Perceived autonomy support,behavioural regulations in physical education and physical activity intention

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between students' perceived autonomy support, behavioural regulations and their intentions to be physically active outside of school.MethodParticipants were 701 secondary school students aged between 13 and 17 years from Singapore. Questionnaires were used to assess perceived autonomy support, behavioural regulation, and intentions to be physically active outside school.ResultsResults supported the hypothesised model in that perceived autonomy support fosters more self-determined forms of behavioural regulations in PE. These forms of behavioural regulations in turn, enhanced more autonomous forms of intentions. The results also yielded an interesting finding that amotivation positively predicted students' intention to be physically active outside school.ConclusionThe findings highlight the importance of perceived autonomy support in fostering more self-determined forms of behavioural regulations in PE and intention to be physically active outside school.     

Perceived activity and functional capacity in a rural elderly population.

This research examined 65 rural elderly residents' perception of their physical activity as compared to their functional capacity. Men's, but not women's, perceptions of their physical activity were correlated with their functional capacity.     

Cognitive functioning and neuroticism in an elderly community sample

The relationship between neuroticism and cognitive functioning was investigated using data from a community survey of the elderly. Contrary to Pearson (1993, Personality and Individual Differences, 14, 265–266), neuroticism was related to poorer performance on a number of cognitive measures, but the pattern of correlations differed between men and women. For men there were correlations with a dementia screening test and with tests of episodic memory and fluid intelligence, while for women there were correlations with reaction time measures. It is hypothesized that correlations with neuroticism reflect the effect of chronic stress on cognitive ageing.     

Perceived environmental predictors of physical activity over 6 months in adults: activity counseling trial.

PURPOSE: In the present study, the authors extend previous cross-sectional findings by using a prospective design to determine whether physical and social environmental characteristics predict physical activity over 6 months. DESIGN: Inactive adults were recruited to the Activity Counseling Trial, a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of physical activity intervention in primary care. Participants were 387 women and 474 men aged 35-75 years in 3 regions; 1/3 were minorities; 56% had some college education. Baseline perceived environmental variables were used to predict physical activity at 6 months, adjusting for experimental condition and other potential moderators. MEASURES: The validated 7-day physical activity recall interview was used to estimate minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. A standardized survey was used to measure social and physical environmental variables around the home and neighborhood. RESULTS: Women reporting no unattended dogs and low crime in their neighborhoods and men reporting frequently seeing people being active in their neighborhoods did 50-75 more minutes of physical activity per week than did those with different environmental characteristics. Interactions of environmental variables with age group suggested that older adults may be more affected by environmental variables than are younger adults. CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported social and physical environmental variables were significantly related to moderate to vigorous physical activity among a diverse sample of adults living in 3 regions of the United States. These prospective findings strengthen the conclusion from previous cross-sectional studies that environmental variables are important correlates of physical activity.     

Physical activity and diabetes: An application of the theory of planned behaviour to explain physical activity for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in an adult population sample

Physical activity (PA) plays a key role in the management of Type 1 (T1D) and Type 2 diabetes (T2D) but there are few theory-based, effective programs to promote PA for individuals with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) in understanding PA in an adult population with T1D or T2D. A total of 2311 individuals (691 T1D; 1614 T2D) completed self-report TPB constructs of attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control (PBC), intention and PA at baseline and 1717 (524 T1D; 1123 T2D) completed the PA measure again at 6-month follow-up. Multi-group Structural Equation Modelling was conducted to: (1) test the fit of the TPB structure (2) determine the TPB structural invariance between the two types of diabetes and (3) to examine the explained variances in PA and compare the strength of associations of the TPB constructs in the two types of diabetes. The TPB constructs explained ≥40% of the variance in intentions for both diabetes groups. In cross-sectional models, the TPB accounted for 23 and 19% of the variance in PA for T1D and T2D, respectively. In prospective models, the TPB explained 13 and 8% of the variance in PA for T1D and T2D, respectively. When adjusting for past PA behaviour, the impact of PBC and intention on behaviour was reduced in both groups. The findings provide evidence for the utility of the TPB for the design of PA promotion interventions for adults with either T1D or T2D.     

Correlates of physical activity in a national sample of girls and boys in grades 4 through 12.

Psychological, biological, social, and physical environmental variables were examined for their association with physical activity of young people. A national sample of 1,504 parents and children in Grades 4-12 were interviewed by telephone. Twenty-two potential determinants were assessed along with an 11-item child physical activity index (alpha = .76). Hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted separately for 6 age-sex subgroups. Percentage of variance explained ranged from 18% for boys in Grades 4-6 to 59% for girls in Grades 10-12. Three variables had strong and consistent associations with the child physical activity index that generalized across subgroups: use of afternoon time for sports and physical activity, enjoyment of physical education, and family support for physical activity. These 3 variables should be targeted for change to promote physical activity in all groups of young people.     

