The purpose of this survey study was to comprehensively examine if various types of screen time differed between children with overweight or obesity (OWOB; ≥ 85th BMI percentile) vs. normal weight (NW: < 85th BMI percentile) in a largely socioeconomically disadvantaged population. 739 parent proxies of children aged 5-11 years (M = 9.27, SD = 1.49) mostly enrolled in Medicaid (83.9%) in a United States (US) southern state responded to an online questionnaire called the Movement Behavior Questionnaire - Child (MBQ-C; open version). Eight items of the MBQ-C separately measured passive and interactive screen time on weekdays and weekend days. The survey also gathered parent-reported child weight and height, along with their sociodemographic characteristics. Compared to children with NW (M = 294.5 ± 7.2 min/day), children with OWOB (M = 364.3 ± 10.6 min/day) reported greater amount of total screen time (MDiff = 69.8 min/day, 95% CI = [45.0-94.6], p < 0.001). Of the sample, 24.9% met the sedentary screen time guidelines of no more than 2 hours/day favoring children with NW (OR = 0.59, 95% CI [0.39, 0.86], p = 0.008). The difference of screen time between weight-status groups was greatest in passive screen time, particularly on weekdays (MDiff = 63.2 min/day, 95% CI = 47.6-78.7, p < 0.001). Demographic factors did not significantly moderate the relationship between screen time and weight status. Most of the disadvantaged children failed to meet the screen time guidelines. Children with OWOB reported higher screen time, particularly passive screen time on weekdays. These findings suggest the need for tailored interventions to not only curb overall screen time but also mitigate specific types of screen time behaviors on specific days for children with OWOB (i.e., passive screen use on weekdays).

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a culturally tailored pedagogical workshop, as a pilot intervention, designed to prompt in-service physical education (PE) teachers to offer equitable physical activity opportunities (PAOs). Participants were two certified middle school PE teachers and 175 students. Using a mixed-methods descriptive study design, the PE teachers received workshop sessions and took part in semi-structured interviews. The adapted Student Measure of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children was administered to measure students’ perceptions and physical activity (PA), respectively. Qualitative data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data showed favorable changes in the teachers’ culturally relevant pedagogy and revealed four thematic categories: “attitude toward cultural pluralism and responsiveness,” “awareness of instructional practice,” “intentions to receive relevant professional development (PD),” and “the essential role of culture.” No significant changes were detected for students’ perceptions and PA ( p ’s > 0.05). The study showed mixed feasibility evidence of the workshop influencing teacher- and student-level outcomes in middle school PE. Future research promoting culturally relevant PE through long-term influential PD is warranted.

Background Adolescent obesity remains a pressing public health challenge, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Artificial intelligence (AI) holds the promise for supporting students in managing daily health behaviors, but few existing studies used AI-based interventions in naturalistic settings such as schools. Objective This study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary impact of ProudMe Tech (Louisiana State University), an AI-assisted web app designed to help students manage 4 obesity-related behaviors: physical activity, screen time, diet, and sleep. Methods The 8-week, 1-arm pilot intervention study recruited 172 participants from 5 middle schools in Louisiana and used the ProudMe Tech to set behavior goals, track behaviors, record reflections, and receive AI-generated feedback. Both engagement (primary focus) and behavior impacts (secondary focus) were examined. Results Engagement metrics indicated varying levels of usage, averaging 8.9 (SD 7.6) behavior entries and 30.0 (SD 28.3) reflections per student, and receiving 33.5 (SD 29.7) AI feedback messages. Overall, participants recorded 6164 valid daily goals, of which 3934 (63.8%) were achieved. Natural language processing of the reflections and AI feedback messages revealed an overall neutral to positive sentiment. Pre- to postcomparisons showed (1) a significant reduction in screen time from 4.3 (SD 2.6) to 3.4 (SD 2.5) hours per day (21.6% decrease; t164=6.18, P<.001), (2) a small but significant decrease in fruit and vegetable intake from 5.7 (SD 3.8) to 5.2 (SD 3.5) servings per day (8.9% decrease; t169=2.27, P=.46), and (3) no significant changes in physical activity and sleep. Conclusions These findings suggest that ProudMe Tech is a feasible AI chatbot that can engage adolescents in health behavior management, but more adaptation is needed to effectively elicit improvements in health behaviors and lower the obesity risk in middle school students.

