Procrastination at the Core of Physical Activity (PA) and Perceived Quality of Life: A New Approach for Counteracting Lower Levels of PA Practice

Facilitators and barriers of long-term exercise adherence in healthcare workers formerly suffering from post-COVID-19 syndrome : A qualitative 1-year follow-up and quantitative pilot study of the COFIT trial

BACKGROUND

Early exercise intervention studies showed promising positive effects of physical exercising on post-COVID-19 symptoms; however, little is known about long-term training adherence and what influences it.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants of the 8‑week original exercise intervention study. Facilitators and barriers were identified via thematic analysis and compared between those participants who continued their regular exercise behavior (continuous exercise group, CEG, n = 7) and those who stopped exercising (discontinuous exercise group, DEG, n = 10). Physical performance parameters and questionnaires regarding psychological health dimensions and work ability were assessed analogously to the original study.

RESULTS

Qualitative analysis showed that two of the top three facilitators, (improving physical and mental health, sport has high priority) were the same in both groups. The respective third of the top three facilitators was (re)build physical and cognitive performance in the CEG and training in the group in the DEG. The top three barriers (exhaustion, sport has little priority, procrastination) were not only the same in both groups but also in the same order.

CONCLUSION

The strongest post-COVID-19 associated facilitator for long-term exercise adherence is when the need for further reconditioning is felt. The strongest post-COVID-19 associated barrier is exhaustion. Availability of exercising in a group is a key factor in increasing long-term exercise adherence.

The Role of Self-Esteem and Depression in the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Academic Procrastination Among Chinese Undergraduate Students: A Serial Mediation Model

Purpose

Physical activity has been found to be negatively correlated with academic procrastination. However, the potential mediating variables in this relationship are not well understood. This study aimed to explore the mediating effects of self-esteem and depression in the relationship between physical activity and academic procrastination among Chinese undergraduate students.

Patients and Methods

A total of 1233 Chinese undergraduate students participated in the study. The unidimensionality of the self-esteem, depression, and academic procrastination was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Serial mediation analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0 macro-PROCESS 3.3 to examine whether self-esteem and depression jointly mediated the relationship between physical activity and academic procrastination.

Results

Self-esteem, depression, and academic procrastination displayed a good-fit to the one-factor model. The results indicated that physical activity indirectly impact academic procrastination through three pathways: (1) self-esteem (β=-0.011, Boots 95% CI [-0.021, -0.001]), which accounted for of 12.09% of the total effect, (2) depression (β=-0.022, Boots 95% CI [-0.036, -0.009]), which accounted for 24.18% of the total effect, and (3) self-esteem and depression (β=-0.006, Boots 95% CI [-0.011, -0.002]), which accounted for 6.59% of the total effect. The total mediating effect was 42.86%.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that self-esteem and depression playing a mediating role in the relationship between physical activity and academic procrastination, respectively. Moreover, self-esteem and depression co-mediate this relationship through a serial pathway.

Gender Differences in Procrastination and Subjective Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Students and Non-Students

This study aims to examine gender differences in the relationship between procrastination and subjective well-being in a sample of 1052 individuals. Including both students and non-students. The participants, 56.7% were women (Mean = 24.83, Standard Deviation = 6.01, range = 18-56) and 43.3% were men (Mean = 25.01, Standard Deviation = 6.91, range = 18-59), completed assessments covering procrastination, positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and structural equation modeling. The current findings suggest that men, compared with women, reported higher levels of procrastination, positive affect, and subjective well-being and lower levels of negative affect. The results suggest that procrastination has a greater impact on the subjective well-being of men, especially among non-student males. These findings contribute to the understanding of gender differences in the relationship between procrastination and subjective well-being, emphasizing the need for further research.

Procrastination and physical activity: The moderated mediating effect of grit

Objective: To explore the relation between procrastination and physical activity in college students and test whether grit mediated, age and gender moderated the process. Participants: 610 college students (aged 20.07 ± 1.53; 45.2% males) in Shanghai. Methods: Procrastination, grit and physical activity were tested respectively by International Procrastination Scale, Grit-S scale and International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results: Correlation analysis showed that procrastination, grit and physical activity were related in pairs. Procrastination was negatively correlated with physical activity. Grit mediated between procrastination and physical activity. Females showed stronger moderation effect from grit to physical activity than males, while the effect between procrastination and grit was more significant for the younger. Conclusion: The moderated mediating model provided a new strategy of improving personality traits which contributed to lack of physical activity. More psychologically relevant measures should be taken in reducing procrastination to improve physical activity via improving grit.

