The following study is an ethnographic approach to changing behaviour towards physical activity with a recently retired family member by using a physical activity intervention. The overall aim of this study was to attempt to create some sort of behaviour change using the Prochaska & DiClemente (1983) Transtheoretical Model (TTM) as a framework. There is a wide range of previous research on the subject of interventions and how best to apply them and the differing environments (Stubbs & Lavin, 2002; Michie & Abraham, 2004; Ransdell, Taylor, Oakland, Schmidt, Moyer-Mileur & Schultz, 2003). There is a long process involved before commencing with an intervention, involving interviews, questionnaires, planning and evaluating. Additionally, the study assessed my Father’s psychological measures, as opposed to focusing on physiological measures. The exercise undertaken each week was calculated using the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) calculation to assess whether there was an increase/decrease from baseline week to post-intervention. Despite the focus of the study analysing any change in behaviour, the use of the GLTEQ calculation enables for a greater understanding of how much exercise was being completed each week, in comparison to the baseline, my Father’s weight was also recorded, prior to the intervention commencing, post-intervention and after the completion of the whole study. The results found that there was a short term increase in physical activity from the baseline week compared to the weeks of independent activity. Furthermore, my father appeared to have extra positive feelings towards exercise before an activity after the intervention than beforehand.

Objective: To examine the effect of exercise on quality of life and investigate the perceived barriers to exercise participation. Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured one-to-one interviews on 12 participants with multiple sclerosis. Results: Five qualitative themes were identified: environmental, personal, knowledge, quality of life, and taking control. Participants felt that discussing the benefits of physical activity engagement with a health professional and addressing problems such as transport would be helpful strategies for exercise engagement. All participants perceived that physical activity helped with quality of life. Conclusions: These findings indicate that exercise therapy is beneficial to quality of life and that physical activity should be promoted by the neurologist at diagnosis.

The aim was to examine the relationship between habitual levels of physical activity and mood states in persons over 60 years of age and assess the effects of perceived physical and psychological stressors on mood states. 114 subjects (43 male and 71 female) were used, all aged 60 years or over (mean age 12.19+1- 8.95). 81 were classified as having perceived physical stress, 33 were not. Responses to living status were 74, 8, 11 and 21 for 'Own Home', 'with Family', 'Respite' and 'Residential' respectively. The study design was a retrospective survey over 4 weeks. Assessment comprised of an information sheet, Profile of Mood States (POMS), Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS), and medical questionnaire. POMS scores were used as dependant variables, with estimated kcal per week, frequency of physical activity and social interaction, and measures of perceived physical and psychological stressors providing independent variables. Data was non-parametric in nature therefore Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficients were calculated for CHAMPS measures; Mann-Whitney U test was employed to examine physical stressors and Kruskal-Wallis for psychological stressors. Frequency of social interaction was shown to be the highest correlate of Total Mood Disturbance (TMD) (PO.001, -.568). Kcal per week moderate activity (P<0.001, -0.391) was a higher correlate of TMD than frequency of all activity which was not statistically significant. Subjects with perceived physical stressors scored significantly higher on all POMS scores except vigour-activity. Significant differences were only observed for vigour-activity for subjects with perceived psychological stressors. The findings showed that frequency of social interaction to be a stronger correlate of TMD than all other measures. Inconclusive findings for other measures did not support previous research; the effects of social interaction should be examined in future research.

The objective of this dissertation was to examine whether, physical activity (PA) can improve the modifiable coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors of obesity, blood pressure, and lipid profile in children (aged 5-16), through the process of a systematic review. CHD is the leading single cause of death in the U.K. The development of CHD is thought to be a lifelong process originating in childhood. Physical inactivity, obesity, lipid profile, and blood pressure are seen as major risk factor for CHD. Searches were made for relevant journal articles from a variety of scientific online databases and journals. 28 applicable articles met the requirements of the relevance criteria and were included and analysed in the review. The effects of PA on modifiable CHD risk factors were assessed, as were the PA levels of young people, and the differences in risk factor response between younger and older children, and between males and females. PA levels, in relation to recommended guidelines, among children varied, this was partly dependant on study methodology. Males and older children were seen to benefit more from PA than females and younger children. Positive associations were seen between PA and modifiable CHD risk factors but not in all studies. This review concluded that PA has been shown to induce short-term improvements on modifiable CHD risk factors in children, although this was not a consistent finding. The role of PA during childhood may produce greater health benefits in the long-term compared to during the years of childhood and adolescence.

