Measures Of Physical Activity Behavior Research Articles

Testing the moderative role of automatic-reflective affect divergence in predicting physical activity

Dual process theories postulate that behaviour is the product of two distinct cognitive systems, the automatic and reflective, and that congruence/divergence between the two types of cognitions can influence the predictive strength of either system on behaviour. However, the congruence/divergence hypothesis has yet to experience strong empirical support. The aim of this study was to test a novel dual process model to determine the moderating effect of affect divergence on the relationship between automatic affective evaluations-affective judgements, and physical activity. A sample of 315 university students recruited from an undergraduate research pool completed the Affective Misattribution Procedure and Affective Exercise Experiences Questionnaire, followed by a measure of physical activity behaviour one week later. A path analysis revealed a significant moderation effect such that the predictive strength of affective judgements was stronger when participants’ automatic affective evaluations and affective judgements were congruent. Findings support current dual process theory and contributes to calls for more interventions, such as evaluative conditioning that target automatic processes alongside consciously held beliefs.

O.2.2-9 Initial effects of the “This Girl Can” physical activity and sport mass media campaign in Victoria, Australia

Abstract Purpose Mass media campaigns are recommended in the “8 best investments for physical activity”. Despite large investment in the English “This Girl Can” (TGC) campaign since 2015, no independent evaluation data are published. This project reports on the TGC campaign licenced for use in Victoria, Australia from 2018 onwards. This project reports on the impact of the first wave of this media campaign on inactive Australian women’s attitudes and perceptions of physical activity. Methods Campaign impact was assessed using serial cohort and independent sample population surveys; two surveys were pre-campaign (Oct-2017 and March-2018), and the post-campaign survey following the first wave of TGC-Victoria mass media (May 2018). Primary analyses used the cohort sample of 818 inactive women followed across all three surveys. We measured campaign awareness and recall, and self-report measures of physical activity behaviour, perceptions of being judged and related psychological measures. Changes in perceptions of being judged and in reported physical activity were assessed in relation to campaign awareness over time. Results A third of women recalled the TGC-Victoria campaign. Reported physical activity increased by 0.19days/week following the campaign, especially among women aged over 50years. Feeling judged (3-items, Cronbach alpha=0.91) improved following the campaign (p < 0.01), as did a single-item feeling judged question (p = 0.08), with effect sizes=0.15 and 0.08 respectively. Theory of planned behavior and self-efficacy questions were unchanged but increases noted in self-determination (p < 0.01) and reductions in feeling embarrassed (p < 0.05). No differences were seen in the stage-of-change measure. Campaign awareness was not related to changes in physical activity or feeling judged or embarrassed while being active. Conclusions The first year of the TGC-Victoria campaign resulted in good community awareness, and initial decreases in women feeling judged whilst being active, but these did not yet translate into substantial physical activity gains. Further waves of the TGC-V campaign have been conducted to further influence the perception of being judged while being active among inactive Victorian women. This longer term evidence is needed to justify the substantial costs of mass media to promote physical activity.

Do fatigue and depression have a bivariate association with device-measured physical activity behavior in persons with multiple sclerosis?

Purpose This study examined the bivariate association between fatigue and depression symptoms and physical activity behavior in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods The sample of adults with MS completed the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and wore a waist mounted accelerometer during waking hours for 7 days. We categorized participants as having elevated fatigue and depression based on cut-points for the FSS (i.e., 4+ as indicative of severe fatigue) and the HADS (i.e., 8+ as indicative of elevated depressive symptoms). We used a two-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to examine the contribution of fatigue and depression to volume and pattern of sedentary, light (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Results Results indicated no bivariate association between fatigue and depression and measures of physical activity behavior. The MANOVA indicated there was a significant association between fatigue and MVPA (F = 2.30, p = 0.032) and steps/day (F = 13.6, p < 0.001), independent of depression symptoms. There was no association between depression symptoms and physical activity behavior. Conclusions This study demonstrated an interrelation between fatigue symptoms and MVPA and steps/day in MS, independent of depression symptoms, and this should be considered in the future design and delivery of physical activity interventions in MS. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILIATION Fatigue and depression are prevalent and burdensome symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). These symptoms can collectively worsen psychological and functional outcomes in MS. Fatigue symptoms may impact ambulatory physical activity to a greater degree than depression symptom status in persons with MS. Fatigue is an important consideration when designing behavior change interventions targeted at promoting physical activity in persons with MS.

