Physical Activity and Variation in Momentary Behavioral Cognitions: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Background:Decisions to perform moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) involve behavioral cognitive processes that may differ within individuals depending on the situation.Methods:Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was used to examine the relationships of momentary behavioral cognitions (ie, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, intentions) with MVPA (measured by accelerometer). A sample of 116 adults (mean age, 40.3 years; 72.4% female) provided real-time EMA responses via mobile phones across 4 days. Multilevel models were used to test whether momentary behavioral cognitions differed across contexts and were associated with subsequent MVPA. Mixed-effects location scale models were used to examine whether subject-level means and within-subjects variances in behavioral cognitions were associated with average daily MVPA.Results:Momentary behavioral cognitions differed across contexts for self-efficacy (P = .007) but not for outcome expectancy (P = .53) or intentions (P = .16). Momentary self-efficacy, intentions, and their interaction predicted MVPA within the subsequent 2 hours (Ps < .01). Average daily MVPA was positively associated with within-subjects variance in momentary self-efficacy and intentions for physical activity (Ps < .05).Conclusions:Although momentary behavioral cognitions are related to subsequent MVPA, adults with higher average MVPA have more variation in physical activity self-efficacy and intentions. Performing MVPA may depend more on how much behavioral cognitions vary across the day than whether they are generally high or low.

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An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Investigating Self-efficacy and Outcome Expectancy as Mediators of Affective and Physiological Responses and Exercise Among Endometrial Cancer Survivors

Annals of Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/abm/kaz050 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (5) ◽

pp. 320-334

Author(s):

Yue Liao ◽

Jaejoon Song ◽

Michael C Robertson ◽

Emily Cox-Martin ◽

Karen Basen-Engquist

Keyword(s):

Endometrial Cancer ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Physiological Responses ◽

Positive Outcome ◽

Outcome Expectation ◽

Outcome Expectancy ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown affective and physiological states in response to exercise as predictors of daily exercise, yet little is known about the mechanism underlying such effects. Purpose To examine the mediating effects of self-efficacy and outcome expectancy on the relationships between affective and physiological responses to exercise and subsequent exercise levels in endometrial cancer survivors. Methods Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys were delivered up to eight 5- to 7-day periods over 6 months. Participants (n = 100) rated their affective and physiological states before and after each exercise session (predictors) and recorded their self-efficacy and outcome expectancy each morning (mediators). Exercise (outcome) was based on self-reported EMA surveys and accelerometer measures. A 1-1-1 multilevel mediation model was used to disaggregate the within-subject (WS) and between-subject (BS) effects. Results At the WS level, a more positive affective state after exercise was associated with higher self-efficacy and positive outcome expectation the next day, which in turn was associated with higher subsequent exercise levels (ps < .05). At the BS level, participants who typically had more positive affective and experienced less intense physiological sensation after exercise had higher average self-efficacy, which was associated with higher average exercise levels (ps < .05). Conclusions In endometrial cancer survivors, affective experience after exercise, daily self-efficacy and positive outcome expectation help explain the day-to-day differences in exercise levels within-person. Findings from this study highlight potentials for behavioral interventions that target affective experience after exercise and daily behavioral cognitions to promote physical activity in cancer survivors’ everyday lives.

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Age-varying Bi-directional Associations Between Momentary Affect and Movement Behaviors in Children: Evidence From a Multi-wave Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Annals of Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/abm/kaaa124 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chih-Hsiang Yang ◽

Jennifer Zink ◽

Britni R Belcher ◽

Martina Kanning ◽

Genevieve F Dunton

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Sedentary Time ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Time Varying ◽

Affective States ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Abstract Background The bi-directional associations between affective states and movement behaviors (e.g., physical activity, sedentary behavior) have been observed in children. It is unclear if the strength of these bi-directional associations varies with age as children transition from childhood to adolescence. Purpose This multi-wave ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study investigates the acute time-varying associations between affect and movement behaviors among youth. Methods Children (N = 195, baseline mean age = 10.72, range = 8–12 years, mean BMI-z = 0.49, 51% female) participated in a six-wave EMA study across three years. Each EMA survey captured momentary positive and negative affect. Time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time in the 15-min window before and after each EMA survey was calculated using accelerometry data. Time-varying effect models (TVEM) examined the acute bi-directional associations between momentary positive/negative affect and MVPA/sedentary time across ages 8 to 14. Results Children provided 14,246 valid activity-matched EMA surveys across all waves. TVEM plots revealed that the directionality and the strength (time-varying slopes) of associations between momentary affect and activity levels vary across ages. Positive affect was associated with higher MVPA levels and lower sedentary time at younger ages, whereas negative affect linked to lower MVPA levels and more sedentary time at older ages. Conclusions The acute associations between momentary affect and (in)activity levels may vary as a function of children's age. Applying TVEM to intensive longitudinal data could provide valuable information for developing age-tailored interventions that promote healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents.

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Physical and Social Contextual Influences on Children’s Leisure-Time Physical Activity: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Journal of Physical Activity and Health ◽

10.1123/jpah.8.s1.s103 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (s1) ◽

pp. S103-S108 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Genevieve F. Dunton ◽

Yue Liao ◽

Stephen Intille ◽

Jennifer Wolch ◽

Mary Ann Pentz

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Leisure Time ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Social Contexts ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment ◽

At Home

Background:This study used real-time electronic surveys delivered through mobile phones, known as Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), to determine whether level and experience of leisure-time physical activity differ across children’s physical and social contexts.Methods:Children (N = 121; ages 9 to 13 years; 52% male, 32% Hispanic/Latino) participated in 4 days (Fri.–Mon.) of EMA during nonschool time. Electronic surveys (20 total) assessed primary activity (eg, active play/sports/exercise), physical location (eg, home, outdoors), social context (eg, friends, alone), current mood (positive and negative affect), and enjoyment. Responses were time-matched to the number of steps and minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA; measured by accelerometer) in the 30 minutes before each survey.Results:Mean steps and MVPA were greater outdoors than at home or at someone else’s house (all P < .05). Steps were greater with multiple categories of company (eg, friends and family together) than with family members only or alone (all P < .05). Enjoyment was greater outdoors than at home or someone else’s house (all P < .05). Negative affect was greater when alone and with family only than friends only (all P < .05).Conclusion:Results describing the value of outdoor and social settings could inform context-specific interventions in this age group.

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Abstract P278: Impaired Nighttime Sleep Negatively Effects Next-Day Physical Activity: Results From an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.137.suppl_1.p278 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 137 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Christopher C Imes ◽

Christopher E Kline ◽

Dara D Mendez ◽

Ran Sun ◽

Yang Yu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Weight Loss ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Vigorous Physical Activity ◽

Sleep Fragmentation ◽

Self Report ◽

Mixed Effect ◽

Objectively Measured ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Introduction: Intention to engage in physical activity (PA) is an important concept in behavior change theories. However, age, body mass index (BMI), and sleep may influence one’s intention to engage in PA and intention might not predict actual activity. Purpose: This secondary analysis examined predictors of intention to engage in PA and if the factors associated with intention predicted objectively measured moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in adults who were overweight or obese and enrolled in a weight loss study. Methods: We used 6- and 12-mo data from the EMPOWER Study, an observational study examining triggers of lapse following intentional weight loss. Objective measures included up to 7 days of overlapping accelerometer and actigraphy data to assess daily MVPA and sleep. Self-report data included responses to the question “Do you intend to be physically active today?” hereafter called intention, collected at the beginning of each day via ecological momentary assessment. Analyses were performed examining: 1) the effects of subject-level covariates (e.g., age, sex, race, BMI) on intention, 2) the effects of objectively measured sleep characteristics (e.g., total sleep time [TST], number of awakenings, sleep fragmentation) on intention, and 3) the relationships between sleep, intention, and MVPA. Logistic regression using generalized estimating equations and linear mixed-effect models were used. Results: The analyses included 680 person-days at 6 mo and 678 person-days at 12 mo. Participants (N=136) were mostly female (89.8%) and white (81.8%) with a mean (± SD) age of 51.5 ± 9.9 years and BMI of 33.5 ± 4.6. At 6 mo, participants intended to engage in PA on 81.2% of days, had a mean TST of 408.9 ± 81.8 min/night, and a mean of 32.4 ± 14.7 awakenings/night. At 12 mo, PA intention decreased to 80.6% of days, TST increased to 416.5 ± 82.5 min/night, and awakenings increased to 34.0 ± 14.4 per night (p = .089 for TST; p = .043 for awakenings). Mean daily MVPA decreased from 19.0 ± 23.9 min at 6 mo to 17.3 ± 23.4 min at 12 mo (p = .185). Intention increased with increasing age (odds ratio [OR] = 1.04; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.02 -1.07). At 6 mo, sleep fragmentation, after adjusting for age, negatively affected intention (OR = 0.96; 95% CI = 0.94 - 0.98); however, it did not significantly affect intention at 12 mo. When comparing days with no PA intention to days in which participants intended to engage in PA, mean MVPA nearly tripled from 7.4 min (95% CI = 3.6 - 11.2) to 21.2 min (95% CI = 18.4 - 24.0). Furthermore, when controlling for age, time of assessment, and intention, participants engaged in an estimated 0.135 (95% CI = 0.241 - 0.029) fewer min of MVPA for each awakening. Conclusions: Based on these findings, future weight loss programs should include interventions that improve sleep quality by reducing fragmentation and strengthen the link between intention and engagement in PA.

