Associations of Leisure-Time Physical Activity Trajectories with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption from Childhood to Adulthood: The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

Psychosocial and health behavioural characteristics of longitudinal physical activity patterns: a cohort study from adolescence to young adulthood

BACKGROUND

The decline in physical activity (PA) during adolescence is well-established. However, while some subgroups of adolescents follow the general pattern of decreased activity, others increase or maintain high or low activity. The correlates and determinants of different PA patterns may vary, offering valuable information for targeted health promotion. This study aimed to examine how psychosocial factors, health behaviours, and PA domains are associated with longitudinal PA patterns from adolescence to young adulthood.

METHODS

This prospective study encompassed 254 participants measured at mean ages 15 and 19. Device-measured moderate-to-vigorous PA was grouped into five patterns (activity maintainers, inactivity maintainers, decreasers from moderate to low PA, decreasers from high to moderate PA, increasers) via a data-driven method, K-Means for longitudinal data. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse the associations between health behaviours, psychosocial factors, PA domains, and different PA patterns.

RESULTS

A lack of sports club participation characterised inactivity maintainers throughout adolescence. Difficulties in communicating with one's father at age 15 were associated with higher odds of belonging to inactivity maintainers and to decreasers from moderate to low PA. Lower fruit and vegetable consumption at age 19 was also related to increased odds of belonging to the groups of inactivity maintainers and decreasers from moderate to low PA. Smoking at age 19 was associated with being a decreaser from moderate to low PA.

CONCLUSIONS

Diverse factors characterise longitudinal PA patterns over the transition to young adulthood. Sports club participation contributes to maintained PA. Moreover, a father-adolescent relationship that supports open communication may be one determinant for sustained PA during adolescence. A healthier diet and non-smoking as a young adult are associated with more favourable PA development.

Affective Profiles and Psychosocial Adjustment among Chinese Adolescents and Adults with Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Person-Centered Approach

PURPOSE

Two studies were conducted to explore the patterns of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) while considering collectivist cultural specificity (dialecticism) and to examine the associations of affective profiles with psychosocial adjustment.

METHODS

We used two Chinese samples, one comprising adults with adverse childhood experiences (N = 488) and one comprising ordinary adolescents (N = 635). The participants completed scales on PA, NA, and psychosocial adjustment, including mental health problems (depressive symptoms, anxiety), personal strengths (self-esteem, gratitude, resilience), and life satisfaction.

RESULTS

Three profiles were identified through latent profile analysis: well-adjusted (high PA, low NA), low affective (low PA, low NA), and moderate affective (moderate PA, moderate NA). Participants in the well-adjusted profile had the fewest mental health problems (depressive symptoms, anxiety) and scored highest on personal strengths (self-esteem, gratitude, resilience) and life satisfaction. Participants in the low affective profile had fewer mental health problems than those in the moderate affective profile.

CONCLUSION

Individual differences and cultural variations should be considered when exploring affective profiles. Future interventions aimed at promoting affective well-being should accommodate dialecticism and individual differences in the target population.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10902-022-00566-7.

Finnish Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions of Perceived Competence in Early Childhood Physical Education

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) teachers have a central role in supporting young children's physical activity (PA) and overall development in the early years. However, the value of early childhood education teacher training (ECETT) programmes is not widely understood. This study aimed to investigate pre-service teachers' perceptions of perceived competence when (1) supporting a child's PA, (2) teaching PE, and (3) observing and assessing a child's motor skills and PA. These self-evaluations were compared with a range of individual, educational, and behavioural characteristics. Final-year Bachelor degree pre-service teachers (n = 274; 54%) from seven universities in Finland participated in the self-report questionnaire. The results of the linear regression models showed that the relevant PE studies and previous experiences of pre-service teachers predicted higher perceived competence of supporting a child's PA, teaching PE, and observing and assessing a child's motor skills and PA. Thus, the study findings demonstrated how teacher training could positively influence perceptions and attitudes to increase a person's perceived competence when implementing PE in the early years. Overall, results reinforce the importance of PE in ECETT, and the time devoted to this syllabus area should be maintained or increased.

Life-course leisure-time physical activity trajectories in relation to health-related behaviors in adulthood: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study

Background

Evidence on whether leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) facilitates individuals’ adoption of multiple healthy behaviors remains scarce. This study investigated the associations of diverse longitudinal LTPA trajectories from childhood to adulthood with diet, screen time, smoking, binge drinking, sleep difficulties, and sleep duration in adulthood.

Methods

Data were drawn from the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Participants were aged 9–18 years (N = 3553; 51% females) in 1980 and 33–49 years at the latest follow-up in 2011. The LTPA trajectories were identified using a latent profile analysis. Differences in self-reported health-related behaviors across the LTPA trajectories were studied separately for women and men by using the Bolck-Croon-Hagenaars approach. Models were adjusted for age, body mass index, education level, marital status, total energy intake and previous corresponding behaviors.

Results

Persistently active, persistently low-active, decreasingly and increasingly active trajectories were identified in both genders and an additional inactive trajectory for women. After adjusting the models with the above-mentioned covariates, the inactive women had an unhealthier diet than the women in the other trajectories (p <  0.01; effect size (ES) > 0.50). The low-active men followed an unhealthier diet than the persistently and increasingly active men (p <  0.01; ES > 0.50). Compared to their inactive and low-active peers, smoking frequency was lower in the increasingly active women and men (p <  0.01; ES > 0.20) and persistently active men (p <  0.05; ES > 0.20). The increasingly active men reported lower screen time than the low-active (p <  0.001; ES > 0.50) and persistently active (p <  0.05; ES > 0.20) men. The increasingly and persistently active women reported fewer sleep difficulties than the inactive (p <  0.001; ES > 0.80) and low-active (p <  0.05; ES > 0.50 and > 0.80, respectively) women. Sleep duration and binge drinking were not associated with the LTPA trajectories in either gender, nor were sleep difficulties in men and screen time in women.

Conclusions

Not only persistently higher LTPA but also an increasing tendency to engage in LTPA after childhood/adolescence were associated with healthier diet and lower smoking frequency in both genders, having less sleep difficulties in women and lower screen time in increasingly active men. Inactivity and low activity were associated with the accumulation of several unhealthy behaviors in adulthood. Associations were stronger in women.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10554-w.