Background: Youth (age 15-24 years) with and without disability are not adequately represented enough in exercise research due to a lack of time and transportation. These barriers can be overcome by including accessible web-based assessments that eliminate the need for on-site visitations. There is no simple, low-cost, and psychometrically sound compilation of measures for physical fitness and function that can be applied to youth with and without mobility disabilities. Objective: The first purpose was to determine the statistical level of agreement of 4 web-modified clinical assessments with how they are typically conducted in person at a laboratory (convergent validity). The second purpose was to determine the level of agreement between a novice and an expert rater (interrater reliability). The third purpose was to explore the feasibility of implementing the assessments via 2 metrics: safety and duration. Methods: The study enrolled 19 ambulatory youth: 9 (47%) with cerebral palsy with various mobility disabilities from a children’s hospital and 10 (53%) without disabilities from a university student population. Participants performed a battery of tests via videoconferencing and in person. The test condition (teleassessment and in person) order was randomized. The battery consisted of the hand grip strength test with a dynamometer, the five times sit-to-stand test (FTST), the timed up-and-go (TUG) test, and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) either around a standard circular track (in person) or around a smaller home-modified track (teleassessment version, home-modified 6-minute walk test [HM6MWT]). Statistical analyses included descriptive data, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and Bland-Altman plots. Results: The mean time to complete the in-person assessment was 16.9 (SD 4.8) minutes and the teleassessment was 21.1 (SD 5.9) minutes. No falls, injuries, or adverse events occurred. Excellent convergent validity was shown for telemeasured hand grip strength (right ICC=0.96, left ICC=0.98, P<.001) and the TUG test (ICC=0.92, P=.01). The FTST demonstrated good agreement (ICC=0.95, 95% CI 0.79-0.98; P=.01). The HM6MWT demonstrated poor absolute agreement with the 6MWT. However, further exploratory analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between the tests (r=0.83, P<.001). The interrater reliability was excellent for all tests (all ICCs>0.9, P<.05). Conclusions: This study suggests that videoconference assessments are convenient and useful measures of fitness and function among youth with and without disabilities. This paper presents operationalized teleassessment procedures that can be replicated by health professionals to produce valid and reliable measurements. This study is a first step toward developing teleassessments that can bypass the need for on-site data collection visitations for this age group. Further research is needed to identify psychometrically sound teleassessment procedures, particularly for measures of cardiorespiratory endurance or walking ability.

A survey assessed exercise frequency (International Physical Activity Questionnaire), intensity (Borg’s scale), type, and social and physical preferences. The Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 measured motivators for exercise and the Physical Activity Self-Regulation Scale measured self-regulation. Characteristics and preferences for exercise were examined using descriptives and frequencies. MANOVAs assessed differences in motivators and self-regulation by frequency of exercise, and regression analyses assessed differences in exercise predictors by type. The sample consisted of 269 women ages 18–34 (66.5% White), of whom 80.3% met the national guidelines for aerobic exercise, 78.4% met the guidelines for muscle-strengthening exercise, and 32.3% identified resistance exercise as their preferred type of exercise. Weight management and self-regulation (p = .021, R² = .073) were the strongest predictors of aerobic exercise. Positive health, strength and endurance, and self-regulation (p = .023, R² = .161) were predictors of muscle-strengthening exercise. Women who participated in high amounts of aerobic exercise were motivated by interpersonal factors while psychological factors motivated high frequency of muscle-strengthening exercise. Programs for young adult women should consider incorporating resistance exercise as this study shows it may evoke motivation that could lead to regular participation. Self-regulation strategies were associated with adherence to both aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises, highlighting the potential importance for inclusion in future interventions.

