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

Greek students' motives for particiation in physical education

Eesti Arst 2015; 94(9):51

Self-regulated learning in physical education: Examining the effects of emulative and self-control practice

Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of sequential practice from the emulation to the self-control level of the social cognitive model of self-regulated learning development. The model proposes that students who practice with social feedback at the emulation level first and then set goals and self-record their performance at the self-control level master sport skills effectively. Design: The design included one between-subjects factor, the group with five levels and one within-subjects factor, time (pre-test, post-test). Method: One hundred fifth and sixth grade students (40 boys and 60 girls) were assigned to four experimental and one control group and practiced the basketball dribble. Results: The results showed that students of all experimental groups improved their dribbling performance from pre- to post-test. Students who received social feedback and observed repeated demonstrations at the emulation level and then set process or performance goals and self-recorded their performance at the self-control level improved their dribbling performance more than students who missed emulative practice. No improvement was found for control group students. Conclusions: These results supported the effectiveness of the social cognitive model of self-regulated learning development, showing that this model can be used as an instructional approach for teaching sport skills in physical education. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Psychological effects of an adventure therapy program in the treatment of substance use disorders. A Greek pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of a short-term adventure therapy program on the self-esteem and self-efficacy of individuals in treatment for substance use disorders. Adventure-based therapy intervention is an experiential approach, utilized by mental health clinicians, which can be used as a clinical tool to promote therapeutic change in participants. In this light, this pilot study investigated the effects of a 5-day adventure therapy program on the psychological resources of self-esteem and self-efficacy of drug addicts under recovery. Pre and post data were collected from 14 ex-drug addicts utilizing two self-report instruments: General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Self-Esteem Scale. The t-tests and the effect sizes indicated that there is a statistically significant increment in the self-esteem (p <.032, d =.73) and self-efficacy (p <.026, d =.93) of the participants, supporting, that adventure therapy interventions can work an alternative to or as a complementary therapeutic tool to use into traditional addiction recovery counseling. © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

A fair play intervention program in school Olympic education

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program aimed to develop fair play behaviours in a school Olympic Education program. One hundred and twenty six, 5th-grade students front 4 elementary schools participated in this study, 66 of which were in the experimental group and 60 in the control group. The results revealed significant improvement in the reported fair play behaviours, classroom support and autonomy, orientation toward play and intrinsic motivation of the intervention group. Follow-up assessment revealed that the effects were maintained two months after the end of the program. Overall, it appears that the fair play intervention had immediate and sustained effects on students. The results suggest that programs based on sound theoretical principles call be effective in promoting students' sociomoral development

I do not smoke - I exercise: A pilot study of a new educational resource for secondary education students

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine the applicability of a smoking prevention educational resource for secondary education students named 'I do not smoke, I exercise'. The main focus of this program was the promotion of exercise as an alternative behaviour to smoking. Methods: The applicability of the intervention was assessed through questionnaires regarding: (a) attitudes towards smoking, (b) interest in information about smoking, and (c) knowledge about health consequences of smoking. Moreover, interviews were taken from the educators and the school principals. The questionnaires were completed from 210 students (101 boys and 109 girls) before the beginning, at the end of the program, and 12 months after the completion of the programme. One-way repeated measure ANOVA was performed to examine the differences between the pre-, post-, and the follow-up measures. Results: Results showed that the program succeeded in changing the students' attitudes, but the follow-up measures, 12 months later, showed that attitudes towards smoking and interest in information were relapsed to the pre-intervention levels. The only effect that was sustained was that for knowledge. The interviews also revealed positive comments about the program implementation and pointed some shortcomings. Conclusions: The program needs some modifications in order to overcome its weaknesses, have more lasting effects and to improve its applicability

Effects of an exercise theory-based intervention program on craving during the early stage of adults' SUD treatment

In recent years, exercise has become increasingly popular in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD). The present study examined the short-term effects of an exercise intervention on drug craving, mood states, self-esteem, quality of life, and treatment engagement at the early-stage of SUD treatment. Fifty-four adults, using multiple substances, newly entries into an inpatient treatment setting, were non-randomly assigned to a structured 4-week exercise intervention group (Ex + TaUG) and a treatment as usual group (TaUG). Self-reported assessments were used before and after the intervention. Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were applied to assess possible differences between time, group, and interaction between time and group. Results showed that the Ex + TaUG demonstrated higher scores on self-esteem, quality of life, and treatment engagement, and lower scores on craving and mood state (anxiety, depression, and stress) compared to TaUG after the implementation of the physical exercise intervention protocol (p <.05). The outcomes of the present study provide initial evidence that a targeted and properly designed exercise delivery, which is adapted to the needs of the various and decisive treatment stages, may offer specific benefits to individuals living with SUD. © 202

Implementation and Evaluation of a School-Based Educational Program Targeting Healthy Diet and Exercise (DIEX) for Greek High School Students

The present study examined the effectiveness of a school-based health education program promoting healthy diet and exercise, named DIEX, implemented on adolescents. The program is based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and is supported by life skills training. The recipients of the program were high school students (n = 367; 168 boys and 199 girls) from 14 schools in Greece who attended 10 1 h sessions implemented by their schoolteachers. Data were collected before and after the program implementation through online questionnaires for: a. attitude, intention, subjective norms, and PBC toward healthy eating; b. knowledge about healthy eating; c. exercise behavior and attitude toward the DIEX program; and d. satisfaction with the DIEX program (only post-program). The results showed that there were significant differences among the pre- and post-measures of students’ knowledge and behavior about healthy diet, as well as attitudes and satisfaction toward the program’s application. The results show that the DIEX program may have improved nutrition behavior variables. Conclusively, a theory-based behavioral intervention with skills training may result in positive behavioral changes for young students during health education in school settings with the assistance of new technologies. © 2022 by the authors

Applicability of an Immersive Virtual Reality Exercise Training System for Office Workers during Working Hours

Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of a real or imaginary three-dimensional environment that has entered our lives, particularly for gaming. Lately, it has been permeating into many aspects of our everyday life, such as exercise. It is important to ascertain whether exercise in an immersive virtual reality environment can be accepted from employees and lead to positive outcomes for them. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the acceptance, future adoption, interest/enjoyment and usability of an immersive virtual reality system for exercise training by office workers during breaks within their working hours. A total of 40 female employees participated in the study with a mean age of 42.58 years (SD 10.77). Participants were requested to complete two sequential 15-min dual task cycling sessions corresponding to two experimental conditions. The first, condition A, involved cycling in a virtual environment, wearing a virtual reality head mounted display, and responding to cognitive tasks by answering multiple choice questions—on a screen, using a joystick. The second, condition B, involved cycling on a static bicycle and simultaneously responding to cognitive tasks by answering multiple choice questions in a real environment. After completion of the two conditions, participants responded to a series of scales regarding each of the experimental conditions and to a semi-structured interview. The results showed that participants noted a significant preference for the immersive virtual reality exercise, condition A, compared to condition B (bike only); and their acceptance, interest/enjoyment, usability and intention for future use were high. The qualitative data showed increased intention for future use, feelings of control and presence and most of the participants did not encounter any difficulties or require extra help to understand the immersive virtual reality system. Overall, exercising during working hours with an immersive virtual reality exercise system was well perceived by office workers and applicable. However, the effects of the immersive virtual reality training system on physical and mental health and the employees’ adherence to the exercise program should be tested with a longer intervention program. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland