HEHA Research Symposium Physical Activity

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HEHA Research SymposiumPhysical Activity

• Gregory Kolt, PhD
• Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition
  Research
• AUT University

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Overview

• Surveillance of physical activity
• Correlates and determinants of physical activity
• Interventions and best practice for physical
  activity
• Challenges in pursuing physical activity research
• Developing research capacity in physical activity
• Information and research needs for Maori, Pacific
  people, and Asians
• Integration of research in nutrition, physical
  activity, and obesity

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Approach to presentation

• Each main area
• Environmental scan
• Identified gaps
• Future opportunities

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Surveillance environmental scan

• Surveillance over past 15 years
• Difficulties in comparisons of prevalence
• Varying surveillance methods
• Measures used
• Now have a robust surveillance recall measure
• NZPAQ based on IPAQ
• International comparison is difficult
• Differences in definitions of sufficiently
  active

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Surveillance environmental scan

• Surveillance to date
• Life in New Zealand (LINZ)
• New Zealand Sport and Physical Activity Surveys
  (NZSPAS)
• Obstacles to Action (OTA)
• Child Nutrition Survey

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Surveillance identified gaps

• Surveillance has predominantly been on adult
  populations
• Gap in surveillance of adolescent population
• OTA 16 years
• Child population through CNS (5-14 years)
• Self report methods

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Surveillance future opportunities

• Ongoing surveillance
• Use of valid measure NZPAQ
• Further exploration of using objective measures
  for adults
• When using objective measures, higher numbers of
  people meet guidelines of MVPA
• Use of objective measures for children as best
  practice
• Use of both objective measure and self-report for
  adolescents
• Development of appropriate self-report for
  adolescent age group

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Surveillance future opportunities

• Need for national physical activity guidelines
  for youth
• Need to match measures with guidelines
• Matching guidelines for being sufficiently
  active to international perspectives to allow
  meaningful comparisons
• SPARCs mission to be the most active nation
• Surveillance needs to consider amount of
  sedentary activity

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Correlates and determinants environmental scan

• Well investigated area of physical activity
  internationally
• Especially sociodemographic variables
• Physical environmental and PA in its infancy
• Social environment and PA in its infancy
• New Zealand context
• Obstacles to Action (SPARC)
• Child Nutrition Survey
• Active Friendly Environments (SPARC Active
  Communities Fund)

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Correlates and determinants environmental scan

• Longitudinal studies
• Pacific Islands Families Study (PIF)
• Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development
  Study
• Christchurch Health and Development Study
• Obesity Prevention in Communities (OPIC)
• University of Auckland
• Body Size and Steps in Children (BASIC)
• AUT
• Girls Activity and Body Composition Study
  (Girls ABC)
• AUT

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Correlates and determinants identified gaps

• Preschool age group
• Adult ethnic group studies (and comparisons)
• Especially Asian populations
• Correlates and determinants of sedentary
  behaviours
• Relationship between physical environment and PA
• Especially urban design
• Especially children

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Correlates and determinants future opportunities

• International Physical Environment Network (IPEN)
• Collaborative study with 8 countries
• New Zealand now accepted as arm of the study
• Explore relationship in preschool population
• Explore relationship for population subgroups
• Ethnic
• Age groups (older adults)

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Interventions and best practice environmental
scan

• Internationally, least work has been done in this
  area
• Population level interventions
• Active Communities Fund projects
• Stepping Out (Northland)
• Exercise on Prescription (Taupo)
• Obesity Prevention in Communities (OPIC)
• Evaluation of Push Play
• Primary care interventions
• Green Prescription research
• TeleWalk study
• Depression and older adults

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Interventions and best practice identified gaps

• Interventions for children and adolescents
• Workplace interventions for adults
• Evaluation of population level interventions from
  the Active Communities Fund
• Interventions on ethnic populations
• Interventions for people with specific chronic
  conditions or other pathologies

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Interventions and best practice future
opportunities

• Better utilisation of funds such as Active
  Communities Fund
• Extending opportunities beyond TLAs
• Ensuring rigorous evaluation of population-level
  initiatives
• Pursuing interventions with at-risk groups
• Influencing the physical environment (and
  evaluation)
• Transport sector
• Urban planning

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Challenges in research

• Workforce development
• Research funding
• Establishing partnerships for multidisciplinary
  research
• Developing relationships with community partners
• Lack of overall national framework and priorities
  around this area

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Developing research capacity

• Better training opportunities for future
  workforce
• Up-skilling existing workforce
• Linking with international studies
• Research workforce retention

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Information and research needs for Maori, Pacific
people, and Asians

• Ethnic-specific workforce development
• Closer focus on specific health needs of growing
  Asian population
• Research on sedentary behaviour of Maori and
  Pacific populations
• Research on interventions that are culturally
  aligned

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Integration of research in nutrition, physical
activity, and obesity

• Physical activity is important in several
  contexts
• Risk factor for developing chronic disease
  (including obesity)
• Management strategy for chronic disease
  (including obesity)
• Concurrent evaluation of physical activity,
  anthropometric variables, and markers of eating

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Acknowledgements

• Dr Grant Schofield