Background/objectives:Social determinants of health (SDOHs) may affect children's health and health behaviors. This study aimed to understand the relationship between health behaviors and SDOHs in a child population from under-resourced communities [i.e., Medicaid eligible or enrolled, overweight or with obesity (OWOB), predominantly Black or African Americans]. Methods:Following a stratified sampling strategy, parent proxies (N = 311) completed an online survey to measure participants (5-12 years old) health behaviors and SDOHs including socioeconomic status [SES; Area Deprivation Index (ADI), household income], living conditions, and food insecurity. Results:Participants with OWOB showed greater screen time than normal weight (NW) children. Health behaviors (i.e., physical activity, screen time, sleep, dietary behavior) generally favored the higher SES group (considering household income and ADI). SDOHs (as a variant) correlated with health behaviors (the other variant; Canonical r = 0.27, p < 0.05). Of the SDOHs, household chaos negatively correlated with regular bedtime routines in both weight status groups (NW: r = -0.19, p < 0.05; OWOB: r = -0.24, p < 0.01). Adverse living conditions and greater food insecurity were associated with more screen time and, unexpectedly associated with more physical activity (r ranged from 0.19 to 0.22, p < 0.05) in NW participants. Conclusions:The findings unraveled differences in health behaviors by weight status and SDOHs. SDOHs showed significant correlations with health behaviors, and these correlations were slightly greater in NW children. Weight status plays an important role in the relationship between health behaviors and SDOHs among children from under-resourced communities.

BackgroundAs physical education classes are lost to budget cuts and recess is canceled to meet standardized testing goals, the modern school day has become dominated by sedentary digital activities. To reverse this trend, current interventions have focused on reducing screen time. However, instead of fighting this digital invasion, this study examined the use of technology, specifically mixed reality, to turn screen time from sedentary into active time, promoting physical activity in a classroom setting. ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study was to iteratively develop and test a mixed reality prototype that promotes physical activity (eg, jumping, squatting, and punching) during a digital classroom activity. The primary outcomes were the percentage of active time during the activity, a breakdown of the intensity of that active time, and an evaluation of the prototype’s usability. MethodsBetween November 2023 and April 2025, a multidisciplinary research team developed a prototype and evaluated it during 2 rounds of pilot-testing. Participants were aged 10 to 15 years and attended local middle schools. Physical activity was assessed using a medical-grade, hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT). Acceptability was assessed using a validated questionnaire (the System Usability Scale) that has a maximum score of 100. To collect feedback for prototype improvements, semistructured interviews were conducted after each round of pilot-testing. ResultsIn the first round of pilot-testing, students (n=22) were active for 46.0% (6.9, SD 2.7 minutes) of the headset session, which lasted 15 (SD 0) minutes. After improving the prototype using feedback from the first round, students in the second round (n=10) were active for 5.8 (SD 3.1) minutes (62.4%) of the web-based assignment, which lasted 9.3 (SD 2.41) minutes, while still reporting “good” acceptability scores (mean 73.8, SD 17.2). There were no significant differences in acceptability ratings between the 2 pilot-testing rounds (P=.16), nor were there differences between boys and girls in round 1 (P=.79) or round 2 (P=.61). ConclusionsThe results of this iterative study indicate that mixed reality can be used to elicit physical activity in a classroom setting, at least for short assignments. However, further research is needed to determine longer-term use and effectiveness.

