Breaking Up Sedentary Behavior Optimally to Enhance Mood

The pleasure of moving: A compositional data analysis of the association between replacing sedentary time with physical activity on affective valence in daily life

Although the independent within-person association between physical activity and sedentary behaviour with valence in daily life has been extensively studied, few studies have used compositional data analysis to examine how different movement behaviour compositions are related to valence in daily life. This study aimed to examine the within-person association between wake-time movement behaviour compositions with affective valence and the extent to which replacing time spent sedentary with physical activity was associated with valence within individuals in daily life. A 7-day ecological momentary study design was used whereby 94 Canadian university students (Mage = 19.45, SD = 2.21, 78.7 % female) reported on affective valence using an adapted version of the Feeling Scale at 7 randomly timed prompts each day. In addition, activPAL accelerometers were worn continuously by participants on their right thigh for the duration of the study to determine time spent engaging in sedentary behaviours and physical activity. Compositional data analysis with isotemporal substitution models were used to examine the within-person association between movement behaviour compositions and affective valence. The within-person association between movement behaviours and affective valence was weak (r2 = 0.013). Nevertheless, engaging in less sedentary time than usual and instead engaging in physical activity was significantly related to more positive affective valence. Considering light intensity physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) separately, replacing time spent sedentary with time engaged in MVPA and LPA both had a significant positive association on affective valence, although the association with MVPA was stronger than the association with LPA. The results provide unique insights into how replacing sedentary time with physical activity in daily life, especially MVPA, may be associated with more feelings of pleasure. These results may be useful to help inform the development of just-in-time adaptive interventions.

Exploring the Psychological Effects and Physical Exertion of Using Different Movement Interactions in Casual Exergames That Promote Active Microbreaks: Quasi-Experimental Study

BACKGROUND

Prolonged sedentary behavior, such as sitting or reclining, has consistently been identified as a stand-alone risk factor for heightened cardiometabolic risk and overall mortality. Conversely, interrupting sedentary periods by incorporating short, active microbreaks has been shown to mitigate the negative effects of sedentary behavior. Casual exergames, which mix elements of casual gaming with physical activity, are one prospective intervention to reduce sedentary behavior because they require physical exertion. Casual exergames have shown promise in fostering emotional and physical advantages when played in specific circumstances. However, little research exists on how different types of movement interactions impact the psychological effects as well as the physical exertion of playing casual exergames.

OBJECTIVE

The primary aim of this work was to explore the psychological effects and physical exertion of playing casual exergames lasting 2 minutes. More precisely, the investigation focused on comparing upper body and full body movement interactions. In addition, the work examined variations in body positions, considering both standing and seated positions during upper body movement interactions.

METHODS

Two casual exergames were developed and investigated through 2 quasi-experimental studies. In study 1, we investigated how players' perceptions of control, exertion, and immersion were affected by using upper body as opposed to full body exergame controllers when playing casual exergames. In study 2, we investigated differences in positive affect, performance, enjoyment, and exertion when playing casual exergames with upper body movement interactions in seated and standing positions.

RESULTS

Study 1 showed that perceived control was significantly higher for upper body movement interactions than for full body movement interactions (P=.04), but there were no significant differences regarding perceived exertion (P=.15) or immersion (P=.66). Study 2 showed that positive affect increased significantly for both standing (P=.003) and seated (P=.001) gameplay. The participants in the standing gameplay group showed slightly higher actual exertion; however, there were no differences between the groups in terms of positive affect, perceived exertion, enjoyment, or performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Casual exergames controlled by upper body movement interactions in seated gameplay can produce similar psychological effects and physical exertion as upper body movement interactions in standing gameplay and full body movement interactions. Therefore, upper body and seated casual exergames should not be overlooked as a suitable microbreak activity.

Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with Depressive Symptoms and Mood Disturbance Throughout Pregnancy

Purpose: Mental health is critical for a healthy pregnancy, yet few studies have evaluated its associations with best practice, objectively measured moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) or sedentary behavior (SED). This study evaluated associations of MVPA and SED with mental health across pregnancy. Materials and Methods: Two cohort studies (total n = 125, mean [standard deviation] 31 [5] years, and 14.4% Black) measured MVPA (waist-worn ActiGraph GT3X) and SED (thigh-mounted activPAL) as well as self-reported depressive symptoms and mood disturbance in each trimester. Associations of group-based trajectories of MVPA and SED with depressive symptoms and mood disturbance were analyzed using regression analyses, both overall and by trimester. Results: Overall, the medium versus low trajectory of MVPA was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms (B = -1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.97 to -0.68). In the second trimester, women in either the medium or high MVPA trajectories had lower levels of depressive symptoms compared with women in the low MVPA trajectory (B = -8.73, 95% CI -15.74 to -1.71; and B = -2.18, 95% CI -3.80 to -0.56). SED trajectories were not associated with depressive symptoms. Higher trajectories of MVPA and lower trajectories of SED were associated with lower total mood disturbance, with significant associations in the second trimester for MVPA and the first and second trimesters for SED. Higher MVPA trajectories were associated with higher tension, fatigue, and confusion subscales, while higher SED trajectories were associated with higher anger and fatigue and lower esteem and vigor subscales. Conclusions: MVPA and SED levels appear to affect mental health during pregnancy, although larger prospective studies are warranted. Clinical Trail Registration Number: NCT03084302.

Evaluation of the Association Between Sedentary Time and Low Work Engagement in the Work Environment After COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study of Japanese Workers

Introduction The global shift toward working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to concerns about increased sedentary behavior and its potential impact on work engagement, a critical factor for employee well-being and organizational productivity. This study aims to explore the association between sedentary time and work engagement among workers in Japan in the post-pandemic work environment. Methods This cross-sectional analysis utilized data from the Japan COVID-19 and Society Internet Survey (JACSIS), conducted from September to November 2023, after the COVID-19 pandemic period. Participants included employed individuals over 18 years, excluding those in domestic occupations. Sedentary time and work engagement were self-reported and categorized. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounders such as socioeconomic status, work characteristics, and mental and physical health was employed to explore this association. Results The study found a significant association between longer sedentary time and lower levels of work engagement. In particular, for desk workers, longer sedentary time was associated with lower work engagement (sedentary time, compared to the reference category "<4 hours/day", 4 to <8 h: OR 1.42, 95% CI: 1.25-1.60; 8 to <12 h: OR 1.77, 95% CI: 1.55-2.01; ≥12 h or unknown: OR 2.14, 95% CI: 1.80-2.51, respectively). Sensitivity analysis confirmed that these results are robust to different definitions of work engagement. Furthermore, analyses in subgroups of desk workers classified according to specific characteristics suggested that desk workers who are full-time workers in non-managerial positions and work from home ≥4 days per week were more strongly associated with prolonged sedentary behavior and low work engagement (in the group of full-time workers who were non-managers, sedentary time, compared to the reference category "<4 hours/day", 4 to <8 h: OR 2.14, 95% CI: 1.52-3.00; 8 to <12 h: OR 2.10, 95% CI: 1.46-3.00; ≥12 h or unknown: OR 3.32, 95% CI: 1.99-6.05; in those with work-from-home frequency of ≥4 days weekly, sedentary time, compared to the reference category "<4 hours/day", 4 to <8 h: OR 1.46, 95% CI: 0.99-2.16; 8 to <12 h: OR 1.73, 95% CI: 1.19-2.56; ≥12 h or unknown: OR 2.41, 95% CI: 1.58-3.67). Conclusions This study revealed a significant association between sedentary time and low work engagement among workers in Japan after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the future, prospective studies are needed to confirm the causal associations between the two, using more validated measures of sedentary behavior.

The Within-Subject Association of Physical Behavior and Affective Well-Being in Everyday Life: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND

The interplay of physical activity (PA) with affective well-being (AWB) is highly critical to both health behaviors and health outcomes. Current prominent theories presume AWB to be crucial for PA maintenance, and PA is evidenced to foster mental health. However, thus far, PA-AWB associations have mainly been researched in laboratory settings and with interventional designs, but the everyday life perspective had not been focused on, mostly due to technological limitations. In the course of digitization, the number of studies using device-based methods to research the within-subject association of physical activity and affective well-being (PA-AWB) under ecological valid conditions increased rapidly, but a recent comprehensive systematic review of evidence across populations, age groups, and distinct AWB components remained inconclusive.

