Social cohesion emerging from a community-based physical activity program: A temporal network analysis.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Jaramillo AM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8315584 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Fit and Fall ProofTM (FFP) program, established in 2004, is a peer volunteer-led collaboration between state and local public health organizations. The goal is to bring sustainable physical activity programs to underserved populations, including those in rural and frontier communities. FFP program is designed to help older adults maintain independence by improving mobility and function and providing opportunities for social engagement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of participation in the program. A 6-month longitudinal study evaluated physical, social, and emotional outcomes among participants. The FES-I, SF-36v2, and Timed Up and Go (TUG) were collected. A convenience sample of new participants (n = 120, mean age = 75) representing rural and urban communities were recruited. FFP produced results similar to programs using physiotherapists or athletic trainers. Significant improvements were seen in TUG and SF-36v2 measures of physical, social, and emotional health. Participants completing at least one 10-week session (66%) demonstrated sustained improvements on these measures. While the average change in TUG between baseline and 10 weeks was statistically significant (p = 0.003), improvement in TUG was dependent on age and attendance. For participants <75 years, all attendance levels resulted in similar improvements in TUG. However, for those ?75, improvements were strongly associated with the number of classes attended. Both the raw data and the model-based estimates of TUG times demonstrated that as age and attendance increase, greater improvements in TUG times were observed. The FFP program promotes health equity by reaching community-dwelling, underserved senior populations. The FFP program is in its 15th year and serves as an example of a sustainable collaboration between state and local public health organizations that is translatable to both urban and rural settings.
| S-EPMC6702613 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSocial media may be a powerful platform to combat parents' and children's low physical activity levels.ObjectiveThis study surveyed parents' beliefs about physical activity in order to expand the extant literature concerning the interest in and the design of an effective and feasible social media physical activity (SMPA) program.MethodsPrimary caregivers (n=250; 215 [86%] mothers, 164 [65.6%] White) of children aged 6-12 years completed an online questionnaire. Interest was examined through responses on the questionnaire; beliefs (ie, perceptions, knowledge, and support) about physical activity were examined using Spearman correlations; and to support the SMPA program design, researchers examined a combination of multiple-choice and free-response questions. For the free-response questions, the researchers performed open coding related to perceived benefits, barriers, and motivators.ResultsParent respondents (n=215, 86%) were interested in a SMPA program tailored for families. Regarding beliefs, parents exhibited a monotonic relationship between 2 questions related to perceptions of physical activity levels in their children (rs(250)=.310, P<.001), knowledge about physical activity and motor skills (rs(250)=.328, P<.001), and support of physical activity and motor skills (rs(250)=.385, P<.001). Parents perceived benefits of a SMPA program, highlighting family time and health. Barriers included time constraints, a lack of motivation, and environmental factors.ConclusionsParents are interested in supporting healthy family behaviors using a SMPA program. An effective program should emphasize motor skill activities, be fun and family oriented, and incorporate incentives, goal setting, and advice and tips. SMPA also needs to address identified barriers, such as those regarding time and environment.
| S-EPMC8887632 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundAlthough the health benefits of physical activity are well documented, most older adults are not sufficiently active. There is a need to explore approaches to physical activity promotion amongst older adults that meet the personal preferences and needs of participants, and that can be implemented on a large scale in community-based settings. The current study evaluates Daily Moves, a community-based physical activity program for older adults living in Adelaide, Australia. METHODS: The Daily Moves program, which ran almost entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided participants with personalized plans and information about suitable physical activity promoting activities available in their local area. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach to evaluate associations between participation in the Daily Moves program and physical activity engagement, physical function and psychosocial wellbeing, and to explore the experiences of Daily Moves participants through qualitative interviews, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on program participation and enjoyment.ResultsThe research evaluation included 69 older adults (mean age at baseline = 73.9 ± 5.6 years; 19 male). Following Daily Moves, participants reported an increase in self-report physical activity levels (mean increase = 1.8 days, p < 0.001), improvements on several measures of physical function (left grip strength (mean increase = 1.8 kg, p < 0.001); right grip strength (mean increase = 1.3 kg, p = 0.03); Timed Up and Go (mean decrease = 1.3 s, p < 0.001)), and no significant changes in measures of psychosocial wellbeing. Qualitative interviews revealed that participants valued the supportive and flexible nature of Daily Moves, and that they felt connected with staff and other participants despite the onset of the pandemic.ConclusionsThis evaluation demonstrates that physical activity programs embedded within the community can provide flexible and tailored recommendations to participants, and that this approach can promote positive change in important indicators of health in older adults.
