Mediators of lifestyle behaviour changes in obese pregnant women. Secondary analyses from the DALI lifestyle randomised controlled trial

A better understanding of what drives behaviour change in obese pregnant overweight women is needed to improve the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in this group at risk for gestational diabetes (GDM). Therefore, we assessed which factors mediated behaviour change in the Vitamin D and Lifestyle Intervention for GDM Prevention (DALI) Lifestyle Study. A total of 436 women, with pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥29 kg/m 2 , ≤19 + 6 weeks of gestation and without GDM, were randomised for counselling based on motivational interviewing (MI) on healthy eating and physical activity, healthy eating alone, physical activity alone, or to a usual care group. Lifestyle was measured at baseline, and at 24–28 and 35–37 weeks of gestation. Outcome expectancy, risk perception, task self-efficacy and social support were measured at those same time points and considered as possible mediators of intervention effects on lifestyle. All three interventions resulted in increased positive outcome expectancy for GDM reduction, perceived risk to the baby and increased task self-efficacy. The latter mediated intervention effects on physical activity and reduced sugared drink consumption. In conclusion, our MI intervention was successful in increasing task self-efficacy, which was related to improved health behaviours

Physical activity predicts task-related behaviour, affect and tiredness in the primary school classroom: A within-person experiment.

AIM We investigated the dose-response relationship between acute physical activity (PA) intensity during physical education (PE) lessons (dose), and task behaviour and learning experiences in the classroom after PE (response), and mediation effects of acute PA on-task behaviour via learning experiences. METHOD A total of 78 children (Mage  = 9.30 years; 43 females) took part. Participants reported learning experiences (tiredness, positive and negative affect) during one afternoon per week for 6 weeks. Their task behaviour was observed (on-task, active off-task and passive off-task) during two classroom lessons. Between the classroom lessons, they took part in a PE lesson, with experimentally induced PA intensity (low, medium and high). Accelerometers were worn for 24 h leading up to and during every intervention afternoon. Participants completed self-reports three times per classroom lesson, both before and after PE. Intra- and interindividual differences in PA, task behaviour and learning experiences were analysed with multilevel structural equation models. RESULTS Moderate PA directly increased on-task behaviour and reduced passive off-task behaviour, whereas light PA increased active off-task behaviour and reduced on-task behaviour. We found no direct effects of vigorous PA or mediated effects of any PA intensity on-task-related behaviour. However, a greater positive affect during PE indirectly led to more on-task and less passive off-task behaviour. Regularly active children reported less tiredness in the classroom. CONCLUSION PE lessons can increase on-task behaviour and reduce both passive and active off-task behaviours. Positive affect and tiredness are indirectly involved in the impact of PA on task-related behaviour. The greatest benefits were found for moderate PA and for PE lessons, which left children feeling positive. Moreover, regular participation in moderate-to-vigorous PA leads children to feel less tired during school lessons

Mediators of lifestyle behaviour changes in obese pregnant women. Secondary analyses from the DALI lifestyle randomised controlled trial

Altres ajuts: The project described has received funding from the European Community's 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. 242187. In the Netherlands, additional funding was provided by the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) (grant no. 200310013). In Poland, additional funding was obtained from Polish Ministry of Science (grant no. 2203/7. PR/2011/2). In Denmark, additional funding was provided by the Odense University Free Research Fund. In the United Kingdom, the DALI team acknowledge the support received from the NIHR Clinical Research Network: Eastern, especially the local diabetes clinical and research teams based in Cambridge. In Spain, additional funding was provided by CAIBER 1527-B-226. The funders had no role in any aspect of the study beyond funding.A better understanding of what drives behaviour change in obese pregnant overweight women is needed to improve the effectiveness of lifestyle interventions in this group at risk for gestational diabetes (GDM). Therefore, we assessed which factors mediated behaviour change in the Vitamin D and Lifestyle Intervention for GDM Prevention (DALI) Lifestyle Study. A total of 436 women, with pre-pregnancy body mass index ≥29 kg/m , ≤19 + 6 weeks of gestation and without GDM, were randomised for counselling based on motivational interviewing (MI) on healthy eating and physical activity, healthy eating alone, physical activity alone, or to a usual care group. Lifestyle was measured at baseline, and at 24-28 and 35-37 weeks of gestation. Outcome expectancy, risk perception, task self-efficacy and social support were measured at those same time points and considered as possible mediators of intervention effects on lifestyle. All three interventions resulted in increased positive outcome expectancy for GDM reduction, perceived risk to the baby and increased task self-efficacy. The latter mediated intervention effects on physical activity and reduced sugared drink consumption. In conclusion, our MI intervention was successful in increasing task self-efficacy, which was related to improved health behaviours

From ‘motivational climate’ to ‘motivational atmosphere’: a review of research examining the social and environmental influences on athlete motivation in sport

