Sarah A Moore

Dalhousie University | Dal · School of Health and Human Performance

Introduction Improving sustainable transportation options will help cities tackle growing challenges related to population health, congestion, climate change and inequity. Interventions supporting active transportation face many practical and political hurdles. Implementation science aims to understand how interventions or policies arise, how they...

Background This study aimed to assess whether moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sport and exercise as a proxy measure of muscle and bone strengthening activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep were associated with total-body-less-head (TBLH) bone mineral content (BMC) and TBLH lean mass cross-sectionally and longitudinally from age 6 to...

Introduction: Parenting practices are an important influence on the movement behaviours of children. Parenting practices are shaped by various contextual factors (e.g., culture, sociodemographic, community) and are susceptible to external pressures, such as health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Situated within the revised Family Ecological Mode...

Persons living with complex disabilities may require support with activities of daily living to support their health and well-being, and leisure engagement is no exception. Recreation therapists can support individuals living with complex disabilities to live a higher quality of life. Unfortunately, there is limited understanding regarding the role...

Acquired Brain Injuries (ABIs) affect a significant number of individuals in Canada each year, leading to various functional challenges and complex care needs. Interdisciplinary teams play a crucial role in addressing these challenges, with Recreation Therapy (RecT) emerging as a valuable addition to such teams. RecT focuses on using leisure, recre...

Background Like many places globally, the health and well-being of children and youth living in Canada were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricted access to the outdoors, schools, and public green spaces impacted children’s physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour, and sleep. Restrictions changed throughout the pandemic, and...

Children and adolescents with disabilities (i.e. a condition that requires ongoing medical attention and combined with societal barriers, limits activities of daily living) may be at greater risk of anxiety. Physical activity has been identified as a strategy to reduce symptoms of anxiety and buffer the severity of anxiety-related symptoms in child...

Children and adolescents with disabilities (i.e., a condition that requires ongoing medical attention and combined with societal barriers, limits activities of daily living) may be at greater risk of anxiety. Physical activity has been identified as a strategy to reduce symptoms of anxiety and buffer the severity of anxiety-related symptoms in chil...

Background Self-directed mobility during childhood can influence development, social participation, and independent living later in life. For children who experience challenges with walking, manual wheelchairs (MWCs) provide a means for self-directed mobility. An effective MWC skills training program exists for adults, but controlled trials have no...

We explored associations between neighbourhood environments and children and youths’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during three different waves of the COVID-19 pandemic: spring 2020, fall 2020 and spring 2021, using three nationally representative cross-sectional surveys. In wave 2, higher dwelling density was associated with lower...

As cities work to support greater uptake and equity in cycling, the terminology ‘All Ages and Abilities’ (or AAA) is increasingly common in cycling research and practice vernacular. However, it is unclear the values that underlie this. We undertook a policy scan of Canadian municipal and regional policy documents to understand: the language used to...

Background Parents’ own movement behaviours can influence those of their children, thus contributing to the health and well-being of the whole family. Parents experienced a shift in work and childcare responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This may have led to a reduction in their healthy movements. This study examined the prevalence and co...

Basketball shooting is a complex skill that requires visual routines and trained players typically evidence a specific oculomotor pattern. This study aimed to examine visual patterns in male novice youth and professional adult players while performing a jump shot. The sample included 20 basketball players grouped as under-16 youth (n = 10) and prof...

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that a Remote-Learning Course improves the subjective wheelchair-skills performance and confidence of wheelchair service providers, and to determine the participants' views on the Course. Methods: This was an observational cohort study, with pre-post comparisons. To meet the objectives of the six-week Course, the...

To examine the (i) relationships between various body mass index (BMI)-derived metrics for measuring severe obesity (SO) over time based the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) references and (ii) ability of these metrics to discriminate children and adolescents based on the presence of cardiometabol...

Purpose: To examine the feasibility and utility of the Fitbit Charge HR to estimate physical activity among ambulatory children and youth with disabilities. Method: Participants (4-17 y old) with disabilities were recruited and asked to wear a Fitbit for 28 days. Feasibility was assessed as the number of participants who adhered to the 28-day pr...

Purpose: To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between body mass index (BMI)-derived metrics for measuring severe obesity (SO) using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) references and cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents. Methods: In this cohort study compl...

This article explores the relationship of neighborhood landscape characteristics on outdoor play for children living in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a nationwide online survey that reported changes in outdoor activities in and analyzed responses in relation to landscape affordances that facilitate outdoor play. Results show that li...

This study explored the association between socioecological factors and outdoor physical activity (PA) and play in children with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents ( N = 133) completed a survey to report changes in their child’s outdoor PA and play during the pandemic (from prepandemic levels), and child, household, and neighborhood...

Two accelerometer metrics (intensity-gradient and average-acceleration) can be used to determine the relative contributions of physical activity (PA) volume and intensity for health, but it is unknown whether epoch length influences the associations detected. This is important when considering bone health, as bone is particularly responsive to high...