| S-EPMC9655805 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Adolescence is a key period of social development at the end of which individuals are expected to take on adult social roles. The school class, as the most salient peer group, becomes the prime environment that impacts social development during adolescence. Using social network analyses, we investigated how individual and group level features are related to prosocial behavior and social capital (generalized trust). We mapped the social networks within 22 classrooms of adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (N = 611), and collected data on social behaviors towards peers. Our results indicate that individuals with high centrality show both higher levels of prosocial behavior and relational aggression. Importantly, greater social cohesion in the classroom was associated with (1) reduced levels of antisocial behavior towards peers and (2) increased generalized trust. These results provide novel insights in the relationship between social structure and social behavior, and stress the importance of the school environment in the development of not only intellectual but also social capital.
| S-EPMC5884510 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundNeighborhood cohesion, which refers to the extent of the connectedness and solidarity among residents in a community or neighborhood, is an important determinant of human health. To enhance neighborhood cohesion, the "Learning Families Project" was developed with a series of intervention programs in Kwun Tong in Hong Kong, a district with low neighborhood cohesion. This project, based on the social ecological model, provided a platform for neighbors to learn, communicate and interact with each other.MethodsThis quasi-experimental study included two nearby government subsidized low rent housing estates separated by busy main roads. One served as the intervention (Tsui Ping (South) Estate) and one as the control (Shun Tin Estate) estate. The intervention included promotion, resident training and learning programs, embodied by a series of community activities such as talks, day camp, thematic activities and horticulture class. Baseline (before the programs) and follow-up (one year after the programs) surveys were conducted both in the intervention and control estate to assess the impact of the programs on neighborhood cohesion.ResultsThe number of residents who completed both the baseline and follow-up surveys was 502 in the intervention estate and 476 in the control estate. Neighborhood cohesion significantly improved in the intervention group after the programs (Cohen effect size d: 0.15). Compared with the control group, the improvements in closeness of the neighborhood and trust in neighbors were significantly greater in the intervention group (Cohen effect size d: 0.13 and 0.14, respectively).ConclusionThis brief intervention program using a quasi-experimental study design increased neighborhood cohesion in a low rent housing estate.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02851667.
| S-EPMC5565197 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Social cohesion is an important determinant of community well-being, especially in times of distress such as disasters. This study investigates the phenomena of emergent social cohesion, which is characterized by abrupt, temporary and extensive social ties with the goal of sharing and receiving information regarding a particular event influencing a community. In the context of disasters, emergent social cohesion, enabled by social media usage, could play a significant role in improving the ability of communities to cope with disruptions in recent disasters. In this study, we employed a network reticulation framework to examine the underlying mechanisms influencing emergent social cohesion on social media while communities cope with disaster-induced disruptions. We analysed neighbourhood-tagged social media data (social media data whose users are tagged by neighbourhoods) in Houston, TX, USA, during Hurricane Harvey to characterize four modalities of network reticulation (i.e. enactment, activation, reticulation and performance) giving rise to emergent social cohesion. Our results show that, unlike regular social cohesion, communication history and physical proximity do not significantly affect emergent social cohesion. The results also indicate that weak social ties play an important role in bridging different social network communities, and hence reinforce emergent social cohesion. The findings can inform public officials, emergency managers and decision-makers regarding the important role of neighbourhood-tagged social media, as a new form of community infrastructure, for improving the ability of communities to cope with disaster disruptions through enhanced emergent social cohesion.
