Background： Many studies examining individual-level correlates in youth utilize self-report rather than objective measures of physical activity （PA）. This utilization of self-report may result in associations that ...Background： Many studies examining individual-level correlates in youth utilize self-report rather than objective measures of physical activity （PA）. This utilization of self-report may result in associations that are not present when examining objectively measured PA. The present study investigates the relationship between hypothesized correlates of PA with objectively and subjectively measured PA. Methods： Participating children （n 232, 101 males, mean age - 12.3 years） provided a minimum of four monitored days of PA （via accelerometer） and completed a survey assessing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity （MVPA）, sport competence, appearance, enjoyment, and self-efficacy. Height and weight were measured and body mass index （BMI） was calculated. Results： Hierarchical regression models controlling for sex, race, and BMI Z-score showed that only sex and BMI Z-score were significant correlates of objective MVPA while only sex was a significant correlate of objective total PA. However, in a separate model examining the relationship with subjective MVPA, enjoyment of PA and self-efficacy for PA were the only significant correlates of self-reported PA. Conclusion： Measuring MVPA via self-report versus accelerometry produces considerably different results in a sample of young adolescents. Future studies should use caution when selecting outcome measures if the intent is to identify modifiable correlates of MVPA in youth.展开更多
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the most important parameters affecting the hydraulic characteristics of natural soils. Despite being rather easy to measure, SOC is known to be highly variable in space. In this st...Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the most important parameters affecting the hydraulic characteristics of natural soils. Despite being rather easy to measure, SOC is known to be highly variable in space. In this study, vegetation, climate, and morphology factors were used to reproduce the spatial distribution of SOC in the mineral horizons of forest and grassland areas in north-western Italy and the feasibility of the approach was evaluated. When the overall sample (114 samples) was analyzed, average annual rainfall and elevation were significant descriptors of the SOC variability. However, a large part of the variability remains unexplained. Two stratification criteria were then adopted, based on vegetation and topographic properties. We obtained an improvement of the quality of the estimates, particularly for grasslands and forests in the absence of local curvatures. These results indicate that the spatial variability of soil organic matter is scarcely reproducible at the regional scale, unless an a-priori reduction of the heterogeneity is applied. A discussion on the feasibility of applying stratification criteria to deal with heterogeneous samples closes the paper.展开更多
基金funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(K01-DP001126)
文摘Background： Many studies examining individual-level correlates in youth utilize self-report rather than objective measures of physical activity （PA）. This utilization of self-report may result in associations that are not present when examining objectively measured PA. The present study investigates the relationship between hypothesized correlates of PA with objectively and subjectively measured PA. Methods： Participating children （n 232, 101 males, mean age - 12.3 years） provided a minimum of four monitored days of PA （via accelerometer） and completed a survey assessing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity （MVPA）, sport competence, appearance, enjoyment, and self-efficacy. Height and weight were measured and body mass index （BMI） was calculated. Results： Hierarchical regression models controlling for sex, race, and BMI Z-score showed that only sex and BMI Z-score were significant correlates of objective MVPA while only sex was a significant correlate of objective total PA. However, in a separate model examining the relationship with subjective MVPA, enjoyment of PA and self-efficacy for PA were the only significant correlates of self-reported PA. Conclusion： Measuring MVPA via self-report versus accelerometry produces considerably different results in a sample of young adolescents. Future studies should use caution when selecting outcome measures if the intent is to identify modifiable correlates of MVPA in youth.
基金Supported by the Italian Ministry of Education (No. 2007HBTS85)
文摘Soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the most important parameters affecting the hydraulic characteristics of natural soils. Despite being rather easy to measure, SOC is known to be highly variable in space. In this study, vegetation, climate, and morphology factors were used to reproduce the spatial distribution of SOC in the mineral horizons of forest and grassland areas in north-western Italy and the feasibility of the approach was evaluated. When the overall sample (114 samples) was analyzed, average annual rainfall and elevation were significant descriptors of the SOC variability. However, a large part of the variability remains unexplained. Two stratification criteria were then adopted, based on vegetation and topographic properties. We obtained an improvement of the quality of the estimates, particularly for grasslands and forests in the absence of local curvatures. These results indicate that the spatial variability of soil organic matter is scarcely reproducible at the regional scale, unless an a-priori reduction of the heterogeneity is applied. A discussion on the feasibility of applying stratification criteria to deal with heterogeneous samples closes the paper.