BACKGROUND:Childhood obesity remains a pressing public health concern, with significant long-term implications for children's growth and development, as well as an increased risk for various diseases. In recent years, the obesity prevalence among children has shown a concerning rise, particularly in the Deep South (e.g., Louisiana) exhibiting higher rates compared to other regions of the United States. Meanwhile, environmental factors play a critical role in shaping children's health behaviors and outcomes. There has been an increasing body of research on the relation between obesogenic environment and health, but far less focused on child health. METHODS:This study provides a comprehensive measurement of obesogenic environments for children in Louisiana covering park accessibility, walkability, and food environment at the ZIP Code area level. Geographic information system (GIS) analyses revealed significant urban-rural disparities and heterogeneity by race and socioeconomic deprivation. A three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) further revealed the main and interaction effects of urbanicity, Black population percentage, and area deprivation index (ADI) on obesogenic environment indicators. RESULTS:Regarding the disparities of walkability, not only the individual factors including urbanicity, Black population percentage, and ADI significantly affect walkability, but also the interaction terms among these factors, including both two-way and three-way interactions, are significant. Urban-rural differences and ADI levels contribute to disparities in the food environment. But no significant disparities are observed in park accessibility across different subgroups. CONCLUSION:While park accessibility disparities are limited, the food environment varies significantly by urbanicity and ADI level, walkability shows complex socio-spatial interactions. The study sheds light on targeted public health interventions and urban planning to close the gaps in obesogenic environments for children's health.

Research on hybrid pedagogical models in physical education has been burgeoning in recent years. The aim of this systematic review with meta-analysis was to discern the research patterns and assess the impact of hybrid-pedagogical-model-based interventions on student learning in PreK–12 physical education. We applied criteria such as being a data-based study and utilizing a hybrid pedagogical model to search for relevant articles, with a total of 17 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. By synthesizing studies included in this research, we classified different learning outcomes into student motivation, game performance, and physical activity and fitness. Significant heterogeneity was identified among the studies (Q = 118.65, df = 13, I2 = 89.04%, τ 2 = .25). Our meta-analysis found a large impact of hybrid models on motivation (Hedges’s g = 0.91, 95% confidence interval [0.78, 1.03]) and a moderate impact on game performance (Hedges’s g = 0.36, 95% confidence interval [0.22, 0.50]). Hybridization of pedagogical models has the potential to enhance students’ motivation and learning in physical education. The findings hold implications for guiding the design, implementation, and evaluation of future curriculum reforms in physical education.

Parents play an important role in children's physical literacy development (across cognitive, physical, affective, and behavioral domains) and physical activity participation. The purpose of this study was mainly to ascertain the predictive effects of parents' perceptions of physical activity (PPPA) on children' physical literacy and its four domains. Children (N = 195; Mage = 9.09 ± 1.08) from five classes at one primary school in Central China completed the simplified Chinese version of Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy version two (CAPL-2). Their parents completed the PPPA questionnaire that measured parental attitude, awareness, value, understanding, and appreciation. We also gathered data on demographic and anthropometric factors including gender, age, socioeconomic status (SES), and body mass index (BMI). Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM; child nested in classes) was used to examine the predictive effects of PPPA on children's physical literacy and its four domains, after controlling for gender, age, SES, BMI, and gender of participating parent. The children's total physical literacy level was at the progressing stage (M = 66.91 ± 10.13) and their parents' PPPA averaged at 92.50 ± 3.81 (87.62%). PPPA significantly predicted physical literacy (β = 0.61, p < 0.01) and its cognitive (β = 0.11, p = 0.03) and physical domains (β = 0.17, p < 0.01). Parental valuing significantly predicted physical literacy (β = 0.88, p = 0.01) and its physical (β = 0.27, p = 0.03) and affective domains (β = 0.32, p = 0.02). Parental understanding also predicted physical literacy (β = 0.91, p = 0.04). PPPA, especially valuing and understanding, is an influential factor to consider when fostering children's physical literacy.