Purpose: The purposes of the current study were to identify risk profiles for nonadherence among children and youth (5-17 y) at the 6-month mark of the COVID-19 pandemic and to discuss similarities and differences between risk profiles identified in the current study and those identified at the 1-month mark of the pandemic. Methods: Data were pa...

Considering physical activity (PA) volume and intensity may provide novel insights into the relationships of PA with bone, lean, and fat mass. This study aimed to assess the associations of PA volume, PA intensity distribution, including moderate‐to‐vigorous PA (MVPA) with total‐body‐less‐head bone mineral content (BMC), lean, and fat mass in child...

Résumé Objectifs Cette étude s’est penchée sur l’impact ponctuel et prolongé de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur les comportements de mouvement et la santé des enfants et jeunes handicapés du Canada. Méthode Quatre-vingt-six parents d’enfants et jeunes handicapés ont répondu deux fois à un questionnaire en ligne (en mai et en novembre 2020). Des entre...

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many internships during the January 2020 semester to be shift ed to a virtual/remote format. Due to the unprecedented nature of this forced shift , there was minimal consistency in how virtual/remote internships were conducted. Using a cross-sectional design, this study aimed to summarize the experiences of RT/TR intern...

Physical activity (PA) among children and youth with disabilities (CYD) has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Parent PA support and parent PA modelling (i.e., parents engaging in PA themselves) have been shown to be associated with PA in CYD. However, parents’ influence on the PA behaviours of CYD during the pandemic remains unknow...

Background A recent dialogue in the field of play, learn, and teach outdoors (referred to as “PLaTO” hereafter) demonstrated the need for developing harmonized and consensus-based terminology, taxonomy, and ontology for PLaTO. This is important as the field evolves and diversifies in its approaches, contents, and contexts over time and in different...

Objective To assess stakeholder ratings of health indicators and subgroup analyses in systematic reviews used to update the Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline for Managing Paediatric Obesity. Methods Stakeholders (caregivers of children with obesity and Clinical Practice Guideline Steering Committee members) completed an online survey between Ap...

Objectives: Public health restrictions varied by region during the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced opportunities for children to be physically active. The purpose of this study was to assess regional differences in movement behaviours of Canadian children and youth during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A national sample of Cana...

Objectives This study examined the acute and longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the movement behaviours and health of children and youth with disabilities (CYD) in Canada. Methods Eighty-six parents of CYD completed an online survey twice (May 2020 and November 2020). Interviews were completed with seven families in March 2021. Resul...

Does the timing of when children, youth and adults participate in physical activity, sedentary behaviour (e.g. screen time) and sleep matter when it comes to their overall health? This special issue of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada includes four papers that present evidence and recommendations on the timing of movement b...

Est-ce que l’horaire auquel les enfants, les adolescents et les adultes sont actifs, demeurent sédentaires (par exemple devant un écran) et dorment ont une influence sur leur état de santé général? Ce numéro spécial de Promotion de la santé et prévention des maladies chroniques au Canada rassemble quatre articles qui présentent des données probante...

Background: Since the first national guideline for managing obesity in adults and children in Canada was published in 2007, new evidence has emerged and guideline standards have evolved. Our purpose is to describe the protocol used to update the Canadian clinical practice guideline for managing pediatric obesity. Methods: This guideline will upd...

Introduction We aimed to investigate whether the relationship between fat mass and bone mineral content (BMC) is mediated by insulin, leptin, adiponectin, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, testosterone and estradiol in children aged 9-11 years. Materials and Methods We utilised cross-sectional data from the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Childr...

All children and youth require ample physical activity (PA), low levels of sedentary behaviour (SB), and adequate sleep to stay healthy. Children and youth living with disabilities (CYWD) tend to have fewer opportunities for participation in PA and outdoor play compared with their typically developing peers. In turn, CYWD are typically less active...

Daily life has changed for families due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this repeated cross-sectional study was to describe movement behaviours in Canadian children and youth 6 months into the pandemic (T2; October 2020) compared with the start of the pandemic (T1, April 2020). An online survey was distributed to parents (N = 1568) of children...

Daily life has changed for families due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this repeated cross-sectional study was to describe movement behaviours in Canadian children and youth six months into the pandemic (T2; October 2020) compared with the start of the pandemic (T1, April 2020). An online survey was distributed to parents ( N = 1568) of child...

Objective: The objective of this scoping review was to systematically summarize the available literature investigating the relationships between the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep) of school-aged children (aged 5−11 years) and youth (aged 12−17 years) in the fir...

Purpose: Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) positively influences bone mineral content (BMC) in prepubertal children, but it is unknown whether this relationship is partially mediated by free leptin index. The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between MVPA and total body less head (TBLH) BMC is mediated or modera...

