Understanding the experiences of heavy smokers after exercise

There is now strong evidence that exercise has an acute effect on the urge to smoke and the accompanying withdrawal symptoms. However, the perceptions by heavy smokers of exercise and its relationship to the urge to smoke have not been well documented. The aim of the present study is to understand the experiences of heavy smokers with regard to exercise and its effect on their urge to smoke. Five physically inactive, heavy smokers are asked to abstain from smoking the night before exercising on a cycle ergometer under two conditions (one at medium and one at vigorous intensity done a week apart). Semi-structured, in-depth interviews are conducted after the second exercise session. Thematic analysis reveals six themes describing the participants’ experience of exercise, urge to smoke, exercise preferences, exercise and smoking relationship, exercise as an aid to quit smoking, and the effects of the experimental procedure. Overall, the participants’ experiences support the existing literature, which has posited affective, biological, and cognitive mechanisms contributing to a delay in the urge to smoke after exercise. The main findings pertain to: (1) the “feel-good” effect after exercise as a relief from the “feel-bad” effect during exercise; (2) the decreased urge to smoke after exercise, stated by all participants regardless of reported positive and negative feelings; and (3) exercise as a “clearing the mind” mechanism rather than an attention-distracting mechanism

Using physical education to promote out-of school physical activity in lower secondary school students – a randomized controlled trial protocol

Background Given the documented decline in levels of physical activity in early adolescence, promoting physical activity in young people is a priority for health promotion. School physical education (PE) is an important existing network in which participation in physical activity beyond school can be promoted to the captive young people. The objective of current article is to present the protocol for a PE teacher-delivered theory-based trial to promote secondary school students’ participation in physical activity out-of-school contexts. The intervention will be guided by the trans-contextual model explaining the processes by which PE teachers’ support for autonomous motivation in the classroom promotes students’ motivation to engage in out-of-school physical activity. We hypothesize that school students receiving the teacher-delivered intervention to promote autonomous motivation toward physical activity will exhibit greater participation in physical activities outside of school, relative to students receiving a control intervention. Methods The trial will adopt a waitlist-control design with cluster-randomization by school. PE teachers assigned to the intervention condition will receive a two-week, 12-h training program comprising basic information on how to promote out-of-school physical activity and theory-based training on strategies to promote students’ autonomous motivation toward physical activity. Teachers assigned to the waitlist control condition will receive an alternative training on how to monitor physical functional capacity in children with special needs. PE teachers (n = 29) from eleven schools will apply the intervention program to students (n = 502) in PE classes for one month. Physical activity participation, the primary outcome variable, and psychological mediators from the trans-contextual model will be measured at pre-trial, post-trial, and at one-, three- and six-months post-trial. We will also assess teachers’ autonomy-supportive techniques and behaviours by observation. Discussion The study will make a unique contribution to the literature by testing a theory-based intervention delivered by PE teachers to promote school students’ participation in out-of-school physical activity. Information will be useful for educators, community stakeholders and policy makers interested in developing programs to promote students’ out-of-school physical activity.Peer reviewe

Feasibility of a Responsibility-Based Leadership Training Program for Novice Physical Activity Instructors

Most coaches and instructors would like to teach more than just sport skills to their athletes and children. However, to promote athletes' or children's holistic development and teach them to take responsibility and lead, requires the coaches and instructors to first master the skills themselves. Therefore, feasible, high quality leadership training programs where coaches and physical activity instructors are taught to teach and share leadership are needed. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the feasibility of a leadership training program to optimize it and to determine whether to proceed with its evaluation. In the leadership training program, eight Finnish novice physical activity instructors, aged 18 to 22, were taught to promote positive youth development, personal and social responsibility, and shared leadership in a physical activity context. The participants had minimal to no leadership training or experience. The training program consisted of seven meetings totaling 20 h. Helllison's teaching personal and social responsibility (TPSR) model was the theoretical and practical framework of the training program. Feasibility of the leadership training program was evaluated across four domains of an evidence-based framework: demand, practicality, acceptability, and implementation fidelity. Data of the current complex intervention were collected with application videos, questionnaires, researcher's log, lesson plans, video recordings, and a semi-structured focus group interview. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the qualitative data using deductive and inductive content analysis. There was a demand for the leadership training program. The training program was perceived as practical and highly acceptable by the novice instructors and the trainers, and implemented with fidelity, indicating high overall feasibility. No implementation issues were found. Consequently, the current leadership training program has a high probability of efficacy and can be accepted for further evaluation.Peer reviewe