OBJECTIVES

Therefore, we aimed to firstly review daily-life studies that assessed intensive longitudinal device-based (e.g., electronic smartphone diaries and accelerometry) and real-time PA-AWB data, secondly to develop and apply a quality assessment tool applicable to those studies, and thirdly to discuss findings and draw implications for research and practice.

METHODS

To this end, the literature was searched in three databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus) up to November 2022. The systematic review followed the PRISMA guidelines and had been pre-registered (PROSPERO id: CRD42021277327). A modified quality assessment tool was developed to illustrate the risk of bias of included studies.

RESULTS

The review of findings showed that, in general, already short PA bouts in everyday life, which clearly differ from structured exercise sessions, are positively associated with AWB. In particular, feelings of energy relate to incidental (non-exercise and unstructured) activity, and PA-AWB associations depend on population characteristics. The quality assessment revealed overall moderate study quality; however, the methods applied were largely heterogeneous between investigations. Overall, the reviewed evidence on PA-AWB associations in everyday life is ambiguous; for example, no clear patterns of directions and strengths of PA-AWB relationships depending on PA and AWB components (such as intensity, emotions, affect, mood) emerged.

CONCLUSIONS

The reviewed evidence can fuel discussions on whether the World Health Organization's notion "every move counts" may be extended to everyday life AWB. Concurrently, the PA-AWB relationship findings endorse prominent theories highlighting the critical role of AWB in everyday PA engagement and maintenance. However, the review also clearly highlights the need to advance and harmonize methodological approaches for more fine-grained investigations on which specific PA/AWB characteristics, contextual factors, and biological determinants underly PA-AWB associations in everyday life. This will enable the field to tackle pressing challenges such as the issue of causality of PA-AWB associations, which will help to shape and refine existing theories to ultimately predict and improve health behavior, thereby feeding into precision medicine approaches.

Insights on physical behavior while working from home: An ecological momentary assessment study

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home (WFH) has emerged as a common alternative work environment, but the possible influence on daily physical behavior (PB) (i.e., physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB)) remains unclear. This study aimed to examine daily associations between PB and the work environment (i.e., WFH, working at the office (WAO)), as well as to explore and identify patterns of PB within each work environment. An observational study using a dual-accelerometer system to continuously assess PB for at least 5 days was conducted. The sample consisted of 55 participants providing 276 days of assessment. Additional demographic, contextual, and psychological variables were measured via baseline questionnaire and several smartphone prompts per day. To analyze the effects of the work environment on PB, multilevel analyses were conducted. For the identification of patterns within each work environment, latent class trajectory modelling was applied. Associations between the work environment and various PA parameters were found, indicating that WFH has a negative effect on MVPA time, steps, and physical activity intensity (MET), but a positive effect on short PA bouts (≤5 min). No associations between the work environment and any SB parameter (i.e., SB time, SB breaks, SB bouts) were found. Latent class trajectory modelling revealed three MVPA patterns for days WFH, and two patterns for days WAO. Given the growing prevalence of WFH and the positive health effects associated with MVPA, daily-tailored solutions to enhance MPVA while WFH are urgently needed.

The Effectiveness of the DeskCycle in Reducing Sedentary Behavior Among Female Office Workers

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of the DeskCycle in reducing sedentary behavior among female office workers at an educational institution.

METHODS

This was a randomized control trial with a crossover design (N = 80). The intervention was conducted in two 8-week phases and included the DeskCycle and an informational handout with benefits and suggestions about the frequency of use. The primary outcome was weekly average nonsedentary time. Secondary outcomes included weight and mood.

