Variety of Physical Activity in Normal to Overweight Adults Who Are Regularly Active

Many individuals, particularly those who are obese, are inactive and increasing physical
activity continues to be a challenge, thus, developing strategies that assist individuals in
engaging and sustaining high levels of physical activity is imperative.1,2 Incorporating a
variety of activities into a physical activity program is a strategy that may be promising
for increasing physical activity levels.3 Data from the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that individuals who reported engaging in a variety of
activities (i.e., walking + other leisure-time activities) were more likely to meet national
physical activity recommendations compared to those who reported no variety (i.e., only
walking).4 In another study, the investigators found that overweight participants in an
18-month behavioral lifestyle intervention who reported physical activity variety (i.e., ≥ 2
activities) at 6 months had higher self-reported physical activity-related energy expenditure
and a lower body mass index (BMI) at 18 months than those who reported no physical activity
variety (i.e., only 1 activity).5 Additionally, the investigators have also found that
performing a variety of activities is related to greater engagement in objectively measured
moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity in both successful weight loss maintainers
and normal weight individuals.6 Based on the literature available, it appears that increasing
the number of activities in a physical activity regimen can assist with increasing engagement
of physical activity. However, physical activity variety has primarily been examined by
summing the number of different activities a person engages in (i.e., walking + other
leisure-time activities). Other environmental factors, including location, visual and
auditory stimuli, and the number and types of people engaging in physical activity in close
proximity, may impact on the degree of variety of differing physical activities that people
engage in. Thus, the purpose of this study is to collect more information about physical
activity variety.

Specific Aims:

Specific Aim 1. To determine the average minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical
activity participants engage in.

Specific Aim 2. To determine if environmental factors influence the degree of variety of
physical activities that participants engage in.

Specific Aim 3. To determine if the average number of minutes of moderate- to
vigorous-intensity physical activity increases as the variety of physical activities
increases.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 29.9 kg/m2.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Have a metal allergy (which would prevent the ability of a participant to wear the
SenseWear® armband from BodyMedia® used in the proposed study).

- Self-report engaging in less than 30 minutes/week of moderate- to vigorous-intensity
physical activity over the previous week.