The Psychological Characteristics and Health Related Behavior of Adolescents: The Possible Roles of Social Physique Anxiety and Gender

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 741-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emine Caglar ◽  
Naile Bilgili ◽  
Ayda Karaca ◽  
Sultan Ayaz ◽  
F. Hülya Aşçi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Eating Attitudes ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Eating Attitude ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Social Physique Anxiety ◽  
The Social ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
Health Related ◽  
And Gender

The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not the social physique anxiety level and gender have an influence on psychological characteristics and health related behavior of adolescents. Five hundred and ninety eight female (Mage= 14.95,SD= .70 years) and three hundred and eighty four male (Mage= 15.08,SD= .76 years) adolescents voluntarily participated in this study. The Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS), three subscales of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale as indicators of psychological characteristics were administered to all participants. The Eating Attitude Test and Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire were used to determine health related behavior. It was found that adolescents with high levels of SPA (HSPA) had more unfavourable eating attitudes, higher scores in socially-prescribed perfectionism, negative global physical self-worth and negative body related perceptions than those with low levels of SPA (LSPA). Physical activity levels of adolescents did not differ in the two SPA groups (high/low level). In addition, male adolescents in the present study were more physically active and had favorable eating attitudes and more positive self-perceptions of body fat and general physical self-worth than their female counterparts.

scholarly journals Empathy and COVID-19: Study in Professionals and Students of the Social Health Field in Ecuador

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 338
Author(s):  
Ana J. Cañas-Lerma ◽  
M. Elena Cuartero-Castañer ◽  
Guido Mascialino ◽  
Paula Hidalgo-Andrade
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Social Health ◽  
Reactivity Index ◽  
Personal Distress ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Related ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Health Field ◽  
Great Stress

Empathy plays a fundamental role in health related occupations. In this study, we analysed empathy levels in professionals (117) and students (170) from various healthcare fields in Ecuador during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index was used in an online survey. The results show high levels of empathy in both groups, influenced by age and gender. The students presented higher levels of personal distress, and their age was negatively correlated to empathy. Additionally, professionals working in physical health scored higher levels of personal distress compared to those in the field of emotional health. COVID-19 has placed social health systems in great stress. Despite this, the personal capacities for empathy of both students and health professionals have not been diminished.

Young People’s Motivational Profiles in Physical Activity: A Cluster Analysis

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.K. John Wang ◽  
Stuart J.H. Biddle
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Young People ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Goal Orientations ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Achievement Goal Orientations ◽  
Athletic Ability ◽  
Self Worth ◽  
And Gender

A great deal has been written about the motivation of young people in physical activity, and the determinants of activity for this age group have been identified as a research priority. Despite this, there are few large-scale studies identifying “types” or “clusters” of young people based on their scores on validated motivation inventories. This study reports the results of a cluster analysis of a large national sample (n = 2,510) of 12- to 15-year-olds using contemporary approaches to physical activity motivation: achievement goal orientations, self-determination theory (including amotivation), the nature of athletic ability beliefs, and perceived competence. Five meaningful clusters were identified reflecting two highly motivated and two less well-motivated clusters, as well as a clearly amotivated cluster. Groupings were validated by investigating differences in physical activity participation and perceptions of physical self-worth. Some clusters reflected age and gender differences. The results provide valuable information for likely strategies to promote physical activity in young people.

Health-Related Physical Activity Levels in Spanish Youth and Young Adults

2014 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armando Cocca ◽  
Jarmo Liukkonen ◽  
Daniel Mayorga-Vega ◽  
Jesús Viciana-Ramírez
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
Health Related

scholarly journals Getting Moving Together; a field experiment on workplace physical activity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sanders ◽  
Karen Tindall ◽  
Alex Gyani ◽  
Susannah Hume ◽  
Min-Taec Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Wearable Devices ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Baseline Activity ◽  
The Social

Importance: Wearable devices are widely used in an effort to increase physical activity and consequently to improve health. The evidence for this is patchy, and it does not appear that wearables alone are sufficient to achieve this end.Objective: To determine whether social comparisons in a workplace setting can increase the effectiveness of wearables at promoting physical activity.Design: A four week randomized controlled trial conducted in November 2015 with employees of a large firm. Participants were randomised to one of two treatment conditions (control vs social comparison) at team level, and teams are formed into ‘leagues’ based on their activity levels before the study. Impact is measured through wearable devices issued to all participants throughout the study duration.Setting: Offices of a large Australian employer.Participants: 646 employees of an Australian employer, issued with wearable activity trackers prior to the beginning of the study. Intervention(s) (for clinical trials) or Exposure(s) (for observational studies). Participants used a wearable device to track steps. Participants had been wearing these for at least four weeks at the outset of the trial, establishing a baseline level of activity. Teams (n=646, k=49), were randomly assigned to either control (k=24), or a social comparison (k=25) treatment. All participants took part in a step-count competition between their team and others at their employer, in which their team’s ranking within a mini-league of five teams, as well as their own activity was communicated each week. The control group had access to the usual features of the wearable, while the social comparison group received additional information about the performance of the other teams in their league, including how far behind and ahead their nearest rival teams were.Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Number of steps taken per day on average, measured by the wearable devices issued to all participants. Results: A total of 646 participants were included in the study. Compared to the control, participants in the social comparison group took significantly more steps per day during the trial period (an additional 620 steps, 8.2%, p<0.001). These effects are largest in both relative and absolute terms for people whose prior steps were in the bottom quartile of steps (an additional 948 steps, 40%, p<0.001), while the effect on people with highest levels of activity was a precisely estimated null (an additional 6 steps, 0.01%, p=0.98).Conclusions and Relevance: Social comparison increased the effectiveness of wearables at improving physical activity, particularly for those with the lowest baseline activity.

