Introduction
During the COVID-19 pandemic, measures implemented to protect community health may have influenced how and where people engaged in physical activity. In rural communities, access to resources, the environment, and socioeconomic status could play a role in how adults are physically active. Our study examined locations where rural residents of a county in western North Carolina engaged in physical activity early in the COVID-19 pandemic, their reasons for being physically active, and their perceptions of benefits and barriers related to engaging in physical activity.
Methods
Rural adults (N =297) completed an online survey from August 3 through September 15, 2020, describing their physical activity during the summer of 2020. Data were analyzed using nonparametric measures.
Results
Survey respondents frequently engaged in physical activity in the home (57.8%), at parks or on trails (45.3%), and around their neighborhood (39.4%). The most common types of physical activities at parks or on trails were walking and hiking (99.5%). Across all locations, the most frequently reported reasons for engaging in physical activity were getting out of the house, maintaining fitness and mental health, and exercising.
Conclusion
Our study showed many locations where rural residents were physically active and their reasons for participating in physical activity during the pandemic. Data about perceived benefits of and barriers to physical activity during the pandemic can assist in meeting the current need to increase physical activity levels in rural communities.
The prevalence and attributable risk of disease due to physical inactivity require it to be made a public health priority. Public health planning allows for prioritization and resource allocation, particularly at the state and local levels. The extent to which state planning efforts for physical activity exist in the United States is unknown. The purpose of this paper is to describe the scope in which physical activity is incorporated in state-level public health plans in the United States, with an emphasis on alignment with the national guidelines and the National Physical Activity Plan. A standardized internet search audit was developed and conducted for each of 50 US states and the District of Columbia between May 2017 and January 2018 to determine the prevalence and characteristics of health planning documents that include physical activity. Data abstracted for analysis used a standardized search protocol that included the components of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the US National Physical Activity Plan. Results found that most states had between 4 and 6 chronic disease prevention and control plans that mention physical activity; however, it was inconsistently aligned with recommendations from both the Guidelines and the National Plan. Only 2 states had stand-alone public health planning documents explicitly dedicated to physical activity promotion. No state planning documents addressed children and adolescents, adults, and older adults simultaneously. To be maximally effective, state public health planning for physical activity should be made a priority and these efforts should align as much as possible with current guidance from the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the US National Physical Activity Plan.
assess short-term spatial memory, and Grammatical Reasoning (GRAM) to evaluate language-based logical reasoning. SMs were split into aerobic fitness tertiles based on VO2peak (LOW: < 45.0; MOD: 45.0-51.54; HIGH: > 51.54 mL•kg•min -1 ). Two-way mixed ANOVA and Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons were used to analyze group*day interaction on average reaction time (RT) and accuracy (ACC) for MATCH and GRAM, as well as RME ACC, across D1, D3, and D4 of the SMOS. RESULTS: There were no significant group*day interaction effects. However, a significant main effect of group was observed in both MATCH ACC (p = 0.023, ηp 2 = 0.145) and GRAM ACC (p = 0.032, ηp 2 = 0.131). On average, HIGH SMs exhibited 20% higher MATCH ACC (p=0.046) and 25% higher GRAM ACC (p = 0.036) scores compared to LOW SMs. A main effect of time indicated MATCH (p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.263) and GRAM (p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.290) RT decreased throughout the SMOS. RME remained stable through the 5-day protocol. CONCLUSION: SMs with high aerobic fitness performed better at logical reasoning and spatial memory tasks. Increased aerobic fitness is influential to maintaining cognitive functions in response to the physical and cognitive stress observed in military operations.
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