Abstract
Understanding the determinants of non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is crucial, given its extensive health benefits. Some scholars have assumed that a proneness to react differently to environmental cues promoting sedentary versus active behaviors could be responsible for inter-individual differences in NEAT. In line with this reflection and grounded on the Reflective-Impulsive Model, we test the assumption that impulsive processes related to sedentary and physical activity behaviors can prospectively predict NEAT, operationalized as spontaneous effort exerted to maintain low intensity muscle contractions within the release phases of an intermittent maximal isometric contraction task. Participants (n = 91) completed a questionnaire assessing their intentions to adopt physical activity behaviors and a manikin task to assess impulsive approach tendencies towards physical activity behaviors (IAPA) and sedentary behaviors (IASB). Participants were then instructed to perform a maximal handgrip strength task and an intermittent maximal isometric contraction task. As hypothesized, multilevel regression analyses revealed that spontaneous effort was (a) positively predicted by IAPA, (b) negatively predicted by IASB, and (c) was not predicted by physical activity intentions, after controlling for some confounding variables such as age, sex, usual PA level and average force provided during the maximal-contraction phases of the task. These effects remained constant throughout all the phases of the task. This study demonstrated that impulsive processes may play a unique role in predicting spontaneous physical activity behaviors. Theoretically, this finding reinforces the utility of a motivational approach based on dual-process models to explain inter-individual differences in NEAT. Implications for health behavior theories and behavior change interventions are outlined.
Highlights
Physical inactivity has been identified as one of the major risk factors for global mortality, causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths in the world and 32.1 million disability-adjusted life years [1]
Given that impulsive approach tendencies towards physical activity behaviors (IAPA) and IASB moderately negatively correlated (r52.42, p,.01), we decided to plot the SLIMC trajectory for participants with high IAPA and low IASB and for those with low IAPA and high IASB
Physical Activity (PA) thermogenesis can be decomposed in volitional exercise thermogenesis (VET) and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) [2]
Summary
Physical inactivity has been identified as one of the major risk factors for global mortality, causing an estimated 3.2 million deaths in the world and 32.1 million disability-adjusted life years [1]. Increasing Physical Activity (PA) is one of the public health priorities. PA-related thermogenesis can be decomposed into volitional exercise thermogenesis (VET) and non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) [2, 3]. The former represents purposeful/deliberative PA, such as sport or scheduled PA, whereas the latter represents ‘‘physical activities other than volitional exercise, such as the activities of daily living, fidgeting, spontaneous muscle contraction, and maintaining posture when not recumbent’’ [2]. NEAT consists mainly of low-intensity behaviors, it accounts for substantial energy expenditure [2] and plays an important role in metabolic and cardiovascular health [4, 5].
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