The purpose of this project was to examine the effect of a concurrent exercise program (sprint interval training and resistance exercise) on body composition in women with obesity and factors associated with continued exercise participation following the program. Twenty women (37.1 ± 7.4 y, height = 1.63 ± 0.09 m, weight = 98.22 ± 0.22 kg, BMI = 34.2 ± 2.50 kg/m²) participated in a 10-week exercise intervention consisting of a sprint interval treadmill protocol and resistance training three times a week totaling 30 sessions. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (iDXA) at pretest, 12 weeks, and six months post-intervention. Semi-structured interviews assessed participants’ perception of the program at both 12 weeks and six months. Participants significantly reduced fat mass (p < 0.001), gynoid fat mass (p < 0.010), android fat mass (p = 0.003), and visceral fat mass (p = 0.003) at 12 weeks post-test. At six months, participants maintained their reductions in fat mass (p = 0.015), visceral fat (p = 0.040) and gynoid fat mass (p = 0.032). There were no significant main time effects in lean mass (p = 0.099) or caloric intake (p = 0.053) at 12 weeks or six months. Themes that emerged from the semi-structured interviews at 12 weeks reflected enjoyment in the training, increases in competence and knowledge, as well as apprehension of continuing training on their own. At six months, themes that emerged reflected overcoming barriers, competence regarding high-intensity training, and a lack of competence to engage in resistance training. Sprint interval training coupled with resistance training is a feasible exercise protocol for women with obesity and results in reduced fat mass over six months. Improving women’s competence for training is imperative for continued participation.

African American (AA) women have disproportionately high physical inactivity and obesity prevalence rates in comparison to their gender and racial counterparts. AA women experience unique barriers to leisure-time physical activity (LTPA); however, methods to overcome these barriers are less developed. Therefore, this study used semistructured interviews to explore strategies of young, active AA women that support LTPA maintenance and to identify their psychosocial and behavioral characteristics. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-long was also administered to provide descriptors of participants’ LTPA. Ten women (age: M = 26.1, SD = 1.7 years) who met national guidelines for aerobic or muscle-strengthening LTPA at least 6 months (aerobic LTPA: M = 2,578.0, SD = 1,228.5 metabolic equivalent-minutes [MET-min]/week; muscle-strengthening physical activity: M = 4.0, SD = 1.9 days/week) completed the study. Four categories emerged from the interviews: (a) early-life contributors to LTPA participation, (b) characteristics of current LTPA, (c) initiating LTPA participation, and (d) maintaining LTPA participation. Findings revealed participants identified weightlifting as a preferred type of LTPA, identified various planning/preparation methods to overcome LTPA challenges, and relied on social media to initiate and maintain LTPA. This study identified several strategies used by young AA women to maintain regular LTPA and program preferences. These data are important in this understudied group as similar strategies may help inactive young AA women overcome LTPA challenges and promote long-term adherence. This could help prevent health and physical activity disparities in this population.

Young Black women face barriers to exercise and elevated cardiometabolic risk, yet resistance exercise (RE) remains underutilized despite its benefits. We evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a 24-week culturally adapted RE intervention + text messages in young Black women. Participants were randomized to the motivational exercise group (MEG; n = 14) or the standard exercise group (SEG; n = 13). Both groups received 10 and 11 weeks of supervised (by a Black woman) and unsupervised RE. MEG received additional cultural adaptations and weekly discussions to build competence, autonomy, and self-regulation strategies + mobile support. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed via recruitment, consent, and retention rates, adherence, and thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews. Recruitment and consent rates were 97.2% and 100.0%, respectively. Retention rates were 93.3% (MEG) and 86.7% (SEG) at 12 weeks, and 93.3% and 80.0% at 24 weeks, respectively. Supervised adherence was 93.9% and 88.8% in MEG and SEG, and 14.3% and 15.4%, respectively, during unsupervised RE. Participants desired continued support and a more tailored mobile experience during unsupervised RE. Supervised RE with ethnically matched trainers was feasible and acceptable. Future interventions should incorporate mobile tools with tailored feedback and accountability strategies to sustain long-term RE to improve health outcomes in this population.