A influência das publicidades desportivas audiovisuais em indivíduos sedentários

Mestrado em Comunicação MultimédiaThe purpose of this research is to evaluate how audiovisual sports advertising alters the self-perception and the socio-cultural perception of sedentary individuals. The objective is to understand the effect of the marketing strategies used by sports industry’s brands in order to create more effective audiovisual sports advertising. This research integrates an interpretative approach, a qualitative research strategy in a quasi-experimental approach, using mixed methods, such as an Online Research Survey and Focus Group methods. These methods were progressively used in order to cross information and contribute in the design of the sequential investigation steps. Most of the existing literature on body image and sports advertising has presented itself as a huge gap in the world of scientific research. Accordingly, this research explores the direct influence of sports audiovisual content in sedentary and athletic individuals. The evaluation was accomplished through the screening of a sports video in the second of the Focus Group Research in which, after a 10-minute workout, the participants’ behaviors were assessed with the use of an Observation Grid and a post-workout discussion. There is a high chance that audiovisual sports advertising has a detrimental effect on both sedentary and athletic individuals. The main findings of this research identified that, although the Focus Group Research participants did not verbally confirm it, the video appeared to have a motivational effect on participants. They revealed a better performance and a more focused attitude during the test session. Sedentary individuals seem to be more critical of the female body than of athletic individuals and, as opposed to individuals who consider themselves athletic, individuals who consider themselves sedentary will less likely feel especially motivated to exercise when watching inspirational fitness videos. In addition, gender does not seem to be correlated with sports advertising, sports gear or equipment seems to especially motivate athletic individuals to exercise and individuals’ self-perception seems to be correlated to their workout motivations.O objetivo do presente estudo é a avaliar como as publicidades desportivas audiovisuais influenciam a auto-perceção e a perceção socio-cultural de indivíduos sedentários. O objetivo é compreender o efeito das estratégias de marketing utilizadas pela indústria desportiva para criar publicidades desportivas audiovisuais mais eficazes. Este estudo integra numa abordagem interpretativa, uma estratégia de investigação qualitativa numa abordagem quasi-experimental, com a utilização de métodos mistos, como um Inquérito Online e Grupos de Foco. Estes métodos foram usados progressivamente com o intuito de cruzar informação e contribuir na estruturação dos passos sucessivos e de forma incremental. Identificou-se que, na literatura existente relativa à imagem corporal e a publicidades desportivas existe uma lacuna que, por consequente, este estudo procura preencher — através da exploração da influência direta dos conteúdos audiovisuais em indíviduos sedentários e atléticos. A avaliação foi realizada através da discussão em torno da visualização de um vídeo desportivo na segunda sessão de Grupo de Foco na qual, após um treino de 10 minutos, o comportamento dos participantes foi avaliado com a utilização de uma Grelha de Observação e uma discussão pós-treino. É muito provavél que as publicidades desportivas audiovisuais tenham um efeito detrimental em ambos os indivíduos sedentários e atléticos. Os resultados principais deste estudo identificaram que, apesar de os participantes do Grupo de Foco não o terem confirmado verbalmente, o vídeo tenha provocado um efeito motivacional nos participantes. Durante a segunda sessão, após visualização do vídeo, os participantes revelaram um melhor rendimento e uma atitude mais concentrada durante o treino. Os indivíduos sedentários parecem ser mais críticos relativamente ao corpo feminino do que os indivíduos atléticos. Parece mais improvável que indivíduos que se consideram sedentários se sintam especialmente motivados para praticar atividade física aquando da visualização de vídeos inspiracionais de fitness. Adicionalmente, o género não parece estar relacionado com sentir-se motivado para praticar atividade física após visualização de publicidades desportivas, material e equipamento desportivo parecem motivar especialmente indivíduos atléticos para a prática de exercícios físico e a autopercepção parece estar relacionada com as motivações de treino de cada indivíduo

