Objective Self-monitoring of physical activity (PA) and diet are key components of behavioral weight loss programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between diet (mobile app, website, or paper journal) and PA (mobile app vs no mobile app) self-monitoring and dietary and PA behaviors. Materials and methods This study is a post hoc analysis of a 6-month randomized weight loss trial among 96 overweight men and women (body mass index (BMI) 25-45 kg/m 2 ) conducted from 2010 to 2011. Participants in both randomized groups were collapsed and categorized by their chosen selfmonitoring method for diet and PA. All participants received a behavioral weight loss intervention delivered via podcast and were encouraged to self-monitor dietary intake and PA. Results Adjusting for randomized group and demographics, PA app users self-monitored exercise more frequently over the 6-month study (2.6±0.5 days/week) and reported greater intentional PA (196.4±45.9 kcal/day) than non-app users (1.2±0.5 days/week PA self-monitoring, p<0.01; 100.9±45.1 kcal/day intentional PA, p=0.02). PA app users also had a significantly lower BMI at 6 months (31.5±0.5 kg/m 2 ) than non-users (32.5±0.5 kg/m 2 ; p=0.02). Frequency of self-monitoring did not differ by diet self-monitoring method ( p=0.63); however, app users consumed less energy (1437±188 kcal/day) than paper journal users (2049±175 kcal/day; p=0.01) at 6 months. BMI did not differ among the three diet monitoring methods ( p=0.20). Conclusions These findings point to potential benefits of mobile monitoring methods during behavioral weight loss trials. Future studies should examine ways to predict which self-monitoring method works best for an individual to increase adherence. BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, social restrictions to contain the spread of the virus have disrupted behaviors across the 24-h day including physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep among children (5–12 years old) and adolescents (13–17 years old). Preliminary evidence reports significant decreases in physical activity, increases in sedentary behavior, and disrupted sleep schedules/sleep quality in children and adolescents. This commentary discusses the impact of COVID-19-related restrictions on behaviors across the 24-h day in children and adolescents. Furthermore, we suggest recommendations through the lens of a socio-ecological model to provide strategies for lasting behavior change to insure the health and well-being of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gap between discovery of public health knowledge and application in practice settings and policy development is due in part to ineffective dissemination. This article describes (1) lessons related to dissemination from related disciplines (eg, communication, agriculture, social marketing, political science), (2) current practices among researchers, (3) key audience characteristics, (4) available tools for dissemination, and (5) measures of impact. Dissemination efforts need to take into account the message, source, audience, and channel. Practitioners and policy makers can be more effectively reached via news media, social media, issue or policy briefs, one-on-one meetings, and workshops and seminars. Numerous “upstream” and “midstream” indicators of impact include changes in public perception or awareness, greater use of evidence-based interventions, and changes in policy. By employing ideas outlined in this article, scientific discoveries are more likely to be applied in public health agencies and policy-making bodies.

This study sought to determine the reliability and validity of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) in elementary school children. The sample consisted of 564 3rd grade students (M age = 8.72 ± .54; 268 male, 296 female) surveyed at the beginning of the fall semester. Results indicated that the PACES displayed good internal consistency and item-total correlations. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a unidimensional factor structure. Scores on the PACES were significantly correlated with task goal orientation (r = .65, p < .01), athletic competence (r = .23, p < .01), physical appearance (r = .20, p < .01), and self-reported physical activity (r = .16, p < .01). However, results of invariance analysis suggested the factor structure is variant across sex. The present findings suggest support for the validity of the PACES as a valid measure of enjoyment of physical activity in children; nevertheless, further research examining the invariance of the factor structure across sex is warranted.

Subjects who attended > or = 40% of the intervention achieved a significant reduction in %BF at a relatively low cost. School-based obesity prevention programs of this type are likely to be a cost-effective use of public funds and warrant careful consideration by policy makers and program planners.

Many adolescents, both rural and urban, are not meeting the recommended levels for physical activity (PA). This investigation was designed to elicit socioecologic barriers and facilitators for PA in rural and urban middle school youth and their parents. Thirteen focus groups were conducted with 41 youth and 50 parents from eastern North Carolina. Distance, cost, crime/danger and television were mentioned as the primary barriers among parents. Youth mentioned school policies related to PA and crime/danger as the main PA barriers. The most salient facilitators discussed by parents were social/peer facilitators, facilities available and parental role modeling of PA. The primary facilitators mentioned by youth were social outlets and facilities available. Results indicate that intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental and policy factors related to PA resonated with both youth and parents. Since rural and urban residents often perceive and interact differently with PA environments, more research is needed to properly adapt interventions.

environmental approach to obesity prevention in children: Medical College of Georgia FitKid Project year 1 results. Obes Res. 2005;13: 2153-2161. Objective: To test the hypothesis that third grade children (mean age ϭ 8.7, SD ϭ 0.5) who attended an 8-month after-school program would exhibit favorable changes in body composition, cardiovascular fitness, blood pressure, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol compared with children in control condition. Research Methods and Procedures: Subjects were 61% African-American, 31% white, and 8% other racial background from 18 public schools. Sixty-eight percent were eligible for free or reduced price lunch. Percentage body fat and bone mineral density were assessed by DXA, cardiovascular fitness by heart rate response to a step test, resting blood pressure with a Dinamap, and non-fasting total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol by finger stick. Data pre-and post-intervention were available for 447 children. Children in the nine intervention schools who attended at least 40% of the after-school sessions were compared with control subjects. Results:Compared with the control subjects and after controlling for race, sex, free/reduced price lunch status, and school-level covariates, youths in the intervention group showed a relative reduction of percentage body fat [Ϫ0.76 (95% confidence interval (CI), Ϫ1.42, Ϫ0.09)], a greater relative gain in bone mineral density [0.008 (95% CI, 0.001, 0.005)], and a greater relative reduction in heart rate response to the step test [Ϫ4.4 (95% CI, Ϫ8.2, 0.6)]. The other outcome variables showed non-significant trends in favor of the intervention subjects.

The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) is a validated self-report measure of physical activity widely used to assess physical activity in children (8-14 years of age). To date, however, the instrument has been validated in largely White Canadian samples. The purpose of the present article is to determine the psychometric properties of the PAQ-C for African American, European American, and Hispanic children. Two studies were conducted in which independent samples were administered the PAQ-C, along with varying indices of cardiovascular fitness, fatness, and psychological measures related to physical activity. Results showed that the reliability and validity of the PAQ-C varied by race and that modifications might be necessary.