Enhancing our understanding of physical activity and wellbeing with a lifespan perspective

Physical activity might be a viable tool for enhancing mental wellbeing because, in general, physical activity has been found to be related to more positive affect and higher satisfaction with life. The way we think, feel, and act changes with age, so it may be that physical activity, wellbeing, and the link between physical activity and wellbeing change with age too. Without consideration for developmental changes, study findings are decontextualized and difficult to translate into people’s lives. Aiming to become better equipped to use physical activity as a tool to intervene with wellbeing, we explored a lifespan perspective of physical activity and wellbeing. In this review, we (1) discuss physical activity, wellbeing, and the link between physical activity and wellbeing at different life stages, (2) highlight the need to consider interpersonal and intrapersonal differences in these constructs, and (3) identify gaps in the literature that, if filled, would further enhance our understanding of physical activity and wellbeing across the lifespan

Ecological Momentary Assessment Is a Feasible and Valid Methodological Tool to Measure Older Adults’ Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has the potential to yield new insights into the prediction and modeling of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and validity of an EMA protocol to assess older adults’ PA and SB. Feasibility was determined by examining factors associated with EMA survey compliance and if PA or SB were impacted by EMA survey compliance. Validity was determined by comparing EMA-reported PA and SB to objectively measured PA and SB at the EMA prompt. Over 10 days, older adults (n = 104; Agerange = 60–98 years) received 6 randomly prompted EMA questionnaires on a smartphone each day and wore an ActivPAL activity monitor to provide a device-based measure of PA and SB. Participants reported whether they were currently engaged in PA or SB. Older adults were compliant with the EMA and ActivPAL protocol on 92% of occasions. Differences in EMA compliance differed by weight status. Among overweight and obese older adults EMA compliance differed by sex (OR = 3.15, 95% CI: 1.43, 6.92) and day of week (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.33, 2.41). Among normal weight older adults, EMA compliance differed by time of day (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.30). EMA compliance did not differ for device-based PA or SB in the 15 min before versus the 15 min after the EMA prompt, suggesting that these behaviors did not influence likelihood of responding and responding did not influence these behaviors (ps > 0.05). When PA was reported through EMA, participants engaged in less device-based PA in the 15 min after compared to the 15 min before the EMA prompt (p = 0.01), suggesting possible reactance or a disruption of PA. EMA-reported PA and SB were positively associated with higher device-based PA and SB in the ±15 min, respectively, supporting criterion validity (ps < 0.05). The assessment of older adults’ PA and SB through EMA is feasible and valid, although there may be PA reactance to EMA prompting. Therefore, EMA represents a significant methodological tool that can aid in our understanding of the environmental, social, and psychological processes regulating older adults’ PA and SB in the context of everyday life

Acceptability of mobile health interventions to reduce inactivity-related health risk in central Pennsylvania adults

Insufficient physical activity and excessive sedentary behavior elevate health risk. Mobile applications (apps) provide one mode for delivering interventions to modify these behaviors and reduce health risk. The purpose of this study was to characterize the need for and acceptability of health behavior interventions among rural adults and evaluate the interest in and the value of app-based interventions in this population. Central Pennsylvania adults with smartphones (N = 258) completed a brief web survey in October–November 2012. Most adults report one or both inactivity-related behavioral risk factors, would use a free app to modify those risk behaviors, and would pay a small amount for that app. Low-cost, efficacious apps to increase physical activity or reduce sedentary behavior should be promoted in public health practice. User experience should be at the forefront of this process to increase value and minimize burden in the service of long-term engagement, behavior change, and health risk reduction

Daily Satisfaction with Life Is Regulated by Both Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior

Recent research revealed that on days when college students engage in more physical activity than is typical for them, they also experience greater satisfaction with life (SWL). That work relied on self-reported physical activity and did not differentiate between low levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior. This study was designed to (1) determine if the association between self-reported physical activity and SWL would exist when physical activity was monitored objectively and (2) examine the between- and within-person associations among physical activity, sedentary behavior, and SWL. During a 14-day ecological momentary assessment study, college students (N = 128) wore an accelerometer to objectively measure physical activity and sedentary behavior, and they self-reported their physical activity, sedentary behavior, and SWL at the end of each day. Physical activity and sedentary behavior had additive, within-person associations with SWL across self-reported and objective-measures of behavior. Strategies to promote daily well-being should encourage college students to incorporate greater amounts of physical activity as well as limit their sedentary behavior

