Optimising physical activity engagement during youth sport: a self-determination theory approach

Predicting Accelerometer-Assessed Estimates of Adolescents' Multidimensional Physical Activity: A Self-Determination Theory Approach

Based on the tenets in self-determination theory, a dual-process model of motivational processes was tested to predict accelerometer-assessed estimates of adolescents' light physical activity (LPA), moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and sedentary time. Here, we hypothesized that (a) perceptions of psychological need support for exercise would be positively associated with LPA and MVPA and negatively associated with sedentary time via exercise-related psychological need satisfaction and autonomous exercise motivation and (b) perceptions of psychological need thwarting for exercise would be negatively associated with LPA and MVPA and positively associated with sedentary time via exercise-related psychological need frustration and controlled exercise motivation. Adolescents (N = 338; 234 female) age 11-15 years (M = 12.75, SD = .90) wore an ActiGraph accelerometer for 8 days and completed questionnaires pertaining to the self-determination-theory variables. Results showed psychological need support to indirectly and positively predict LPA and MVPA via psychological need satisfaction and autonomous exercise motivation. Although directly predictive of need frustration and indirectly predictive of controlled motivation and amotivation, the hypothesized effects from psychological need thwarting to the behavioral outcomes were nonsignificant. The current findings highlight the important role that need-supportive environments play in facilitating autonomous exercise motivation and behavior by being conducive to exercise-related psychological need satisfaction.

Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of a Chinese Version of the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ) with University Sport Athletes

Our aim in this study was to translate and psychometrically evaluate a Chinese version of the Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire (BRSQ). Participants were Chinese collegiate athletes (N = 361) who were competitive in their respective sports. We examined the construct validity of the Chinese BRSQ using alternative structural equation models and evaluated convergent validity, factor score reliability, and measurement invariance of the optimal model. Due to insufficient score reliability for some subscales, our initial Chinese BRSQ was deemed problematic. A modified version of the questionnaire with a four-factor structure (amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, and autonomous motivation) demonstrated excellent construct validity, convergent validity, and score reliability. There was measurement invariance across athlete level and sex. This tool provides a valuable resource for practitioners and sport psychology researchers for assessing sport motivation among competitive university athletes in China.

Autonomous motivation, social support, and physical activity in school children: moderating effects of school-based rope skipping sports participation

Purpose

Recent studies have shown that physical activity (PA) levels are low among children and adolescents globally. In order to reverse this trend, PA interventions are increasingly favoured. The school setting is the ideal place to address the issues that many children face. The purpose of this study was to (a) The primary focus of this study is to delve into the mediating role played by school-based rope skipping sports participation (SRSP) in the connection between social support and moderate to high-intensity physical activity (MVPA) among school children. (b) Additionally, this research aims to examine the moderating effect of within this pathway.

Methods

We conducted a survey involving 721 adolescents residing in Changsha City. The participants' ages ranged from 8 to 12 years, with an average age of 9.84 ± 1.535 years. Out of these participants, 406 were boys, and 315 were girls. To assess variables such as social support and autonomous motivation, we employed standardized measurement scales. Subsequently, we analyzed the collected data using various statistical methods, including independent s-amples t-tests, bivariate correlation analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), and the Johnson-Neyman method.

Results

An independent samples t-test revealed a statistically significant difference in MVPA between genders (p = 0.003 < 0.05), with boys exhibiting a higher level of engagement in MVPA compared to girls, Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations among several key variables. Specifically, social support demonstrated a noteworthy positive correlation with autonomous motivation (r = 0.331, p < 0.01) as well as school children's engagement in MVPA (r = 0.308, p < 0.01). Moreover, autonomous motivation displayed a significant positive correlation with school children's involvement in MVPA (r = 0.459, p < 0.01). The moderating analysis revealed a significant influence of the interaction between increased participation in and social support on school children's engagement in MVPA.

Conclusion

Social support and autonomy support have been proven effective in enhancing school children's engagement in MVPA. They exert their influence indirectly by fostering autonomous motivation. Notably, robust social support can significantly benefit MVPA school children with high activity requirements, particularly those regularly engaged in MVPA during the school day.

Changing trajectory of daily physical activity levels among at-risk adolescents: influences of motivational mechanisms

BACKGROUND

Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the purpose of this study was to determine changes in the 16-week moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) trajectory of underserved adolescents who participated in the Connect through PLAY afterschool program intervention and the effects of changes in participating adolescents' intrinsic and autonomous extrinsic motivations on their MVPA trajectory over the 16-week intervention.