Childhood overweight and obesity abatement policies in Europe

Over the past two decades, a concerted effort to combat the rising tide of childhood overweight and obesity has taken shape. The World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) provides recommendations for six priority areas of action, including the promotion of healthy food consumption, promotion of physical activity, preconception and pregnancy care, early childhood diet and physical activity, healthy nutrition and physical activity for school-aged children, and community-based weight management. This paper provides a snapshot of policies and measures aligned to these areas of action within the WHO European Region in order to encourage other countries to make similar efforts. Examples are drawn from Portugal (sugar-sweetened beverage tax, integrated nutrition strategy), the United Kingdom (soft drink levy, active commuting programs, urban design principles), Lithuania (prohibition of energy drinks), Norway (industry and government partnerships to promote healthier foods, nutrition education curriculum for schools), Hungary (tax subsidies to promote healthy diets), the European Union (cross-border marketing regulations, preconception and pregnancy care), Slovenia (food marketing restrictions), Spain (marketing restrictions within educational settings), Poland (investing in sports infrastructure), Russia (increasing sports participation), Estonia (redevelopment of the physical education curriculum), Netherlands (preconception and pregnancy care), Croatia (conditions to support breastfeeding), Austria (perinatal and early childhood nutrition), Czechia (life-course strategy), San Marino (nutrition and physical activity for school-aged children), Ukraine (potable water for schools), Ireland and Italy (community-based weight management approaches). Our findings suggest that a large disparity exists among the type and breadth of policies adopted by Member States, with a mix of single-issue policy responses and more cohesive strategies. The role of data, implementation research, and ongoing surveillance of country-level progress related to childhood overweight and obesity policies are discussed as an essential part of the iterative process of policy development. Additional work to systematically gather context-specific information on policy development, implementation, and reach according to ECHO's six areas of action by WHO European Region countries will inform future policy paradigms within the region.The authors gratefully acknowledge support through a grant from the Russian government in the context of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of NCDs. Acesso de acordo com página web do editor da revista.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Is Meat the New Tobacco? Regulating Food Demand in the Age of Climate Change

Switching from a meat-heavy to a plant-based diet is one of the highest-impact lifestyle changes for climate mitigation and adaptation. Conventional demand-side energy policy has focused on increasing consumption of efficient machines and fuels. Regulating food demand has key advantages. First, food consumption is biologically constrained, thus switching to more efficient foods avoids unintended consequences of switching to more efficient machines, like higher overall energy consumption. Second, food consumption, like smoking, is primed for norm- shifting because it occurs in socially conspicuous environments. While place-based bans and information regulation were essential in lowering the prevalence of smoking, the same strategies may be even more effective in reducing meat demand. Several policy reforms can be implemented at the federal level, from reform of food marketing schemes to publicly subsidized meal programs

‘Keep moving!’ occupational therapy guided Zumba fitness health-promoting program for youth with learning disabilities or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Obesity is a public health concern and a major risk factor contributing to physical and psychological problems. It affects participation in occupations and increases healthcare-related costs. Certain populations are at risk of being overweight and obese. These include people of low socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities. Adolescents diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD), and/or attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) were also found to face difficulties in maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in healthy behaviors. While occupational therapy practitioners often address the academic and behavioral performance of children and adolescents with LD or ADHD, special attention should be given to weight-management and health promotion. An occupational therapy guided, health-promoting program was designed to address this gap. The 12-week program, named “Keep moving!” is intended for adolescents with LD or ADHD in schools and community centers. It incorporates Zumba dance activity, which is a form of a moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise. The foundations of the program are based on The Trans-Theoretical Model of Behavioral change and The Individual and Family Self-Management Theory, which enable individuals to take a significant part in the process of managing their health. The key features that were identified in the literature as most effective are applied in the program; establishing health-promoting habits and routines at home and school, adding weekly fun and engaging physical activities, providing information regarding healthy lifestyle components, instilling self-management skills, and establishing family support. The program evaluation plan utilizes both formative and summative evaluation approaches. A similar program could be applied to other populations at risk for overweight and obesity by adjusting the type of physical activity to accommodate the abilities and interests of other at-risk population groups

Sports in Digital Era

The thesis's primary purpose is to demonstrate the growth of the digital era on the sports industry for awareness and better management. Moreover, it aims to explain the digital technology revolution and its effect on physical activities and sports. The paper presents a social analysis of sports regarding the effects of the IV Industrial Revolution, driven by an unprecedented level of development in materials sciences, digital technology, and biology. The future views on the evolution of the sports industry and options for the sports manager in the phase of digital transition are illustrated. The conclusion summarizes the implications and represents the direction of the sports industry.O objetivo desta tese é demonstrar o crescimento da era digital na indrústia desportiva para a consciencialização e uma melhor gestão. Além disso, visa explicar a revolução tecnológica digital e a sua influência na atividade física e desporto. O documento apresenta uma análise social do desporto em relação aos efeitos da IV Revolução Industrial, impulsionada pelo sem precedente nível de desenvolvimento nas ciências materiais, tecnologia digital e biologia. O futuro da evolução da indústria do desporto e as opções dos gestores desportivos na fase de transição do digital. A conclusão resume as implicações e reflete a direção da indústria do desporto