This chapter is intended to provide a comprehensive review of the various theories of social and environmental factors that influence athletes’ motivation in sport. In order to achieve this, a short historical review is conducted of the various ways in which motivation has been studied over the past 100 years, culminating in the ‘social-cognitive’ approach that undergirds several of the current theories of motivation in sport. As an outcome of this brief review, the conceptualisation and measurement of motivation are discussed, with a focus on the manner in which motivation may be influenced by key social agents in sport, such as coaches, parents and peers. This discussion leads to a review of Deci & Ryan’s (2000) self-determination theory (SDT), which specifies that environments and contexts which support basic psychological needs (competence, relatedness and autonomy) will produce higher quality motivation than environments which frustrate of exacerbate these needs. The research establishing the ways in which key social agents can support these basic needs is then reviewed, and the review depicts a situation wherein SDT has precipitated a way of studying the socio-environmental influences on motivation that has become quite piecemeal and fragmented. Following this, the motivational climate approach (Ames, 1992) specified in achievement-goals theory (AGT – Nicholls, 1989) is also reviewed. This section reveals a body of research which is highly consistent in its methodology and findings. The following two sections reflect recent debates regarding the nature of achievement goals and the way they are conceptualised (e.g., approach-avoidance goals and social goals), and the implications of this for motivational climate research are discussed. This leads to a section reviewing the current issues and concerns in the study of social and environmental influences on athlete motivation. Finally, future research directions and ideas are proposed to facilitate, precipitate and guide further research into the social and environmental influences on athlete motivation in sport. Recent studies that have attempted to address these issues are reviewed and their contribution is assessed

Using the affective priming paradigm to explore the attitudes underlying walking behaviour

Objectives. Walking is poorly represented in memory, making it difficult to measure using self-report and even harder to predict. To circumvent this, we used the affective priming paradigm (Fazio, Sanbonmatsu, Powell, & Kardes, 1986) to assess implicit attitudes towards walking. Methods. Royal Air Force trainee aircraftsmen (N ¼ 188) wore pedometers for 1 week prior to completing the affective priming paradigm, questionnaire and interview. The affective priming paradigm involved a computer-based response latency task containing physical activity words as primes followed by adjectives as targets to be evaluated. Targets were drawn from two bipolar dichotomies, good–bad (the original Fazio et al. items) and happy–sad (mood). Results. Priming for mood items was related to levels of physical activity with high frequency participants priming for the positive (happy) pole and low frequency participants priming for the negative (sad). Both groups primed for the negative element of the Fazio (good–bad) dichotomy. Regarding walking and running, there was no differentiation on the basis of participation level. Instead, facilitated responses to happy targets contrasted with inhibited responses to sad targets for both types of locomotion. There was weak evidence that intentions to run were associated with priming of positive target items, irrespective of category. Conclusions. The relationship between implicit attitudes and behaviour is complex. Whereas implicit attitudes were related to overall exercise participation, they were not related to the specific activity of walking, despite the behaviour being mainly under automatic control.</p

The SNAPSHOT study protocol : SNAcking, Physical activity, Self-regulation, and Heart rate Over Time

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

School nurses’ use of motivational interviewing as a method for health promoting conversations with parents of primary school children