Spanish validation of the pure procrastination scale: dimensional structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, gender invariance, and relationships with personality and satisfaction with life

The objective of the current study was to adapt and validate the pure procrastination scale (PPS) for the Spanish adult population. Procrastination can have numerous consequences in daily life, making it essential to have reliable and valid instruments for measuring procrastination. Thus, this study was conducted to address this need. The sample consisted of 596 adults aged 18-83 years (M = 35.25, SD = 13.75). In addition to the PPS, participants completed two procrastination measures, namely the irrational procrastination scale and the decisional procrastination questionnaire, alongside the Big Five inventory and the satisfaction with life scale. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure of the PPS. The examination of the reliability of scores in terms of internal consistency and temporal stability showed satisfactory results for the PPS scores. Moreover, gender invariance was observed at the scalar level. Finally, the PPS scores correlated with other measures of procrastination, personality traits, and satisfaction with life in the expected direction and magnitude. In conclusion, the Spanish PPS offers valid and reliable scores when administered to adult population.

Time perspectives and procrastination in university students: exploring the moderating role of basic psychological need satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Research on procrastination, regarding time perspective factors and basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) has placed this problem at the meeting point of individual and contextual variables. The present study focused both on the individual, given that time perspectives can be defined as a person's attitude to an object (time) at three moments (present, past, future); and on contextual aspects, because the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (competence, autonomy, relatedness) is facilitated or made difficult by social contexts. Based on this, the aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between time perspectives and inter-subject procrastination variations, testing the moderating role of BPNS in this relationship.

METHOD

A total of 1,188 undergraduate students, aged 17-50 years (M = 20.02, SD = 2.63), completed three questionnaires containing the variables of interest.

RESULTS

Regression analyses showed significant negative (thus, potentially protective) association of future time perspective with all three procrastination dimensions (decisional procrastination, implemental delay, and lateness). Conversely, past-negative time perspective showed a positive (thus, potentially adverse) association with procrastination. Satisfaction of the need for competence also showed a negative (thus, potentially protective) association with all procrastination dimensions. On eight occasions, the relationships between time perspectives and procrastination dimensions were moderated by psychological need satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings show that BPNS may play relevant roles in the negative (favourable) relationships between procrastination dimensions and positive time perspectives, as well as in the positive (adverse) associations between negative time perspectives and procrastination dimensions. Contextual interventions fostering enhanced levels of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as well as future time perspective, are thus strong candidates to consider for use and evaluation by policy makers, pedagogues, teachers, coaches and other professionals interested in counteracting procrastination tendencies.

Physical activity and academic procrastination in Chinese college students: The serial mediating roles of physical self-perceptions and self-esteem

Studies have demonstrated that physical activity (PA) is negatively associated with academic procrastination. However, there is limited research on the mechanism underlying this relationship. This study aims to explore the relationship between PA and academic procrastination by investigating the roles of physical self-perceptions and self-esteem. 916 college students (650 females; Mean age = 19.11, SD age = 1.04) participated in the study. Participants completed the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, the Physical Self-Perceptions Profile, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Academic Procrastination Questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and mediating effect analysis were carried out using SPSS 25.0. The results showed that (a) PA, physical self-perceptions, and self-esteem were negatively correlated with academic procrastination, (b) self-esteem mediated the association between PA and academic procrastination, and (c) physical self-perceptions and self-esteem sequentially mediated the association between PA and academic procrastination. These findings have deepened our understanding on the relationship between PA and academic procrastination, highlighting important approaches to deal with academic procrastination.