Measurement of Physical Activity Using Accelerometry in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

The consequences of multiple sclerosis (MS), particularly gait and walking dysfunction, may obfuscate (i.e., make unclear in meaning) the measurement of physical activity using body-worn motion sensors, notably accelerometers. This paper is based on an invited keynote lecture given at the 8th International Conference on Ambulatory Monitoring of Physical Activity and Movement, June 2022, and provides an overview of studies applying accelerometers for the measurement of physical activity behavior in MS. The overview includes initial research uncovering a conundrum with the interpretation of activity counts from accelerometers as a measure of physical activity. It then reviews research on calibration of accelerometer output based on its association with energy expenditure in yielding a biologically based metric for studying physical activity in MS. The paper concludes with other applications and lessons learned for guiding future research on physical activity measurement using accelerometry in MS and other populations with neurological diseases and conditions.

Impact of the first year of the “This Girl Can” physical activity and sport mass media campaign in Australia

IntroductionAddressing gender inequalities in physical activity is an important public health goal. A major campaign, ‘This Girl Can’ (TGC) was conducted by Sport England from 2015, and TGC was licenced in 2018 by VicHealth in Australia for development and use in a 3-year mass media campaign. The campaign was adapted through formative testing to Australian conditions and implemented within the state of Victoria. The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the initial population impact of the first wave of the TGC-Victoria.MethodsWe assessed campaign impact using serial population surveys, with the target population being women living in Victoria who were not meeting the current physical activity guidelines. Two surveys were carried out before the campaign (October 2017 and March 2018), and the post-campaign survey immediately following the first wave of TGC-Victoria mass media (May 2018). Analyses were primarily on the cohort sample of 818 low-active women followed across all three surveys. We measured campaign effects using campaign awareness and recall, and self-report measures of physical activity behaviour and perceptions of being judged. Changes in perceptions of being judged and in reported physical activity were assessed in relation to campaign awareness over time.ResultsOverall, TGC-Victoria campaign recall increased from 11.2% pre-campaign to 31.9% post-campaign, with campaign awareness more likely among younger and more educated women. There was a slight increase of 0.19 days in weekly physical activity following the campaign. Feeling that being judged was a barrier to physical activity declined at follow up, as did the single item perceptions of feeling judged (P < 0.01). Feeling embarrassed decreased, and self-determination increased, but exercise relevance, theory of planned behaviour and self-efficacy scores did not change.ConclusionsThe initial wave of the TGC-Victoria mass media campaign showed reasonably high levels of community awareness and encouraging decreases in women feeling judged whilst being active, but these did not yet translate into overall physical activity gains. Further waves of the TGC-V campaign are in progress to reinforce these changes and further influence the perception of being judged among low-active Victorian women.

Testing attitudes, social desirability and behavioral regulations as moderators of implicit-explicit exercise discrepancies: A replication study in Iranian students

IntroductionThere is mixed evidence regarding moderators of the relationship between implicitly and explicitly measured constructs. This study examined this issue with evaluations of exercise relative to health or appearance in a sample of Iranian adolescents. Investigaing automatic associations and reflective constructs might provide important implications for developing interventions targeting exercise behavior in a population with different cultural, social, and economic barriers to exercise than European or North American adolescents. MethodsParticipants were 471 students enrolled in grades 9 to 12, of whom 269 (54.9%) were female. Behavioral regulations, explicit attitudes, and social desirability were investigated as possible moderators. All students completed questionnaire measures of physical activity behavior, attitudes, social desieality and behavioral regulation. They also completed two Go/No Go Association tasks to measure automatic associations of exercise with health and apperarance. ResultsAttitude was a significant moderator of discrepancies between automatic associations of exercise with health and health motives. Interjected regulation moderated implicit-explicit appearance discrepancies. Participants with low social desirability and negative automatic appearance associations had the highest appearance motivation. ConclusionsParticipants focused on the potential of achieving positive health outcomes of exercise rather than physical appearance outcomes, which differs from research from other countries. It is possible that, health was strongly linked with exercise by the pervasive societal pressures in Iran to have a healthy body.

A scoping review of studies exploring physical activity among adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer.