RESULTS

DeskCycle users reported significantly higher weekly average nonsedentary time compared with nonusers (phase I: 402.3 ± 72.4 vs 169.3 ± 17.5, P < 0.00; phase II: 282 ± 45 vs 216 ± 23, P = 0.00). There were no significant differences in weight or mood.

CONCLUSIONS

The DeskCycle is effective in reducing sedentary behavior, suggesting workers in sedentary office occupations could integrate it into their workday, where possible, to prevent negative health outcomes.

Associations between patterns of physical activity, pain intensity, and interference among older adults with chronic pain: a secondary analysis of two randomized controlled trials

Background: Clinical management of chronic pain often includes recommendations to engage in physical activity (PA), though there are little data on the interplay between pain symptoms and key aspects of PA participation (e.g., intensity and bout duration) among older adults. Herein we investigate the longitudinal relationships between changes in PA behavior and changes in pain intensity and interference among low-active older adults with obesity and chronic pain. Methods: Participants (N = 41) were enrolled in two randomized pilot trials wherein they were assigned to an intervention focused on participation in frequent PA across the day, or to a low-contact control. Participants completed the 3-item PROMIS pain intensity scale and 8-item PROMIS pain interference scale before and after the interventions. Participants also wore an ActivPAL accelerometer for 7 days before and during the final week of the interventions. Results: A series of linear regression analyses demonstrated that increased time spent stepping at a high-light intensity in very short bouts was associated with increased pain intensity scores. By contrast, increased time spent stepping at a high-light intensity in bouts of 5-20 min was associated with reductions in pain intensity and interference scores. Increased time spent stepping at a moderate intensity overall was associated with reduced pain intensity scores, and time spent stepping at a moderate intensity for 10-20 min associated with reduced pain interference. Conclusion: These findings suggest older adults with chronic pain may benefit by moving at high-light or moderate intensities in brief bouts of at least 5 min in duration.

Assessing affect in adolescents with e-diaries: multilevel confirmatory factor analyses of different factor models

In the last two decades, e-diary studies have gained increasing interest, with a dominant focus on mood and affect. Although requested in current guidelines, psychometric properties are rarely reported, and methodological investigations of factor structure, model fit, and the reliability of mood and affect assessment are limited. We used a seven-day e-diary dataset of 189 adolescent participants (12-17  years). The e-diary affect assessments revealed a considerable portion of within-person variance. The six-factor model showed the best model fit compared to the less complex models. Factor loadings also improved with the complexity of the models. Accordingly, we recommend that future e-diary studies of adolescents use the six-factor model of affect as well as reporting psychometric properties and model fit. For future e-diary scale development, we recommend using a minimum of three items per scale to enable the use of confirmatory multilevel factor analyses.

Associations between Hunger and Psychological Outcomes: A Large-Scale Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

Studies assessing the association between hunger and psychological states have been conducted in laboratory settings, or limited to persons with eating disorders. In this study, 748 community-dwelling adults (56.4% women, 60.0 ± 9.3 years) completed the Ecological Momentary Assessment four times a day (08:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00) for seven days. At each assessment, respondents indicated their current hunger level, food intake, and psychological states (sad, anxious, active, lively, distracted, anhedonic, angry, slow thinking and restless). Time-lagged associations assessing the effect of hunger on subsequent psychological states 4 h later and vice-versa were assessed. Hunger intensity increased subsequent active feeling (coefficient and 95% confidence interval: 0.029 (0.007; 0.051)) and lively feeling (0.019 (0.004; 0.034)) and decreased later slow thinking (-0.016 (-0.029; -0.003)). Previous eating increased later activity (0.116 (0.025; 0.208)). Feeling active (0.050 (0.036; 0.064)), lively (0.045 (0.023; 0.067)) and restless (0.040 (0.018; 0.063)) increased later hunger intensity, while distraction (-0.039 (-0.058; -0.019)) and slow thinking (-0.057 (-0.080; -0.034)) decreased it. No association was found between hunger, food intake and negative psychological states (sadness, anxiety and anger). Conclusions: Positive psychological states and hunger influence each other, while no association was found between hunger and negative psychological states.

