Search results for "physical activity"
showing 10 items of 1472 documents
Effects of a Complex Physical Activity Program on Children’s Arithmetic Problem Solving and Arithmetic Reasoning Abilities
2023
Research has shown that higher levels of physical activity are associated with better cognitive performance in children. However, the benefits of physical activity on academic achievement and specifically on mathematics performance need to be further explored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a complex physical activity (CPA) intervention program, including cognitive involvement, on children’s mathematics performance. The participants were 128 children (aged 12–13 years) attending third grade in three middle schools. They were randomly allocated into a CPA intervention (n = 64) or a waitlist control group (n = 64), the latter of which was given a regular…
Measured and Perceived Physical Fitness, Intention, and Self-Reported Physical Activity in Adolescence
2011
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations among measured physical fitness, perceived fitness, intention towards future physical activity and self-reported physical activity through junior high school years. Methods: Study participants included 122 Finnish students who were 13 years old during Grade 7. The sample was comprised of 80 girls and 42 boys from 3 junior high schools (Grades 7-9). During the autumn semester of Grade 7, students completed fitness tests and a questionnaire analyzing self-perception of their physical fitness. The questionnaire delivered at Grade 8 included intention towards future physical activity. At Grade 9 students’ self-reported physica…
Agility activities for children in a municipality in Norway.
2015
The aim of this study was to investigate whether agility activity with dogs can be used to motivate less active children in physical activity and how such activity is experienced by parents and handlers. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with handlers and parents of the participating children. Agility with dogs appeared to motivate less active children to participate in, and endure, demanding physical activity. Joy and bonding with the dog appeared to be key elements in the motivational process. Motivation, initiation, and sustainment of activity over time are beneficial for children.
Physical Activity Tracker Application in Promoting Physical Activity Behavior among Older Adults : A 24-month Follow-Up Study
2022
Objectives To investigate whether and how PA tracker application use supports PA behavior among older adults during the first 24 months of use. Methods: The changes in PA levels (i.e., time spent in different PA intensities) and between PA categories (i.e., low, moderate, or high based on total PA) were examined between three different time points: before taking the application into use (t0), after 12 months of use (t1), and after 24 months of use (t2). The data was collected by using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire modified for the elderly (IPAQ-E). Results: A statistically significant increase was observed in walking (χ2 (2) = 29.741, p < .001), moderate PA (χ2 (2) =…
“It’s More Than Just Exercise”: Tailored Exercise at a Community-Based Activity Center as a Liminal Space along the Road to Mental Health Recovery an…
2021
Mental health care policies call for health-promoting and recovery-oriented interventions, as well as community-based programs supporting healthier habits. The purpose of this study was to explore how individuals facing mental health challenges experienced participating in tailored exercise at a community-based activity center, and what role tailored exercise could play in supporting an individual’s process of recovery. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with nine adults experiencing poor mental health who engaged in exercise at the activity center. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using systematic text condensation. Participants spoke about the…
Sport motivation among young adolescents in Finland, Norway and Sweden
2007
Within a health promotion perspective, nationwide surveys on health behaviour and lifestyle in 11- to 15-year-old schoolchildren were carried out in Finland, Norway and Sweden in 1985–1986. The surveys were part of an international World Health Organization study on health behaviour in school-age children. The findings suggest that social, fun and health motives are perceived as the main motivations for sport participation. Competition and achievements were not rated as important reasons for liking sport, with older pupils seeming to attach more importance to sport being fun. Winning and achieving better skills in sport seem to decrease in importance as pupils grow older. The present findin…
Goalkeeper: A Zero-Sum Exergame for Motivating Physical Activity
2021
Incentives and peer competition have so far been employed independently for increasing physical activity. In this paper, we introduce Goalkeeper, a mobile application that utilizes deposit contracts for motivating physical activity in group settings. Goalkeeper enables one to set up a physical exercise challenge with a group of peers that deposit a fixed amount of money for participating. If a peer fails to complete the challenge, Goalkeeper redistributes their deposit to those who managed to complete it (i.e., zero-sum game). We evaluated the potential of Goalkeeper in increasing physical activity with a total of 50 participants over the course of 2 months. Our findings suggest that deposi…
Seasonal and daily variation in physical activity among three-year-old Finnish preschool children
2013
The purposes of this study were to assess seasonal, daily, and gender variations in children’s physical activity (PA). ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers were used to record the three-year-old children’s PA levels for five consecutive days in autumn and winter. Complete data for both seasons were obtained for 47 children. Despite a significant difference in seasonal temperatures (p < .001), differences were only found for weekdays light PA (p = .021). No difference in PA was observed between weekdays and weekend days. Only 20% of the sample had ≥120 minutes light-to-vigorous PA (LMVPA), and 46% of children had ≥60 minutes moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Boys spent more minutes in LMVPA (p = .001…
Redefining habits and linking habits with other implicit processes
2020
Abstract In their commentaries on Hagger (2019), Gardner, Rebar, and Lally (2019) and Phillips (2019) provide welcome debate on the conceptualization and operation of habits in physical activity. In this response, I extend their comments by (i) calling for a redefining of habits to encompass contemporary views of habit, and (ii) suggesting that descriptions of physical activity habits should make reference to their relations with other implicit constructs that reflect automatic processes. Specifically, I contend that extant definitions of habits for complex behaviors like physical activity should move away from definitions of unitary responses to specific cues or contexts, and focus on ‘mac…
What is fitness training? Definitions and implications: A systematic review article
2015
Background: This review based upon studies searched from the major scientific libraries has the objective of clarifying what is fitness training in modern days, the implications that it has on health in both youth and elderly and finally discuss fitness training practical implications. Methods: The PRISMA statement was partially adopted and a number of 92 items were selected, according to the inclusion criteria. Results were discussed in 4 main sections: 1. Children and adolescents fitness levels; 2. Fitness training in the elderly; 3. Pathology prevention through fitness training; 4. Training through Fitness activities. Results: This review pointed out the fact that nowadays there is a lar…