Predictors of physical activity behavior change based on the current stage of change-an analysis of young people from Hawai'i

The relationship between physical exercise and psychological capital in college students: the mediating role of perceived social support and self-control

BACKGROUND

The mental health of college students significantly impacts their life, academic performance, and even employment prospects. Research indicates that physical exercise can promote mental health, but the pathways of its influence require further exploration. This study investigates the relationship between physical exercise and psychological capital in college students, focusing on the mediating roles of perceived social support and self-control.

OBJECTIVES

This study seeks to investigate the relationship between physical exercise and psychological capital among university students, with a further in-depth analysis of the mediating roles played by perceived social support and self-control within this dynamic.

METHODS

Using cluster sampling, we surveyed 898 college students from five universities in Xinxiang, Henan Province, employing the Physical Activity Rating Scale (PARS-3), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), the Revised Self-Control Scale (SCS), and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and Amos 23.0, and common method bias was tested using Harman's single-factor test. The significance of the mediation effects was tested using the bootstrap sampling method.

RESULTS

(1) Physical exercise is significantly correlated with psychological capital (r = 0.786, p < 0.01); (2) Perceived social support and self-control mediate the relationship between physical exercise and psychological capital; (3) The mediation effect consists of two indirect effects: physical exercise → perceived social support → psychological capital (β = 0.404, 95% CI: 0.336-0.473) and physical exercise → self-control → psychological capital (β = 0.158, 95% CI: 0.067-0.242).

CONCLUSION

Physical exercise can directly enhance the psychological capital of college students and can indirectly influence psychological capital through perceived social support or self-control. The mediating effect of perceived social support is stronger than that of self-control.

Perceptions of Illness Control, Coherence, and Self-Efficacy Following a Web-Based Lifestyle Program for Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Analysis of Semistructured Interviews

BACKGROUND

Evidence suggests that illness perceptions held by people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) impact affective distress and physical health outcomes. In a randomized controlled trial, we developed 2 MS Online Courses-the standard care course and the intervention course (IC). The IC was adapted from an evidence-based lifestyle program. Modifying lifestyle risk factors offers an opportunity to impact illness perceptions. Research on illness perceptions in people living with MS has focused predominately on quantitative methods.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the experiences and health outcomes of randomized controlled trial participants, including individuals' perceived changes in attitudes toward MS and their health (ie, illness perceptions).

METHODS

Qualitative responses provided by 38 participants (22 in the IC and 16 in the standard care course) were derived from semistructured interviews 1 month after completing the MS Online Course. The impact of course engagement and lifestyle modification on illness perceptions was explored using inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Themes of changes in illness perceptions were most prominent in the IC arm. Qualitative responses from 22 people living with MS informed the development of three themes: "self-efficacy for disease management," "personal control," and "illness coherence."

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide novel insights into the formation and modification of illness perceptions. Lifestyle modification may serve as a valuable adjunct to clinician-administered therapies, improving the sense of personal control over MS, illness coherence, and self-efficacy for disease management.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12621001605886; https://tinyurl.com/2vyve9p9.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

RR2-10.1186/s12883-023-03298-0.

A meta-analysis of the relationship between social support and physical activity in adolescents: the mediating role of self-efficacy

Introduction

Social support influences physical activity (PA) in adolescents. However, whether mediating and moderating effects impact the relationship between them or the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of self-efficacy as well as a series of moderating influences using a meta-analytic approach.

Methods

A total of 56 studies published between January 2001 and May 2023 were obtained from the Web of Science, EBSCO, Taylor and Francis, Scopus, Wiley, ProQuest, and CNKI (core) databases, comprising 65 independent samples (total sample size = 47,196).

Results and discussion

The mean weighted correlation coefficients between social, family, peer, and school support and adolescent PA were 0.298, 0.226, 0.256, and 0.142, respectively, which were significant, except for school support. Family support and teenage PA were related, although the connection was moderated by gender and socioeconomic characteristics. While social, family, and peer support had a direct influence on adolescent PA, school support did not. Self-efficacy mediated the relationship between social support and its subtypes and adolescent PA.

Moderate-Vigorous Physical Activity, Family Support, Peer Support, and Screen Time: An Explanatory Model

It is important to investigate how the different factors of physical activity and screen time influence each population group in order to design effective proposals for health promotion. This study aims to: (1) create an explanatory model to establish the relationships between moderate-vigorous physical activity time, screen time, family support, and peer support of adolescents in the region of Soria (Spain); (2) contrast the explanatory structural model according to the intensity of physical activity. A representative sample of 694 adolescents, aged 12-17 years, from the region of Soria was selected. The Four by One-Day Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Parent Support Scale, and the Peer Support Scale were administered. The data were treated according to a structural equation model to demonstrate the relationships between the study variables. The Chi-square p-values and standardised fit indices (CFI, NFI, IFI, TLI, and RMSEA) were appropriate. Moreover, acceptable parameters were obtained in the general equations. The theoretical model is useful to explain the relationships between moderate-vigorous physical activity, family support, peer support, and screen time. In addition, models that differentiate between moderate and vigorous physical activity independently are also useful. Peer support plays a particular role relative to physical activity time, and family support plays a specific role regarding screen time.

Physical Activity, Energy Expenditure, Screen Time and Social Support in Spanish Adolescents-Towards an Explanatory Model about Health Risk Factors

Youth obesity has been a pandemic for decades. One of its causes is a low level of physical activity. It is necessary to know the specific situation of adolescents and the factors that influence it in order to be able to act accordingly. The first aim of the current study is to create an explanatory model to establish the relationships between light physical activity time, light physical activity energy expenditure, screen time and social support. The second aim is to propose a theoretical model specifying the relationships between moderate-vigorous physical activity time, moderate-vigorous physical activity energy expenditure, screen time and social support. The study design was non-experimental (ex post facto), descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional. A total of 694 adolescents from the region of Soria (12-17 years) participated in the study. The instruments administered were the Four by One-Day Physical Activity Questionnaire, Parent Support Scale and Peer Support Scale. Two structural equation models were developed to analyse the relationships between the variables that comprised the explanatory models. The results show that social support had a negative influence on screen time in the proposed model in relation to light physical activity (r = -0.210; p ≤ 0.001) and in the proposed one regarding moderate-vigorous physical activity (r = -0.173; p ≤ 0.05). Social support was negatively related to light physical activity time (r = -0.167; p ≤ 0.05). Family support had a greater influence than did peer support. In conclusion, the models for light and moderate-vigorous physical activity are useful to describe the relationships between time, energy expenditure, screen time and social support.