Guest Perceptions of Physical Activity Point-of-Decision Prompts at a Conservatory with Botanical Gardens.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Natale C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6616916 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundChildhood obesity is an epidemic. Strategies are needed to promote children's healthy habits related to diet and physical activity. School gardens have the potential to bolster children's physical activity and reduce time spent in sedentary activity; however little research has examined the effect of gardens on children's physical activity. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) examines the effect of school gardens on children's overall physical activity and sedentary behavior; and on children's physical activity during the school day. In addition, physical activity levels and postures are compared using direct observation, outdoors, in the garden and indoors, in the classroom.Methods/designTwelve New York State schools are randomly assigned to receive the school garden intervention or to serve in the wait-list control group that receives gardens and lessons at the end of the study. The intervention consists of a raised bed garden; access to a curriculum focused on nutrition, horticulture, and plant science and including activities and snack suggestions; resources for the school including information about food safety in the garden and related topics; a garden implementation guide provided guidance regarding planning, planting and maintaining the garden throughout the year; gardening during the summer; engaging volunteers; building community capacity, and sustaining the program. Data are collected at baseline and 3 post-intervention follow-up waves at 6, 12, and 18 months. Physical activity (PA) "usually" and "yesterday" is measured using surveys at each wave. In addition, at-school PA is measured using accelerometry for 3 days at each wave. Direct observation (PARAGON) is used to compare PA during an indoor classroom lesson versus outdoor, garden-based lesson.DiscussionResults of this study will provide insight regarding the potential for school gardens to increase children's physical activity and decrease sedentary behaviors.Trial registrationClinicaltrial.gov # NCT02148315.
| S-EPMC4322466 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Plant diversity is currently being lost at an unprecedented rate, resulting in an associated decrease in ecosystem services. About a third of the world's vascular plant species face the threat of extinction due to a variety of devastating activities, including, over-harvesting and over exploitation, destructive agricultural and forestry practices, urbanization, environmental pollution, land-use changes, exotic invasive species, global climate change, and more. We therefore need to increase our efforts to develop integrative conservation approaches for plant species conservation. Botanical gardens devote their resources to the study and conservation of plants, as well as making the world's plant species diversity known to the public. These gardens also play a central role in meeting human needs and providing well-being. In this minireview, a framework for the integrated missions of botanical gardens, including scientific research, in/ex situ conservation, plant resource utilization, and citizen science are cataloged. By reviewing the history of the development of Kunming Botanical Garden, we illustrate successful species conservation approaches (among others, projects involving Camellia, Rhododendron, Magnolia, Begonia, Allium, Nepenthes, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, and Plant Species with Extreme Small Populations), as well as citizen science, and scientific research at Kunming Botanical Garden over the past 80 years. We emphasize that Kunming Botanical Garden focuses largely on the ex situ conservation of plants from Southwest China, especially those endangered, endemic, and economically important plant species native to the Yunnan Plateau and the southern Hengduan Mountains. We also discuss the future challenges and responsibilities of botanical gardens in a changing world, including: the negative effects of outbreeding and/or inbreeding depression; promoting awareness, study, and conservation of plant species diversity; accelerating global access to information about plant diversity; increasing capacity building and training activities. We hope this minireview can promote understanding of the role of botanical gardens.
| S-EPMC6137266 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A quasi-experimental field study was undertaken to examine whether the source credibility of point-of-decision (POD) prompts would affect their effectiveness in increasing stair use. POD prompts attributed either to a more credible source, a less credible source, or nothing were randomly installed in three student halls of residence at a public university in Hong Kong (plus a control). The stair and elevator use of residents were recorded by view-from-top surveillance cameras and counted using motion-detection software, resulting in 14,189 observations. The findings show that all the POD prompts can yield, as hypothesized, a significant positive effect on stair use. The relative increase in stair use was 2.49% on average. However, contrary to our second hypothesis, the POD prompt attributed to the more credible source was not the most effective intervention. The implications of these findings are discussed in conclusion.