Predictors of school students’ leisure-time physical activity : An extended trans-contextual model using Bayesian path analysis

The present study aimed to examine effects of motivational and social cognition constructs on children’s leisure-time physical activity participation alongside constructs representing implicit processes using an extended trans-contextual model. The study adopted a correlational prospective design. Secondary-school students (N = 502) completed self-report measures of perceived autonomy support from physical education (PE) teachers, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure-time contexts, and social cognition constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control), intentions, trait self-control, habits, and past behavior in a leisure-time physical activity context. Five weeks later, students (N = 298) self-reported their leisure-time physical activity participation. Bayesian path analyses supported two key premises of the model: perceived autonomy support was related to autonomous motivation in PE, and autonomous motivation in PE was related to autonomous motivation in leisure time. Indirect effects indicated that both forms of autonomous motivation were related to social cognition constructs and intentions. However, intention was not related to leisure-time physical activity participation, so model variables reflecting motivational processes did not account for substantive variance in physical activity participation. Self-control, attitudes, and past behavior were direct predictors of intentions and leisure-time physical activity participation. There were indirect effects of autonomous motivation in leisure time on intentions and physical activity participation mediated by self-control. Specifying informative priors for key model relations using Bayesian analysis yielded greater precision for some model effects. Findings raise some questions on the predictive validity of constructs from the original trans-contextual model in the current sample, but highlight the value of extending the model to incorporate additional constructs representing non-conscious processes.Peer reviewe

Testing a physical education-delivered autonomy supportive intervention to promote leisure-time physical activity in lower secondary school students : the PETALS trial

BackgroundInadequate physical activity in young people is associated with several physical and mental health concerns. Physical education (PE) is a potentially viable existing network for promoting physical activity in this population. However, little research has been conducted on whether PE teachers can influence students' engagement in leisure-time physical activity. The present study therefore examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at increasing PE teachers' autonomy support on students' leisure-time physical activity (the PETALS trial). The intervention was guided by the trans-contextual model (TCM) explaining the processes by which PE teachers' provision of autonomy support during PE promotes students' motivation and engagement in physical activity in their leisure time.MethodsThe study adopted a cluster-randomized, waitlist control intervention design with randomization by school. Participants were PE teachers (N=29, 44.83%female; M age=42.83, SD=9.53yrs) and their lower secondary school students (N=502, 43.82%female; M age=14.52, SD=0.71yrs). We measured TCM constructs, including perceived autonomy support, autonomous motivation in PE and leisure time, beliefs and intentions towards leisure-time physical activity, and physical activity behavior at baseline, post-intervention, and at one-, three-, and six-months. Study hypotheses were tested through a series of ANOVAs and structural equation models using post-intervention and one-month follow-up data.ResultsWe found no changes in TCM constructs or physical activity behavior in either group at post-intervention or at 1 month. Path analyses supported two propositions of the TCM as change variables: perceived autonomy support had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in PE and autonomous motivation in PE had a significant effect on autonomous motivation in leisure time. Although we found a direct effect of autonomous motivation in leisure time on physical activity, we did not find support for the third premise of the TCM that autonomous motivation in leisure time indirectly affects physical activity through beliefs and intentions.ConclusionsCurrent findings did not support the efficacy of the PETALS intervention at changing physical activity behavior and TCM constructs. More research is required to determine whether the TCM predictive validity is supported when other model variables are manipulated through experimental and intervention studies.Trial registrationISRCTN, ISRCTN39374060. Registered 19 July 2018. Prospectively registered.Peer reviewe

