The Interplay between Genes and Psychosocial Home Environment on Physical Activity

The relationship between exercise commitment and college students' exercise adherence: The chained mediating role of exercise atmosphere and exercise self-efficacy

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to explore the mechanisms underlying exercise commitment, exercise atmosphere, exercise self-efficacy, and exercise adherence among college students, as well as the impact of gender differences on these mechanisms.

METHODS

Using a stratified cluster sampling method, 984 college students (aged 19.74 ± 1.25 years) from six universities in Anhui, Shandong, and Shaanxi provinces were randomly selected, with 403 male students and 581 female students. They had completed the Exercise Commitment Scale (ECC), Physical Exercise Atmosphere Scale (PEAS), Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES), and Exercise Adherence Scale (EPS). The study variables were analyzed in sequence for reliability and validity, correlation analysis, regression analysis, structural equation model testing, and bias-corrected percentile Bootstrap testing using SPSS 23.0 software and Hayes' (2013) Process plug-in.

RESULTS

Exercise commitment significantly positively predicted exercise adherence (β = 0.796, p < 0.01), exercise commitment significantly positively predicted exercise environment and exercise self-efficacy (β = 0.645, p < 0.01, β = 0.356, p < 0.01), exercise environment significantly positively predicted exercise self-efficacy and exercise adherence (β = 0.344, p < 0.01, β = 0.144, p < 0.01), and exercise self-efficacy significantly positively predicted exercise adherence (β = 0.934, p < 0.01). The mediating role of exercise environment in the relationship between exercise commitment and exercise adherence does not exist in male college students, while it exists in female college students.

CONCLUSIONS

Exercise atmosphere and exercise self-efficacy play a mediating role between exercise commitment and exercise adherence, with a total mediating effect value of 0.796. This study indicates that exercise commitment not only directly predicts exercise adherence, but also indirectly predicts exercise adherence through the chained mediating effects of exercise atmosphere and exercise self-efficacy. The above-mentioned mediating effect exists in female college students, while some mediating effects do not exist in male college students, thus gender has a significant impact on this mediating effect.

Spatiotemporal trends of cardiovascular disease burden attributable to low physical activity during 1990-2019: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

OBJECTIVES

The epidemiological trends of cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden attributed to low physical activity (LPA) across various regions and countries are poorly understood. Hence, we assessed the global, regional, and national spatiotemporal trends of LPA-related CVD from 1990 to 2019.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a secondary analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The data on LPA-related CVD were examined with regard to sex, age, year, and Socio-Demographic Index (SDI).

METHODS

We assessed the temporal changes in age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized death rate (ASDR) using the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) over a 30-year period.

RESULTS

There were a staggering 0.64 million deaths and 9.99 million disability-adjusted life-years globally attributed to LPA-related CVD in 2019. The majority of the LPA-related CVD burden was observed in the population aged ≥80 years. It also indicated a high disease burden of LPA-related CVD in Central Asia, Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa. Although there has been a decline in ASMR and ASDR associated with LPA-related CVD on a global scale, the countries experiencing the most substantial increase in LPA-related CVD burden are Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan. The ASMR and ASDR remained stable in regions with low, low-middle, and middle SDI levels. The EAPCs of ASMR and ASDR were negatively linked with SDI in 2019.

CONCLUSIONS

From 1990 to 2019, LPA led to a significant and escalating burden of CVD in certain regions, namely, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan. It is imperative for governments and policymakers to implement regulatory measures and strategic interventions aimed at mitigating this burden.

Correlations between Physical Activity Participation and the Environment in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Using Ecological Frameworks

