG. Future studies could explore the relationship between awareness and other health-related behaviours Copyright of Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Canadian Journal of Public Health

American journal of preventive medicine, 2018

BMC public health, Aug 9, 2017

Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of serv... more Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of service and program delivery in organizational networks. However, the extent to which organizations are working together to promote physical activity, and use physical activity policies in Canada, is unknown. This project sought to provide a snapshot of the funding, coordination and partnership relationships among provincial active living organizations (ALOs) in Alberta, Canada. Additionally, the awareness, and use of the provincial policy and national strategy by the organizations was examined. Provincial ALOs (N = 27) answered questions regarding their funding, coordination and partnership connections with other ALOs in the network. Social network analysis was employed to examine network structure and position of each ALO. Discriminant function analysis determined the extent to which degree centrality was associated with the use of the Active Alberta (AA) policy and Active Canada 20/20 (AC...

American journal of preventive medicine, 2017

Stair climbing is an accessible activity that can be incorporated into one's daily lifestyle ... more Stair climbing is an accessible activity that can be incorporated into one's daily lifestyle to increase physical activity levels and provide health benefits. This review summarizes the effectiveness of stair interventions and explores key differences that may influence intervention effectiveness. Interventions to increase stair use published from January 1990 to July 2015 were identified in PubMed, Sport Discus, Web of Science, Environment Complete, CINAHL, Trial Register of Promoting Health Interventions, Embase, Scopus, and PsycINFO. Eligibility criteria included original studies, published in peer-reviewed journals, targeting adult samples, and clearly describing intervention design and results. Studies were also required to measure the use of stairs compared with an elevator, escalator, or moving stairway at baseline and during at least one timepoint when the intervention was in effect. Studies were required to provide data to determine if the intervention resulted in signi...

ACSM s Health & Fitness Journal

ABSTRACT

PRISMA-P checklist. (DOC 83 kb)

Systematic reviews, Jan 12, 2015

A physically active lifestyle plays a preventative role in the development of various chronic dis... more A physically active lifestyle plays a preventative role in the development of various chronic diseases and mental health conditions. Unfortunately, few adults achieve the minimum amount of physical activity and spend excessive time sitting. Developing targeted interventions to increase active living among adults is an important endeavour for public health. One plausible context to reach adults is the workplace. This systematic review aims to review the effectiveness of workplace interventions on increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behaviour in the workplace. An advisory group of practitioners will work in collaboration with the research team to inform the systematic review and knowledge mobilization. Fifteen electronic databases will be searched to identify studies examining the effectiveness of workplace interventions on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. All experimental designs and observational studies (non-experimental intervention studies) meeting the...

Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2021

BACKGROUND Regular physical inactivity and excessive sedentary behaviour are public and populatio... more BACKGROUND Regular physical inactivity and excessive sedentary behaviour are public and population health concerns. The workplace is an ideal health promotion intervention setting to support employees, particularly office workers. Workplace assessments are a critical component of workplace health promotion programming. The aim of this project was to conduct a scoping review to systematically identify and describe workplace audit tools that assess physical activity and sedentary behaviour influences, as two independent behaviours, through a social ecological lens. METHODS Fourteen electronic databases were searched for academic literature and 69 web-based resources were searched for grey literature in May 2017. English language workplace audit tools with items on physical activity or sedentary behaviour established in western countries were included. Key characteristics (i.e., aim, type, health behaviour, validity, reliability, theory/model/framework) of the audit tools, checklists or questionnaires for office-based workplaces were identified, described, and summarized. RESULTS The scoping review identified 21 relevant tools. Most tools focused on physical activity alone and did not address sedentary behaviour as a distinct behaviour. Few tools included items assessing physical activity and sedentary behaviour influences across multiple levels of the social ecological model. The most common social ecological focuses in the tools were policy and environmental influences. CONCLUSIONS Numerous workplace physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour audit tools were available. However, a gap was identified as tools and resources that assess and support organizational changes to influence physical activity and sedentary behaviour as two independent health behaviours across multiple social ecological levels within the workplace had not been developed.