Physical activity can improve health, functional capacity, and quality of life among children and adults diagnosed with cancer. Physical activity may also offer important benefits to adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer (AYAs). We conducted a scoping review to: determine the extent, range, and nature of published studies on physical activity among AYAs; identify knowledge gaps; and provide directions for future research. We searched 4 electronic databases for published studies. Two authors independently scanned the titles, abstracts, and full-texts against inclusion criteria: original research with humans, published in an English-language peer-reviewed journal, ≥50% of participants were diagnosed with cancer between the ages of 15 and 39years, and included at least 1 measure of physical activity behavior. Data were extracted from studies meeting these criteria and subsequently summarized narratively. Our search yielded 4729 articles; 32 met inclusion criteria. These included 18 cross-sectional and 4 longitudinal studies that explored descriptive (ie, sociodemographic or medical), physical, personal/psychological, social, other health behaviors, and/or other factors as antecedents or correlates of physical activity. The remaining 10 were intervention studies that focused on changing physical activity behavior or on testing the effects of physical activity. We can conclude that physical activity is not well researched among AYAs. More high-quality research adopting longitudinal or intervention study designs that incorporate a range of descriptive, physical, personal/psychological, social, and environmental measures are warranted to better inform the development of behavior change interventions as well as to establish the benefits of physical activity for AYAs.

Mediators of Behavior Change Maintenance in Physical Activity Interventions for Young and Middle-Aged Adults: A Systematic Review.

Regular physical activity is important for maintaining physical and mental health. Benefits are optimized when physical activity is maintained. Understanding causal mechanisms is important to inform future interventions. To investigate mediators of physical activity maintenance. Six databases were searched (Medline, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Web of Science). Eligibility criteria included adult nonclinical populations, validated measure of physical activity behavior at baseline and at least 6 months postbaseline, control/comparison group(s), and reported mediators of physical activity behavior change. Mediators were examined according to (i) formal mediation tests, (ii) mediator association with physical activity outcome, and (iii) intervention effects on mediators. There were few formal mediation tests conducted (n = 12/39 included studies), and various other methodological limitations were identified. There was some evidence that effective mediators in formal mediation tests at 6 months and later included the "behavioral processes of change" (n = 5/6). Many of the included interventions were not effective for changing targeted mediators (only 34% of 413 tests of mediator changes were significant). There were a number of methodological and statistical limitations in the evidence base. In future, prespecified formal mediation tests should be carried out and could be aided by a formal framework. Social and environmental variables should be considered in addition to intrapersonal variables. Improving knowledge of how to change hypothesized mediators, based on theory and evidence, will reveal how physical activity behavior change maintenance can be achieved. Maintenance research would be enhanced by establishing a formal definition of behavior change "maintenance." PROSPERO registration: PROSPERO 2015:CRD- 42015025462.

Physical activity behavior predicts endogenous pain modulation in older adults.

Older adults compared with younger adults are characterized by greater endogenous pain facilitation and a reduced capacity to endogenously inhibit pain, potentially placing them at a greater risk for chronic pain. Previous research suggests that higher levels of self-reported physical activity are associated with more effective pain inhibition and less pain facilitation on quantitative sensory tests in healthy adults. However, no studies have directly tested the relationship between physical activity behavior and pain modulatory function in older adults. This study examined whether objective measures of physical activity behavior cross-sectionally predicted pain inhibitory function on the conditioned pain modulation (CPM) test and pain facilitation on the temporal summation (TS) test in healthy older adults. Fifty-one older adults wore an accelerometer on the hip for 7 days and completed the CPM and TS tests. Measures of sedentary time, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were obtained from the accelerometer. Hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to determine the relationship of TS and CPM with levels of physical activity, while controlling for demographic, psychological, and test variables. The results indicated that sedentary time and LPA significantly predicted pain inhibitory function on the CPM test, with less sedentary time and greater LPA per day associated with greater pain inhibitory capacity. Additionally, MVPA predicted pain facilitation on the TS test, with greater MVPA associated with less TS of pain. These results suggest that different types of physical activity behavior may differentially impact pain inhibitory and facilitatory processes in older adults.