Physical activity (PA) and sports are efficient ways to promote the young generation’s physical and mental health and development. This study expected to demonstrate the complexity of correlates associated with children’s and adolescents’ non-organized PA participation. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols (PRISMA), a systematic review and meta-analysis were applied. Seven electronic databases were systematically searched to identify eligible articles based on a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The internal validity of the systematic reviews thus identified was evaluated using a validated quality instrument. Calculations were produced in SPSS 27.0 and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 3.3. Thirty-nine eligible studies (N = 324,953) with moderate to high quality were included. No potential publication bias was detected using statistical analyses. The meta-analysis revealed that the overall ecological factors correlated positively with children and adolescents’ PA; the meta-analytic average of the correlations was (′r = 0.32, p < 0.001). Results from subgroup analysis indicated that theory-based influence factors achieved moderate effect with boys (′r = 0.37, p < 0.001) and girls (′r = 0.32, p < 0.001) in PA participation. Interestingly, higher correlations were found between ecological factors and twins’ PA participation (′r = 0.61, p = 0.001). Further, individual (′r = 0.32, p < 0.001), macro-, and chronosystems factors (′r = 0.50, p < 0.001) appeared slightly more influential than microsystems factors (′r = 0.28, p < 0.001) on children and adolescents’ PA participation. Although findings from the included studies covered were to some extent heterogeneous, it is possible to identify consistent correlates of PA in children and adolescents. The results supported that PA is a complex and multi-dimensional behavior, which is determined by numerous biological, psychological, sociocultural, and environmental factors. Future studies that focus on the integration effect of macrosystem and chronosystem environmental factors, and apply longitudinal designs and objective measurements are encouraged to further unfold the complexity of the ecological system and its implications in promoting children and adolescents’ PA participation.

The Associations Between Leisure-Time Physical Activity and Academic Performance: A Twin Study

BACKGROUND

Both genetic and environmental influences have been shown to contribute to the association between physical activity and overall academic performance. The authors examined whether leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) shares genetic and environmental variances between spelling, essay writing, reading aloud, reading comprehension, and mathematics in early adolescence. Moreover, they investigated whether genetic polymorphisms associated with physical activity behavior affect these academic skills.

METHODS

Participants were 12-year-old Finnish twins (n = 4356-4370 twins/academic skill, 49% girls). Academic skills were assessed by teachers, and LTPA was self-reported. Polygenic scores for physical activity behavior were constructed from the UK Biobank. Quantitative genetic modeling and linear regression models were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The trait correlations between LTPA and academic skills were significant but weak (r = .05-.08). The highest trait correlation was found between LTPA and mathematics. A significant genetic correlation was revealed between LTPA and essay writing (rA = .14). Regarding polygenic scores of physical activity, the highest correlations were found with reading comprehension, spelling, and essay writing, but these results only approached statistical significance (P values = .09-.15).

CONCLUSIONS

The authors' results suggest that reading and writing are the academic skills that most likely share a common genetic background with LTPA.

Effects of Physical Self-Concept, Emotional Isolation, and Family Functioning on Attitudes towards Physical Education in Adolescents: Structural Equation Analysis

(1) Background: The present research seeks to define and contrast an explanatory model of physical self-concept, emotional isolation, attitude towards physical education, and family functioning, and analyse the existing associations between these variables. (2) Methods: The sample was made up of 2388 adolescents (43.39% male and 56.61% female), with ages of 11–17 years (M = 13.85; SD = 1.26) from Spain. Self-concept (AF-5), Isolation (UCLA), Attitude towards Physical Education (CAEF), and Family Functioning (APGAR) were analyzed. (3) Results: Good fit was obtained for all evaluation indices included in the structural equation model, which was significantly adjusted (χ² = 233,023; DF = 14; p < 0.001; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.913; normalized fit index (NFI) = 0.917; incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.906; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.072). (4) Conclusions: Attitudes towards physical activity were found to be positive when isolation levels were low and where adequate self-concept existed, specifically in students reporting high family functioning.

FinnTwin12 Cohort: An Updated Review

This review offers an update on research conducted with FinnTwin12 (FT12), the youngest of the three Finnish Twin Cohorts. FT12 was designed as a two-stage study. In the first stage, we conducted multiwave questionnaire research enrolling all eligible twins born in Finland during 1983-1987 along with their biological parents. In stage 2, we intensively studied a subset of these twins with in-school assessments at age 12 and semistructured poly-diagnostic interviews at age 14. At baseline, parents of intensively studied twins were administered the adult version of the interview. Laboratory studies with repeat interviews, neuropsychological tests, and collection of DNA were made of intensively studied twins during follow-up in early adulthood. The basic aim of the FT12 study design was to obtain information on individual, familial and school/neighborhood risks for substance use/abuse prior to the onset of regular tobacco and alcohol use and then track trajectories of use and abuse and their consequences into adulthood. But the longitudinal assessments were not narrowly limited to this basic aim, and with multiwave, multirater assessments from ages 11 to 12, the study has created a richly informative data set for analyses of gene-environment interactions of both candidate genes and genomewide measures with measured risk-relevant environments. Because 25 years have elapsed since the start of the study, we are planning a fifth-wave follow-up assessment.