| S-EPMC7115229 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe 'Dads And Daughters Exercising and Empowered' (DADEE) program significantly improved physical activity levels of fathers and their daughters in an efficacy trial. However, the effectiveness of interventions when delivered in real-world settings needs to be established.PurposeTo evaluate the effectiveness of the DADEE intervention when delivered in community settings by trained facilitators.MethodsWe conducted a two-arm RCT, (baseline and 3-months post-intervention assessments), in Newcastle, Australia. In 2016, 155 fathers (27-60 years) and 189 primary-school-aged daughters (4-12 years) (n = 344) were randomly allocated to the intervention (78 fathers, 95 daughters) or waitlist-control (77 fathers, 94 daughters) groups. Trained facilitators delivered the 9-week DADEE program (weekly sessions plus home-based tasks). Primary outcomes were fathers' and daughters' physical activity (steps/day). Secondary outcomes included screen-time, weight status, daughters' fundamental movement skill (FMS) proficiency, perceived sports competence, and fathers' parenting practices. Effects were assessed using linear mixed models.ResultsPrimary outcome follow-up data were collected from 88% of fathers and 89% of daughters. Significant group-by-time differences in mean daily steps were found for fathers' (adjusted difference = +1,638; 95% CI: 833, 2,443, d = 0.7) and daughters' (adjusted difference = +1,023 steps/day; 95% CI: 259, 1,787; d = 0.4) physical activity. Significant effects were observed for daughters' screen-time, FMS, and some parenting practices. No significant effects were identified for weight status, or fathers'screen-time or self-reported MVPA. Program attendance, satisfaction and fidelity were very high.ConclusionThis study established the effectiveness of the DADEE intervention when delivered in community settings by trained facilitators. Importantly, the findings were comparable to those of the efficacy RCT delivered by the research team. To maximize public health benefits, a larger-scale dissemination of the program appears warranted.Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry: ACTRN12616001270404 Human Research Ethics Committee: H-2014-0330.
| S-EPMC9274990 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Functional disability and physical frailty (PF) are debilitating geriatric conditions. Previous studies have suggested both perceived neighborhood social cohesion (PNSC) and PF can influence functional disability and may have an interactive effect too. This cross-sectional study aims to examine the independent and combined relationships of PF and PNSC on functional disability in community-dwelling older adults in Shanghai, China. A total of 1616 older adults aged ? 75 years were recruited using multistage sampling. Results showed that prefrailty, frailty (using the modified frailty phenotype criteria), and low PNSC (measured by the Neighborhood Cohesion Scale) were independently associated with increased likelihood of functional disability after adjustment of covariates. To evaluate the combined relationships of PF and PNSC, participants were classified into six groups based on their levels of PF and PNSC. The probability of frail older adults with low PNSC having functional disability stood out compared with the robust older adults with high PNSC. Our findings suggest the importance of high PNSC as a protective factor of maintaining functional ability. Future longitudinal studies are needed to identify the role of PNSC in the development of functional disability among frail older adults.
| S-EPMC7460244 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This cross-sectional study investigated whether physical activity, social cohesion, and loneliness mediate the association between time spent visiting green spaces and perceived mental health and vitality. Questionnaire data were collected from 3,948 residents from 124 neighborhoods across four European cities. Multilevel linear regression analysis revealed positive, but weak, associations between time spent visiting green space and Medical Outcome Study Short Form (SF-36) mental health and vitality score, which suggest small mental health benefits. Single mediation analyses showed that different indicators of physical activity (total, during leisure time, and walking during leisure time), social cohesion, and loneliness were mediators. Multiple mediation analyses showed that physical activity during leisure time and loneliness may explain about 25% of the relationship. The unmediated part of the association suggests that other mediators may explain the association.
| S-EPMC6311621 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeLittle is known about the contribution of social support to physical activity (PA) behavior among American Indians (AIs). This community-based participatory research study examined the prevalence of and associations between different types of PA social support and PA among AIs in rural Oklahoma.MethodsOur tribal-academic partnership surveyed AI adults (N = 513) living within the tribal jurisdictional areas of 2 tribal nations. We used the Physical Activity Social Support (PASS) scale to assess 3 types of PA social support and Poisson regression to investigate associations between PASS types and self-reported PA behavior.FindingsOver a third of participants perceived high levels of PA social support from friends (37%), family (35%), and overall (34%), yet only 29% reported regular PA (ie, 150 minutes or more weekly). Participants who exercised with pets/other were significantly more likely to achieve regular PA than those who exercised alone (PR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.4-2.9). Although not significant, compared with those reporting no/low support, participants with high friend PASS (PR 1.2, 95%: CI 0.9-1.6), medium family PASS (PR 1.2, 95% CI: 0.9-1.7), and overall PASS (PR 1.1, 95% CI: 0.8-1.6) were more likely to report regular PA.ConclusionsThe majority of participants did not meet current recommendations for PA behavior, which underscores the ongoing need for PA effective interventions among AIs living in rural areas. Results suggest that exercising with pets/other could be an important factor for future intervention. Further research is needed to elucidate determinants of PA and test interventions to increase PA among AIs.
| S-EPMC6482099 | biostudies-literature