A web-based physical activity promotion intervention for inactive parent-child dyads: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Low levels of physical activity are associated with numerous adverse health outcomes, yet sedentary lifestyles are common among both children and adults. Physical activity levels tend to decline steeply among children aged between 8 and 12 years, even though children's behavioral patterns are largely governed by familial structures. Similarly, parents' activity levels have been generally reported as lower than those of nonparents of comparable age. For this reason, family-based physical activity promotion interventions are a potentially valuable and relatively underresearched method for mitigating physical activity declines as children develop into adolescents and for increasing physical activity in parents. Objective: This study aims to assess the efficacy, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel theory-based web-based physical activity promotion intervention among parent-child dyads in Finland who do not meet physical activity recommendations at baseline. Methods: Participants (target N=254) will be recruited from the general population using a panel company and advertisements on social media and randomly assigned to either an immediate intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention consists of 4 web-based group workshops over the course of 10 weeks, web-based tasks and resources, and a social support chat group. Data on physical activity behavior and constructs from the integrated behavior change model will be collected through self-report surveys assessing physical activity, autonomy support, autonomous motivation, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention, self-monitoring, habit, and accelerometer measurements at baseline, post intervention, and 3 months post intervention. Exit interviews with participants will assess the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention procedures. Results: This study will reveal whether the intervention changes leisure-time physical activity among intervention participants relative to the control group and will examine the intervention's effects on important theoretical predictors of physical activity. It will also yield data that can be used to refine intervention materials and inform further implementation. Trial recruitment commenced in September 2023, and data collection should be completed by December 2024. Conclusions: The planned intervention has potential implications for both theory and practice. Practically, the use of an entirely web-based intervention may have scalable future uses for improving physical activity in 2 key populations, while also potentially informing on the value of dyadic, family-based strategies for encouraging an active lifestyle as an alternative to strategies that target either parents or children independently. Further, by assessing change in psychological constructs alongside potential change in behavior, the intervention also allows for important tests of theory regarding which constructs are most linked to favorable behavior change outcomes

The Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education Scale in Filipino: An Exploratory Factor Analysis

Fulfillment of students’ basic psychological needs in school physical education is essential for their optimal motivation and well-being. The present study aimed to: (1) translate the Basic Psychological Needs in Physical Education Scale (BPNPE Scale; Vlachopoulos, Katarzi, & Kontou, 2011) to Filipino, and (2) examine the reliability and validity of the Filipino version. Instrument translation was conducted using a committee-approach back-translation procedure. The Filipino version was then administered to 408 public high school students from Metro Manila during one of their PE classes. Results showed that internal consistency reliabilities of the subscales were adequate with alphas ranging from .70 to .83. Construct validity was supported with r values ranging from .37 to .60 (p < .001). Finally, exploratory factor analysis revealed a clear three-factor structure reflective of the three psychological needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness). In conclusion, findings provided preliminary support to the Filipino version of the BPNPE scale as a psychometrically-sound instrument for assessing needs fulfillment in PE among Filipino high school students. Nevertheless, further validation is recommended.peerReviewe

An mHealth intervention: Associations between Theory of Planned Behaviour constructs for physical activity and longitudinal smoking related behavioural data.

Background Physical activity behaviour is considered as a satisfactory additional aid method for quit smoking programs. Moreover, laboratory based studies provide strong evidence that physical activity acutely reduces cigarette cravings. An mHealth app (Physical over Smoking: Ph.o.S.) was developed to be used as a support tool for quitters to manage their cigarette cravings and help us testing the acute effectiveness of exercise on quitters under real-life conditions. Aim Aim of this study was to examine the associations between three explanatory variables of TPB-PA (attitudes, intention and perceived behavioural control for physical activity behaviour) on 3 smoking related response variables (number of cigarettes smoked, number of relapses and number of cravings), over a 3 month follow up period after quit smoking. Time, group and interaction of group X time were also examined. Method A quit smoking program (3 weekly sessions) which incorporated physical activity promotion applied to smokers who aimed to quit smoking. After the quit day each participant assigned randomly to a group of users of the mHealth app or to a group of non-users. Users received a short training to use the Ph.o.S app when experience cigarette cravings. The Ph.o.S app suggested short physical activities as a way to manage cravings. Forty four quitters (19 females) were assigned to a group of app users (n=25) and to a group of non-users (n=19). All participants completed the TPB - PA questionnaire immediately after their quit day and after that they reported their number of cigarettes smoked, number of relapses and number of cravings the last 7 days, at 3 days, 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after. Results Perceived Behavioural Control for Physical Activity (PBC-PA) behaviour predicted the number of relapses and cigarettes smoked for a follow up period of 3 months. Higher PBC-PA indicated lower number of relapses and smoked cigarettes during the 3 month follow up period. Time trends of cigarettes smoked and number of cravings was significantly different between groups. The number of cigarettes smoked didn’t increase as fast in users group as in non-users group, whereas cravings decreased faster in non-users group. Conclusion The results support previous literature suggesting that a possible mechanism behind the beneficial effects of exercise on decreasing smoking behaviour might be the increased perceived behavioural control over exercise that has an effect on the control to smoking behaviour. Moreover, using exercise to manage after quit smoking cravings can delay further smoking behaviour relapses