Aligning Physical Activity Measures With the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework for Childhood Disability

ABSTRACTThe introduction of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health has placed emphasis on framing health behavior as a multidimensional construct. In relation to childhood physical activity, this encompasses dimensions of functional performance, activity attendance, and subjective perceptions of involvement and enjoyment within activity settings. Current literature, however, primarily investigates physical activity in terms of performance and activity levels. The resulting misalignment of theory and measurement practice challenges the development of a comprehensive understanding of childhood physical activity behavior. For children with disabilities, who may have nuanced experiences in activity, there may be greater necessity to examine additional dimensions of physical activity (e.g., participation). In an effort to support meaningful interpretations of physical activity behavior measures among children with disabilities, the purposes of this article are to (a) conceptualize childhood physical activity within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, and (b) provide guidance on aligning measurement tools with physical activity dimensions.

Physical Activity Behavior Change of EFNEP Adult Participants: Item Generation, Validity, and Reliability Testing

To develop and validate self-report physical activity (PA) items designed for assessing physical activity behavioral change among low-income women who participate in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). The Community Nutrition Education logic model, adapted with constructs of Theory of Reasoned Action, and Theory of Planned Behavior provided the theoretical framework to develop the PA items. The study design for questionnaire development and testing included 6 phases: curricula content analysis; conceptualization and item generation; expert reviews; revisions; cognitive interviews and rigorous psychometric testing. The study was conducted in 6 South Carolina rural counties and with EFNEP eligible mothers. Seventeen items were developed on PA psychosocial mediating variables including attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and intention; and 12 items were developed in 4 PA dimensions: home, yard, walk, and work. Content validity was assessed through curricula content analysis, expert reviews (n=8) and cognitive interviews (n=14). 302 mothers from low-income communities in South Carolina completed the PA questionnaire. Factor validity was assessed through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Reliability (n=50) was assessed using Cronbach for internal consistency and Spearman correlation for test-retest reliability. Predictive validity was assessed (n-50) using accelerometer data. Factor analysis revealed three interpretable factors for the set of PA psychosocial items, with adequate factor loading, acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability. No significant association was found for predictive validity analysis. Although further research is needed, this study provided an important methodological foundation for the evaluation and measurement of PA behavior among low-income EFNEP participants.

Regulatory Fit Messages and Physical Activity Motivation

Targeted communication about health behaviors seems to be more effective than mass communication in which undifferentiated audiences receive identical messages. Regulatory focus is psychological variable that can be used to build two target groups: promotion-focused or prevention-focused people. It is hypothesized that targeting messages to an individual's regulatory focus creates regulatory fit and is more successful to promote a physically active lifestyle than nonfit messages. Two different print messages promoting a physically active lifestyle derived from regulatory focus theory (promotion message vs. prevention message) were randomly assigned to N = 98 participants after measuring their regulatory focus. It was examined whether regulatory fit between the regulatory focus and the assigned print message would lead to more positive evaluations in the dependent variables inclination toward the message (preference for the message), intention to perform the behavior, prospective and retrospective feelings associated with the behavior (positive and negative), and perceived value of the behavior directly after reading the message. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that regulatory fit led to stronger intentions in the prevention-message condition and more prospective positive and retrospective positive feelings associated with the behavior in the promotion-message condition in contrast to the nonfit conditions. Prospective positive feelings associated with the behavior mediated the effect of regulatory fit on intention. The results partly provided support for the regulatory fit concept. Matching print messages to the regulatory focus of individuals seems to be a useful approach to enhance physical activity motivation. Future studies should include an objective measure of physical activity behavior.

Effect of educational intervention on physical activity-related knowledge, attitude and behavior of among first-grade students of male high schools

