Parent Motivational Climate, Sport Enrollment Motives, and Young Athlete Commitment and Enjoyment in Year-Round Swimming

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(5): 358-372, 2022. Parents are known to influence the athlete sport experience through motivational climates. Athletes’ perception of motivational climates and their own motives for sport participation influence enjoyment and long-term sport commitment. It is unknown, however, the extent parent motives for initially enrolling their child in a year-round sports program associate with children’s sport participation enjoyment and commitment. The purposes of this study were to (a) determine parent motives for enrolling their child (5-8 years) in year-round swimming and (b) explore the relationships of parent motives and motivational climates with child enjoyment and commitment. Parents (n = 40) completed questionnaires on enrollment motives and motivational climate, while children (n = 40) answered questions on enjoyment and commitment. Of the seven motives measured, parents enrolled children in swimming primarily for fitness benefits (M = 4.5, SD = .45) followed by skill mastery (M = 4.31, SD = .48) and fun (M = 4.10, SD = .51) reasons. Findings revealed the fitness motive was moderately, negatively correlated with the success-without-effort facet of a performance climate (r = -.50, p \u3c .01). The fun motive was moderately, positively associated with commitment (r = .43, p \u3c .01). Parent motives for enrolling their child in sport may impact the young child sport experience and long-term sport continuation via motivational climates, enjoyment, and commitment

Physical Activity Barriers and Assets in Rural Appalachian Kentucky: A Mixed-Methods Study

Obesity is an increasing public health concern in the U.S. and a contributor to chronic illness, with trends revealing a rise in adult obesity and chronic disease rates among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations, including those in rural communities. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine perspectives on perceived physical activity barriers, resources, and level of community support. Researchers utilized the socioecological model to examine the multiple domains that support physical activity in rural Appalachia. The present study focuses on baseline data, including a cohort survey to assess physical activity, health status, and barriers to physical activity, and five focus groups with elected community leaders, community residents, members, and key stakeholders to assess perspectives on physical activity barriers and resources within the county. The cohort survey sample (N = 152) reported a median of 6 barriers (range 0–13) to participating in at least 30 min of physical activity daily. The qualitative analysis yielded three overarching themes related to physical activity participation: lack of motivation, physical environment, and cultural barriers. This mixed-methods study revealed the challenges and perceptions among rural residents across the socioecological model when assessing physical inactivity. Findings can be used to tailor future interventions focused on expanding social support, designing infrastructure, and creating policies that promote physical activity

Cognitive rehabilitation, self-management, psychotherapeutic and caregiver support interventions in progressive neurodegenerative conditions: a scoping review

BACKGROUND: Despite their potentially significant impact, cognitive disability may be overlooked in a number of progressive neurodegenerative conditions, as other difficulties dominate the clinical picture. OBJECTIVE: We examined the extent, nature and range of the research evidence relating to cognitive rehabilitation, self-management, psychotherapeutic and caregiver support interventions in Parkinsonian disorders, multiple sclerosis (MS), frontotemporal dementias (FTD), motor neuron disease and Huntington’s disease. METHODS: Scoping review based on searches of MEDLINE and CINAHL up to 15 March 2016. RESULTS: We included 140 eligible papers. Over half of the studies, and almost all the randomised controlled trials, related to MS, while a number of single case studies described interventions for people with FTD. CR interventions addressed functional ability, communication and interaction, behaviour or memory. The majority of psychotherapy interventions involved cognitive behavioural therapy for depression or anxiety. Self-management interventions were mainly available for people with MS. There were few reports of interventions specific to caregivers. Numerous methodological challenges were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The limited range of studies for all conditions except MS suggests a need firstly to synthesise systematically the available evidence across conditions and secondly to develop well-designed studies to provide evidence about the effectiveness of CR and other psychological interventions

“We’re just stuck in a daily routine”:Implications of the temporal dimensions, demands and dispositions of mothering for leisure time physical activity

The reduced physical activity of women when they become mothers is a public health priority. Existing studies show that mothers have little time for leisure, or time that is fragmented and requiring negotiation with others. However, the temporal features of mothering are undertheorised and qualitative studies tend to focus on how mothers can skilfully construct physically active identities and balance societal expectations about being a "good mother". In line with other research that focuses on the configuration of everyday practices that condition the "possibilities" for health-related practices like physical activity, we shift our focus away from the resisting capacities of mothers to the temporal features of mothering practices. We interrogate the lived experiences of 15 mothers of preschool children in deprived urban areas and illuminate the inherent temporal dimensions, demands and dispositions of mothering practices that condition the possibility of leisure time physical activity being undertaken. Together, these temporal features mean mothering practices can readily work against leisure time physical activity. The focus on the mothering practices rather than mothers brings a novel perspective for developing public health policy designed to support mothers into regular leisure time physical activity