Occupational physical activity as an indicator of health and fitness

Recent government guidelines suggest that simply increasing physical activity, regardless of mode, leads to improved health profiles. This study examined the relationship between amount of work-related physical activity of United States Forest Service (USFS) workers and 12 indicators of health and fitness. Subjects were 110 USFS workers recruited from 8 separate USFS ranger stations in the Pacific Northwest. The associations between work-related physical activity and indicators of health and fitness indicated the 63 workers who were physically active on the job displayed better overall health and fitness patterns as evidenced by higher aerobic capacity, lower body fat, and greater muscular flexibility than their 47 inactive peers.     

A latent trait analysis of the eysenck personality questionnaire in an elderly community sample

A latent trait model was fitted to the responses of a large probability sample of elderly Australians to the Extraversion and Neuroticism scales of the short form of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire—Revised (EPQ-R). Item parameters obtained were compared to those available from comparable analyses of a younger sample in order to detect item bias. While some evidence of differential functioning between younger and older groups was found, the measurement properties of these scales in older persons were confirmed. The comparable functioning of the instrument in both groups that scores on these scales may be validly compared across the adult life span.     

Burnout and self-perceptions of physical fitness in a sample of Italian physical education teachers

This study examined the relations of physical education teachers' burnout with some individual variables, including teachers' self-perceived physical fitness and the perceived influence of personal fitness on teaching. Participants were 219 Italian physical education teachers in secondary school. Demographic and professional information, ratings of self-perception of physical condition, and the Italian version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory were recorded. Compared to the data of a normative sample, average scores on the three dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalisation, and Reduced Personal Accomplishment) were found. There were statistically significant associations among Reduced Personal Accomplishment, the self-perception of physical fitness, and the perception of the influence of personal fitness on teaching. Women reported scores on Emotional Exhaustion and Reduced Personal Accomplishment indicative of greater severity than men. No significant differences appeared to be related to the years of teaching. Recommendations for further studies are discussed.     

Perceived utility of emotion: the structure and construct validity of the Perceived Affect Utility Scale in a cross-ethnic sample

This study introduces a new measure of the perceived utility of emotion, which is the degree to which emotions are perceived to be useful in achieving goals. In this study, we administered this new measure, the Perceived Affect Utility Scale (PAUSe), to a sample of 142 European American and 156 East Asian American college students. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for a new, culturally informed parsing of emotion and for perceived utility of emotion to be distinguishable from ideal affect, a related but separate construct. Next, we explored the potential importance of perceived utility of emotion in cultural research. Through path analyses, we found that: (a) culturally relevant variables (e.g., independence) played a mediating role in the link between ethnic group and perceived utility of emotion; and (b) perceived utility of emotion played a mediating role in the link between culturally relevant variables and ideal affect. In particular, perceived utility of self-centered emotions (e.g., pride) was found to be associated with independence and ideal affect of those same emotions. In contrast, perceived utility of other-centered emotions (e.g., appreciation) was found to be associated with interdependence, dutifulness/self-discipline, and ideal affect of those same emotions. Implications for perceived utility of emotion in understanding cultural factors are discussed.     

Perceived relative importance of psychological and physical factors in successful athletic performance

Ratings of the perceived relative importance of psychological and physical factors for successful athletic performance were obtained from 29 men and 53 women in sports of track, swimming, soccer, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, baseball or softball, tennis, diving, and golf, by level of competition (high school, college, and professional), and sex of athlete. The over-all rating of the relative importance of psychological factors was 39%. Significant differences in the ratings of the relative importance of psychological factors were found for sport, level, sex, sport x level, and level x sex. Ratings of the relative importance of psychological factors for successful performance in various sports increased in the order listed above. The significant effect for level and interaction of sport x level were accounted for primarily by the higher ratings given to professional golf. The significant effect of sex and the interaction of sex x level were attributable to higher ratings of the importance of psychological variables for high school women athletes as compared to high school men athletes.     

Understanding action control: predicting physical activity intention-behavior profiles across 6 months in a Canadian sample.

Intention is theorized as the proximal determinant of behavior in some theories of motivation, but the need to understand predictors of action control (i.e., translating an intention into behavior) is warranted to tailor physical activity intervention efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine constructs of the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) as predictors of physical activity intention-behavior profiles across 6 months in a large Canadian sample (N = 1,192). Results showed that 5 of the 8 possible intention-behavior profiles had a substantial number of participants: nonintenders, unsuccessful adopters, successful adopters, unsuccessful maintainers, and successful maintainers. Constructs of the TTM distinguished (p < .01) intention-behavior profiles. Self-efficacy and the behavioral processes of change were particularly good predictors of action control (p < .01), but disaggregated beliefs and processes identified specific intervention targets for successful physical activity adoption and maintenance. The results validate that both action planning and action control are important when understanding physical activity behavior.     

