John B. Bartholomew

College Students' Motivation for Physical Activity: Differentiating Men's and Women's Motives for Sport Participation and Exercise

Despite the many clear benefits of an active lifestyle, lack of physical activity is a significant health problem in the college population. A key issue in physical activity research is developing an understanding of motivation. Although physical activity takes many forms, most research designed to enhance motivation for and adherence to physical activity focuses on exercise behavior and ignores sport participation. In this study, the authors compare motivations for sport participation versus exercise among college students. Results indicate that participants were more likely to report intrinsic motives, such as enjoyment and challenge, for engaging in sport, whereas motivations for exercise were more extrinsic and focused on appearance and weight and stress management. The findings suggest that motives for sport participation are more desirable than those for exercise and may facilitate improved adherence to physical activity recommendations.

Physically Active Academic Lessons and Time on Task: The Moderating Effect of Body Mass Index

UNLABELLED Physically active classroom lessons have been found to increase on-task behavior in children. Given that physical activity has been associated with an increased time on task (TOT) and that overweight children take fewer steps than normal weight children do, it was expected that benefits of the physical activity would differentially impact those children of higher weight status. PURPOSE To examine the effects of a physically active classroom lesson and body mass index (BMI) category on TOT in a sample of elementary-aged children (N = 97). METHODS Behavior was assessed through direct observations before and after a physically active classroom lesson and before and after a traditional inactive classroom lesson. TOT was calculated through momentary time sampling for each student by dividing the number of on-task observations by the total number of observations per student (interrater reliability = 94%). RESULTS TOT decreased significantly from before to after the lesson for all BMI categories in the inactive control condition, with no change for the active condition. Post hoc analyses found a significant linear effect for the reduction in TOT with each level of BMI in the inactive condition, with the greatest magnitude of effect for the overweight group. CONCLUSIONS Physically active classroom lessons provide a buffer to prevent the steep reduction in TOT experienced after a period of inactivity in all children, especially those who are overweight.

The benefits of exercise training for quality of life in HIV/AIDS in the post-HAART era.

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has served to significantly reduce the mortality of HIV-infected persons. However, this treatment is associated with a host of adverse effects: fatigue, nausea, pain, anxiety and depression. Rather than utilise traditional pharmacological treatments for these effects, many HIV/AIDS patients are utilising adjunct therapies to maintain their quality of life while they undergo treatment. Exercise has consistently been listed as one of the most popular self-care therapies and a small number of studies have been conducted to examine the impact of exercise on the most common self-reported symptoms of HIV and AIDS and the adverse effects of treatment. Although the results are generally positive, there are clear limitations to this work. The existing studies have utilised small samples and experienced high rates of attrition. In addition, the majority of the studies were conducted prior to the widespread use of HAART, which limits the ability to generalise these data. As a result, data from other chronic disease and healthy samples are used to suggest that exercise has the potential to be a beneficial treatment across the range of symptoms and adverse effects experienced by HIV-infected individuals. However, additional research is required with this population to demonstrate these effects.

Physically active academic lessons in elementary children

BACKGROUND Although schools are an ideal location to conduct interventions that target children, the emphasis on standardized testing makes it difficult to implement interventions that do not directly support academic instruction. In response, physically active academic lessons have been developed as a strategy to increase physical activity while also addressing core educational goals. Texas I-CAN! is one incarnation of this approach. METHODS We will review the on-going research on the impact of these active lessons on: teacher implementation, child step count, child attention control, and academic performance. RESULTS The collected studies support the impact of physically active academic lessons on each area of interest. CONCLUSIONS If these data can be replicated, it suggests that teachers might find these lessons of benefit to their primary role as educators, which should ease dissemination of these and other physically active lessons in elementary schools.

Effects of acute resistance training of different intensities and rest periods on anxiety and affect.

Bibeau, WS, Moore, JB, Mitchell, NG, Vargas-Tonsing, T, and Bartholomew, JB. Effects of acute resistance training of different intensities and rest periods on anxiety and affect. J Strength Cond Res 24(8): 2184-2191, 2010-The affective benefits associated with aerobic exercise are well documented. However, literature concerning resistance exercise has suggested a more variable response (i.e., a short duration increase in state anxiety, which eventually is reduced below baseline) and thus may play an important role in the adoption and maintenance of a resistance training program. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of different intensities and rest period during resistance exercise on anxiety, positive affect, and negative affect while holding volume constant and controlling for self-efficacy. Using an experimental design, individuals enrolled in a weight training class (n = 104) were randomly assigned 1 of 5 exercise conditions (control, low-long, low-short, high-long, and high-short), varying intensities, and rest time. Anxiety and positive and negative affect measurements were collected immediately following the exercise workouts. Data from separate analyses of covariance revealed a significant main effect for condition on positive affect (p = 0.026), in which the low-long group reported significantly higher positive affect than the control group, at 5-minute postexercise. Similar analysis indicated a significant main effect for time on anxiety (p = 0.003), with the highest anxiety detected at 5-minute postexercise, and significant reductions in anxiety at both 20-minute and 40-minute postexercise. In conclusion, these results suggest that the variation of intensity and rest time had a modest short-term effect on psychological states, following an acute bout of resistance exercise. Personal trainers and health professionals may want to emphasize light-intensity resistance programs for novice clients to maximize psychological benefits, which in turn, may positively affect compliance and adherence.