School nurses in Sweden have an important task to promote healthy behaviours in children through regular health conversations with parents and children. Nonetheless, there are no evidence-based methods in Sweden for health conversations focusing on parenting practices and promotion of healthy behaviours for school aged children. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a person-centred conversational technique that has been shown to be effective for behaviour change in adults. Valid and reliable procedures for estimating practitioners’ MI competence helps us understand potential intervention effects. However, MI competence in health promoting situations has rarely been studied, and practitioners’ and participants’ experiences of MI are often overlooked. A Healthy School Start Plus (HSSP) is a health promoting family support programme with four components, of which MI given to parents is one. HSSP was carried out in primary schools in disadvantaged areas in and around Stockholm, Sweden from November 2017 to April 2018 as a universal intervention targeting parents. Families of 353 children (aged 5-7 years) from 17 schools participated in the HSSP trial. This thesis used data from the seven intervention schools where school nurses had conducted the MI sessions with parents. The overall aims of this doctoral thesis were to evaluate school nurses’ MI performance and potential to positively influence child behaviour through health promoting conversations with parents, as well as to explore school nurses’ and parents’ experiences of delivering and participating in MI sessions. This thesis includes four studies: Study I explored parents’ thoughts regarding their normal weight children’s food and physical activity behaviours as expressed during health conversations with the school nurse. This study applied a qualitative explorative inductive study design using sampled data with a maximum variation from the seven intervention schools. Parents focus the conversation in five specific areas when discussing their children’s food and physical activity behaviours: 1) children’s personality and preferences; 2) beliefs of what constitutes healthy behaviours for children and possible consequences; 3) thoughts around parents’ responsibility and strategies; 4) how parents interact with their children around food and physical activity; and 5) contextual circumstances for promoting healthy behaviours. Study II aimed to investigate if parents’ feeding practices differ in relation to child weight status. This cross-sectional study used baseline data from both intervention and control schools. Results showed that parents of normal weight children had higher scores on Pressuring to eat than parents of children with overweight or obesity, whereas parents of children with overweight or obesity scored higher on Restriction for health and weight control when compared to parents of children with normal weight. Study III explored if objective ratings of the quality of school nurses’ MI were associated with change in children’s food intake and physical activity behaviours. We also wanted to investigate if the child’s adherence to recommended behaviours at baseline was of importance for behaviour change. This study applied a before–after uncontrolled study design and data were obtained from the seven intervention schools. Objectively assessed MI competence did not reach established quality standards and was not associated with child behaviour change in the whole group. However, when considering child adherence to recommended behaviours at baseline, some of the global scores were significantly associated with improved food and physical activity behaviours. Study IV explored school nurses’ and parents’ perceptions of delivering and participating in the MI sessions and attempted to illustrate how objective and subjective ratings of the MI sessions resonate with school nurses’ and parents’ perceptions of the same MI sessions. This study applied a mixed-methods study design (QUAL+QUANT) using both interview questions and quantitative data. Results suggest that school nurses’ MI performances were rated and perceived as valuable and family-centred by both school nurses and parents. Parents had left the meeting feeling motivated and empowered to promote their children’s healthy behaviours. Nonetheless, school nurses were critical of their own MI technical performance. In sum, the health promoting conversations were overall appreciated and perceived as respectful by both parents and school nurses, and school nurses found MI brought a more equal power balance to the health conversation. Some feeding practices differed between parents of children different weight status. Parents of children with normal weight expressed thoughts and sought support from the school nurse regarding five specific areas. Conclusions drawn from this thesis can be used for further developing school nurses’ health promoting conversations aimed at parenting practices fostering healthy child behaviours. Future studies should focus on further development of MI techniques to be used in health promotion and of methods for evaluating MI competence in the context of universal health promotion

Health initiatives to target obesity in surface transport industries: review and implications for action

Lifestyle-related chronic diseases pose a considerable burden to the individual and the wider society,&nbsp;with correspondingly negative effects on industry. Obesity is a particular problem for the Australasian&nbsp;road and rail industries where it is associated with specific cardiac and fatigue-related safety risks, and&nbsp;levels are higher than those found in the general population. Despite this recognition, and the&nbsp;introduction of National Standards, very little consensus exists regarding approaches to preventative&nbsp;health for surface transport workers. A review of evidence regarding effective health promotion&nbsp;initiatives is urgently needed to inform best practice in this cohort. This review draws together research&nbsp;informing the scope and effectiveness of health promotion programs, initiatives and interventions&nbsp;targeting overweight and obesity in safety critical surface transport domains including the truck, bus&nbsp;and rail industries. A number of health interventions demonstrated measurable successes, including&nbsp;incentivising, peer mentoring, verbal counselling, development of personalised health profiles, and&nbsp;offer of healthier on-site food choices – some of which also resulted in sizeable return on investment&nbsp;over the long term. &nbsp

A Review of Controlling Motivational Strategies from a Self-Determination Theory Perspective: Implications for Sports Coaches

The aim of this paper is to present a preliminary taxonomy of six controlling strategies, primarily based on the parental and educational literatures, which we believe are employed by coaches in sport contexts. Research in the sport and physical education literature has primarily focused on coaches’ autonomysupportive behaviours. Surprisingly, there has been very little research on the use of controlling strategies. A brief overview of the research which delineates each proposed strategy is presented, as are examples of the potential manifestation of the behaviours associated with each strategy in the context of sports coaching. In line with self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985; Ryan & Deci, 2002), we propose that coach behaviours employed to pressure or control athletes have the potential to thwart athletes’ feelings of autonomy, competence,and relatedness, which, in turn, undermine athletes’ self-determined motivation and contribute to the development of controlled motives. When athletes feel pressured to behave in a certain way, a variety of negative consequences are expected to ensue which are to the detriment of the athletes’ well-being. The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness and interest in the darker side of sport participation and to offer suggestions for future research in this area

Development of a behavioural assessment system for achievement motivation in soccer matches

The aim of present investigation was to develop the behavioural instrument for measuring the achievement motivation in sport matches. According to 5-stage behavioural measurement system, the instrument was established and was applied for Iran national soccer team among three matches. The results have revealed the good validity, intra-rater, and inter-rater reliabilities for measuring motivational behaviours in sport contexts. In addition, the repeated measure analysis of variance has shown the applicability of new instrument for studying the association of achievement behaviours with successful performance, through significant differences between achievement behaviours in different matches with varied outcomes (p<.05).It seems the developed instrument is applicable for coaches to discriminate achievement behaviours of players during the match and select their strategy and players’ substitutions according to their trends and behaviours for success