Perceived physical and social causality in animated motions: spontaneous reports and ratings

Michotte argued that we perceive cause-and-effect, without contributions from reasoning or learning, even in displays of two-dimensional moving shapes. Two studies extend this line of work from perception of mechanical to social causality. We compared verbal reports with structured ratings of causality to gain a better understanding of the extent to which perceptual causality occurs spontaneously or depends on instruction or context. A total of 120 adult observers (72 in the main experiment, 48 in an initial experiment) saw 12 (or 8) different computer animations of shape A moving up to B, which in turn moved away. Animations factorially varied the temporal and spatial relations of the shapes, and whether they moved rigidly or in a non-rigid, animal-like manner. Impressions of social as well as physical causality appeared in both free reports and ratings. Perception of physical causality was stronger than perception of social causality, particularly in free reports. No differences of this nature appear in infants and children, so the asymmetry may reflect learnt knowledge. Physical causality was relatively unspecific initially, but discrimination of causal and delayed control events improved with exposure to multiple events. Experience seems to affect the causal illusion even over a short timeframe; the idea of 'one-trial causality' may be somewhat misleading. Regardless of such effects on the absolute level of responses, the different measures showed similar patterns of variation with the spatio-temporal configuration and type of motion. The good fit of ratings and reports validates much recent work in this area.     

Relationship between quantity and frequency of alcohol use and indices of suicidal behavior in an elderly Australian sample

Relatively little research has been conducted on the relationship between alcohol misuse and suicidal behavior among the elderly. The current study's aim was to examine whether quantity and frequency of alcohol use and the interaction between these variables are related to current suicidal ideation, previous suicidal ideation/intent, and past suicide attempts in a community sample of 1,010 Australian adults over age 60. Results partially supported our hypotheses. The interaction between quantity and frequency of alcohol use was significant, suggesting that those who use alcohol less frequently but in greater quantities (i.e., binge drinking) are more likely to have a history of suicide attempts.     

Perceived family environments of depressed and anxious children: Child's and maternal figure's perspectives

This study examined perceived environment among families with a depressed, depressed and anxious, anxious, or normal child from the 4th to 7th grades. Fifty-one such children were classified according to criteria from the K- SADS and a set of self-ratings of depression and anxiety. Results showed that children in all three diagnostic groups, and to a lesser extent their mothers, experienced their families as more distressed on a host of dimensions relative to controls. In addition, significant differences were found between families with a depressed and anxious child and those with an anxious child. Discriminant function analyses revealed that 68.63 % of the youngsters could be classified correctly into depressed and anxious groups on the basis of their family ratings alone.     

The contribution of marching band participation to overall physical activity for a sample of university students

The aim of this study was to provide insight into the contribution of marching band to overall physical activity. A convenience sample was recruited from the Arizona State University Marching Band. Participants logged their physical activity and step counts for seven days. Complete data were returned by 49 participants. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that participants took significantly more steps per day on marching band days compared to days that did not involve marching band. These findings suggest that marching band can help to meet current physical activity recommendations when measured in steps-per-day using a pedometer.     

Motivation and physical activity levels in bariatric patients involved in a self-determination theory-based physical activity program

ObjectiveThis study examines the associations between pre-to post-intervention changes in motivation and physical activity (PA) levels of bariatric patients involved in a 6-month postoperative PA program based on self-determination theory (SDT). We also explore the extent to which patients’ perception of autonomy support and basic psychological need satisfaction during the program were associated with changes in their motivation to exercise.MethodForty patients were assigned to a motivational PA intervention (MPAI-G) or to a control group (CG). Both groups completed questionnaires assessing the variables of interest and wore GT3X accelerometers before surgery and after the program.ResultsThirty-two participants (78.1% female) completed all measures and were included in the present analyses. CG showed greater increases in integrated (d = −1.60, 95% CI [−2.40, −0.81]) and identified regulation (d = −0.75, 95% CI [−1.47, −0.03]) than MPAI-G. However, the MPAI-G experienced increases in introjected regulation (d = 1.95, 95% CI [1.11, 2.79]) and greater decreases in external regulation (d = −1.00, 95% CI [−1.74, −0.27]) than CG, which were associated with decreases in sedentary activity and increases in light and total PA. Oppositely to the CG, amotivation decreased in the MPAI-G (d = −2.98, 95% CI [−3.98, −1.97]) and it was related to increases in light and total PA. Changes in exercise motivation were associated with perceived autonomy support and basic psychological need satisfaction during the program.ConclusionThe SDT-based PA program gave rise to greater changes in controlled forms of motivation and amotivation than in autonomous motivation in post-bariatric surgery patients.