The Acute Effects of Single or Repeated Bouts of Vigorous-Intensity Exercise on Insulin and Glucose Metabolism during Postprandial Sedentary Behavior

Fitness and exercise may counteract the detrimental metabolic and mood adaptations during prolonged sitting. This study distinguishes the immediate effects of a single bout vs. work-load and intensity-matched repeated exercise breaks on subjective well-being, blood glucose, and insulin response (analyzed as area under the curve) during sedentary time; and assesses the influence of fitness and caloric intake on metabolic alterations during sedentariness. Eighteen women underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and three 4 h sitting interventions: two exercise interventions (70% VO₂max, 30 min, cycle ergometer: (1) cycling prior to sitting; (2) sitting interrupted by 5 × 6 min cycling), and one control condition (sitting). Participants consumed one meal with ad libitum quantity (caloric intake), but standardized macronutrient proportion. Exercise breaks (4057 ± 2079 μU/mL·min) reduced insulin values compared to a single bout of exercise (5346 ± 5000 μU/mL·min) and the control condition (6037 ± 3571 μU/mL·min) (p ≤ 0.05). ANCOVA revealed moderating effects of caloric intake (519 ± 211 kilocalories) (p ≤ 0.01), but no effects of cardiorespiratory fitness (41.3 ± 4.2 mL/kg/min). Breaks also led to lower depression, but higher arousal compared to a no exercise control (p ≤ 0.05). Both exercise trials led to decreased agitation (p ≤ 0.05). Exercise prior to sitting led to greater peace of mind during sedentary behavior (p ≤ 0.05). Just being fit or exercising prior to sedentary behavior are not feasible to cope with acute detrimental metabolic changes during sedentary behavior. Exercise breaks reduce the insulin response to a meal. Despite their vigorous intensity, breaks are perceived as positive stimulus. Detrimental metabolic changes during sedentary time could also be minimized by limiting caloric intake.

Feasibility, preliminary efficacy, and accessibility of a twitter-based social support group vs Fitbit only to decrease sedentary behavior in women

BACKGROUND

Health behavior change interventions delivered by social media allow for real-time, dynamic interaction, peer social support, and experimenter-provided content.

AIMS

We tested the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a novel Twitter-based walking break intervention with daily behavior change strategies and prompts for social support, combined with a Fitbit, vs. Fitbit alone.

METHODS

In a 2-group pilot, 45 sedentary women from a heart clinic were randomized to Twitter + Fitbit activity tracker (Tweet4Wellness, n = 23) or Fitbit-only (control, n = 22). All received a Fitbit and 13 weeks of tailored weekly step goals. Tweet4Wellness consisted of a private Twitter support group, with daily automated behavior change "tweets" informed by behavior change theory, and encouragement to communicate within the group. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment and enrollment numbers, implementation challenges, and number and type of help requests from participants throughout the study period. Preliminary efficacy outcomes provided by Fitbit data were sedentary minutes, number of hours with >250 steps, maximum sitting bout, weighted sedentary median bout length, total steps, intensity minutes (>3.0 METS), and ratio of time spent sitting-to-moving. Acceptability outcomes included level of Twitter participation within Tweet4Wellness, and Likert scale plus open-ended survey questions on enjoyment and perceived effectiveness of intervention components. Survey data on acceptability of the features of the intervention were collected at 13 weeks (end-of-treatment [EOT]) and 22 weeks (follow-up).

RESULTS

The study was feasible, with addressable implementation challenges. Tweet4Wellness participants changed significantly from baseline to EOT relative to control participants on number of active hours p = .018, total steps p = .028, and ratio of sitting-to-moving, p = .014. Only sitting-to-moving was significant at follow-up (p = .047). Among Tweet4Wellness participants, each tweet sent during treatment was associated with a 0.11 increase in active hours per day (p = .04) and a 292-step increase per day (p < .001). Tweet4Wellness participants averaged 54.8 (SD = 35.4) tweets, totaling 1304 tweets, and reported liking the accountability and peer support provided by the intervention.

