Indirect Effect Of Physical Activity Research Articles

Mediating effects of body composition between physical activity and body esteem in Hong Kong adolescents: a structural equation modeling approach.

Regular physical activity may help overweight adolescents, especially boys, improve their body esteem. Kinesiologists and health professionals could explore the use of physical activity prescriptions for weight management, aiming at body esteem improvement in community health programs for adolescents. Among Western adolescents, negative body esteem is more pervasive in girls than in boys. There are consistent findings of the association between higher body mass index and lower body esteem in adolescents, but the association between physical activity and body esteem are equivocal. A negative association between body mass index and body esteem was found in both Hong Kong adolescent boys and girls. The indirect effect of physical activity on body esteem via body mass index was positive in Hong Kong adolescent boys, but negative in girls.

Daily physical activity enhances resilient resources for symptom management in middle-aged women.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the direct and indirect associations between physical activity and menopausal symptoms. Community-dwelling middle-aged women (N = 103; age range 40-60 years) completed daily Internet surveys at the end of the day and wore an accelerometer for the objective assessment of physical activity for 21-days. 1-1-1 multilevel mediation models were estimated to test whether resilient resources (i.e., positive affect and coping efficacy) mediated the association between physical activity and symptom burden at the between- and within-person level. Analyses demonstrated physical activity had an indirect effect (-0.16) on symptom burden through the enhancement of positive affect at the within-person level (p < .05; 95% confidence interval [CI] based on 20,000 Monte Carlo replications [-0.25, -0.08]). In models that tested coping efficacy as the mediator, it was found that the indirect effect of physical activity on symptom burden at the within-person level was -0.08 (p < .05; 95% CI based on 20,000 Monte Carlo replications [-0.14, -0.03]). These effects were nonsignificant at the between-person level, suggesting one route in which physical activity may help a woman to cope with her symptoms is through the enhancement of positive affect and coping efficacy on a day-to-day basis.

Self-esteem Mediates Associations of Physical Activity with Anxiety in College Women

Why physically active people report lower anxiety than those who are inactive is not well understood. This study examined whether physical self-concept and self-esteem would mediate associations of self-reported physical activity with anxiety disorder symptoms in young women, a population with elevated risk for developing an anxiety disorder. College women (N = 1036, mean ± SD = 19.7 ± 2.9 yr) completed a physical activity recall, the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire, and the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used to test hypotheses. Physical activity had inverse, indirect associations with symptoms of social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder that were expressed through its positive association with specific and global physical self-concept and self-esteem. The results were independent of similar relations with symptoms of major depressive disorder as well as the estimates of body fatness and use of psychotropic medications. These correlational findings provide initial evidence to warrant experimental efficacy trials of whether physical activity will reduce the risk of anxiety disorders in young women by positive influences on physical self-concept and self-esteem.

Role of physical activity in the relationship between mastery and functional health.

To examine the influence of mastery, physical activity levels, and subsequent trajectories of domains of functional health across the adult life course. We examined 8-year trajectories of physical functioning (handgrip strength) and functional health (physical [RAND PHC12], psychological [RAND MHC12], and cognitive [processing speed]) in a large Australian sample (n = 7,485 at baseline) of 3 cohorts (20-24, 40-44, and 60-64 years). Within- and between-person indirect effects of physical activity on the relationship between mastery and health were examined using multilevel structural equation models. Mastery was positively related to within-person change in physical and psychological health for all cohorts, and processing speed for the 60s. Between-person mastery was positively associated with all health domains across all cohorts. Physical activity indirectly influenced the between-person relationships between mastery and handgrip strength, physical health, and psychological health in all cohorts, and between mastery and processing speed for the 60s. Psychological resources are important mechanisms for functional health as they may drive adaptive behaviors such as physical activity. The within-person association connecting mastery with physical and psychological health trajectories provides promise for interventions that foster or improve a sense of mastery. The findings contribute to the understanding of complex relationships between personal resources and behaviors that aid in successful aging across the life span.

Initial insight into why physical activity may help prevent adolescent smoking uptake

IntroductionWhereas research supports the importance of regular physical activity to decrease the likelihood of smoking uptake, the mechanisms accounting for this relationship are poorly understood. We sought to determine whether the enjoyment or reward derived from physical activity is one mechanism underlying the relationship between smoking and physical activity. MethodsThe sample was composed of 1374 adolescents participating in a prospective longitudinal survey study of health behaviors. Variables were measured via self-report every six months for eight waves of data spanning four years. ResultsAn associative processes latent growth curve model revealed a significant and negative indirect effect of baseline physical activity on baseline smoking through baseline physical activity reward (bindirect=−.18, z=−3.11, p=.002; 95% CI=−.29, −.07). Similarly, there was a significant and negative indirect effect of physical activity trend on smoking trend through physical activity reward trend (bindirect=−.16, z=−2.09, p=.04; 95% CI=−.30, −.01). The effect of physical activity on smoking at baseline and across time was completely mediated by physical activity reward. There was less support for the idea that smoking progression was associated with reduced physical activity reward and subsequent declines in physical activity. ConclusionsThis study provides the first evidence implicating physical activity reward as one mechanism by which physical activity reduces the likelihood of adolescent smoking uptake. Smoking prevention interventions that promote physical activity and target physical activity enjoyment may have an important impact on adolescent smoking initiation and progression.