Physical Activity, Wellness and Health: Challenges, Benefits and Strategies

Regular physical activity (PA) is both a preventive measure and a cure for non-communicable diseases. Moreover, PA improves mental health, quality of life, and well-being. Conversely, physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles have negative impacts on individuals, families, and society, as evidenced in particular by the spread of the obesity epidemic. PA has proven to be a low-cost alternative for the treatment and prevention of disease. Therefore, interventions to prevent avoidable diseases by increasing the proportion of physically active people are fundamental. The Special Issue “Physical Activity, Wellness and Health: Challenges, Benefits and Strategies” was collected research articles on anthropometric determinants of health and performance, PA and healthy habits, exercise and diet, exercise and body composition, interventions to promote PA for people of all ages, strategies for the implementation of an active life, and the beneficial effects of exercise on metabolic syndrome. A total of 20 articles were published, falling mainly into the following three areas: anthropometry, health, and sport; health benefits of exercise; population studies and strategies for an active life. All of the studies support strategies to promote PA and reduce sedentary behavior among adolescents, adults and the elderly. There is no doubt that regular exercise is beneficial to health, but the general population should be encouraged to engage in more of it

The organisation and delivery of health improvement in general practice and primary care: a scoping study

Background This project examines the organisation and delivery of health improvement activities by and within general practice and the primary health-care team. The project was designed to examine who delivers these interventions, where they are located, what approaches are developed in practices, how individual practices and the primary health-care team organise such public health activities, and how these contribute to health improvement. Our focus was on health promotion and ill-health prevention activities. Aims The aim of this scoping exercise was to identify the current extent of knowledge about the health improvement activities in general practice and the wider primary health-care team. The key objectives were to provide an overview of the range and type of health improvement activities, identify gaps in knowledge and areas for further empirical research. Our specific research objectives were to map the range and type of health improvement activity undertaken by general practice staff and the primary health-care team based within general practice; to scope the literature on health improvement in general practice or undertaken by health-care staff based in general practice and identify gaps in the evidence base; to synthesise the literature and identify effective approaches to the delivery and organisation of health improvement interventions in a general practice setting; and to identify the priority areas for research as defined by those working in general practice. Methods We undertook a comprehensive search of the literature. We followed a staged selection process involving reviews of titles and abstracts. This resulted in the identification of 1140 papers for data extraction, with 658 of these papers selected for inclusion in the review, of which 347 were included in the evidence synthesis. We also undertook 45 individual and two group interviews with primary health-care staff. Findings Many of the research studies reviewed had some details about the type, process or location, or who provided the intervention. Generally, however, little attention is paid in the literature to examining the impact of the organisational context on the way services are delivered or how this affects the effectiveness of health improvement interventions in general practice. We found that the focus of attention is mainly on individual prevention approaches, with practices engaging in both primary and secondary prevention. The range of activities suggests that general practitioners do not take a population approach but focus on individual patients. However, it is clear that many general practitioners see health promotion as an integral part of practice, whether as individual approaches to primary or secondary health improvement or as a practice-based approach to improving the health of their patients. Our key conclusion is that there is currently insufficient good evidence to support many of the health improvement interventions undertaken in general practice and primary care more widely. Future Research Future research on health improvement in general practice and by the primary health-care team needs to move beyond clinical research to include delivery systems and be conducted in a primary care setting. More research needs to examine areas where there are chronic disease burdens – cancer, dementia and other disabilities of old age. Reviews should be commissioned that examine the whole prevention pathway for health problems that are managed within primary care drawing together research from general practice, pharmacy, community engagement, etc

Esports and the Media

This book takes a multidisciplinary approach to the question of esports and their role in society. A diverse group of authors tackle the impact of esports and the ways in which it has grown within the entertainment industry around the world. Chapters offer a coherent response to the following questions: What role do esports play in the entertainment industry? What communication skills can be learned through esports? What do the media gain from broadcasting esports? What is the relationship between social networks and esports? What are the main marketing strategies used in esports? What effect does communicative globalization have on the development of esports? What is the relationship between merchandising and esports? What do communication experts think about esports? Offering clear insights into this rapidly developing area, this volume will be of great interest to scholars, students, and anyone working in game studies, new media, leisure, sport studies, communication studies, transmedia literacy, and digital culture