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An ecological momentary assessment study of physical activity behaviors among mothers of toddlers from low-income households

BMC Women s Health ◽

10.1186/s12905-021-01243-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Katherine L. Campbell ◽

Yan Wang ◽

Ann Pulling Kuhn ◽

Maureen M. Black ◽

Erin R. Hager

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Low Income ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Activity Count ◽

Group Relations ◽

Environment Factors ◽

Group Relation ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

Abstract Background Mothers of young children from low-income communities may be vulnerable to barriers associated with low physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between home environment factors and maternal physical activity among mothers of toddlers. Methods Mothers of toddlers (n = 200) recruited from low-income communities simultaneously wore an ankle-placed accelerometer and were given a personal digital assistant for ecological momentary assessment. Mothers received randomly prompted questions about their current environment, activity, and social setting several times a day over eight consecutive days. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression models with random intercepts; within-group and between-group relations between physical activity and environment factors were disaggregated. Results Within-group relations included higher physical activity counts for specific mothers with television off versus on (95% CI = 130.45, 199.17), children absent versus present (95% CI = 82.00, 3.43), engaging with a child versus not (95% CI = 52.66, 127.63), and outside versus inside location (95% CI = 277.74, 392.67). Between-group relations included higher physical activity on average when other adults were absent versus present (95% CI = − 282.63, − 46.95). Recruitment site (urban vs. semi-urban) significantly moderated the within-group relation between being outside versus inside and activity count (β = − 243.12, 95% CI = − 358.74, − 127.47), and showed stronger relations among urban mothers (β = 440.33, 95% CI = 358.41, 522.25), than semi-urban (β = 190.37, 95% CI = 109.64, 271.11). Maternal body weight significantly moderated the within-group relation between being located outside versus inside the home and activity count (β for interaction = − 188.67, 95% CI = − 308.95, − 68.39), with a stronger relation among mothers with normal weight (β = 451.62, 95% CI = 345.51, 557.73), than mothers with overweight/obesity (β = 271.95, 95% CI = 204.26, 339.64). Conclusions This study highlights home environmental factors, including screen time, the presence of others (adults and children), and location (i.e., outside versus inside) that may relate to maternal physical activity behaviors. Understanding factors associated with physical activity could reduce physical activity disparities. Trial registry ClinicalTrials. NCT02615158, April 2006

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

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01485 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Jaclyn P. Maher ◽

Amanda L. Rebar ◽

Genevieve F. Dunton

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Methodological Tool ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment

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Exploring Feelings of Pleasure and Purpose Associated With Older People’s Activities Using Ecological Momentary Analysis: An Observational Study

Journal of Aging and Physical Activity ◽

10.1123/japa.2020-0253 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Karen E. Hancock ◽

Paul Downward ◽

Lauren B. Sherar

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Ecological Momentary Assessment ◽

Physical Activity Guidelines ◽

Outdoor Activities ◽

Highly Active ◽

Actigraph Accelerometer ◽

Confounding Variables ◽

Ecological Momentary ◽

Momentary Assessment ◽

Sedentary Activities

Momentary feelings of pleasure and purpose can be sources of intrinsic motivation, but momentary purpose is rarely studied. Activities, contexts, and feelings of retired/semiretired adults (n = 67, aged 50–78 years) were captured using ecological momentary assessment. Participants provided 2,065 valid responses to six daily smartphone surveys for 7 days. Physical activity was measured by waist-worn ActiGraph accelerometer. Pleasure (measured by affective happiness) and purpose outcomes were regressed on activities, context, and potential confounding variables. Interactions between activities and contexts were explored. Participants were highly active: 98.5% met physical activity guidelines. Sedentary activities were negatively associated with sense of purpose, especially when indoors. However, social sedentary activities were positively associated with feelings of happiness. Active, social outdoor activities were positively associated with both outcomes. Less sedentary participants experienced greater happiness and purpose during all their activities. Context matters: active, social, and outdoor activities seem to be more appealing to older adults.

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