The COVID-19 outbreak and related public health guidelines have changed the daily lives of Canadians and restricted opportunities for healthy movement behaviours for children. The purpose of this study was to explore how parents experienced the pandemic-related restrictions and how they impacted their children’s movement behaviours. Methods: Twenty...

It is unclear how physical activity intensity and vitamin D status are related to bone health in prepubertal children. We found positive associations between vitamin D status and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with bone in boys and girls. This highlights the importance of lifestyle factors for skeletal health prepuberty. Introduction: The...

To reduce the spread of COVID-19, public health authorities across the country have recommended that Canadians keep their distance, wash their hands, and stay home. To enforce these measures, restrictions on outdoor behaviour have been implemented, limiting access to parks and recreational outdoor spaces. New evidence shows that COVID-19 restrictio...

Context: Across adolescence, there is a notable decline in physical activity in boys and girls. Maturational timing may be a risk factor for disengagement from physical activity and increased sedentary behaviours during adolescence. Objective: This systematic review aimed to summarise literature that examined the relationship between maturationa...

This paper explores patterns of increased/ decreased physical activity, sedentary and sleep behaviours among Canadian children and youth aged 5-17 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, and examines how these changes are associated with the built environment near residential locations. A cluster analysis identified two groups who were primarily distin...

Background: Healthy childhood development is fostered through sufficient physical activity (PA; including time outdoors), limiting sedentary behaviours (SB), and adequate sleep; collectively known as movement behaviours. Though the COVID-19 virus outbreak has changed the daily lives of children and youth, it is unknown to what extent related restr...

Background: Healthy child and youth development is fostered through sufficient physical activity (PA; including time outdoors), limiting sedentary behaviours (SB), and adequate sleep; collectively known as movement behaviours. Though the COVID-19 virus outbreak has changed the daily lives of children and youth, it is unknown to what extent related...

Purpose The purpose of this study was to use decision tree modeling to generate profiles of children and youth who were more or less likely to meet the Canadian 24-h movement guidelines during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods Data for this study were from a nationally representative sample of 1472 Canadian parents (Meanage = 45.12, SD = 7.55) of chi...

Problem: A 2011 review of reviews reported small to moderate associations between physical activity (PA) and depression, anxiety and self-esteem among children and youth (aged 5–17 years). Due to the increase in reviews examining PA and mental health outcomes in children and youth over the past decade, we conducted an umbrella review to determine t...

We revisit Stanley Garn's theory related to sex differences in endocortical and periosteal apposition during adolescence using a 12-year mixed longitudinal study design. We used peripheral quantitative computed tomography to examine bone parameters in 230 participants (110 boys, 120 girls; 11.0 yrs at baseline). We assessed total (Tt.Ar, mm2), cort...

Assessing biological maturity in studies of children is challenging. Sex-specific regression equations developed using anthropometric measures are widely used to predict somatic maturity. However, prediction accuracy was not established in external samples. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the fit of these equations, assess for over-fitting (adjusting as...

The aim of this study was to determine the sex- and maturity-related differences in bone microstructure and estimated bone strength at the distal radius and distal tibia in children and adolescents. We used high-resolution pQCT to measure standard morphological parameters in addition to cortical porosity (Ct.Po) and estimated bone strength by finit...

Early-maturing individuals may be at an advantage in some sports. The purpose of this study was to compare maturity status between competitive male child (10-12 years old) and adolescent (14-16 years old) athletes and minimally-active, age-matched controls. In total, 224 males were included in the study. Children (n=115) included minimally-active b...

We examined the use of high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT [XtremeCT; Scanco Medical, Switzerland]) to assess bone microstructure at the distal radius in growing children and adolescents. We examined forearm radiographs from 37 children (age 8-14 yr) to locate the position of the ulnar and radial growth plates. We u...

Bone is a complex structure with many levels of organization. Advanced imaging tools such as high-resolution (HR) peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) provide the opportunity to investigate how components of bone microstructure differ between the sexes and across developmental periods. The aim of this study was to quantify the age- an...

Children and adolescents who train extensively in high-impact, weight-bearing activities have enhanced bone mineral density. The purpose of this study was to evaluate bone strength, as reflected by quantitative ultrasound (QUS, Sunlight Omniscence), of child (10-12 yrs old) and adolescent (14-16 yrs old) male soccer and hockey players in comparison...

The objective of this study was to assess bone strength using quantitative ultrasound (QUS, Sunlight Omnisense) in pre- and early-pubertal normal weight (NW, % body fat < or = 20, n = 28), and overweight (OW, % body fat < or = 25, n = 15) boys. Groups were similar in chronological and skeletal age, sexual maturity, sports participation, and calcium...

Calcium Rapid Assessment Method. The RAM food frequency questionnaire

In order to rapidly assess nutrient intake, Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ) have been developed and proven to be reliable for quick, user friendly analysis in adults. However, the accuracy of these questionnaires in children has been studied to a limited extent. The aim of this study was to compare the daily calcium intake values obtained from...