Introduction:Regular physical activity has positive effects on physical, mental and social aspects of individual and community health. Considering the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases such as primary hypertension, osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases for which sedentary lifestyle is a responsible factor, health policy makers have planned to encourage people to do more physical activities. Development of beneficial health habits during childhood and early adolescence are very important because the behaviors, which start at adolescence tend to continue into adulthood, too. This study aimed to determine the effect of educational intervention on physical activity-related knowledge, attitude and behavior of the first grade students in male high schools of Bavanat in 2010.Materials and Methods:In this prospective experimental study, after selecting two qualified schools from five high schools, all students of one school (two classes including 42 individuals) were randomly assigned to the experimental group and all the students of another high school (two classes including 43 individuals) were randomly assigned to the control group. The data gathering tool was a 4-section questionnaire which included demographic questions, knowledge- and attitude-related questions and the questionnaire of physical activity performance. The first three sections of the questionnaire were the researcher-designed and validated by face and content validity. Test-retest and internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) methods were used to determine the reliability of knowledge questionnaire and attitude questionnaire, respectively. For the measurement of physical activity behavior, a self-reporting questionnaire (valid and reliable Garcia scale) was used in this study. After conducting the pretest, the educational intervention was done for the experimental group. Post-tests were conducted immediately and 1 month after intervention. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS18 statistical software (independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square, Mann-Whitney test and repeated measures ANOVA). The participants voluntarily and consciously participated in this study.Results:The findings indicated no significant differences between the groups in terms of mean scores of knowledge (P = 0.934), attitude (P = 0.155) and behavior (P = 0.387) before the intervention. There was a significant difference between mean scores of knowledge in the immediate follow-up (P< 0.001) and 1 month after intervention follow-up (P < 0.001), and also between mean scores of attitude immediately (P < 0.001) and 1 month after intervention (P = 0.01) follow-ups in the experimental group compared with the control one. Mean scores of physical activity 1 month after the intervention in both experimental and control groups significantly increased (P < 0.001, P = 0.01, respectively), but the mean scores of physical activity between two groups were not significantly different (P = 0.390).Discussion and Conclusion:The results indicated the effectiveness of educational intervention, consequently increased knowledge and improved attitude of students, in the experimental group compared with the control one in terms of physical activities; thus, physical activity behavior of intervention group increased. Although the mean scores of physical activity in the control group significantly increased, other studies should be done which can control and consider confounding variables.

Protocol for ADDITION-PRO: a longitudinal cohort study of the cardiovascular experience of individuals at high risk for diabetes recruited from Danish primary care

BackgroundScreening programmes for type 2 diabetes inevitably find more individuals at high risk for diabetes than people with undiagnosed prevalent disease. While well established guidelines for the treatment of diabetes exist, less is known about treatment or prevention strategies for individuals found at high risk following screening. In order to make better use of the opportunities for primary prevention of diabetes and its complications among this high risk group, it is important to quantify diabetes progression rates and to examine the development of early markers of cardiovascular disease and microvascular diabetic complications. We also require a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie and drive early changes in cardiometabolic physiology. The ADDITION-PRO study was designed to address these issues among individuals at different levels of diabetes risk recruited from Danish primary care.Methods/DesignADDITION-PRO is a population-based, longitudinal cohort study of individuals at high risk for diabetes. 16,136 eligible individuals were identified at high risk following participation in a stepwise screening programme in Danish general practice between 2001 and 2006. All individuals with impaired glucose regulation at screening, those who developed diabetes following screening, and a random sub-sample of those at lower levels of diabetes risk were invited to attend a follow-up health assessment in 2009–2011 (n = 4,188), of whom 2,082 (50%) attended. The health assessment included detailed measurement of anthropometry, body composition, biochemistry, physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors including aortic stiffness and central blood pressure. All ADDITION-PRO participants are being followed for incident cardiovascular disease and death.DiscussionThe ADDITION-PRO study is designed to increase understanding of cardiovascular risk and its underlying mechanisms among individuals at high risk of diabetes. Key features of this study include (i) a carefully characterised cohort at different levels of diabetes risk; (ii) detailed measurement of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors; (iii) objective measurement of physical activity behaviour; and (iv) long-term follow-up of hard clinical outcomes including mortality and cardiovascular disease. Results will inform policy recommendations concerning cardiovascular risk reduction and treatment among individuals at high risk for diabetes. The detailed phenotyping of this cohort will also allow a number of research questions concerning early changes in cardiometabolic physiology to be addressed.

Brief report: Understanding intention to be physically active and physical activity behaviour in adolescents from a low socio-economic status background: An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour

The aim of this brief report is to report on the utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) for predicting the physical activity intentions and behaviour of British adolescents from lower-than-average socio-economic backgrounds. A prospective questionnaire design was employed with 197, 13–14 year olds (76 males, 121 females). At time 1 participant completed standard measures of TPB variables. One week later (Time 2), participants completed the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) as a measure of physical activity behaviour. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that attitude and perceived behavioural control jointly accounted for 25% of the variance in intention (p = 0.0001). Perceived behavioural control emerged as the only significant predictor of physical activity behaviour and explained 3.7% of the variance (p = 0.001). Therefore, attitude and PBC successfully predicts intention towards physical activity and PBC predicts physical activity behaviour in British adolescents from lower-than-average socio-economic backgrounds.