Make Time for Employees to Be Sustainable: The Roles of Temporal Leadership, Employee Procrastination, and Organizational Time Norms

Extended work availability (EWA) captures the experience of an employee who needs to be available for job demands during nonworking hours. It is a ubiquitous phenomenon because of the prevalent use of information and communication technology (ICT) such as mobile devices and internet services for work purposes. Although it has been found to impair employee health and well-being, evidence that delineates how to mitigate employee EWA is sparse. Thus, an important research question is: How can managers alleviate employee EWA in the ICT-prevalent work environment? Given EWA has a close connection with the time-based work–nonwork conflict, the present study addresses this question by taking a temporal lens and focusing on the roles of three time-related determinants of employee EWA. Particularly, we first include temporal leadership as a predictor of employee EWA, which concerns a particular type of time management behavior in which a manager aims at helping employees to achieve effective use of time while performing job duties. Then, we incorporate both the individual tendency to delay an intended course of action (i.e., procrastination) and the time management environment in an organization (i.e., organizational time norms) into our research model to further reveal how employee EWA could be shaped. Drawing on spillover theory, the goal of the present study was to examine the effect of temporal leadership in determining employee EWA, as well as the roles employee procrastination and organizational time norms play. Analyses of cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 240 full-time employees showed that temporal leadership has a U-shaped association (β = 0.32, p < 0.001) with employee EWA. Both employee procrastination (r = 0.40, p < 0.001) and organizational time norms (r = 0.30, p < 0.001) are positively related to employee EWA, respectively. Moreover, the U-shaped association between temporal leadership and employee EWA becomes more salient when the organizational time norms is strong, with a standardized regression coefficient of 0.24 (p < 0.05) for the interaction between temporal leadership squared and organizational time norms. These findings contribute to a more comprehensive view of how managers can alleviate employee EWA in today’s ICT-prevalent work environment.

Physical Activity and Academic Procrastination among Chinese University Students: A Parallel Mediation Model of Self-Control and Self-Efficacy

Previous studies have suggested that physical activity may decrease academic procrastination; however, few studies have explored the underlying mechanisms of how physical activity exerts an effect on academic procrastination. This study aimed to examine the mediating effects of self-control and self-efficacy in the relationship between physical activity and academic procrastination among Chinese university students. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used in this study. The sample comprised 564 university students from a university in Zhejiang, China. The physical activity rating scale-3 (PARS-3), self-control scale (SCS), generalized self-efficacy scale (GSES), and procrastination assessment scale-students (PASS) were used to investigate university students’ physical activity, self-control, self-efficacy, and academic procrastination respectively. The Percentile-Bootstrap technique was performed to examine the mediating effects of self-control and self-efficacy on the association between physical activity and academic procrastination. Results: Physical activity significantly predicted higher levels of self-control and self-efficacy, as well as lower levels of academic procrastination. Self-control and self-efficacy were significant mediators between physical activity and academic procrastination. Conclusion: This study indicated that physical activity interventions targeting the improvement of self-control and self-efficacy may reduce academic procrastination in university students.

"I feel too lethargic to do physical activity": Perceptions of Iranian adults on the barriers to perform regular physical activity

Background: Despite the intention to perform physical activity (PA), a number of individuals cannot manage to have PA program on a regular basis. In this study we explored the barriers of regular PA behavior among healthy adults in Tabriz, Iran.

Methods: This qualitative study with a conventional content analysis approach, was carried out from June to September 2020. Nineteen 30-59 years old individuals, were purposefully (purposive sampling) selected to participate in the study. The participants were formerly registered as "physically inactive" in the health records of Tabriz Health System. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted until data saturation. Data were managed using MAXQDA-10 software.

Results: The barriers of regular PA that emerged from our data were being listless and lethargic, non-supportive environment, disintegration in PA education chain, and restrictive social norms.

Conclusion: Our findings uncover several PA barriers that are less discussed in the literature. Poor level of regular PA among adults in Iran, as a developing context, is rooted in perceptions with social and economic origins, which should be taken into account by public health policy makers while planning PA promotion programs in such communities. To promote regular PA among healthy adults in developing countries, regular PA programs should be tailored to bridge the gap between their recognition of PA barriers and subsequent behavior change through creating group dynamics highlighting the measures to diminish the behavior.