| S-EPMC6872137 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This paper represents the first article in a series on Yunnanese microfungi. We herein provide insights into Magnolia species associated with microfungi. All presented data are reported from the Kunming Botanical Gardens. Final conclusions were derived from the morphological examination of specimens coupled with phylogenetic sequence data to better integrate taxa into appropriate taxonomic ranks and infer their relationships. Shearia formosa, the type species of Shearia, lacks type material, and its phylogenetic position accordingly remains unresolved. A fresh collection of Shearia formosa, obtained from Magnolia denudata and M. soulangeana in China, therefore, designated a neotype for stabilizing the application of the species and/or genus name. Phylogenetic analyses of a combined DNA data matrix containing SSU, LSU, RPB2 and TEF loci of representative Pleosporales revealed that the genera Crassiperidium, Longiostiolum and Shearia are a well-defined monophylum. It is recognized as the family Longiostiolaceae and strongly supported by Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods. Its members are characterized by immersed to semi-immersed, globose to subglobose ascomata with a central, periphysate ostiole, a peridium composed of rectangular to polygonal cells, cylindrical to clavate asci, broadly fusiform, hyaline to pale brown ascospores, a coelomycetous asexual morph with pycnidial conidiomata, enteroblastic, annellidic, ampulliform, doliiform or cylindrical conidiogenous cells and cylindrical to fusiform, transverse and sometimes laterally distoseptate conidia without a sheath or with a basal lateral sheath. Nigrograna magnoliae sp. nov. is introduced from Magnolia denudata with both asexual and sexual morphs. We observed the asexual morph of Brunneofusispora sinensis from the culture and therefore amended the generic and species descriptions of Brunneofusispora.
| S-EPMC7357747 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The palm family (Arecaceae) is of high ecological and economic value, yet identification in the family remains a challenge for both taxonomists and horticulturalists. The family consists of approximately 2600 species across 181 genera and DNA barcoding may be a useful tool for species identification within the group. However, there have been few systematic evaluations of DNA barcodes for the palm family. In the present study, five DNA barcodes (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA, ITS, ITS2) were evaluated for species identification ability across 669 samples representing 314 species and 100 genera in the Arecaceae, employing four analytical methods. The ITS gene region was found to not be a suitable barcode for the palm family, due in part, to low recovery rates and paralogous gene copies. Among the four analyses used, species resolution for ITS2 was much higher than that achieved with the plastid barcodes alone (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA), and the barcode combination ITS2 + matK + rbcL gave the highest resolution among all single barcodes and their combinations, followed by ITS2 + matK. Among 669 palm samples analyzed, 110 samples (16.3%) were found to be misidentified. The 2992 DNA barcode sequences generated in this study greatly enriches the existing identification toolbox available to plant taxonomists that are interested in researching genetic relationships among palm taxa as well as for horticulturalists that need to confirm palm collections for botanical garden curation and horticultural applications. Our results indicate that the use of the ITS2 DNA barcode gene region provides a useful and cost-effective tool to confirm the identity of taxa in the Palm family.
| S-EPMC7394517 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PremiseThe effective ex situ conservation of exceptional plants, whether in living collections or cryo-collections, requires more resources than the conservation of other species. Because of their expertise with rare plants, botanical gardens are well positioned to lead this effort, but a well-developed strategy requires a clear understanding of the resources needed.MethodsGrant funding was obtained from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support a three-year project on cryobanking, and to provide smaller grants to 10 other botanical gardens for one-year projects on either (1) seed behavior studies or (2) the development of protocols for in vitro propagation or cryopreservation.ResultsNine of the partner gardens worked on 19 species (one was unable to continue due to the COVID-19 pandemic), while the larger project focused on 14 species. A point system was developed for tasks accomplished, and the average costs per point of the larger and smaller projects were similar. Labor accounted for half the costs. Projects focused on species in the Asteraceae and Orchidaceae had lower costs per point than other species.DiscussionBoth large and small projects can contribute to a strategy for exceptional plant conservation for similar costs. Prioritizing species with lower costs could help advance the field while allowing time for work on more difficult species to develop.
| S-EPMC9575053 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundChallenges with engaging in postnatal physical activity can negatively affect the health of women and their families. This study investigated women's physical activity decision-making processes and strategies to support their physical activity as part of a healthy postpartum transition.MethodsThirty healthy women with infants aged 2.5-12 months completed 3-day activity diaries and an individual interview. Using Glaser and Charmaz's grounded theory methodology, the core category, reconciling relationships with physical activity, was constructed, which explained women's processes of postnatal physical activity decision-making.ResultsThrough reconciling relationships with physical activity, women discerned the types of physical activity they were comfortable pursuing at various points in the postpartum transition. Based on the meaning physical activity held for participants and their views about risks, supports, and resources, women gauged their capacity and the workability of their physical activity desires. Most women were uncertain of their capacity (physical, emotional) to return to physical activity and viewed the achievement of several or all of their desired physical activities as unworkable. Only a small group of women fully pursued the desirable physical activities they viewed as important for their well-being. Women adjusted the strategies they used to achieve physical activity when their expectations of capacity and workability did not align with their experiences. Some women lacked access to resources or supportive messaging about postpartum physical activity and downgraded their physical activity pursuit after negative personal physical or childcare experiences.ConclusionsWomen can benefit from discussions about physiological birth recovery and navigating community and peer resources to support physical activity access and the safe return to physical activity following birth.
