scholarly journals Association of Physical Activity with Psychological and Biological Markers of Mental Health in an Internet-based Health Promotion Program: A Pilot Study

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 107-113
Author(s):  
Hideki Kamikawa ◽  
Yasuki Higaki ◽  
Miwa Tayama ◽  
Guangying Li ◽  
Naoto Taguchi ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Evelia Franco ◽  
Jesús Urosa ◽  
Rubén Barakat ◽  
Ignacio Refoyo

Physical activity and a healthy diet are key factors for avoiding major noncommunicable diseases. The aim of the present study was to analyze how physical activity (PA) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet among employees participating in the Healthy Cities program have been affected during confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample was composed of 297 employees from 40 leading companies based in Spain, who participated in the 5th edition of the Sanitas “Healthy Cities” challenge. The participants (148 women and 149 men), aged between 24 and 63 years old (M = 42.76; SD = 7.79) completed the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) questionnaire to measure adherence to the Mediterranean diet before and during the pandemic. Pearson χ2 tests revealed that workers were more likely to show sedentary behaviors during the pandemic than before (83.5% vs. 66.7%). Additionally, they were more likely to reach high levels of PA (51.2% vs. 64%), and Wilcoxon tests revealed that energy expenditure measured in Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) was higher during the pandemic (4199.03 METs) than before (3735.32 METs), due to an increase in moderate PA. Lastly, a higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet during the pandemic (76.4%) than before (54.5%) was reported. The findings of this investigation suggest a positive effect of working from home for employees involved in a health-promotion program, and highlight the relevance of this kind of action among this population.


SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 215824401988512
Author(s):  
Andrea Lynn Murphy ◽  
David Martin Gardner

The objective of this study was to assess men’s acceptability of a men’s mental health promotion program in community pharmacies through pilot testing the theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) as part of the process evaluation. Five men were interviewed about their experiences with the Headstrong program to learn about the acceptability of the program. The TFA was used as the deductive coding scheme and consists of seven constructs including affective attitude, burden, intervention coherence, ethicality, opportunity costs, perceived effectiveness, and self-efficacy. Three constructs, affective attitude, perceived effectiveness, and intervention coherence, from the TFA were coded in all five transcripts. The most frequently coded constructs were affective attitude and perceived effectiveness, coded 19 and 17 times, respectively. Interviewees all reported good relationships with their pharmacists, which influenced their willingness, attitude, and low burden for participation in Headstrong. Each of the men expressed comments reflecting anticipated effectiveness of the program outside of their own experience and how it could impact other men. Use of the TFA as part of a process evaluation of men’s experiences in a men’s mental health program was useful in identifying men’s perceptions of the program’s acceptability. Further research regarding how the quality of existing relationships with clinicians and patients impacts the TFA constructs of affective attitudes, perceived effectiveness, and burden would be useful.


2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Mehrotra ◽  
Jereesh K. Elias ◽  
Diptarup Chowdhury ◽  
Aarzoo Gupta

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1727-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayumi G. Mio ◽  
Yuki Matsumuto

A program based on cognitive behavioral therapy was developed for Japanese junior high school students aged 12–15 years. It consists of a single 50-minute session that targets a reduction in irrational beliefs, which is related to the improvement of psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression. The students were assigned to an intervention group (n = 238) and a control group (n = 277); the latter received an assertiveness training program. Students completed questionnaires including scales addressing irrational beliefs and self-esteem at pre- and post-program. The results revealed that, despite its short length, the OKS program significantly reduced irrational beliefs in the intervention group, in comparison to the control group. Moreover, both programs increased self-esteem. These findings imply the feasibility of a single-session universal mental health promotion program in Japanese schools.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document