The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Physical Self-Esteem in Adolescents: The Role of Physical Fitness Indices

The aim of this study was to investigate if physical fitness (strength/power, endurance, flexibility and coordination) mediates the cross-sectional relationship between physical activity and physical self-perception (athletic competence and physical appearance) in a sample of 15-year old adolescents. We wanted to investigate the relative strength of each indirect effect. The present data are taken from two waves of a larger data collection for the project "Youth in Balance", and was collected in the autumn of 2005 (N = 1207) and 2008 (N = 632). A total of 1839 students (889 girls and 950 boys) from 12 schools in Kristiansand took part. A bias-corrected bootstrapping technique was used to examine indirect effects. Results revealed that cardiovascular endurance, lower-body strength/power, and upper-body strength stood out as unique mediators in the relationship between physical activity and athletic competence in both genders. Furthermore, there was an indirect effect of physical activity on physical appearance through physical strength/power and flexibility in males. No indirect effects of physical activity on physical appearance through actual physical fitness indices were detected in females.

Physical self-esteem in older adults: A test of the indirect effect of physical activity.

The Exercise and Self-Esteem Model (EXSEM) is used to help explain the relationships among physical activity, self-perceptions, and self-esteem. However, the current conceptual framework employed relies on an overly narrow range of physical subdomains to explain variation in physical self-worth and self-esteem in older adults. The objective of the present study was to examine an expanded conceptual framework of the EXSEM in a sample of men and women over 60 years of age. Older adults (N 222; age, M 72.9 years) completed questionnaires which assessed global self-esteem, physical self-worth, subdomain level physical self-perceptions, self-efficacy for physical activity, physical activity, and demographic characteristics. A path analysis utilizing maximum likelihood estimation was conducted. The path analysis provided preliminary support for the expanded conceptual framework and use of the Physical Self-Descriptive Questionnaire (PDSQ) in older adults. In conclusion, the EXSEM employing an expanded conceptual framework may be appropriate for understanding the structure of physical self-perceptions in older adults.

The role of gender in the relationship between physical activity, appearance evaluation and psychological distress.

Based on previous research, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the indirect effect of physical activity on psychological distress through appearance evaluation. The indirect effect was hypothesized to be conditional on gender, with the effect being more profound among females than among males. A total of 2055 adolescents (Mage =15.3) completed a self-report questionnaire. Physical activity was indirectly related to psychological distress through appearance evaluation in both males and females, but the indirect effect was stronger for females than for males. Physical activity may prevent distress through enhanced appearance evaluation.

Multidimensional hierarchical model of self-esteem and physical activity

It is suggested that using a multidimensional and hierarchical model as the theoretical framework could contribute to research on exercise. It is necessary to examine the multidimensionality and the hierarchical structuring of self-esteem using instruments with established reliability and validity. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the validity of Fox and Corbin's (1989) three-tier hierarchical model. The second purpose was to examine the direct and indirect effects of physical activity. Male (n = 296) and female (n =195) university student participants completed the Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and Physical Self-Perception Profile-Japanese Version (PSPP-J). The main results were as follows: (1) Confirmatory factor analysis revealed validity of using RSE and PSPP-J to examine Fox & Corbin's (1989) model. (2) Structural equation modeling supported the theoretical structuring of Fox and Corbin's model (GFI = .90, AGFI = .89, and RMSEA =.04). (3) The results of correlation and partial correlation analysis indicated that physical activity was indirectly related to self-esteem and physical self-worth.

Physical Activity, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem: Longitudinal Relationships in Older Adults

We examined the structure of the expanded version of the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model in a sample of older adults (N = 174; age, M = 66.7 years) across a 4-year period. A panel analysis revealed support for the indirect effects of physical activity (PA) and self-efficacy (SE) on physical self-worth and global esteem through subdomain levels of esteem. These relationships were consistent across the 4-year period. Over time, older adults reporting greater reductions in SE and PA also reported greater reductions in subdomain esteem. This is one of the first studies to examine these relationships longitudinally in the PA domain and offers further support for the hierarchical and multidimensional nature of self-esteem at the physical level. We recommend further testing of the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model, with special attention being paid to assessing multiple aspects of PA and SE.