Purpose in life and personal growth: The unique and joint contribution of physical activity and basic psychological needs

This study examined if physical activity (PA) and self-determination theory's basic psychological needs directly or interactively predict older adults' eudaimonic well-being. Participants aged ≥55 years completed five online surveys. At baseline (T₁ ), participants (N = 430) reported on autonomy, competence, and relatedness experienced during PA. PA was assessed prospectively using the Physical Activity Scale for Elderly (recall period = 7 days) for four consecutive weeks (T₂ , T₃ , T₄ , and T₅ ); weekly PA scores were averaged. At T₅ , purpose in life and personal growth were measured using Ryff's scales of psychological well-being. In regression analyses, PA was associated with purpose in life for those reporting low relatedness (b = .04, p = .02). Competence was associated with purpose in life only for those high in relatedness (b = .34, p < .001). Autonomy was positively associated with personal growth for those who also reported high competence. Multiple imputation analyses (N = 430) and sensitivity analyses (n = 304) yielded findings consistent with those from complete cases (n = 182). Encouraging older people to move more may not be sufficient to confer well-being. It may be necessary to help people engage in activities that support their basic psychological needs.

Missing Data in Research on Youth and Family Programs

BACKGROUND

Multilevel data can be missing at the individual level or at a nested level, such as family, classroom, or program site. Increased knowledge of higher-level missing data is necessary to develop evaluation design and statistical methods to address it.

METHODS

Participants included 9,514 individuals participating in 47 youth and family programs nationwide who completed multiple self-report measures before and after program participation. Data were marked as missing or not missing at the item, scale, and wave levels for both individuals and program sites.

RESULTS

Site-level missing data represented a substantial portion of missing data, ranging from 0-46% of missing data at pre-test and 35-71% of missing data at post-test. Youth were the most likely to be missing data, although site-level data did not differ by the age of participants served. In this dataset youth had the most surveys to complete, so their missing data could be due to survey fatigue.

CONCLUSIONS

Much of the missing data for individuals can be explained by the site not administering those questions or scales. These results suggest a need for statistical methods that account for site-level missing data, and for research design methods to reduce the prevalence of site-level missing data or reduce its impact. Researchers can generate buy-in with sites during the community collaboration stage, assessing problematic items for revision or removal and need for ongoing site support, particularly at post-test. We recommend that researchers conducting multilevel data report the amount and mechanism of missing data at each level.

Physical Activity Preferences Among Older Adults: A Systematic Review

The objective of this study was to identify preferences for physical activity among adults aged 65 years and over. A systematic review was conducted. A search strategy without language and date restriction (up until March 31, 2017) was developed for PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, and SPORTDiscus. Study selection and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. A total of 21 independent primary studies were included in the systematic review. Irrespective of the methodologies used and samples, a majority of older adults prefer to walk and engage in physical activity continuously for about 30 min. These findings are mainly generalizable to White females from the United States. Two-thirds of the studies were at high risk of selection bias, which suggests additional caution when interpreting the review findings. Nonetheless, policymakers, community organizations, and healthcare providers should consider walkability in their efforts to promote physical activity in older adults.