Affective responses to an aerobic dance class: the impact of perceived performance.

Abstract The current study tests the mastery hypothesis as an explanation for the affective benefits of acute exercise. Participants were 204 undergraduate women who were participating in self-selected aerobic dance classes. Following the class, participants were asked to rate their exercise performance on a 5-point, Likert-type scale. Affect questionnaires were completed prior to and at 5 and 20 min following the aerobic dance class. Results indicated an overall improvement in affect following exercise. Negative valenced subscales were unaffected by performance ratings. Both groups showed similar reductions in these states. There was, however, a significant Group × Time interaction for the positive valenced subscales. High-performance participants reported greater increase in these variables throughout recovery than did low-performance participants. These data support the mastery hypothesis as an explanation for the exercise-induced change in positive affective states.

Post-Exercise Affect: The Effect of Mode Preference

It has been suggested that the performance of preferred modes of exercise will serve to maximize the affective response to exercise. Support has come from work that has shown the effect of exercise on affect to be mediated by enjoyment. However, there is a need to compare modes of exercise that differ in preference and enjoyment, yet are similar in intensity, duration and muscle group. This experiment was designed to achieve this aim. Thirty-four college-aged women completed 20 minutes of exercise on high and low preference modes of continuous exercise. Intensity was maintained at 65–75% of HRR. Affect was measured by the PANAS, collected prior to and at 5, 20, and 40 min post exercise. Results provided partial support for the hypothesis as mode preference moderated the improvement in positive affect, with no effect on the reduction in negative affect. Interestingly, regardless of mode preference, enjoyment ratings were found to mediate the change in both positive and negative affect.

State Anxiety Following Resistance Exercise: The Role of Gender and Exercise Intensity

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of resistance exercise on state anxiety. In experiment 1, participants engaged in three 20-min bouts of resistance exercise, with intensity set as a function of perceived exertion. Results indicated that the relationship between resistance exercise and anxiety was moderated by both exercise intensityand gender. Although females reported no change in anxiety, males reported an increase in anxietyfollowing moderateand high-intensity exercise, and a decrease in anxiety following low intensity exercise. Experiment 2 was designed to replicate these findings utilizing a more precise manipulation of exercise intensity. Results indicated that the change in anxiety was again moderated by exercise intensity but was unaffected by gender. Both males and females reported increases in anxiety following 20 min of high-intensity exercise (75-85% of 1 RM), as well as significant decreases in anxiety following low-intensity exercise (40-50% of 1 RM).

DXA estimates of fat in abdominal, trunk and hip regions varies by ethnicity in men

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether the quantity of fat is different across the central (that is, android, trunk) and peripheral (that is, arm, leg and gynoid) regions among young African-American (AA), Asian (AS), Hispanic (HI) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) men. Subjects and Methods: A cohort of 852 men (18–30 years; mean total body fat percent (TBF%)=18.8±7.9, range=3.7–45.4) were assessed for body composition in five body regions via dual-emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Results: HI men (21.8±8.3) had higher TBF% than AA (17.0±10.0), NHW (17.9±7.2) and AS (18.9±8.0) groups (P-values <0.0001). AS had a lower BMI (23.9±3.4) than all other groups, and NHW (24.7±3.2) had a lower BMI than HI (25.7±3.9) and AA (26.5±4.7; P-values<0.0001). A linear mixed model (LMM) revealed a significant ethnicity by region fat% interaction (P<0.0001). HI men had a greater fat% than NHW for every region (adjusted means (%); android: 29.6 vs 23.3; arm: 13.3 vs 10.6; gynoid: 27.2 vs 23.8; leg: 21.2 vs 18.3; trunk: 25.5 vs 20.6) and a greater fat% than AA for every region except the arm. In addition, in the android and trunk regions, HI had a greater fat% than AS, and AS had a higher fat% than AA. Finally, the android fat% for AS was higher than that of NHW. When comparing the region fat% within ethnicities, the android region was greater than the gynoid region for AS and HI, but did not differ for AA and NHW, and the arm region had the least fat% in all ethnicities. Conclusions: Fat deposition and body fat patterning varies by ethnicity.

Effects of a 12-Week Resistance Exercise Program on Physical Self-Perceptions in College Students

Abstract There is an increase in literature suggesting exercise can promote positive changes in physical self-perceptions that can manifest as an increase in global self-esteem. In the present study, we assessed self-esteem using the hierarchical framework of the Exercise and Self-Esteem Model (EXSEM) along with cognitive facets at the subdomain level (e.g., competence, certainty, importance, and ideal self-discrepancy). This allowed for an analysis of cognitive facets as possible contributors to changes in physical self-perceptions. We addressed these aims with a sample of 120 college-age adults who completed a 12-week resistance exercise program. Results indicated significant improvements in self-perception constructs at all levels of the EXSEM. The hierarchical structure of the EXSEM was partially supported, as we observed successively smaller improvements at each level of the model (e.g., self-esteem showed lesser improvements than physical self-worth). In addition, a path model developed to explain the impact of strength changes on self-esteem proved a good fit for the data. Results are discussed in terms of contemporary models of self-perception, potential mediators of exercise on self-esteem, and the need to consider cognitive facets of self-perception.