The aim of this systematic review was to determine the effects of exercise on the body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), lean body mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), body fat percentage (BF%), bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) of postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (BCSs). Records were located via; electronic searches of MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ProQuest, Sport Discus, PEDro, ZETOC and SCIRUS and handsearches of key journals and book chapters. All searches covered the period from the start of 1989 to the end of June 2012. All identified records were screened against predetermined eligibility criteria. Records that met the full eligibility criteria were included in the final review, and assessed for methodological quality using the Downs and Black Checklist (1998). A total of 5714 records (excluding duplicates) were located; five studies and six groups of exercising postmenopausal BCSs were included in the final review. The differences in the mean change between exercising and control postmenopausal BCSs ranged from 0.70kg to -2.42kg for BM; -0.28kg/m2 to -0.86kg/m2 for BMI; -0.54cm to -3.00cm for WC; 0.1kg to 1.0kg for LBM; 0.5kg to -2.0kg for FM; 0.2% to -2.0% for BF%; -46g/cm to 68g/cm for BMC; 0.000g/cm2 to 0.033g/cm2 for total BMD and 0.004g/cm2 to 0.260g/cm2 for lumbar spine BMD. The findings from individual studies were mixed, however overall exercise had a small favourable effect on the body composition of postmenopausal BCSs (↓BM, ↓BMI, ↓WC, ↑LBM, ↓FM, ↓BF%, ↑BMC and ↑BMD). Further research into the effects of combined aerobic and resistance exercise over longer total exercise durations of 6 to 12 months are warranted. Future studies should include larger sample sizes so that results can be stratified by important confounding factors, without statistical power being compromised.

Being pregnant and becoming a parent is a crucial time when lifestyle behaviours may change and weight gain and retention may occur. This point in the life cycle presents a critical opportunity to advise and support South Asian women, who have a high risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus at lower BMIs, in order to reduce health inequalities, prevent ill health and improve health outcomes in this group. However, interventions necessitate an understanding of the factors affecting weight during this time, yet, to date, there is a lack of evidence in this field. The retrospective exploration of South Asian women’s views and experiences of weight, diet and physical activity changes before, during and after pregnancy and the possible implications of these changes for healthcare services and interventions. Ten South Asian women with a child between 7-24 months of age, living in Bolton, Greater Manchester, participated in a semi-structured, one-to-one interview. The interviews developed a detailed insight into weight, diet and physical activity changes before, during and after pregnancy and the factors impacting on these. Transcripts were analysed using phenomenological approaches. Respondent validation was used to confirm the findings. Interviews primarily took place in participants’ homes, although health, community and children’s centres were also utilised. The findings helped to develop an understanding of the factors influencing weight, diet and physical activity changes before, during and after pregnancy in a group of South Asian women. The findings suggested that views and experiences, and hence motivators and barriers, of change are not static across pregnancy and the post-partum period. Prior to conception, women felt in control of their weight and therefore following a healthy lifestyle was of little importance. During pregnancy, healthy behaviours were difficult to make and sustain and weight gain was perceived to be uncontrollable. The post-partum period was an important time to make positive behaviour changes but women also faced significant barriers to change during this time, particularly when breastfeeding, and South Asian women appeared to face additional cultural barriers. A lack of advice and support from healthcare professionals during and after pregnancy was also reported and consequently important opportunities to encourage positive behaviour change and overcome barriers to change in this group were missed. Conclusion: Maternity services which aim to advise and support South Asian women in the areas of weight, diet and physical activity before, during and after pregnancy must consider the factors influencing them during this time.

Objectives: This study examined associations between levels of physical activity (PA) in both leisure and work time and stress in a specific population of NHS managerial and administrative staff (n=174). Methods: Data was gathered via a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) on physical activity (PA), perceived stress levels at work and in personal life, health status, age, gender, job band, commuting distance and methods of transport, caring status and a range of perceived barriers to PA. The sample was stratified into low, moderate or high categories of activity using the IPAQ scoring protocol to calculate MET-mins/wk. Stress levels were coded 1(low) to 6 (high) from a Likert-scale type question. Results: Overall, there was a significant difference in stress levels between low activity and moderate and high activity groups. As levels of PA increased, levels of stress tended to decrease. The mean difference in stress scores between the low-activity and moderate activity groups was 1.14 (SE: 0.45) (p = 0.01) and the mean difference in stress scores between low-activity and high activity groups was 1.68 (SE: 0.48) (p = 0.00). However, there was no significant difference between the moderate- and high-activity groups although the high activity group had the lowest mean of stress (2.8). When results were separated for age groups, gender and income levels, some of these effects, especially for job bands (as a proxy for income levels) and health, could be confirmed. There were significant differences between some age groups in levels of PA, showing that older age groups are more active; and significant differences in PA amongst people in different job bands, with people on the highest job bands achieving the highest levels of PA and reporting the lowest levels of stress. ii Conclusions: Individuals reporting low levels of physical activity report higher levels of stress, with a trend showing that as PA levels increase, stress levels decrease. However, as this is a cross-sectional study, the direction of the effect could not be confirmed. Further investigation into some of the barriers to PA amongst similar sedentary working populations may be of value for workplace health interventions.

