Loading...
3 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
- Towards an in-depth understanding of physical activity and eating behaviours during COVID-19 social confinement: a combined approach from a portuguese national surveyPublication . Silva, Marlene Nunes; Gregório, Maria João; Santos, Rute; Marques, Adilson; Rodrigues, Bruno; Godinho, Cristina; Silva, Catarina Santos; Mendes, Romeu; Graça, Pedro; Arriaga, Miguel; Freitas, GraçaRapid worldwide decreases in physical activity (PA), an increase in sedentary behaviour (SB) and poorer dietary patterns have been reported during COVID-19 confinement periods. However, as national variability has been observed, this study sought to describe PA, SB and eating patterns, and to explore their gender as well as other socio-demographic correlates and how they interrelate in a representative sample of Portuguese adults during the COVID-19 first mandatory social confinement. The survey was applied online and by telephone to 5856 adults (mean age = 45.8 years; 42.6% women). The majority reported high (46.0%) or moderate (20.5%) PA levels. Men, younger participants, those with higher education levels and a favourable perception of their financial situation reported higher PA levels, with the opposite pattern for SB. Physical fitness activities and household chores were more reported by women, with more strength training and running activities reported by men. Regarding eating behaviours, 45.1% reported changes, positive (58%) and negative (42%), with 18.2% reporting increases in consumption of fruit, vegetables, and fish and other seafood consumption, while 10.8% (most with lower educational level and less comfortable with their income) reported an increase in consumption of ready-to-eat meals, soft drinks, savoury snacks, and take-away and delivered meals. Two clusters—a health-enhancing vs. risky pattern— emerged through multiple correspondence analysis characterized by co-occurrence of high vs. low PA levels, positive vs. negative eating changes, awareness or not of the COVID-19 PA and dietary recommendations, perceived financial situation, higher vs. lower educational level and time in social confinement. In conclusion, while in social confinement, both positive and negative PA and eating behaviours and trends were displayed, highlighting the role of key sociodemographic correlates contributing to healthy vs. risky patterns. Results may inform future health interventions and policies to be more targeted to those at risk, and also advocate the promotion of PA and healthy eating in an integrated fashion.
- “Follow the whistle: physical activity is calling you”: evaluation of implementation and impact of a Portuguese nationwide mass media campaign to promote physical activityPublication . Silva, Marlene Nunes; Godinho, Cristina; Salavisa, Marta; Owen, Katherine; Santos, Rute; Silva, Catarina Santos; Mendes, Romeu; Teixeira, Pedro J.; Freitas, Graça; Bauman, AdrianTo raise perceived capability (C), opportunity (O) and motivation (M) for physical activity (PA) behaviour (B) among adults, the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health developed a mass media campaign named “Follow the Whistle”, based on behaviour change theory and social marketing principles. Comprehensive formative and process evaluation suggests this media-led campaign used best-practice principles. The campaign adopted a population-wide approach, had clear behavioural goals, and clear multi-strategy implementation. We assessed campaign awareness and initial impact using pre (n = 878, 57% women) and post-campaign (n = 1319, 58% women) independent adult population samples via an online questionnaire, comprising socio-demographic factors, campaign awareness and recall, and psychosocial and behavioural measures linked to the COM-B model. PA was assessed with IPAQ and the Activity Choice Index. The post-campaign recall was typical of levels following national campaigns (24%). Post-campaign measures were higher for key theory-based targets (all p < 0.05), namely self-efficacy, perceived opportunities to be more active and intrinsic motivation. The impact on social norms and self-efficacy was moderated by campaign awareness. Concerning PA, effects were found for vigorous activity (p < 0.01), but not for incidental activity. Overall the campaign impacted key theory-based intermediate outcomes, but did not influence incidental activity, which highlights the need for sustained and repeated campaign efforts.
- Assessment of good practices in community-based interventions for physical activity promotion: development of a user-friendly toolPublication . Franco, Sofia; Godinho, Cristina; Silva, Catarina Santos; Avelar-Rosa, Bruno; Santos, Rute; Mendes, Romeu; Silva, Marlene NunesTools to identify good practices in the design, implementation, and evaluation of physical activity community-based interventions (PACIs) are key to address the physical inactivity pandemic. Existing tools tend to be extensive and with limited applicability to assess small-scale PACIs. This work aimed to report the development and preliminary validity results of a simple, practical, and user-friendly tool to evaluate PACIs in local/municipal contexts. Eighty-six good practice characteristics defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Joint Action Framework on Chronic Diseases (CHRODIS), and an umbrella review of good practice characteristics of diet and physical activity interventions were initially extracted and refined in four rounds of revision from an expert panel using a Delphi-type methodology and rated on their relative importance. A pilot application was conducted, and data on the tool usability and applicability were collected through three semi-structured interviews with specialists and coordinators of local/municipal PACIs. For preliminary validation, the refined tool was applied to five community-based programs mostly aimed at an elderly population. The final tool included thirty-four selected characteristics, with a brief explanation and practical examples for each, under three main sections: design, evaluation, and implementation. Each characteristic has a rating (i.e., somewhat important, highly important, mandatory) and a percentage weight. Preliminary validation of this tool pointed to an adequate evaluation of good practice characteristics of municipal PACIs in a reliable, practical, and user-friendly way. Given its adequacy, this tool can support the definition of quality standards for PACIs, encouraging their dissemination and adoption at a regional or national level.