Symptom Cluster as a Predictor of Physical Activity in Multiple Sclerosis: Preliminary Evidence

The present study examined the symptom cluster of fatigue, pain, and depression, and its direct and indirect prediction of physical activity behavior in a sample of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) using a prospective research design and the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms. The sample included 292 individuals with a definite diagnosis of MS. The participants completed self-report measures of fatigue, depression, pain, self-efficacy, and functional limitations at baseline and six months later, wore an accelerometer for seven days and completed a self-report measure of physical activity behavior. The data analysis indicated that: 1) fatigue, depression, and pain represented a symptom cluster; 2) the symptom cluster had a strong and negative predictive relationship with physical activity behavior; and 3) functional limitations, but not self-efficacy, accounted for the predictive relationship between the symptom cluster and physical activity behavior. Such findings provide preliminary support to the importance of considering symptom clusters as a meaningful correlate of physical activity behavior in persons with MS.

Reduced activity without hyperphagia contributes to obesity in Tubby mutant mice

The Tub gene was originally identified as a spontaneous mutation in C57Bl/6J mice, and associated with adult-onset obesity ( Tub MUT mice). Although the original Tub MUT mouse was identified over 15 years ago, there have been few reports on the animal's food intake, body fat percentage or energy expenditure. In this study, we report food intake, body weight from 5–20 weeks, body fat, body temperature and three different measures of physical activity behavior. Tub MUT mice display reduced food intake, uncharacteristic of many obese mouse models, and reduced voluntary wheel running with normal home cage ambulatory behavior. We conclude that motivation for food and exercise is an underlying defect in TUB MUT mice.

Influences of volitional and forced intentions on physical activity and effort within the theory of planned behaviour

In the present study, we examined the utility of volitional and forced intentions in predicting participation in physical activities and effort within the theory of planned behaviour. Four hundred and forty-four participants (184 males, 260 females) aged 19.1 ± 3.3 years (mean ± s) completed self-report measures of intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, volitional intentions, forced intentions, and past behaviour in a physical activity context. Six weeks later, they completed self-report measures of physical activity behaviour and effort. Results indicated that volitional intentions and forced intentions contributed to the prediction of effort over and above intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, perceptions of control, past behaviour, and the product terms of attitudes×intentions and subjective norms×intentions. Volitional intentions and forced intentions did not predict participation in physical activities over and above effort. We concluded that volitional intentions and forced intentions assist in the explanation of effort in the context of physical activity behaviour.

Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the Theory of Planned Behavior among Young People in a Physical Activity Context

The present study tested the cross-cultural generalizability of the measurement and structural parameters of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) among youth in a physical activity context. Pupils from five cultural groups completed measures of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intentions for physical activity. Five weeks later, participants completed self-report measures of physical activity behavior. Confirmatory factor analyses and multisample structural equation models revealed well-fitting models within each sample with minimal variations in the measurement parameters across cultures. There were a few significant cross-cultural differences in the structural relations among the TPB constructs. Attitudes predicted intentions in all samples (beta range = .300 to .550), whereas the effect of the subjective norms on intention was nonsignificant in all but the Hungarian sample (beta = .243). Conversely, the effect of PBC on intentions was significant (beta range = .302 to .573) in all but the Hungarian sample. Findings support the generalizability of the measures and pattern of effects for the TPB among young people in a physical activity context.

Correlates of Pedometer-Assessed Physical Activity in Cypriot Elementary School Children.

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between pedometer-assessed physical activity and a number of individual, social, and environmental correlates among Cypriot elementary school children. School children in grades 5 and 6 (N = 104) and their parents (N = 70) wore pedometers for five consecutive weekdays and completed questionnaires assessing potential correlates of steps/d. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that gender, weekly frequency of sports club attendance, and hours playing outside accounted for 32% of the variance in steps/d. In addition, children with a body-mass index (BMI) above the 85th percentile (based on age and gender) scored significantly lower steps/d than children with a BMI below the 85th percentile. This study suggested that correlates of steps/d in children are similar to the findings of other studies using different measures of physical activity behavior.