Within-Day Time-Varying Associations Between Behavioral Cognitions and Physical Activity in Adults

This study used time-varying effect modeling to examine time-of-day differences in how behavioral cognitions predict subsequent physical activity (PA). Adults (N = 116) participated in three 4-day “bursts” of ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Participants were prompted with eight EMA questionnaires per day assessing behavioral cognitions (i.e., intentions, self-efficacy, outcome expectations) and wore an accelerometer during waking hours. Subsequent PA was operationalized as accelerometer-derived minutes of moderate- or vigorous intensity PA in the 2 hr following the EMA prompt. On weekdays, intentions positively predicted subsequent PA in the morning (9:25 a.m.–11:45 a.m.) and in the evening (8:15 p.m.–10:00 p.m.). Self-efficacy positively predicted subsequent PA on weekday evenings (7:35 p.m.–10:00 p.m.). Outcome expectations were unrelated to subsequent PA on weekdays. On weekend days, behavior cognitions and subsequent PA were unrelated regardless of time of day. This study identifies windows of opportunity and vulnerability for motivation-based PA interventions aiming to deliver intervention content within the context of adults’ daily lives

Daily Associations of Stress and Eating in Mother–Child Dyads

Background and Aims. This study used Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) in mother–child dyads to examine the day-level associations of stress and eating. Method. Mothers and their 8- to 12-year-old children (N = 167 dyads) completed between three (weekday) and eight (weekend) EMA survey prompts per day at random nonschool times across 8 days. EMA measured perceived stress, and past 2-hour healthy (i.e., fruit and vegetables) and unhealthy (e.g., pastries/sweets, soda/energy drinks) eating. Results. Children reported more healthy and unhealthy eating on days when their mothers also engaged in more healthy and unhealthy eating, respectively. On days when mothers’ perceived stress was greater than usual, they reported more healthy eating. Discussion and Conclusions. Eating behaviors were coupled between mothers and children at the day level. Mothers’ stress was related to their own eating but not to children’s eating

Daily Life Satisfaction in Older Adults as a Function of (In)Activity

Objectives. This 14-day daily diary study tested the between-person and within-person associations between sedentary behavior, physical activity, and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older adults.Method. Older adults (n=100) wore ActivPAL3 activity monitors for 14 days and, at the end of each day, answered questions regarding their health behaviors and life satisfaction.Results. Separate multilevel models were tested for self-reported and objectively measured behavioral data. In the model using objectively measured behavioral data, life satisfaction was (a) negatively associated with sedentary behavior at the within-person level and unassociated with sedentary behavior at the between-person level and (b) unassociated with physical activity at either the between-person or within-person level. In the model using self-reported behavioral data, life satisfaction was (a) unassociated with sedentary behavior at either the between-person or within-person level and (2) positively associated with physical activity at the within-person, but not at the between-person, level.Discussion. Results indicated that daily deviations in objectively measured sedentary behavior and self-reported physical activity have implications for older adults’ well-being. Interventions designed to enhance well-being and quality of life in older adults should consider targeting daily changes in total sedentary behavior and daily changes in the volume or frequency of physical activity