Correlates and consequences of physical activity among single mothers

Single motherhood has been associated with negative health consequences such as cardiovascular disease, depression, and stress. Participation in physical activity might improve the health of single mothers, yet little is known about the correlates and consequences of this health behavior among this group of women. The two primary aims of this study were to use social cognitive theory (SCT) to explain physical activity and to examine the health consequences of physical activity among single mothers with young children. Participants (N = 94) were single (i.e., never married, divorced/separated, or widowed), not living with a partner, aged 18 – 50 years, not pregnant, with at least one child under 5 years old. Participants completed a packet of SCT questionnaires (i.e., self-efficacy, outcome expectations, goal setting/planning, social support, and barriers) and then wore an accelerometer during all waking hours for one week. Participants then completed a second battery of physical activity and health outcomes questionnaires (i.e., GLTEQ, IPAQ, CVD symptoms, depression, anxiety, stress, physical self-perception, and health-related quality of life). Only ~24% of participants were meeting public health guidelines for physical activity based on accelerometer minutes of MVPA. SCT constructs were generally associated with self-reported and objective measures of physical activity. The relationships between health outcomes and physical activity were less consistent, but provided initial support for the importance of promoting physical activity among single mothers to improve health. Overall, results from this study support the use of SCT for explaining physical activity behavior and highlight potential targets for future physical activity interventions for single mothers. Given the levels of inactivity among single mothers, such physical activity interventions are necessary and might have important health consequences

Perceptions of Peer and Parental Support: Assessing the Impact of a Physical Activity Intervention for Adolescent Girls

INTRODUCTION. Physical activity is known to have a wide range of health benefits. Children with high levels of peer and parental support are more likely to achieve adequate levels of physical activity (PA). The purposes of this pilot study were: 1) to examine the impact of an after-school intervention on perceived peer and parental support among adolescent girls and 2) to identify correlates of peer and parental support to explore in future studies. METHODS. Seventeen low-active girls in 6th – 8th grade were recruited from a local middle school to participate in an 8-week intervention where they were exposed to various types of PA and discussed PA topics with their peers and college-aged mentors. Thirteen participants (11.6 ± .6 years, 77% Black/African American or multiracial) completed the intervention and post-intervention surveys. Peer and parental support, days physically active per week, and physical literacy self-evaluation were measured by the Social Support for Exercise Scale, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth, respectively. RESULTS. Paired samples t-tests indicated that parental support increased from pre- to post-intervention (t=4.4, p\u3c.001, d=1.2), whereas there was a small, non-statistically significant increase in peer support (t=1.5, p=0.15, d=0.4). Correlations for the variables at pre-intervention indicated that there were significant correlations between PA and physical literacy (r=0.67, p=0.01) and between peer and parental support (r=0.74, p=0.004), whereas at post-intervention there were significant correlations between peer and parental support (r=0.83, p\u3c.001), and physical literacy with peer support (r=0.70, p=0.008) and parental support (r=0.69, p=0.009). CONCLUSION. These results suggest that a physical activity intervention may increase perceptions of parent support. Physical literacy may be a variable to target in future interventions. However, further research with a larger number of participants is necessary

Accuracy of StepWatch™ and ActiGraph accelerometers for measuring steps taken among persons with multiple sclerosis

Introduction There has been increased interest in the objective monitoring of free-living walking behavior using accelerometers in clinical research involving persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The current investigation examined and compared the accuracy of the StepWatch activity monitor and ActiGraph model GT3X+ accelerometer for capturing steps taken during various speeds of prolonged, over-ground ambulation in persons with MS who had mild, moderate, and severe disability. Methods Sixty-three persons with MS underwent a neurological examination for generation of an EDSS score and undertook two trials of walking on the GAITRite electronic walkway. Participants were fitted with accelerometers, and undertook three modified six-minute walk (6MW) tests that were interspersed with 10–15 minutes of rest. The first 6MW was undertaken at a comfortable walking speed (CWS), and the two remaining 6MW tests were undertaken above (faster walking speed; FWS) or below (slower walking speed; SWS) the participant's CWS. The actual number of steps taken was counted through direct observation using hand-tally counters. Results The StepWatch activity monitor (99.8%–99.9%) and ActiGraph model GT3X+ accelerometer (95.6%–97.4%) both demonstrated highly accurate measurement of steps taken under CWS and FWS conditions. The StepWatch had better accuracy (99.0%) than the ActiGraph (95.5%) in the overall sample under the SWS condition, and this was particularly apparent in those with severe disability (StepWatch: 95.7%; ActiGraph: 87.3%). The inaccuracy in measurement for the ActiGraph was associated with alterations of gait (e.g., slower gait velocity, shorter step length, wider base of support). Conclusions This research will help inform the choice of accelerometer to be adopted in clinical trials of MS wherein the monitoring of free-living walking behavior is of particular value