The purpose of this pilot study was to test an adapted childhood obesity prevention intervention called Preventing Obesity Using Digital-Assisted Movement and Eating (ProudMe) in under-resourced schools. Six schools were cluster-randomized to ProudMe (n = 33; at three schools) or waitlist control (n = 46; at three schools) conditions. ProudMe aimed to improve participants’ health behaviors and weight status through interventions in the school cafeteria (i.e., ProudMe Cafeteria), physical education (PE) (i.e., ProudMe PE), and through artificial-intelligence- (AI-) assisted behavioral counseling (i.e., ProudMe Tech), and staff professional development (i.e., ProudMe PD). Two implementation outcomes including penetration and fidelity were captured through mixed methods. We drew upon the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to identify facilitators and barriers underlying implementation. The intervention only resulted in highly positive implementation outcomes in the cafeterias, which subsequently resulted in improved cafeteria scores. Implementation outcomes were less desirable in ProudMe PE with moderate penetration and fidelity. ProudMe PD was well attended but ProudMe Tech was under-utilized. The pilot intervention as a whole did not show significant effects on student-level outcomes (p > 0.05). Multiple facilitators and barriers across CFIR domains emerged as influential factors for the pilot intervention’s implementation and preliminary effectiveness. This study generated mixed evidence concerning the ProudMe intervention. The lessons learned inform future intervention refinement.

Research exploring motivation has yielded a robust body of evidence to guide efforts to improve teaching and learning in physical education (PE). We begin by defining motivation and achievement within the context of PE. Given the extensive and diverse motivational perspectives, we purposely selected three widely studied theories in PE, achievement goal theory, self-determination theory, and interest theory, as the focus of our review. These theories have guided many investigations and the development of pedagogical practice over the past 3 decades. We elaborate on these theories and then synthesize recently published intervention studies to provide an interpretive analysis of the literature. This analysis has enabled us to identify gaps that need to be addressed in future research and efforts to improve practice. We conclude with the proposition calling for innovative, theory-driven, evidence-based research and practice to foster adaptive student motivation for optimal educational, behavioral, and health outcomes in K–12 PE.

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among perceived physical literacy (PPL), knowledge of physical activity and fitness (PAF knowledge), and physical fitness.MethodsUndergraduates (N = 968, female = 414; Mage = 18.64) from a public university in central China completed a simplified Chinese version of the PPL instrument, an online test for PAF knowledge, and seven health-related physical fitness tests. The PPL includes three dimensions: (a) confidence and physical competence, (b) motivation, and (c) interaction with the environment. The fitness tests measured lung capacity, body mass index (BMI), and performances in 800 (female)/1000 (male) meters run, 50 meters dash (50 M), sit-up (female) / pull-up (male), standing long jump (SLJ), and sit-and-reach.ResultsPPL and its dimensions significantly predicted six fitness test performances both in male (β: −0.42 – 0.37; p < 0.01–0.05; R2: 0.01–0.13) and female (β: −0.59 – 0.49; p < 0.01–0.05; R2: 0.03–0.13) students. PAF knowledge (β: −0.17 – 0.18; p < 0.01–0.05; R2: 0.01–0.05) significantly predicted BMI (males) and performances in 50 M (females) and SLJ (females) tests.ConclusionTo support college students’ fitness development and maintenance, tailored physical activity and fitness promotion programs are needed to strengthen students’ PPL and PAF knowledge.

Purpose: Summer day camp offers children opportunities to grow knowledge and skills, be physically active, and have fun. Compared to healthy children, at-risk children (i.e., overweight, or with obesity and chronic health conditions) typically display less optimal health behaviors and psychosocial well-being, especially during summer months. This study examined the preliminary effectiveness of an American-Diabetes-Association-sponsored summer day camp at improving children’s health behaviors (i.e., physical activity, screen time, diet, sleep) and psychosocial well-being outcomes (i.e., quality of life [QoL], enjoyment, weight-related self-efficacy). Method: The sample consisted of 39 participants, including 19 boys and 20 girls, with majority being overweight (n = 4 or 10%) or with obesity (n = 26 or 67%), who attended the day camp for one week. Results: Significant improvements were observed in screen time, quality of life, and physical function. The results further showed significant time by gender interaction effect for overall QoL (p < 0.05, ηp2 = 0.15), physical health (a dimension of QoL; p < 0.05, ηp2 = 0.18), and significant time by household income for the psychosocial health (another dimension of QoL), favoring boys and those from higher income families. Discussion: The findings indicate a positive preliminary effectiveness of the summer camp at reducing children’s screen time and improving their QoL, especially in boys and those from higher-income families. Future research should focus on health disparities and expansion of this camp for the potential of longer-term and more robust effects related to wellness, nutrition literacy, physical activity promotion, and obesity prevention.

