Background: Most available evidence on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on child movement behaviors is from cross-sectional studies using self-report measures. This study aimed to identify change trajectories and their associated factors for objectively-assessed physical activity and sedentary time among an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of school-age children from Central Texas, U.S.A., during COVID-19. Methods: Pre- (Sept. 2019 – Feb. 2020) and during- (Oct. 2020 – March 2021) COVID-19 physical activity and sedentary behavior data were collected for school-age children (8–11 years) enrolled in the Safe Travel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools (STREETS) cohort study. Daily time spent in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time were assessed using GT3X-wBT Actigraph accelerometers. Parent surveys were used to assess socio-ecological factors. Latent class linear mixed models were used to identify change trajectories of MVPA and sedentary time. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between socio-ecological characteristics with physical activity and sedentary time change trajectory groups. Results: There was a significant decrease in mean daily MVPA (− 9.4 mins, SD = 18.54) and an increase in sedentary behavior (0.83 hrs, SD = 1.18). Two trajectory groups were identified for MVPA (‘decrease MPVA’ and ‘maintain high MVPA’), with the majority (82.1%) being in the ‘decrease MVPA’ group. Three trajectory groups were identified for sedentary behavior (‘moderate increase sedentary, ‘steep increase sedentary,’ and ‘decrease sedentary’), with most children (78.5%) being in the ‘moderate increase’ group. Girls had significantly lower odds of being in the ‘maintain high MVPA’ group than boys (OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.11, 0.61). Children living in neighborhoods with higher perceived social cohesion had significantly higher odds of being in the ‘maintain high MVPA’ group (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.41), while those in neighborhoods with higher social cohesion had lower odds of being in the ‘decrease sedentary’ group (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.74, 0.99). Conclusions: Declines in physical activity and increases in sedentary time among most school-age children during COVID-19 in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse U.S. sample, were observed in our study, especially among girls. These findings highlight the need to counteract the short-term negative changes in movement behaviors in response to COVID-19 among children.

Avenanthramides (AVA) are a group of di-phenolic acids found only in oats and have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Eccentric muscle contraction is intimately involved in rigorous exercise that activates systemic and local inflammatory responses. The objective of the study is to evaluate whether chronic AVA supplementation could attenuate peripheral inflammatory and immunological markers in human subjects in response to an acute bout of downhill running (DR). Eleven male and thirteen female subjects voluntarily participated in this double-blinded, randomized controlled study and were randomly divided into AVA-supplemented (AVA) or control (C) groups. All subjects conducted a DR protocol at − 10% grade with an intensity equivalent to 75% of their maximal heart rate. Blood samples were collected at rest and various time points (0-72 h) after DR (PRE). After an 8-week washout period, participants received two cookies daily containing either 206 mg/kg (AVA) or 0 mg/kg (C) AVA for 8 weeks. Following the oat supplementation regimen, the DR and blood sampling protocols were repeated (POST). Plasma inflammatory and immunological markers were measured using Multiplex immunoassay and muscle soreness was evaluated with pain rating scale. DR increased plasma creatine kinase (CK) activity (P < 0.01) during PRE, but the response was reduced at 24 and 48 h during POST vs. PRE regardless of AVA status (P < 0.05). Neutrophil respiratory burst (NRB) levels were elevated at 4 and 24 h (P < 0.05) during PRE but were significantly decreased at 0–48 h during POST vs. PRE (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), the neutrophil stimulating cytokine, was also increased in response to DR but showed lower levels in AVA compared to C during POST vs. PRE (P < 0.05). Plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) content showed an increase at 0 and 4 h during PRE and 0 h during POST (P < 0.01), whereas during POST there was a trend toward a lower IL-6 level in AVA vs. C (P = 0.082). Plasma levels of anti-inflammatory agent interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) showed an increase at 4 h during PRE, and was significantly elevated in AVA vs. C during POST. Both soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) contents increased at 0 and 24 h post DR during PRE as well as POST sessions, however, sVCAM-1 content was lower in AVA vs. C during POST (P < 0.05) and MCP-1 levels were below resting level at 24, 48 and 72 h during POST (P < 0.05). DR increased muscle pain at all post-DR time points (P < 0.01), but the pain level was alleviated by oat supplementation at 48 and 72 h during POST regardless of AVA treatment (P < 0.05). Oat AVA supplementation reduced circulatory inflammatory cytokines and inhibited expression of chemokines and cell adhesion molecules induced by DR. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02584946 . Registered 23 October 2015.