Journal of Transport & Health, 2017

Background: Given that the environmental characteristics of neighborhood in which people live (e.... more Background: Given that the environmental characteristics of neighborhood in which people live (e.g., population density, land use mix, street connectivity, etc.) have the potential to enhance or damage individuals' health via their health behavior, we investigated a model on how individual socioeconomic status (SES; Level 1) and the level of neighborhood walkability (Level 2) influence an individual's walking behavior, which in turn is associated with mental health status. Methods: The data were drawn from the 2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS; n ¼42,935 adults aged 18 and older). We first developed a SES composite index. As an alternative to using a single-measure proxy for SES, the SES composite index that we developed incorporates the core SES elements available in the CHIS, such as educational attainment, household income, employment status, and home ownership. Then, we merged the geographic information on the CHIS dataset with the National Walkability Index from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that provides walkability scores at the Census block group level. Walkability scores are based upon characteristics of the built environment that influence the likelihood of walking being used as a mode of travel. Finally, we will use a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework to examine the effects of individual SES and neighborhood walkability on individual's walking behavior and mental health. SEM approach allows us to not only develop path models that account for possible relationships among multiple variables in a single model but also handle possible endogenous and exogenous issues. Results: Our preliminary findings demonstrated that lower walkability scores in neighborhood was negatively associated with individual's walking behavior, and lower level of walking behavior was associated with poor mental health. Using SEM approach, we will examine the indirect effects of walking behavior on paths between SES, walkability, and mental health, as well as the direct effects of SES and neighborhood walkability on mental health. Conclusions: Our results will add to the growing literature on the influence of the neighborhood walkability on individuals' walking behavior and mental health status. Such findings should be taken into consideration in tailoring interventions and designing programs that can improve mental health.

Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 2010

Men and women initiate and maintain a regular exercise regime in the pursuit of a muscular body. ... more Men and women initiate and maintain a regular exercise regime in the pursuit of a muscular body. Despite muscularity being a likely reason to exercise, there is currently no physical self-concept (PSC) instrument that includes muscularity. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess items that operationalize muscularity as two constructs: muscle tone (MT), muscle bulk (MB), in contrast to the known constructs: muscle strength (MS), and bodyfat (BF). Thirty-two items were developed (8items/ construct). Academic experts (N=18) agreed to rate the content relevance and representativeness, and to provide evaluative comments. The data were analyzed according to Rogers (2010). The median scores for the relevance of the items ranged from fair to excellent, the representativeness ranged from good to excellent. Conceptually, the experts agreed with the ideas of MT and MB, although they offered suggestions for modifications. Some items were interpreted as having negative connotations. ...

Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 2015

This study examined sources of self-efficacy (SE) and their relationship to task, coping and sche... more This study examined sources of self-efficacy (SE) and their relationship to task, coping and scheduling SE during a 6 month, community-based exercise intervention. Eighty-eight adults (M age = 43.39 years, N = 30 men, N = 58 women) were recruited and results from the first month are reported here. Activity was assessed with a Fitbit Flex. Sources of SE were assessed with 18 items (Warner et al., 2014) representing mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion by others, self-persuasion, negative affect and positive affect. Task, coping and scheduling SE for exercise were assessed with 9 items (Rodgers et al., 2008). Correlations showed that verbal persuasion (r = -.22) and vicarious experience (r = -.23) were related to task SE. Coping SE was related to mastery experience (r = .52), self-persuasion (r = .42), positive affect (r = .23), and negative affect (r = -.22). Scheduling SE was related to mastery experience (r = .69), self-persuasion (r = .58), and positive affe...

