Abstract
Abstract. Objectives: Physical activity (PA) positively influences several aspects of mental well-being including affect improvements. Yet, the fact that subjective and objective measures of PA often diverge challenges research on the relationship of PA and affect. Methods: Subjective (ecological momentary assessment, EMA) and objective (combined heart rate and accelerometric activity tracker) measures of PA alongside repeated ratings of positive and negative affects were obtained from 37 participants over 7 consecutive days. Results: Subjective and objective PA were significantly positively correlated. Affect improvements, that is, negative affect decrease as well as positive affect increase, were predicted by both subjective (EMA) and objective (activity tracker) data. Conclusions: Measurement concordance supports the validity of both assessment strategies. Affect improvements result from both subjective representations of one’s own activity as well as from physiological mechanisms of PA that one is not aware of, suggesting two independent routes to affect improvements.
Highlights
With each of these beeps individuals were asked among other things to estimate their extent of moderate to vigorous Physical activity (PA) since the last answered beep with the question “How many minutes have you been physically active since the last entry? Under physical activity we define activities that got you sweating or out of breath.”
Based on the Freiburger Fragebogen zur körperlichen Aktivität” (FFKA) questionnaire overall activity score, 27 participants were classified as having high physical activity levels, 7 medium PA levels, and 3 low PA levels during the weeks before the smartphone assessment
Data based on 1,155 observations, except for “Daily moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA)” (222 observations) and body-mass index (BMI)
Summary
Participants were recruited by means of a study announcement via e-mail, flyers, and by word of mouth. Since not all participants were able to wear the activity tracking device (e.g., because of a sticking plaster allergy; constraints with regard to the number of devices), objective PA data could not be attained for all recruited participants (N = 12). Participants were excluded in case of substantial missing data in both EMA (< 50% of completed EMA questionnaires) and activity tracker assessment methods (N = 2). In total 37 participants (28 female) were included in the statistical analyses. Participants, mostly university students, had a mean age of 23.5 years (SD = 2.60 years, age range: 19– 28 years). All participants received written and oral information on the purpose of the study and signed an informed consent according to the relevant ethics committee that granted the ethical approval for the present study
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