SummaryObjectiveFamily‐based interventions represent a potentially valuable route to increasing child physical activity (PA) in children. A dual meta‐analysis and realist synthesis approach examined existing interventions to assist those developing programmes to encourage uptake and maintenance of PA in children.DesignStudies were screened for inclusion based on including participants aged 5–12 years, having a substantive aim of increasing PA by engaging the family and reporting on PA outcome. Duplicate data extraction and quality assessment were conducted. Meta‐analysis was conducted in STATA. Realist synthesis included theory development and evidence mapping.ResultsForty‐seven studies were included, of which three received a ‘strong’ quality rating, 21 ‘moderate’ and 23 ‘weak’. The meta‐analysis (19 studies) demonstrated a significant small effect in favour of the experimental group (standardized mean difference: 0.41; 95%CI 0.15–0.67). Sensitivity analysis, removing one outlier, reduced this to 0.29 (95%CI 0.14–0.45). Realist synthesis (28 studies) provided insight into intervention context (particularly, family constraints, ethnicity and parental motivation), and strategies to change PA (notably, goal‐setting and reinforcement combined).ConclusionThis review provides key recommendations to inform policy makers and other practitioners in developing evidence‐based interventions aimed at engaging the family to increase PA in children, and identifies avenues for future research.

Objective To systematically review and meta-analyse how physical activity (PA) changes from adolescence to early adulthood (13-30 years). Data sources Seven electronic databases were searched: Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, SCOPUS, ASSIA, SPORTdiscus and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Englishlanguage, longitudinal studies (from 01/1980 to 01/2017) assessing PA ≥twice, with the mean age of ≥1 measurement in adolescence (13-19 years) and ≥1 in young adulthood (16-30 years) were included. Where possible, data were converted to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) min/day, and meta-analyses were conducted between weighted mean differences (WMDs) in adolescence and adulthood. Heterogeneity was explored using meta-regression. results Of 67 included studies, 49 were eligible for meta-analysis. PA was lower during adulthood than adolescence WMD (95% CI) −5.2 (−7.3 to -3.1) min/ day MVPA over mean (SD) 3.4 (2.6) years; heterogeneity was high (I 2 >99.0%), and no predictors explained this variation (all p>0.05). When we restricted analysis to studies with data for males (n=29) and females (n=30) separately, there were slightly larger declines in WMD (−6.5 (−10.6 to -2.3) and −5.5 (−8.4 to −2.6) min/day MVPA) (both I 2 >99.0%). For studies with accelerometer data (n=9), the decline was −7.4 (−11.6 to -3.1) and longer follow-up indicated more of a decline in WMD (95% CI) (−1.9 (−3.6 to -0.2) min/day MVPA), explaining 27.0% of between-study variation. Of 18 studies not eligible for meta-analysis, nine statistically tested change over time: seven showed a decline and two showed no change. conclusion PA declines modestly between adolescence and young adulthood. More objective longitudinal PA data (eg, accelerometry) over this transition would be valuable, as would investigating how PA change is associated with contemporaneous social transitions to better inform PA promotion interventions. registration PROSPERO ref:CRD42015030114.

2013) Physical activity interventions and depression in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, Data extraction: Studies were coded for methodological, participant, and study characteristics. 47Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version-2 software was used to compute effect sizes; with sub-group 48 This is a post-print version of the following article: Brown, Helen Elizabeth, Pearson, Natalie, Braithwaite, Rock E., Brown, Wendy J. and Biddle, Stuart J. H. (2013) Physical activity interventions and depression in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, analyses to identify moderating characteristics. Study quality was assessed using the Delphi 49 technique. 50Results: Nine studies were included (N= 581); most were school-based RCTs randomized by 51 individual. Studies used a variety of measurement tools to assess depressive symptoms. The 52 summary treatment effect was small but significant SE=0.09, 53 p=0.004). Sub-group analyses showed that methodological (e.g. studies with both education and PA 54 intervention; those with a higher quality score; and less than three months in duration) and 55 participant characteristics (e.g. single gender studies; those targeting overweight or obese groups) 56 contributed most to the reduction in depression. 57Conclusions: There was a small significant overall effect for PA on depression. More outcome-58focused, high quality trials are required to effectively inform the implementation of programs to 59 reduce depressive symptoms in children and adolescents.

Lavender Foal Syndrome (LFS) is a lethal inherited disease of horses with a suspected autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. LFS has been primarily diagnosed in a subgroup of the Arabian breed, the Egyptian Arabian horse. The condition is characterized by multiple neurological abnormalities and a dilute coat color. Candidate genes based on comparative phenotypes in mice and humans include the ras-associated protein RAB27a (RAB27A) and myosin Va (MYO5A). Here we report mapping of the locus responsible for LFS using a small set of 36 horses segregating for LFS. These horses were genotyped using a newly available single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip containing 56,402 discriminatory elements. The whole genome scan identified an associated region containing these two functional candidate genes. Exon sequencing of the MYO5A gene from an affected foal revealed a single base deletion in exon 30 that changes the reading frame and introduces a premature stop codon. A PCR–based Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) assay was designed and used to investigate the frequency of the mutant gene. All affected horses tested were homozygous for this mutation. Heterozygous carriers were detected in high frequency in families segregating for this trait, and the frequency of carriers in unrelated Egyptian Arabians was 10.3%. The mapping and discovery of the LFS mutation represents the first successful use of whole-genome SNP scanning in the horse for any trait. The RFLP assay can be used to assist breeders in avoiding carrier-to-carrier matings and thus in preventing the birth of affected foals.