Physical inactivity among children has both immediate and long term health consequences. Recommended guidelines state that children should engage in at least 60 minutes of at least moderate physical activity each day to promote and maintain health. The main purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of 10-11 year old children who were engaging in sufficient physical activity to meet the recommended levels throughout the school week. This study also aimed to determine differences by day, to examine the contexts in which children were achieving their activity and to investigate gender differences. Fifty three 10-11 year olds (18 boys, 35 girls) completed activity diaries each day for one week during the school term. Activities were recorded for the whole of the waking day and intensity assigned to one of four levels, very light, light, moderate or vigorous. The contexts in which the activities took place were categorised as, school based clubs, school based free play, home based clubs or home based free play. Paired t tests, independent t tests, cross tabulation and Chi square tests were conducted to determine differences by day, by activity category, and by gender. The proportions meeting recommended levels varied from 64.2% on Sunday to 83.0% on Thursday. Lower proportions met recommended levels per weekend day, 70.8% than per school day, 78.5%. Significantly (P < 0.05) more time was spent in free play than organised activities. The proportion of total daily moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) from free play was 74.2% on school days and 81.4% on weekends. Out of school activities were significantly (P < 0.05) greater than in school activities, accounting for 62.1% of total daily MVPA. The proportion of boys achieving recommended levels was greater than the proportion of girls on each day of the week, the differences between the genders being significant (P < 0.05) on Saturday and Sunday. Boys engaged in more free time activity than girls both on school days and weekend days, with in school free time and weekend day free time activity being significantly (P < 0.05) greater. Girls engaged in more organised activities than boys on school days and weekend days but not significantly (P < 0.05). On each day of the week a proportion of children did not meet recommended activity levels to benefit health. Activity levels differed by day, gender and context. Both boys and girls achieved more of their MVPA from free play than from organised activities both in and out of school. Initiatives which focus on improving the time and facilities available to children to enable them to participate in safe free play may be effective in increasing health enhancing physical activity.

The health, social and economic implications of childhood obesity are well documented(Lobestein, Baur & Uauy, 2004). However, little effective action has been taken to address the childhood obesity epidemic. The global concern over the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity has been the focus of researchb and debate over the past three decades. Feasible and sustainable approaches to prevent further increases in childhood overweight and obesity, to date, have remained mostly elusive. Conversely, there is a consensus regarding the role of the living environment as a determinant of obesity. Recent research provides strong evidence of the importance of living environments as determinants of obesity (Rosenkranz & Dzewaltowski, 2008; Kumanyika, Parker & Sims, 2010). As a result, it is essential to explore and assess practical family based interventions that are effective to understand the parental influences that may contribute to the development of childhood obesity.

Objective: Adoption of an inactive lifestyle and inappropriate eating behaviour increases the risk of developing chronic illness in adulthood. This study was aimed at determining the relationship between the body mass index (BMI), a critical factor in determining obesity, of the students of the University of Chester in the United Kingdom with their nutrition behaviour/habits and physical activity levels. Methods: Volunteers and randomly selected 377 students who are studying at the University of Chester were included in the study. Nutrition behaviour/habits, anthropometric measurements and physical activity levels of the participants were determined by a questionnaire. Results: This study included 150 males (39.8%) and 227 females (60.2%) with a mean age of 22.3 ± 4.2 years. There was no significant relationship (p=.856) between the score of positive attention to diet (33.58 ± 5.92) and BMI levels (24.19 ± 4.59 kg/m2) of the students. There was no significant relationship (p=.548) between weekly physical activity levels (3385.62 ± 3046.23 MET.min/wk) and BMI levels (24.19 ± 4.59 kg/m2) of the students. There was a significant relationship (p=.003) a very low positive correlation (r= .155) between the score of positive attention to diet (33.58 ± 5.92) and weekly physical activity levels (3385.62 ± 3046.23 MET.min/wk) of the students. Conclusion: It has been found that physical activity level correlates positively with positive attention to diet. However; positive attention to diet and physical activity levels may not solely effective factors on the body mass index. There might be some other factors affecting body mass index. More research is needed to assess the relationship between BMI and other factors which contribute to obesity.