This study examined longitudinal data to identify changes in the occurrence of depressive symptoms, and to explore if such changes were associated with socio-demographic, movement behaviors, and health variables during the COVID-19 pandemic, among a diverse sample of central Texas residents. Participants who completed two online surveys in 2020 (in June and November) from an on-going longitudinal study were included. Depressive symptoms were measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Change in depressive symptoms’ occurrence status between the two time points was categorized into (1) stable/improved, and (2) consistent depressive symptoms/declined. Sociodemographic factors, movement behaviors and health data were self-reported. Statistical analyses utilized descriptive statistics and logistical regression. Among a total of 290 individuals (84.1% female; 71.0% racial/ethnic minorities), 13.5% were categorized as consistent depressive symptoms/declined. Multivariable logistic regression indicated that racial/ethnic minorities, older age, and increased physical activity were associated with a lower likelihood, while greater sedentary time was associated with higher likelihood of consistent depressive symptoms/declined status. Between 3 months and 8 months into the pandemic, various socio-demographic and behavioral variables were associated with changes in depressive symptoms’ occurrence status. Future research should explore the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on depression among a diverse population and identify risk factors for depression.

Objective: To determine the associations between muscle-strengthening activity (MSA) and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2973 participants aged ≥55 in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. Participants self-reported leisure-time physical activity. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). The associations of reported MSA frequency (0–1 vs. ≥2 sessions/week) and volume (zero, low: ≤250, medium: 250–420, high: >420 MET minutes/week) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, defined as MoCA<26) and MoCA total score were examined using logistic and linear regression. Results: Individuals who participated in ≥2 MSA sessions/week had a significantly higher MoCA total score. Participants with medium MSA volume were significantly associated with lower odds of being classified as MCI and associated with a higher MoCA total score than those with zero volume. Conclusions: Engaging in MSA is associated with cognitive health among middle-aged and older adults independent of aerobic exercise.

Background : Only 10% of US children participate in active commuting (walking and bicycling) to school (ACS). Parental concerns related to traffic are a primary barrier to ACS, yet no studies have assessed these concerns together with neighborhood traffic safety-related features. This study examined the associations between traffic safety-related features in neighborhoods and ACS among school-age children in Austin, Texas. Methods : This cross-sectional analysis utilized pre-COVID-19 baseline data (2019–2020) of parent–child dyads enrolled in the Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools study. ACS, traffic safety-related features in the neighborhood (sidewalk availability, safe road crossings, traffic safety, traffic speed, and safety at intersections and crossings), and child- and family-level covariates were reported by parents. Geographic Information Systems methods were used to construct neighborhood traffic safety-related variables (bike lane coverage, sidewalk coverage, traffic volume, high-speed streets, major roads, pedestrian beacons, and traffic/pedestrian signals) and neighborhood-level covariates within an 800-m straight-line Euclidean buffer from children’s home to school. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test the association between traffic safety-related features and ACS adjusted for neighborhood-, child-, and family-level covariates. Results : Among parent–child dyads with complete data (N = 187) from 22 schools, bike lane coverage was directly associated with ACS (AOR = 2.61; 95% CI, 1.44–4.90). Compared with low bicycle lane coverage (below the median, <0.35), high bike lane coverage was significantly associated with 2.49 times the odds of ACS (95% CI, 1.23–5.23). Conclusions : These findings support the need to increase the availability of bicycle infrastructure near schools as a possible strategy to enhance ACS participation.