Exercise and Healthy Eating Intentions and Behaviors among Normal Weight and Overweight/Obese Adults

Strong evidence suggests that exercise and eating behaviours are strongly linked. Theory of Planned Behaviour is a theoretical framework that has been successfully used to explain and predict both behaviours. The aim of the present study is to explore the constructs of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) that better predicts exercise and healthy eating: a) intentions and b) selfreported behaviors among normal weight and overweight/obese adults. Participants were 361 adults in Greece (women: N = 152). According to their BMI scores, they have been grouped into normal weight and overweight/obese. Data were collected with an online questionnaire assessing variables of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) toward exercise and healthy eating intentions and behaviors. Correlations between the variables of TPB and behaviors (healthy eating and exercise) were higher in the normal weight group than in the overweight/obese group. The strongest predictor of intention to exercise was perceived behavioral control for both groups with the overweight/obese group showing higher values in comparison to normal weight group values. The same associations emerged for the prediction of intention for healthy eating behavior. The attitude was also a statistically significant predictor for both groups with higher values in normal weight group. The strongest predictor of exercise behavior was the intention, whereas for eating behavior significant predictors were attitudes, intentions and perceived behavioral control. TPB framework explained both intentions and behaviors for exercise and healthy eating of normal weight and overweight/obese adults. Initial information on which TPB constructs explain better intentions and behaviors by group implied that normal weight group has more positive exercise and healthy eating attitudes and intentions than the overweight/obese group; the behaviors of the overweight/obese group were explained better by perceived behavioral control. The above information can be used to design more effective interventions that aim to produce changes in both behaviors.peerReviewe

Patterns of Eating and Physical Activity Attitudes and Behaviors in Relation to Body Mass Index

The aim of the study was to identify and characterize the patterns of the psychological and behavioral characteristics, in relation to body mass index. In addition, the study examined the associations between the patterns and demographic characteristics, exercise, eating habits, and healthrelated psychological variables. Participants were 361 Greek adults, randomly selected and completed self-reported questionnaires. The surveys examined demographic characteristics, healthrelated psychological variables (attitudes and intentions toward exercise and healthy eating, perceived behavioral control, health locus of control, general health, self-control, and body image) and the behaviors of exercise and healthy eating. Cluster analysis identified two distinct profiles: the first segment was related to healthier exercise and eating behaviors, and more positive results in psychological variables. Interestingly, individuals in healthy segment correspond to a normal Body Mass Index (BMI). The second segment was related to more unhealthy behaviors, as like lower levels of exercise healthy eating and negative psychological variables. As expected, second segments’ individuals had a mean overweight BMI. Furthermore, unhealthy segment profiles were related to higher psychological distress and lower self-control. Cluster analysis provides us an inspiring conclusion concerning the analysis of the combination of several variables. Healthy and unhealthy patterns were identified into two categories, using behaviors and psychological beliefs. The comparison between demographic characteristics and final clusters showed that age, education, type of sport (team or individual) and the total years of exercise appeared significant differences. All the above should be considered for the establishment of a healthy lifestyle to increase intervention effectiveness of weight-loss management.peerReviewe