Niamh Murphy

Bio: Niamh Murphy is an academic researcher from Waterford Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Population & Medicine. The author has an hindex of 20, co-authored 60 publications receiving 1526 citations. Previous affiliations of Niamh Murphy include University of Sydney.

Promoting Physical Activity Participation among Children and Adolescents

Abstract: With global increases in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, there has never been a more urgent need for effective physical activity programs. The aim of this narrative review is to summarize the evidence of the effectiveness of interventions that report physical activity outcomes in children aged 4-12 years and adolescents aged 13-19 years. A systematic search of electronic databases identified 76 interventions. Most interventions were delivered via the school setting (57 interventions), nine through the family setting, six via primary care, and four in community- or Internet-based settings. Children's physical activity interventions that were most effective in the school setting included some focus on physical education, activity breaks, and family strategies. Interventions delivered in the family setting were not highly effective, but many were pilot studies. The use of motivationally tailored strategies and program delivery in the primary care setting showed promise among adolescents. Many studies had methodological and reporting flaws (e.g., no baseline data, poor study design, physical activity measures of unknown reliability and validity, and poor reporting of sample size, response rates, attrition/retention, compliance, year of intervention, and duration of intervention). Publications reporting the results of evaluations of intervention studies should follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials guidelines or, for nonrandomized studies, should follow the Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs guidelines. Further evidence of the effectiveness of interventions promoting young people's physical activity in family and community settings is needed.

Mass Sporting and Physical Activity Events—Are They “Bread and Circuses” or Public Health Interventions to Increase Population Levels of Physical Activity?

Abstract: Background: Large-scale, one-off sporting or physical activity (PA) events are often thought to impact population PA levels This article reviews the evidence and explores the nature of the effect Methods: A search of the published and grey literature was conducted to July 2005 using relevant databases, web sources, and personal contacts Impacts are described at the individual, societal and community, and environmental levels Results: Few quality evaluations have been conducted While mass sporting events appear to influence PA-related infrastructure, there is scant evidence of impact on individual participation at the population level There is some evidence that events promoting active transport can positively affect PA Conclusions: The public health potential of major sporting and PA events is often cited, but evidence for public health benefit is lacking An evaluation framework is proposed

Long term health implications of fitness and physical activity patterns.

Abstract: Northern Ireland has the highest incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the world. The physical fitness, activity patterns, health knowledge, attitudes, and dietary habits of a random, stratified sample of 3211 Northern Irish children, comprising 1540 boys and 1671 girls, age range 11-18 years were examined. At all ages boys were significantly more active than girls. The most important finding was an appreciable decline in physical activity levels after the age of 14 years reaching extremely low levels in older girls. While 75% of exercise taken was not related to school, physical education classes constituted the only exercise taken by one third of pupils. Girls had healthier nutritional habits and were more inclined to employ weight control measures than boys. There was a preponderance of children with a higher body mass index indicating a tendency to obesity in the child population. Over 20% of school leavers of both sexes regularly smoked cigarettes and 20% regularly drank alcohol. The postulated relationship between childhood inactivity, adult sedentary lifestyle, and increased risk of CHD raises serious cause for concern regarding the future cardiovascular health of many children.

Prevalence and correlates of physical inactivity in community-dwelling older adults in Ireland

Abstract: The public health challenges associated with rapid population ageing are likely to be exacerbated by poor physical activity levels. The purpose of this study was to identify correlates of physical inactivity in a population-representative sample of older adults in Ireland. This paper reports a secondary analysis of data from 4892 adults aged 60+ from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). TILDA includes an assessment of the mental and physical health, and social and financial circumstances of participants assessed in a home interview and self-completion questionnaire. Chi squared statistics and forced entry logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with physical inactivity. Females were over twice as likely to be inactive as their male counterparts (Odds Ratio 2.2). Increasing old age was associated with inactivity among males and females. Those who reported above secondary level education, no reported falls in the last year and no fear of falling were less likely to be physically inactive. While older adults who noted poor/fair self-reported health, that they did not look after grandchildren, did not own a car or did not attend a course were also more likely to be inactive than those who reported positively for these items. Gender displayed a strong but often contrasting influence on factors that affect physical activity among older adults. Among females, living alone or in a rural area, retirement, fair/poor emotional health and activity being limited by illness were all significantly associated with inactivity. While cohabiting, being employed and residing in an urban area were related to low levels of activity in males. Our findings identify specific groups of the older Irish population who may be at particular risk of physical inactivity and thereby the associated physiological and psychological hazards. These results can support the development of tailored interventions to promote healthy ageing.

Interventions for preventing obesity in children

Abstract: The current evidence suggests that many diet and exercise interventions to prevent obesity in children are not effective in preventing weight gain, but can be effective in promoting a healthy diet and increased physical activity levels.Being very overweight (obese) can cause health, psychological and social problems for children. Children who are obese are more likely to have weight and health problems as adults. Programmes designed to prevent obesity focus on modifying one or more of the factors considered to promote obesity.This review included 22 studies that tested a variety of intervention programmes, which involved increased physical activity and dietary changes, singly or in combination. Participants were under 18 and living in Asia, South America, Europe or North America. There is not enough evidence from trials to prove that any one particular programme can prevent obesity in children, although comprehensive strategies to address dietary and physical activity change, together with psycho-social support and environmental change may help. There was a trend for newer interventions to involve their respective communities and to include evaluations.Future research might usefully assess changes made on behalf of entire populations, such as improvements in the types of foods available at schools and in the availability of safe places to run and play, and should assess health effects and costs over several years.The programmes in this review used different strategies to prevent obesity so direct comparisons were difficult. Also, the duration of the studies ranged from 12 weeks to three years, but most lasted less than a year.

Systematic review of sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth

Abstract: Accumulating evidence suggests that, independent of physical activity levels, sedentary behaviours are associated with increased risk of cardio-metabolic disease, all-cause mortality, and a variety of physiological and psychological problems. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to determine the relationship between sedentary behaviour and health indicators in school-aged children and youth aged 5-17 years. Online databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO), personal libraries and government documents were searched for relevant studies examining time spent engaging in sedentary behaviours and six specific health indicators (body composition, fitness, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, self-esteem, pro-social behaviour and academic achievement). 232 studies including 983,840 participants met inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Television (TV) watching was the most common measure of sedentary behaviour and body composition was the most common outcome measure. Qualitative analysis of all studies revealed a dose-response relation between increased sedentary behaviour and unfavourable health outcomes. Watching TV for more than 2 hours per day was associated with unfavourable body composition, decreased fitness, lowered scores for self-esteem and pro-social behaviour and decreased academic achievement. Meta-analysis was completed for randomized controlled studies that aimed to reduce sedentary time and reported change in body mass index (BMI) as their primary outcome. In this regard, a meta-analysis revealed an overall significant effect of -0.81 (95% CI of -1.44 to -0.17, p = 0.01) indicating an overall decrease in mean BMI associated with the interventions. There is a large body of evidence from all study designs which suggests that decreasing any type of sedentary time is associated with lower health risk in youth aged 5-17 years. In particular, the evidence suggests that daily TV viewing in excess of 2 hours is associated with reduced physical and psychosocial health, and that lowering sedentary time leads to reductions in BMI.