It still remains a great challenge to selectively enrich and sensitively quantify the trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in real samples with complex matrix. In this study, an integration method combining a selective enrichment medium of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with a specially designed micro thermal-assisted purge-and-trap sampling device was developed for efficient enrichment and sensitive quantification of trace tobacco VOCs coupling with thermal desorption (TD)-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The prepared rGO has been proved to possess excellent enrichment selectivity and capacity for tobacco polar VOCs with the multi-layer structure, good thermal stability and large specific surface area. The specially designed sampling device was efficient and suitable for enriching and sampling trace polar tobacco VOCs coupling with rGO medium. Under the optimized sampling and analytical conditions, the established analytical method could be actually applied for quantification of typical tobacco polar VOCs with the good recoveries of 72.9–128% and the satisfied RSDs of 1.8–19.9% ( n = 3). The results suggested that the developed method was selective, sensitive and reliable for enrichment and quantification of trace tobacco polar VOCs.

Background: The Situated Game Teaching Through Set Plays (SGTSP) model, a newly proposed curricular model, extends the previous game-based approaches by adopting the Theory of Situated Learning as a framework to focus on the relational and situational nature of the changing relations of all game parameters in a specific momentary game scenario. However, as a new game-based model, SGTSP warrants further empirical research investigations to establish its effectiveness at advancing student learning such as skill acquisition and game competence. Purpose: To examine the effects of the SGTSP curricular model on secondary school students’ tactical knowledge, technical ability, and game performance in badminton when compared with a technique-focused approach during a 10-lesson unit. Methods: A completely randomized block design with a repeated measure was used to address the research purpose. A sample of 158 sixth graders from eight classes at two Turkish middle schools (67 girls and 89 boys; Mage = 12.62 ± 0.47) were assigned to either the SGTSP (n = 79 from four classes) or the technique-focused approach conditions (n = 79 from four classes) for the experiment. Assessments were conducted before and after the badminton instructional unit. The statistical models consisted of one of the four technical ability performances, components of game performance, or tactical knowledge as a dependent variable and eight independent variables: teacher, treatment, class nested within teacher and treatment, gender, skill levels, and three 2-way interactions between treatment, gender, and skill levels. A series of repeated-measure multivariate analyses of variance were conducted to analyze the data. Results: Participants in both groups improved tactical knowledge, forehand long serve, forehand clear, smash, and drop skills, and game performances from pre to post. Participants in the SGTSP condition showed significantly greater improvements (). Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of this study substantiated the positive effects of the SGTSP model on developing secondary school students’ badminton tactical knowledge, technical ability, and game performances in badminton compared with the traditional technique-focused approach.

Purpose: The purposes of the study were to examine the longitudinal changes of team cohesion within a Sport Education season among female students and to identify facilitators and barriers underlying cohesion development. Method: A longitudinal, concurrent, mixed methods design was employed. Students from sixth to eighth grades (all girls; n = 55) in small teams (n = 15), and their physical education teacher, from one convenience private school in a southern U.S. state, participated in this study. All students completed the validated Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire across three time points. Regular field observations, focus group interviews with students, and individual interviews with student leaders and the physical education teacher were conducted to capture the facilitators and barriers. Results: No significant time effect was observed for team cohesion, but student leadership significantly moderated cohesion development from Time 2 to Time 3 and from Time 1 to Time 3, but not from Time 1 to Time 2. Qualitative data unraveled four facilitators and three barriers underlying cohesion development. Conclusion: The findings are informative for future Sport Education-based curricular and instructional practices to nurture team cohesion.