METHODS

A subsample of 113 adolescents (56.64% female; 61.06% African American; average age = 11.29) provided complete data throughout the 16-week intervention were examined. Adolescents' objective daily MVPA was measured using 7- day accelerometer data. Changes in adolescents' intrinsic motivation and autonomous extrinsic motivation were assessed using subscales from the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory [1] and the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire [2] respectively. A hierarchical linear model was built and tested to address the research aims.

RESULTS

The results of hierarchical linear models showed that, on average, youth daily MVPA increased 6.36 minutes in each 8-week period. Intrinsic motivation change, but not autonomous extrinsic motivation, was a positive and significant level-2 predictor of daily MVPA changes.

CONCLUSION

The findings provide significant evidence suggesting a benefit of integrating SDT-based approaches and further suggest that nurturing intrinsic motivation can be an effective approach to supporting youth daily MVPA in under-resourced afterschool programs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Connect Through PLAY: A Staff-based Physical Activity Intervention for Middle School Youth (Connect). https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03732144 . Registered November 6th, 2018.

Improving reflective evaluations of sport through repeated experiences of fun-rationale, design, feasibility, and acceptability of the PlayFit Youth Sport Program

INTRODUCTION

Adolescents who drop out of sport often report that it had become less 'fun' and 'enjoyable' over time. Although preadolescent sport typically emphasizes experiences of fun, emphases on competition and elite performance often dominate during adolescence. We theorized that adherence to adolescent sport might be improved if the overarching goal were to maximize repeated experiences of fun during sport and, subsequently, increase reflective evaluations of sport enjoyment. To that end, this manuscript reports on the rationale and design of the PlayFit Youth Sport Program (PYSP), as well as its preliminary feasibility and acceptability. The main objectives were to evaluate the feasibility of recruitment strategies and data collection procedures and the acceptability of the intervention.

SETTING

An outdoor, multipurpose grass field at a south-central Pennsylvania middle school.

METHODS

A mixed-methods, single-arm feasibility trial lasting for 8 weeks (August-October 2021) offered 3-times per week for 1-h per session. The equipment, ruleset, and psychosocial environment of the PYSP sport games were modified to reduce several of the constraints theorized to impair experiences of fun during sport and hamper reflective evaluations of enjoyment afterward.

RESULTS

Eleven healthy, but sedentary adolescents in grades 5-7 completed the program. The median number of sessions attended (of 16 possible) was 12 (range = 6-13). Post-intervention, 9/10 respondents indicated that they 'looked forward' to the PYSP, 8/10 would recommend it to a friend, and 8/10 were interested in continuing the program. Ten of 11 participant guardians expressed interest in reenrolling their children if the PYSP were offered again. Some changes recommended were to improve recruitment via advertising the positive aspects of the program and "word of mouth" techniques, offering the program immediately following the school day, having contingencies for inclement weather, and minor changes to the sport equipment to improve the experience among the population the PYSP intends to attract.

CONCLUSIONS

The adjustments recommended in this preliminary work could be used to further refine the PYSP. A future efficacy trial could explore whether the PYSP may reduce attrition for adolescents who experience existing sport programs negatively by offering an alternative that better matches their unique needs and preferences.

Can we speak of a negative psychological tetrad in sports? A probabilistic Bayesian study on competitive sailing

Introduction

Researchers display an interest in studying aspects like the mental health of high-performance athletes; the dark side of sport, or the earliest attempts to study the so-called dark triad of personality in both initiation and high-performance athletes. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to determine the possible existence and magnitude of negative psychological aspects within a population of competition sailors and from a probabilistic point of view, using Bayesian Network analysis.

Methods

The study was carried out on 235 semi-professional sailors of the 49er Class, aged between 16 and 52 years (M = 24.66; SD = 8.03).

Results

The results show the existence of a Negative Tetrad—formed by achievement burnout, anxiety due to concentration disruption, amotivation and importance given to error—as a probabilistic product of the psychological variables studied: motivation, anxiety, burnout and fear of error.

Conclusion

These results, supported by Bayesian networks, show holistically the influence of the social context on the psychological and emotional well-being of the athlete during competition at sea.

