Browsing by Author "George L"

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    Ethnic‐specific suggestions for physical activity based on existing recreational physical activity preferences of New Zealand women
    (John Wiley and Sons Inc for Public Health Association of Australia Inc, 6/10/2019) O'Brien W; Schultz SP; Firestone RT; George L; Kruger R
    Objectives: Recreational physical activities of New Zealand women were examined to develop ethnic-specific suggestions encouraging physical activity (PA) participation as a targeted approach to reduce obesity rates among different groups. Methods: Healthy Māori, Pacific and European women (n=331; 16-45 years of age) completed an online Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire to assess recreational PA and adherence to PA guidelines. Existing PA preferences were tailored to make ethnic-specific suggestions aimed at increasing PA participation. Results: Achievement of PA guidelines was: Māori 74%; Pacific 60%; European 70%. Highest participation across all women was for walking (Māori 72%, Pacific 60%, European 83%), followed by floor exercise (Māori 54%, Pacific 37%, European 56%). Gym-type activities (e.g. weights, aerobics) and jogging were also common across ethnic groups. Group/team activities (dance, netball, touch football) were among the top 10 activities for Māori and Pacific, but not European women. Conclusion: Obesity rates among specific ethnic groups of New Zealand women might be reduced by promoting activities that are: family/whānau-oriented (netball, touch), communitylinked (hula, dance) and outdoor-based. Implications for public health: Tailoring existing PA preferences to develop ethnic-specific sets of activity suggestions could be important avenues to increase PA participation, improving the PA habits and subsequent health of New Zealand women and their communities.
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    Predictors and risks of body fat profiles in young New Zealand European, Māori and Pacific women: study protocol for the women’s EXPLORE study
    (SpringerOpen, 1/12/2015) Kruger R; Shultz SP; McNaughton SA; Russell AP; Firestone RT; George L; Beck KL; Conlon CA; von Hurst PR; Breier B; Jayasinghe SN; O Brien WJ; Jones B; Stonehouse W
    Background: Body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) is used internationally to assess body mass or adiposity. However, BMI does not discriminate body fat content or distribution and may vary among ethnicities. Many women with normal BMI are considered healthy, but may have an unidentified “hidden fat” profile associated with higher metabolic disease risk. If only BMI is used to indicate healthy body size, it may fail to predict underlying risks of diseases of lifestyle among population subgroups with normal BMI and different adiposity levels or distributions. Higher body fat levels are often attributed to excessive dietary intake and/or inadequate physical activity. These environmental influences regulate genes and proteins that alter energy expenditure/storage. Micro ribonucleic acid (miRNAs) can influence these genes and proteins, are sensitive to diet and exercise and may influence the varied metabolic responses observed between individuals. The study aims are to investigate associations between different body fat profiles and metabolic disease risk; dietary and physical activity patterns as predictors of body fat profiles; and whether these risk factors are associated with the expression of microRNAs related to energy expenditure or fat storage in young New Zealand women. Given the rising prevalence of obesity globally, this research will address a unique gap of knowledge in obesity research. Methods/Design: A cross-sectional design to investigate 675 NZ European, Māori, and Pacific women aged 16–45 years. Women are classified into three main body fat profiles (n = 225 per ethnicity; n = 75 per body fat profile): 1) normal BMI, normal body fat percentage (BF%); 2) normal BMI, high BF%; 3) high BMI, high BF%. Regional body composition, biomarkers of metabolic disease risk (i.e. fasting insulin, glucose, HbA1c, lipids), inflammation (i.e. IL-6, TNF-alpha, hs-CRP), associations between lifestyle factors (i.e. dietary intake, physical activity, taste perceptions) and microRNA expression will be investigated. Discussion: This research targets post-menarcheal, premenopausal women, potentially exhibiting lifestyle behaviours resulting in excess body fat affecting metabolic health. These behaviours may be characterised by specific patterns of microRNA expression that will be explored in terms of tailored solutions specific to body fat profile groups and ethnicities. Trial registration: ACTRN12613000714785