scholarly journals The association between psychological characteristics and physical activity levels in people with knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Uritani ◽  
Jessica Kasza ◽  
Penny K. Campbell ◽  
Ben Metcalf ◽  
Thorlene Egerton
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Pain Catastrophizing ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Fear Of Movement ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Steps Per Day ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background:The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between psychological characteristics and physical activity levels, measured as the average number of steps per day, in people with knee osteoarthritis (OA).Methods: This study analysed baseline data from a randomized controlled trial (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry reference: ACTRN12612000308897). A total of 167 adults aged over 50 years, with knee pain rated as four or more on an 11-point numeric rating scale, and knee OA diagnosed using American College of Rheumatology clinical criteria, were recruited from the community (62 men and 105 women; mean age, 62.2 ± 7.5 years). The average number of steps per day over seven consecutive days was measured using an accelerometer-based device. Psychological characteristics evaluated were: depressive symptoms (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), self-efficacy (Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale for pain and other symptoms), fear of movement (Brief Fear of Movement Scale for Osteoarthritis), and pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale). The association between the average number of steps per day and psychological characteristics was analyzed using a multiple linear regression analysis, with the average number of steps per day as the dependent variable, adjusting for each psychological characteristic separately, and age, sex, body mass index, and pain entered as covariates.Results: There was evidence that the amount of physical activity was associated with fear of movement (coefficient [B]: -117, 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: -227 to -8) and with pain catastrophizing (B: -44, 95%CI: -86 to -1). The association with self-efficacy was similar (B:117, 95%CI: -12 to 246). However, the direction of the association with depressive symptoms was less clear (B: -59, 95%CI: -138 to 19).Conclusions: The results of this study revealed that the relationship was such that lower fear of movement and lower pain catastrophizing may be associated with more steps per day. It may be hypothesized that fear of moving and pain catastrophizing lead to activity avoidance and that strategies to improve these disease-related psychological aspects may be useful in enhancing physical activity participation, although this hypothesis is highly speculative and needs further testing given the cross-sectional design of this study.

scholarly journals Physical Activity and Exercise: Text Mining Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 9642
Author(s):  
Miquel Pans ◽  
Joaquin Madera ◽  
Luís-Millan González ◽  
Maite Pellicer-Chenoll
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Text Mining ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Large Mass ◽  
Sports Performance ◽  
Social Sphere ◽  
The Social ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Health Field

It is currently difficult to have a global state of the art vision of certain scientific topics. In the field of physical activity (PA) and exercise, this is due to information overload. The present study aims to provide a solution by analysing a large mass of scientific articles using text mining (TM). The purpose was to analyse what is being investigated in the PA health field on young people from primary, secondary and higher education. Titles and abstracts published in the Web of Science (WOS) database were analysed using TM on 24 November 2020, and after removing duplicates, 85,368 remained. The results show 9960 (unique) words and the most frequently used bi-grams and tri-grams. A co-occurrence network was also generated. ‘Health’ was the first term of importance and the most repeated bi-grams and tri-grams were ‘body_mass’ and ‘body_mass_index’. The analyses of the 20 topics identified focused on health-related terms, the social sphere, sports performance and research processes. It also found that the terms health and exercise have become more important in recent years.

Perceived Barriers to Walking in the Neighborhood Environment: A Survey of Middle-Aged and Older Adults

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 318-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Dawson ◽  
Melvyn Hillsdon ◽  
Irene Boller ◽  
Charlie Foster
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Neighborhood Environment ◽  
Perceived Barriers ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Environmental Attributes ◽  
Physical Activity Levels ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Uk

The authors investigated whether low levels of walking among older adults in the UK were associated with demographic and health characteristics, as well as perceived environmental attributes. Survey data were obtained from self-administered standard questionnaires given to 680 people age 50+ (mean age 64.4 yr) attending nationally led walking schemes. Items concerned with demographic characteristics and perceived barriers to neighborhood walking were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Citing more than 1 environmental barrier to walking, versus not, was associated with significantly reduced levels of (leisure) walking (MET/hr) in the preceding week (Z = –2.35, p = .019), but physical activity levels overall did not differ significantly (Z = –0.71, p = .48). Citing a health-related barrier to walking significantly adversely affected overall physical activity levels (Z = –2.72, p = .006). The authors concluded that, among older people who favor walking, health problems might more seriously affect overall physical activity levels than perceived environmental barriers.

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