Journal of Exercise, Movement, and Sport, 2015

Reasons for exercise (RE) were explored after the first month of initiating a 6-month community-b... more Reasons for exercise (RE) were explored after the first month of initiating a 6-month community-based physical activity intervention. The objectives were to examine the importance of health-related and appearance-related RE after 1-month of the intervention; and to assess the role of sex, age, BMI and physical activity status (PA) on RE. Eighty-eight adults (M age = 43.39 years, M BMI = 25.89 kg/m2, N = 30 men, N = 58 women) completed baseline measures. Demographics and the RE Inventory (Silberstein, et al., 1988) were assessed. Participants rated the importance of 24 items representing seven RE domains (weight control, body tone, attractiveness, mood, health, fitness, and enjoyment). Descriptive statistics were assessed. Separate one-way between-group MANOVAs were conducted to investigate sex (male/female), age (above/below 50th percentile), BMI (healthy/overweight-obese) and PA (active/inactive) according to the seven RE domains. Follow-up ANOVAs were conducted when MANOVAs were s...

The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 2012

Background: Physical inactivity has been a significant health concern among the Canadian populati... more Background: Physical inactivity has been a significant health concern among the Canadian population over the last decade. Purpose: To study the trend in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) of Albertans from 2000 to 2011 and to assesses the relationship between sociodemographic factors and LTPA. Methods: Cross-sectional design was used. Data were obtained in 2000 (n = 1200), 2002 (n = 1209), 2005 (n = 1208), 2006 (n=1207), 2008 (n=1313) and 2010 (n=1202) through representative random telephone surveys. The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire was used for all three surveys, in addition to questions about sociodemographic information (age, income, education, marital status). Men and women were considered active if they expended at least 38 or 35 metabolic equivalents (METs) per week, respectively. Results: From 2000 to 2005, the proportion of active Albertans increased from 54.2% to 60.2% whereas from 2006 to 2011 it decreased from 57.4% to 54.3%. Controlling for sex, logistic ...

BMC public health, Aug 9, 2017

Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of serv... more Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of service and program delivery in organizational networks. However, the extent to which organizations are working together to promote physical activity, and use physical activity policies in Canada, is unknown. This project sought to provide a snapshot of the funding, coordination and partnership relationships among provincial active living organizations (ALOs) in Alberta, Canada. Additionally, the awareness, and use of the provincial policy and national strategy by the organizations was examined. Provincial ALOs (N = 27) answered questions regarding their funding, coordination and partnership connections with other ALOs in the network. Social network analysis was employed to examine network structure and position of each ALO. Discriminant function analysis determined the extent to which degree centrality was associated with the use of the Active Alberta (AA) policy and Active Canada 20/20 (AC...

Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2016

UWALK is a multi-strategy, multi-sector, theory-informed, community-wide approach using e and mHe... more UWALK is a multi-strategy, multi-sector, theory-informed, community-wide approach using e and mHealth to promote physical activity in Alberta, Canada. The aim of UWALK is to promote physical activity, primarily via the accumulation of steps and flights of stairs, through a single over-arching brand. This paper describes the development of the UWALK program. A social ecological model and the social cognitive theory guided the development of key strategies, including the marketing and communication activities, establishing partnerships with key stakeholders, and e and mHealth programs. The program promotes the use of physical activity monitoring devices to self-monitor physical activity. This includes pedometers, electronic devices, and smartphone applications. In addition to entering physical activity data manually, the e and mHealth program provides the function for objective data to be automatically uploaded from select electronic devices (Fitbit®, Garmin and the smartphone application Moves) The RE-AIM framework is used to guide the evaluation of UWALK. Funding for the program commenced in February 2013. The UWALK brand was introduced on April 12, 2013 with the official launch, including the UWALK website on September 20, 2013. This paper describes the development and evaluation framework of a physical activity promotion program. This program has the potential for population level dissemination and uptake of an ecologically valid physical activity promotion program that is evidence-based and theoretically framed.

Canadian journal of dietetic practice and research : a publication of Dietitians of Canada = Revue canadienne de la pratique et de la recherche en dietetique : une publication des Dietetistes du Canada, Jun 15, 2016

Lifestyle behaviours among adults reporting awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG) are descri... more Lifestyle behaviours among adults reporting awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG) are described. Data from a cross-sectional survey of adults from Alberta were used to estimate the prevalence of reported health behaviours among respondents aware of the CFG. Respondents (n = 1044) reported general awareness of CFG (mean age 50.3 years; 54.2% female) of whom 82.2% reported awareness of specific CFG recommendations. Respondents reported frequently reading food labels (>58.0%), reading the number of calories (45.5%), the amount of sodium (49.5%), the amount of fat (46.7%), and the type of fat (45.5%) on the food label. Most respondents (90.0%) reported frequently selecting foods to promote health. Approximately one-third of the respondents (35.8%) reported frequently consuming ≥5 portions of vegetables and fruit per day and regularly participating in physical activity (55.3%). Body weight was perceived as healthy by 63.4% of the respondents. Most engaged in 2 health behaviours f...

Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 2012

The authors examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Obligatory Exercise ... more The authors examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Obligatory Exercise Questionnaire using exploratory factor analyses (Study 1), and confirmatory factor analyses (Study 2). The relationships between obligatory exercise and other psychological variables including: motivation, subjective well-being, physical self-concept, social physique anxiety, and behavioral intention were also examined. The analyses revealed three factors underlying the OEQ: exercise behavior,

Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2014

Background: Little is known about the awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG). The present study a... more Background: Little is known about the awareness of Canada's Food Guide (CFG). The present study aimed to report the general and specific awareness of CFG recommendations among adults in Alberta, Canada. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, respondents (aged >18 years) from randomly selected households completed a telephone survey. Questions pertaining to CFG, physical activity, and vegetable and fruit consumption were included. Logistic regression determined associations between demographic characteristics and awareness of CFG. Results: Thousand two hundred and ten Albertans (50% female, mean age 50.5 years) responded. Most [86.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 84.6-88.4] indicated being generally aware of CFG when prompted and 82.5% were aware of specific CFG recommendations. There were no differences in age between those generally aware and unaware of CFG. Female sex [odds ratio (OR) = 3.6; 95%CI = 24-5.4], Caucasian ethnicity (OR = 3.7; 95% CI = 2.3-5.8), income ≥ Canadian $100 000 per annum (OR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.1-2.3), reporting ≥5 vegetables and fruit per day (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.4-3.2), exceeding recommended levels for physical activity (OR = 2.0; 95% CI = 1.3-2.9) and perception of current weight as healthy (OR = 1.8; 95% CI = 1.2-2.8) were associated with an awareness of CFG. Conclusions: Sex, ethnicity and income were associated with general awareness of CFG. Future studies could explore the relationship between awareness and other health-related behaviours Copyright of Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Canadian Journal of Public Health

American journal of preventive medicine, 2018

BMC public health, Aug 9, 2017

Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of serv... more Coordinated partnerships and collaborations can optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of service and program delivery in organizational networks. However, the extent to which organizations are working together to promote physical activity, and use physical activity policies in Canada, is unknown. This project sought to provide a snapshot of the funding, coordination and partnership relationships among provincial active living organizations (ALOs) in Alberta, Canada. Additionally, the awareness, and use of the provincial policy and national strategy by the organizations was examined. Provincial ALOs (N = 27) answered questions regarding their funding, coordination and partnership connections with other ALOs in the network. Social network analysis was employed to examine network structure and position of each ALO. Discriminant function analysis determined the extent to which degree centrality was associated with the use of the Active Alberta (AA) policy and Active Canada 20/20 (AC...

American journal of preventive medicine, 2017

Stair climbing is an accessible activity that can be incorporated into one's daily lifestyle ... more Stair climbing is an accessible activity that can be incorporated into one's daily lifestyle to increase physical activity levels and provide health benefits. This review summarizes the effectiveness of stair interventions and explores key differences that may influence intervention effectiveness. Interventions to increase stair use published from January 1990 to July 2015 were identified in PubMed, Sport Discus, Web of Science, Environment Complete, CINAHL, Trial Register of Promoting Health Interventions, Embase, Scopus, and PsycINFO. Eligibility criteria included original studies, published in peer-reviewed journals, targeting adult samples, and clearly describing intervention design and results. Studies were also required to measure the use of stairs compared with an elevator, escalator, or moving stairway at baseline and during at least one timepoint when the intervention was in effect. Studies were required to provide data to determine if the intervention resulted in signi...

ACSM s Health & Fitness Journal

ABSTRACT