A Teaching Games for Understanding Program to Deal With Reasons for Dropout in Under-11 Football

Young players report that they dropout of organized football due to excessive emphasis on technical execution, low success, and the lack of autonomy and motivation experienced by players during training sessions. Purpose: To determine whether a TGfU intervention during a youth football program led players to improve in variables related to dropout. That means tactical-technical competence (decision-making, skill execution), success (successful game performance), autonomy (number of decisions made, player autonomy, number of game involvements, player participation), and motivation (enjoyment, intention to be physically active). Method: Twenty under-11-players and two coaches were recruited from 17 clubs. A pretest-posttest design with a multi-method approach was used. Coaches were trained and mentored in TGfU. Data were collected using Game Performance Assessment Instrument, enjoyment and intention to be physically active scales, and two focus groups with the players and the coaches. Results: Players improved in decision-making, skill execution, successful game performance, number of decisions made, number of game involvements, and intention to be physically active (p < .05). Participants attributed the results to the TGfU pedagogical features emphasized during the coaches' training and mentoring. Conclusion: Considering the reasons for dropout in football, in terms of excessive emphasis on technical execution, low success, and the lack of autonomy and motivation experienced by players, TGfU could be a useful pedagogical approach for teaching-learning organized youth football. The TGfU pedagogical features emphasized during coaches' training and mentoring could be crucial to obtain these results due to the fact that they were the sub-themes highlighted during the focus groups.

Autonomous motivation explains interprofessional education outcomes

OBJECTIVES

In response to the observations that interprofessional education (IPE) is seemingly atheoretical or under-theorised, this quantitative research seeks to uncover students' motivational mechanisms which could explain their behavioural and collaborative outcomes using self-determination theory (SDT). While SDT has been studied in various contexts, its applicability to IPE remains underexplored. This study aims to integrate a new perspective in understanding students' motivation in IPE by exploring how the fulfilment of a need for sense of autonomy, competence and relatedness is linked to desirable IPE outcomes.

METHODS

Utilising quantitative methods, we involved 255 health care students in Hong Kong from the medical, nursing and pharmacy disciplines enrolled in IPE anticoagulation therapy module. They were invited to respond to the Psychological Need Satisfaction Questionnaire and other measures as part of the post-test.

RESULTS

Sense of autonomy emerged as the strongest positive predictor of behavioural (collective dedication, behavioural engagement) and collaboration outcomes (team effectiveness, goal achievement). There were no significant program-level differences across these outcomes except for behavioural engagement for which nursing students had a higher perception than medicine students.

CONCLUSIONS

We were able to demonstrate that SDT is a meaningful framework in understanding behavioural and collaboration outcomes in IPE. The major theoretical contribution of this study refers to the ability of students' motivation to explain variance in their behavioural outcomes. That is, sense of autonomy consistently predicted team effectiveness, collective dedication, behavioural engagement and goal achievement. Autonomous motivation among a sample of health care students can explain behavioural outcomes. Theoretical, methodological and practical implications are discussed.

Health Promoting Sports Club in Practice: A Controlled Evaluation of the GAA Healthy Club Project

Sport is a developing setting and a relevant system in health promotion but there are few examples of settings-based initiatives and systems thinking in sport. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Healthy Club Project (HCP) adopts a settings approach delivered through and by grassroots clubs who respond to local needs while working within a national support system. The aim of this evaluation was to assess and describe the health promotion impact and experience of the HCP. Healthy Clubs (n = 23) and Control Clubs (n = 10) completed a Healthy Club Questionnaire at the start and end of the 20-month HCP and Healthy Clubs took part in focus group discussions. Healthy Clubs, using the structures of the HCP, a commitment to health and community engagement, demonstrated a significant improvement in their overall orientation to health promotion, which was not apparent in Control Clubs. The health promotion message is pervading into many aspects of the GAA club apart from that which relates to the day to day business of coaching and providing physical activity for all. The HCP represents health promotion activity embedded within and across systems, with further development and evaluation recommended to measure delivery and impact at the individual level, organisational, and wider societal levels.

Incorporating Internal and External Training Load Measurements in Clinical Decision Making After ACL Reconstruction: A Clinical Commentary

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Poor outcomes after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLr), including the relatively high risk of suffering a subsequent ACL injury, suggest the need to optimize rehabilitation and return-to-sport testing. The purpose of this commentary is to introduce clinicians to the concept of monitoring training load during rehabilitation, to review methods of quantifying internal and external loads, and to suggest ways that these technologies can be incorporated into rehabilitation progressions and return-to-sport decisions after anterior ACLr.

DESCRIPTION OF TOPIC WITH RELATED EVIDENCE

Quantifying and identifying the effects of training load variables, external (distance, impacts, decelerations) and internal (heart rate, heart rate variability) workload, during rehabilitation can indicate both positive (improved physical, physiological, or psychological capacity) or negative (heightened risk for injury or illness) adaptations and allow for the ideal progression of exercise prescription. When used during return-to-sport testing, wearable technology can provide robust measures of movement quality, readiness, and asymmetry not identified during performance-based testing.