Ecological Momentary Assessment Is a Feasible and Valid Methodological Tool to Measure Older Adults’ Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has the potential to yield new insights into theprediction and modeling of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB). The objective ofthis study was to determine the feasibility and validity of an EMA protocol to assess older adults’PA and SB. Feasibility was determined by examining factors associated with EMA surveycompliance and if PA or SB were impacted by EMA survey compliance. Validity wasdetermined by comparing EMA-reported PA and SB to objectively measured PA and SB at theEMA prompt. Over 10 days, older adults (n = 104; Agerange = 60–98 years) received 6 randomlyprompted EMA questionnaires on a smartphone each day and wore an ActivPAL activitymonitor to provide a device-based measure of PA and SB. Participants reported whether theywere currently engaged in PA or SB. Older adults were compliant with the EMA and ActivPALprotocol on 92% of occasions. Differences in EMA compliance differed by weight status.Among overweight and obese older adults EMA compliance differed by sex (OR = 3.15, 95%CI: 1.43, 6.92) and day of week (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.33, 2.41). Among normal weight olderadults, EMA compliance differed by time of day (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.30). EMAcompliance did not differ for device-based PA or SB in the 15 min before versus the 15 min afterthe EMA prompt, suggesting that these behaviors did not influence likelihood of responding andresponding did not influence these behaviors (ps > 0.05). When PA was reported through EMA,participants engaged in less device-based PA in the 15 min after compared to the 15 min beforethe EMA prompt (p = 0.01), suggesting possible reactance or a disruption of PA. EMA-reportedPA and SB were positively associated with higher device-based PA and SB in the ±15 min,respectively, supporting criterion validity (ps < 0.05). The assessment of older adults’ PA and SBthrough EMA is feasible and valid, although there may be PA reactance to EMA prompting.Therefore, EMA represents a significant methodological tool that can aid in our understanding ofthe environmental, social, and psychological processes regulating older adults’ PA and SB in thecontext of everyday life

A Daily Analysis of Physical Activity and Satisfaction With Life in Emerging Adults

Objective: Subjective well-being has well-established positive health consequences. During emerging adulthood, from ages 18 to 25 years, people’s global evaluations of their well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life [SWL]) appear to worsen more than any other time in the adult life span, indicating that this population would benefit from strategies to enhance SWL. In these studies, we investigated top-down (i.e., time-invariant, trait-like) and bottom-up (i.e., time-varying, state-like) influences of physical activity (PA) on daily SWL. Methods: Two daily diary studies lasting 8 days (N=190) and 14 days (N=63) were conducted with samples of emerging adults enrolled in college to evaluate relations between daily PA and SWL while controlling for established and plausible top-down and bottom-up influences on SWL. Results: In both studies, multilevel models indicated that people reported greater SWL on days when they were more active (a within-person, bottom-up effect). Top-down effects of PA were not significant in either study. These findings were robust when we controlled for competing top-down influences (e.g., sex, personality traits, self-esteem, body mass index, mental health symptoms, fatigue) and bottom-up influences (e.g., daily self-esteem, daily mental health symptoms, daily fatigue). Conclusions: We concluded that SWL was impacted by people’s daily PA rather than their trait level of PA over time. These findings extend evidence that PA is a health behavior with important consequences for daily well-being and should be considered when developing national policies to enhance SWL

Relationships among affective states, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in children: Moderation by perceived stress

Objective: We examined the acute bidirectional relationships between affective states and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) or sedentary behavior (SB) in children, and whether perceived stress moderates these associations. Method: A total of 180 children (mean age = 9.6 years, 51.7% female, 53.9% Hispanic) completed a 7-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study, where they received 3–7 random prompts per day asking about their current affective states. MVPA and SB during this period were measured by waist-worn accelerometers. Children’s and mothers’ perceived stress were measured by paper questionnaires. Multilevel models tested the within-person (WP) and between-person (BP) associations of (a) MVPA and SB 30 and 60 min before an EMA prompt with subsequent affective states at the prompt, and (b) affective states at the prompt with MVPA and SB in the subsequent 30 and 60 min after the prompt. Interaction terms were used to assess whether children’s and mothers’ perceived stress moderated these associations. Results: Children reported a higher positive affect after engaging in more MVPA than usual (WP; ß = 0.04, SE = 0.02, p < .05) and a lower positive affect after spending more SB than usual (WP; ß = -0.02, SE = 0.01, p < .05) in the previous 30 min. Children’s affective states were unrelated to time in MVPA and SB within the subsequent 30 min. Parent’s perceived stress level attenuated the relationship between children’s time spent in MVPA 60 min before a prompt and self-reported positive affect at that prompt (ß = -0.01, SE = 0.01, p < .05). Conclusions: MVPA and SB acutely impacted children’s psychological well-being, with the benefits of MVPA on positive affect across longer intervals attenuated among children whose mothers had higher perceived stress