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ObjectivesAssess the feasibility of implementing the GoActive intervention in secondary schools, to identify improvements, test study procedures, determine preliminary effectiveness to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and inform power calculations to establish programme effectiveness.SettingFeasibility study (1 school) and pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial (CRCT; 2 intervention; 1 control school(s)).Participants460 participants (46.6% female; 13.2 (0.4) years old).Interventions8-week intervention (2013) involved: classes choosing weekly activities encouraged by mentors (older adolescents) and in-class peer leaders. Students gain points for trying activities which are entered into an intramural competition.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPlanned quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (focus groups) process evaluation addressed enjoyment, confidence, participation, suggested improvements. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up (week 8) in pilot CRCT and included accelerometer-assessed MVPA; adolescent-reported activity type, well-being, peer support, shyness, sociability. Analysis of covariance was used to assess preliminary effectiveness as change in MVPA adjusted for baseline.ResultsAll year 9 students in intervention schools were exposed to the intervention; over all schools 77% of eligible students were measured. 71% boys and 74% girls found GoActive ‘fun’; 38% boys and 32% girls said it increased confidence, and 64% boys and 59% girls said they would continue with a GoActive activity. Suggested improvements included more mentorship; improved training; streamlined points recording. Pilot results indicated potential effectiveness ((adjusted mean difference (95% CI) p value; MVPA mins; 5.1 (1.1 to 9.2) p=0.014)) and suggest recruitment of 16 schools (2400 adolescents) for a full trial. Compared with control, intervention students reported greater peer support 0.5 (0.1 to 0.9) p=0.03, well-being 1.8 (0.1 to 3.4) p=0.04 but no difference in shyness/sociability. Participation in activity types approached significance (intervention group 2.3 (−0.2 to 4.7) p=0.07 more activity types).ConclusionsResults suggest feasibility and indicate potential effectiveness of GoActive to increase MVPA and support a fully powered evaluation of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Process evaluation data were used to refine GoActive prior to a full trial.Trial registration numberISRCTN31583496; pre-results.

The term 'presenteeism' is a relatively new concept in workplace health, and has come to signify being at work despite poor health and performing below par. Presenteeism, which is potentially critical to employers, has been associated with a range of psychosocial outcome measures, such as poor mental health and employee well-being. Physical activity is a potential strategy for reducing presenteeism, and for improving the mental health of employees. This article reviews evidence on the relationships between physical activity and employee well-being and presenteeism in the workplace, and identifies directions for research in an emerging field. Electronic and manual literature searches were used to identify 20 articles that met the inclusion criteria. These included 13 intervention trials (8 randomized controlled trials, 5 comparison trials) and 7 observational studies (3 cohort, 4 cross-sectional). Outcome measures were grouped into 'workplace well-being', 'psychosocial well-being' and 'physical well-being'. Studies measured a wide variety of outcomes, with absenteeism being the most commonly assessed. Evidence indicated a positive association between physical activity and psychosocial health in employees, particularly for quality of life and emotional well-being. However, findings were inconclusive as to the role of physical activity in promoting workplace well-being. Only one study reported on presenteeism, with mixed evidence for outcomes. This article indicates that physical activity and employee psychosocial health are positively related, but there is limited evidence of a relationship between physical activity and presenteeism. A standardized definition of presenteeism and an appropriate evaluation tool are key research priorities if the complex relationships between physical activity and workplace well-being are to be better understood.

Summary Objective The objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to increase physical activity (PA) in 0–5 year olds and to determine what works, for whom, in what circumstances. Design Systematic review, meta‐analysis and realist synthesis. Data sources Embase and EBSCOhost (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, Global Health, MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus with full text), up to and including April 2017. Eligibility criteria Published in a peer‐reviewed English language journal; randomized or controlled trial design; aimed to increase children's PA levels; reported on objectively assessed PA in children between 0 and 5.9 years at baseline and post‐intervention. Results Thirty‐four studies were included in the review, mostly conducted in the preschool/childcare setting. Meta‐analyses showed an overall non‐significant (Z = 0.04, p = 0.97) mean difference of 0.03 (95% CI = −1.57, 1.63) minutes/day for light‐intensity PA (n = 11). The overall mean difference for moderate‐intensity to vigorous‐intensity PA (n = 21) was 2.88 (95% CI = 1.54, 4.23) minutes/day, indicating a small but significant overall positive effect (Z = 4.20, p < 0.001). The realist synthesis provided insights into the key contexts and mechanisms that appeared to be effective at changing children's PA. Conclusion Based on a quantitative and qualitative examination of the evidence, this review provides specific recommendations for effective early childhood PA interventions for practitioners and policymakers.