CONCLUSION

A Twitter-delivered intervention for promoting physical activity among inactive women from a heart clinic was feasible, acceptable, and demonstrated preliminary efficacy in increasing daily active hours, daily total steps, and the ratio of sitting-to-moving from pre to post for the intervention compared with the control. Lessons learned from this pilot suggest that the next study should expand the recruitment pool, refine the intervention to increase group engagement, and select active hours, total steps, and ratio of sitting-to-movement as primary sedentary behavior measures.

Adolescents' sedentary time, affect, and contextual factors: An ecological momentary assessment study

BACKGROUND

Few adolescents achieve sufficient levels of physical activity, and many are spending most of their time in sedentary behavior. Affective response following sedentary time may influence motivation to remain sedentary. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a real-time data capture methodology that can be used to identify factors influencing sedentary time, such as the context of the home setting, and resulting affective state within a free-living setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between context at home and adolescent sedentary time, and the relationship of sedentary time and subsequent affect.

METHODS

Adolescents (n = 284; 10-16 y) participated in an EMA study that used random, interval-based sampling methods. Adolescents each received 22 unannounced surveys over 7-days through a smartphone application. One survey was randomly sent within each 2-h time-period. These time-periods occurred between 4:00 pm-8:00 pm on weekdays and 8:00 am-8:00 pm on the weekend. This 15-question survey included a series of questions on context (indoors/outdoors, alone/not alone) and positive affect. Adolescents concurrently wore an accelerometer at the hip, and the 30-min bout of accelerometry data prior to each survey was used in analyses. Mixed-effect location scale models were used to examine the association between context at home and sedentary time (stage 1) and the adjusted sedentary time and positive affect (stage 2), with each model adjusted for covariates.

RESULTS

Adolescents were 12.6 ± 1.9 y of age on average, about half were White (58%), and engaged in high levels of sedentary behavior during the 30 min prior to the survey (21.4 ± 6.8 min). Most surveys occurred when adolescents were with others (59%) and indoors (88%). In Stage 1, both being alone and being indoors at home were positively associated with sedentary time (p <  0.001 for both). In Stage 2, adjusted sedentary time was not related to positive affect. Age was negatively related to positive affect (p <  0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Both contextual factors, being alone and indoors at home, were related to additional time spent sedentary compared to being with someone or outdoors. After adjustment, sedentary time was not related to subsequent positive affect, indicating other factors may be related to adolescent's positive affect in home settings.

Ambulatory Assessment for Physical Activity Research: State of the Science, Best Practices and Future Directions

Technological and digital progress benefits physical activity (PA) research. Here we compiled expert knowledge on how Ambulatory Assessment (AA) is utilized to advance PA research, i.e., we present results of the 2nd International CAPA Workshop 2019 "Physical Activity Assessment - State of the Science, Best Practices, Future Directions" where invited researchers with experience in PA assessment, evaluation, technology and application participated. First, we provide readers with the state of the AA science, then we give best practice recommendations on how to measure PA via AA and shed light on methodological frontiers, and we furthermore discuss future directions. AA encompasses a class of methods that allows the study of PA and its behavioral, biological and physiological correlates as they unfold in everyday life. AA includes monitoring of movement (e.g., via accelerometry), physiological function (e.g., via mobile electrocardiogram), contextual information (e.g., via geolocation-tracking), and ecological momentary assessment (EMA; e.g., electronic diaries) to capture self-reported information. The strengths of AA are data assessment that near realtime, which minimizes retrospective biases in real-world settings, consequentially enabling ecological valid findings. Importantly, AA enables multiple assessments across time within subjects resulting in intensive longitudinal data (ILD), which allows unraveling within-person determinants of PA in everyday life. In this paper, we show how AA methods such as triggered e-diaries and geolocation-tracking can be used to measure PA and its correlates, and furthermore how these findings may translate into real-life interventions. In sum, AA provides numerous possibilities for PA research, especially the opportunity to tackle within- subject antecedents, concomitants, and consequences of PA as they unfold in everyday life. In-depth insights on determinants of PA could help us design and deliver impactful interventions in real-world contexts, thus enabling us to solve critical health issues in the 21st century such as insufficient PA and high levels of sedentary behavior.