原文-System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities.docVIP

System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities Thomas L. McKenzie, Deborah A. Cohen, Amber Sehgal, Stephanie Williams Method Observation Instrument SOPARC was designed to obtain observational data on the number of participants and their physical activity levels during physical activity and leisure opportunities in community environments. It also provides contextual information on the setting in which the physical activity occurs. SOPARC uses the same physical activity codes as SOPLAY (System for Observing Play and Leisure in Youth) that was designed specifically to assess physical activity in middle school settings. SOPARC improves upon the earlier school version by adapting the protocol to assess the more diverse and open activity environments that are found in communities, and by being able to code participants into perceived ethnicity/race and age group categories. SOPARC is based on momentary time sampling and uses Placheck recording (i.e., Planned Activity Check) that involves group time sampling techniques. Placheck has previously been used to examine children’s aggressive behavior on playgrounds and the effects of an environmental intervention on activity levels of adolescents before, during, and after school in 24 middle schools. During a scan of a target area (i.e., an observation sweep moving from left to right) the physical activity of each individual is coded as sedentary (i.e., lying down, sitting, or standing), walking, or vigorous. These activity codes have been validated by heart rate monitoring of youths from kindergarten through 12th grade and by pedometry in physical education classes, thus permitting energy expenditure rates to be estimated in certain populations. Separate scans are made for females and males. Simultaneous entries are made for the time of the observation and for contextual characteristics of the target area such as its accessibility (e.g., not locked),usability, and whether or not supervision, organized activities, and