DISCUSSION / RELATION TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Researchers have reported the actual in-game demands of men and women of various ages and competition levels during multi-directional sport. Wearable technology can provide similar variables during rehabilitation, home exercise programs, and during on-field transition back to sport to ensure patients have met the expected fitness capacity of their sport. Additionally, clinicians can use internal load measures to objectively monitor patient's physiological responses to rehabilitation progressions and recovery rather than relying on subjective patient-reported data.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

5.

'They deserve a treat': the nature and antecedents of parental licensing surrounding children's physical activity

OBJECTIVE

Little is known about parents' compensatory health beliefs (CHB) surrounding their children's engagement in physical activity (PA). Our aim was to provide evidence regarding the nature of, and factors underpinning, parents' PA-related compensatory beliefs for their children.

DESIGN

A qualitative descriptive approach and thematic content analysis were employed.

SETTING

Parents were recruited from community sport and PA programmes.

PARTICIPANTS

Eighteen parents aged 32-52 years (mean age = 40·8 (sd 5·4) years; six males; twelve females).

RESULTS

Analyses indicated that parents compensate through 'passive' or 'active' means. Among parents who compensated, most described their provision of 'treat' foods/drinks and a minority described allowing extended sedentary time to their children. Parents' reasons underpinning these beliefs related to their child's general physical/health status and psychological characteristics, and their own motivation and mood state.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide the first evidence of unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviour CHB that parents may hold regarding their children's involvement in PA.

Basic Psychological Needs, Burnout and Engagement in Sport: The Mediating Role of Motivation Regulation

The purpose of the present research was to analyze the mediating role of motivational regulation between the satisfaction of basic psychological needs and burnout and engagement in athletes. From different sports 1011 young Spanish athletes participated in the study. Participants completed several measurement instruments concerning: the Basic Needs Satisfaction in Sport Scale, Behavioral Regulation in Sport Questionnaire, Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and Athlete Engagement Questionnaire. The results of structural equation modeling showed that the satisfaction of basic psychological needs has direct effects on burnout and engagement: a negative effect on athlete burnout (–0.49, p < 0.001) and a positive effect on engagement (0.54, p < 0.001). In addition, the satisfaction of basic psychological needs has a partial indirect effect over these variables in the same direction mediated by the self-determined degree of motivation. Thus, low levels of self-regulated motivation are positively related to burnout, but high levels of self-determined motivation are not. The same was observed with engagement, but vice versa: high levels of self-determined motivation are positively related to athlete engagement, but low levels of self-determined motivation are not. The proposed model explained 37% of the variance of burnout and 51% of the variance of engagement.

Self-Determined Motivation and Competitive Anxiety in Athletes/Students: A Probabilistic Study Using Bayesian Networks

This study attempts to analyze the relationship between two key psychological variables associated with performance in sports - Self-Determined Motivation and Competitive Anxiety - through Bayesian Networks (BN) analysis. We analyzed 674 university students that are athletes from 44 universities that competed at the University Games in Mexico, with an average age of 21 years (SD = 2.07) and with a mean of 8.61 years' (SD = 5.15) experience in sports. Methods: Regarding the data analysis, firstly, classification using the CHAID algorithm was carried out to determine the dependence links between variables; Secondly, a BN was developed to reduce the uncertainty in the relationships between the two key psychological variables. The validation of the BN revealed AUC values ranging from 0.5 to 0.92. Subsequently, various instantiations were performed with hypothetical values applied to the "bottom" variables. Results showed two probability trees that have extrinsic motivation and amotivation at the top, while the anxiety/activation due to worries about performance was at the bottom of the probabilities. The instantiations carried out support the existence of these probabilistic relationships, demonstrating their scarce influence on anxiety about competition generated by the intrinsic motivation, and the complex probabilistic effect of introjected and identified regulation regarding the appearance of anxiety due to worry about performance.

"When I Go There, I Feel Like I Can Be Myself." Exploring Programme Theory within the Wave Project Surf Therapy Intervention

Mental health issues in young people are a priority for health and social care. Surf therapy is an innovative intervention that may help address this health burden globally. While increasing evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of surf therapy, there has been limited exploration as to how it achieves its outcomes. Such theoretical exploration is important for service optimisation, monitoring and proliferation. This research aimed to adopt, for the first time, a rigorous grounded theory approach to explore underlying programme theory within the Wave Project surf therapy intervention. Participants (n = 22, 14 males and 8 females; mean age = 14 years, SD = 3.5, range 8-23) were interviewed about their intervention experiences. Data were analysed through constant comparative analysis and memo writing. Two core categories reflected mediators by which surf therapy may achieve its outcomes: "Self-Selected Pacing and Progression While Surfing" and "Creation of Emotional and Physical Safe Space at Beach". Three antecedent (linking known inputs to core categories) and three consequent categories (linking core categories to associated outputs) were also identified. These demonstrate theorised pathways from known inputs to associated outcomes within the intervention. These important findings provide plausible evidence on how to optimise the Wave Project's delivery in tackling mental health burden.