Weight Loss Challenges in Achieving Transplant Eligibility in Patients With Kidney Failure: A Qualitative Study

Rationale & Objective

Patients with kidney failure need kidney replacement therapy to maximize survival. Kidney transplant is a superior mode of kidney replacement therapy for most individuals with kidney failure. Patients with obesity often are not approved for kidney transplant until they lose sufficient weight, as obesity may complicate the surgical procedure, and the risk of graft loss increases with a higher body mass index. To help potential kidney transplant recipient candidates lose weight, further knowledge of their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes is needed.

Study Design

Qualitative study with semistructured interviews and an exploratory research design, guided by qualitative content analysis.

Setting & Participants

Patients at a hospital in Denmark required to lose weight to achieve kidney transplant eligibility.

Analytical Approach

From patients’ responses, we identified descriptive themes using a phenomenological approach. The factors affecting outcomes were derived reflexively from these themes.

Results

Ten interviews were analyzed. Experiences of obesity and weight-loss attempts were described across 4 themes; (1) restrictions and exhaustion, (2) hope and hopelessness, (3) support and self-discipline, and (4) motivation based on severity. A major motivating factor to achieving weight loss in the studied group of patients was their declining kidney function and the fact that kidney transplant cannot be considered until sufficient weight loss is achieved.

Limitations

Thematic saturation was reached after an unexpectedly low number of participants. The patients were only interviewed once and over the phone.

Conclusions

Patients with obesity who are seeking kidney transplant need additional help with the dietary restrictions brought on by kidney disease. They need assistance bridging between a kidney-friendly diet and a sustainable diet that will ensure weight loss. These patients also express not wanting to feel alone in their weight-loss battle. They are looking for help and support to achieve weight loss.

The Relationship between Physical Activity and Academic Procrastination in Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

Background: Academic procrastination (AP) has been a common problematic behavior in college students. While physical activity (PA) has been reported to increase self-efficacy and reduce AP, less is known about the potential relationships among them. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between PA and AP. Methods: 687 Chinese college students (51% males, 49% females) aged 17–23 years (M = 19.59, SD = 0.89) participated in the study. PA, self-efficacy, and AP were assessed using the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3 (PARS-3), the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students (PASS), respectively. Pearson correlation analysis, linear regression analysis, and mediation analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: (1) PA has a significant and negative impact on college students’ AP, (2) PA has a significant and positive impact on college students’ self-efficacy; (3) self-efficacy has a significant and negative impact on AP in college students; and (4) self-efficacy significantly mediates the relationship between PA and AP. Conclusions: PA is an effective intervention for directly and indirectly decreasing college students’ AP. Therefore, more intervention efforts should focus on the promotion of PA in higher education to improve students’ self-efficacy and thus, to reduce AP among college students.

Physical Activity and Quality of Life of University Students, Their Parents, and Grandparents in Poland-Selected Determinants

Physical activity is one of the factors conditioning human health. Research shows a positive impact of regular physical activity on the quality of human life. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the physical activity of university students, their parents, and their grandparents, and the overall quality of their lives in individual domains (physical, mental, social, environmental), as well as the perceived state of health in relation to selected determinants. The research included 1001 participants, including 253 students related to physical culture and health promotion studying at the University of Szczecin (faculties: physical education, tourism and recreation, public health, sports diagnostics), and their 336 parents and 412 grandparents. Purposive sampling was used to outline the determinants of quality of life and family factors in physical activity. The diagnostic survey was carried out based on the standardized WHOQOL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life) questionnaire. Statistically significant differences were shown in the studied generations regarding the assessment of quality of life and satisfaction with health in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. The oldest generation gave the lowest assessment of quality of life and was the least satisfied with their health regarding particular domains. Female students were more satisfied with their health compared to grandmothers and grandfathers, whereas male students compared to mothers and fathers. Fathers achieved the highest scores in the psychological and social domains, but, in case of the latter, differences were found between mothers’ and fathers’ assessments. Intergenerational differences were found in quality of life and the assessment of health status. Current participation in broadly understood physical culture was often a result of positive attitudes towards physical education and doing sport in the past, which meant higher scores in the physical domain each time. The study demonstrated that taking up physical activity impacted the quality of life and assessment of health in the past and currently.