| S-EPMC7831196 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveSelf-monitoring and behavioral feedback are widely used to help people monitor progress toward daily physical activity goals. Little information exists about the optimal dosing parameters for these techniques or if they are interchangeable in digital physical activity interventions. This study used a within-person experimental design to evaluate associations between the frequency of two different prompt types (one for each technique) and daily physical activity.MethodInsufficiently active young adults were assigned monthly physical activity goals and wore smartwatches with activity trackers for 3 months. They received zero to six randomly selected and timed watch-based prompts each day, with individual prompts either providing behavioral feedback or prompting the participant to self-monitor.ResultsPhysical activity increased significantly over the 3-month period (step counts d = 1.03; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity duration d = 0.99). Mixed linear models revealed that daily step counts were positively associated with the frequency of daily self-monitoring prompts up to approximately three prompts/day (d = 0.22) after which additional prompts provided minimal or reduced benefit. Daily step counts were not associated with the frequency of behavioral feedback prompts. Daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was not associated with the frequency of either prompt.ConclusionsSelf-monitoring and behavioral feedback are not interchangeable behavior change techniques in digital physical activity interventions, and only self-monitoring prompts show signs of a dose-response association with physical activity volume. Activity trackers, such as smartwatches and mobile apps, should provide an option to replace behavioral feedback prompts with self-monitoring prompts to promote physical activity among insufficiently active young adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
| S-EPMC10015600 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Since 1980, many studies have evaluated whether stair-use prompts increased physical activity by quantifying changes in stair use. To more completely evaluate changes in physical activity, this study addressed the often-overlooked assessment of climbing up escalators by evaluating the degree to which stair-use sign prompts increased active ascent-defined as stair use or escalator climbing. Over 5 months, at an airport stairs/escalator point of choice, we video-recorded passersby (N = 13,544) who ascended either stairs or escalators, on 10 days with signs and 10 days without signs. Ascenders using the stairs, standing on the escalator, and climbing the escalator were compared on days with versus without signs using multivariable logistic regression. The percentage of ascenders on days with versus without signs were as follows: stair use, 6.9 versus 3.6 percent; escalator standing, 75.2 versus 76.0 percent; and escalator climbing, 18.5 versus 20.4 percent. Signs more than doubled the odds of stair use (vs. escalator use; OR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.90-2.68; p < .001). Signs decreased the odds of escalator climbing (vs. escalator standing or stair use); OR = 0.90; 95% CI = 0.82-0.99; p = .028). Signs increased the odds of active ascent versus escalator standing by 15 percent (OR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.05-1.25; p = .002). Although stair-use prompts increased stair use more than twofold (125%), they increased active ascent by only 15 percent, partly because escalator climbing-a behavior not targeted by the intervention-decreased. Although our results corroborated the established consensus that point-of-choice prompts increase stair use, future studies should test interventions designed to increase active ascent.
| S-EPMC6629843 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundSocio-ecological models indicate that family, school, and community environment explains children's physical activity and body weight. This study investigated whether parental perceptions of school/community-based physical activity (PA) promotion programs as well as parental and child perceptions of parental instrumental support for child PA (transportation provision) would predict child body weight. Child moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was hypothesized to mediate these associations.MethodData of 879 parent-child dyads were collected at two measurement points: the baseline (T1) and the 7-8-month follow-up (T2). Parents were 23-68 years old (83.3% women), while children were 5-11 years old (52.4% girls). Parents and children reported their perceptions of environment, support (T1), and MVPA (T1, T2). Parental and child body weight and height were measured objectively (T1, T2).ResultsPath analyses indicated indirect effects of parental perceptions of school/community-based PA policies (T1) and parental perceptions of transportation provision (T1) on child body weight (T2), with child MVPA (T2) operating as the mediator. There were no direct or indirect effects of child perceptions of parental transportation provision (T1) on child MVPA or body weight (T2). Similar patterns of associations were found for the total sample and the subsample of children with overweight/obesity.ConclusionParental perceptions of school/community-based PA policies and transportation provision may explain changes in child MVPA and body weight. Interventions aimed at prevention of child overweight/obesity may benefit from a focus on parental transportation provision to PA facilities and parental awareness of PA promotion at local environment.
| S-EPMC6529394 | biostudies-literature