Individual Motivations, Motivational Climate, Enjoyment, and Physical Competence Perceptions in Finnish Team Sport Athletes: A Prospective and Retrospective Study

Despite the high rates of participation in sports clubs among Finnish youth, only a few reach elite levels. This study investigated a number of motivational factors, enjoyment, and perceived physical competence perceptions of Finnish youth athletes in their adolescence and then four years later to help understand determinants of elite level attainment. The sample consisted of 824 young athletes born in 1995, who were playing soccer, ice hockey, or basketball in the Finnish sports club system. As youths, participants completed measurements of the perceived task and ego climates, task and ego goal orientations, autonomous and controlled motivations, amotivation, sport enjoyment, and perceived physical competence. Retrospectively, the same participants completed measurements of task, ego, social relatedness, and autonomy supportive climates four years later. All variables were compared to self-reported elite status attainment. Additionally, we examined some demographic characteristics. Prospectively, the self-reported elite athletes (n = 79) reported significantly (p < 0.05) higher perceptions of a task climate, perceived physical competence, sport enjoyment, and autonomous motivation and a lower level of amotivation compared to nonelite athletes. The meaningfulness (Hedges’ g) of the significant differences ranged from small to moderate. Retrospectively, elite athletes indicated significantly (p < 0.05) higher perception of a task climate and a social relatedness climate during their sporting career. Hedges’ g ranged from moderate to large in meaningfulness. The findings highlighted the importance of focusing on the positive aspects surrounding elite athletes’ perceptions to promote youth athletes’ development, while not discounting the importance of physical size and talent.

The Impact of Exercise Intensity Feedback Using Technology for Children During Active Play: Pilot Study

BACKGROUND

Most children do not engage in enough exercise at the recommended intensity. Using technological devices may increase the time children spend at greater intensities while exercising.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine if children who are receiving instant feedback on their exercise intensity using technology would spend more time in moderate-vigorous intensity (≥70% of maximum capacity) during active play sessions. It also aimed to explore if the children's physical characteristics were associated with the average percentage of maximal heart rate (HR) reached during sessions.

METHODS

Participants were asked to wear a HR monitor, attached around their chest, for 4 sessions out of the 15 sessions offered. Twenty children aged 5 to 11 years received feedback for 2 random sessions. When receiving feedback, color-coded intensity based on HR was projected onto a wall. Green corresponded to moderate intensity (≥70% of max HR) and red corresponded to a HR below moderate intensity. Age, anthropometric measures, muscle strength, body composition, physical activity level, and fitness level were measured.

RESULTS

The average percentage of maximal HR during a session was similar whether feedback was provided (70.7%, SD 6.4%) or not (71.1%, SD 4.1%) with P=.93. No personal characteristics were associated with the average intensity recorded during the exercise sessions.

CONCLUSIONS

Receiving instant exercise intensity feedback is not associated with a higher proportion of time spent at moderate intensity or above in children aged 5 to 11 years when involved in an active play program. Personal characteristics are not associated with the intensity recorded when participating in an active play program.

Promoting additional activity in youth soccer: a half-longitudinal study on the influence of autonomy-supportive coaching and basic psychological need satisfaction

This study investigated the relationships between perceptions of coach autonomy support, basic psychological need satisfaction and the frequency at which youth soccer players engage in additional soccer activity outside of team sessions. We employed structural equation modelling to test a two-wave (T1 and T2) half-longitudinal study to see if basic psychological need satisfaction mediated the relationship between coach autonomy support and additional soccer activity across a competitive season. The sample consisted of 527 youth soccer players, aged 10-15 years. Results revealed moderate to strong temporal stability for autonomy, competence, relatedness and frequency of additional soccer activity. Furthermore, no support is offered for mediation as T1 coach autonomy support was not related to any of the three basic needs at T2 when accounting for their T1 levels. However, a positive relationship between T1 autonomy and T2 additional soccer activity emerged. This suggests that those who experience high levels of autonomy in the team setting at the start of the season report an increased frequency of additional activity at the end of the season. Results are discussed in light of the Self-Determination Theory and the Trans-Contextual Model.