Universität Stuttgart

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Institute: search.filters.UBSInstitut.Sonstige EinrichtungAuthor: search.filters.author.Schlicht, Wolfgang

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    How to investigate within-subject associations between physical activity and momentary affective states in everyday life : a position statement based on a literature overview
    (2013) Kanning, Martina; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich W.; Schlicht, Wolfgang
    Several meta-analyses have investigated the association between physical activity and affective states and have found evidence suggesting that exercise exerts a positive effect on affective state. However, in this field of research, most studies have conducted between-subject analyses. Nonetheless, there is more and more interest in the within-subject associations between physical activity and momentary affective states in everyday life. This position statement pertains to this up-and-coming field of research and provides methodological recommendations for further studies. The paper is divided into three parts: First, we summarise and evaluate three methodological requirements necessary for the proper evaluation of within-subject associations between physical activity and momentary affective states in everyday life. We propose that the following issues should be considered: a) to address the dynamic nature of such relationships, repeated assessments are necessary; b) as activities performed in everyday life are mostly spontaneous and unconscious, an objective assessment of physical activity is useful; c) given that recall of affective states is often affected by systematic distortions, real-time assessment is preferable. In sum, we suggest the use of ambulatory assessment techniques, and more specifically the combination of acceloremeter-assessment of physical activity with an electronic diary assessment of the momentary affective state and additional context information. Second, we summarise 22 empirical studies published between 1980 and 2012 using ambulatory assessment to investigate within-subject associations between momentary affective states and physical activity in everyday life. Generally, the literature overview detects a positive association, which appears stronger among those studies that were of high methodological quality. Third, we propose the use of ambulatory assessment intervention strategies to change people's behaviour (ambulatory assessment intervention) and to enable people to be active as often as possible during the day (e.g., reducing sitting time, taking more steps per day).
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    Using activity triggered e-diaries to reveal the associations between physical activity and affective states in older adult’s daily living
    (2015) Kanning, Martina; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich; Schlicht, Wolfgang
    Background: Evidence suggests that elderly show positive affects after participating in an exercise program. However, it is less clear, how physical activities in daily living enhance affective states. This is surprising, as most of elderly’s physical activities are part of their daily living. We used activity-triggered e-diaries to investigate the within-subject effects of physical activity on three dimensions of affective states (valence, energetic arousal, calmness) in everyday life. Methods: Older adults (N = 74) between 50 and 70 years took part in the study during three consecutive days. Physical activity in daily living was objectively assessed with accelerometers. Affects were measured 10 minutes after a study participant surpassed a predefined threshold for activity or inactivity. The participants were prompted by an acoustic signal to assess their momentary affective states on an e-diary. Data were analyzed with hierarchical multilevel analyses. Results: When older individuals were more physically active, they felt more energized (energetic arousal) and agitated (calmness). However, they did not feel better (valence). Interestingly, body mass index (BMI) and valence were associated in a significant cross-level interaction, which demonstrates that BMI was a moderating variable. Lower BMI scores were associated with higher valence affect scores after being physically active. Conclusions: Activities in daily living only partially enhance the elderly’s affective states, because participants feel energized and agitated but not better. Accordingly to the moderating effect of BMI, older people with lower BMI feel better whereas older people with higher BMI did not feel better after being physically active in daily living.
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    Walkability is only part of the story : walking for transportation in Stuttgart, Germany
    (2014) Reyer, Maren; Fina, Stefan; Siedentop, Stefan; Schlicht, Wolfgang
    In modern Western societies people often lead inactive and sedentary lifestyles, even though there is no doubt that physical activity and health are related. From an urban planning point of view it would be highly desirable to develop built environments in a way that supports people in leading more active and healthy lifestyles. Within this context there are several methods, predominantly used in the US, to measure the suitability of built environments for walking and cycling. Empirical studies show that people living in highly walkable areas are more physically active (for example, walk more or cycle more). The question is, however, whether these results are also valid for European cities given their different urban planning characteristics and infrastructure standards. To answer this question we used the Walkability-Index and the Walk Score to empirically investigate the associations between walkability and active transportation in the city of Stuttgart, Germany. In a sample of household survey data (n = 1.871) we found a noticeable relationship between walkability and active transportation—the more walkable an area was, the more active residents were. Although the statistical effect is small, the health impact might be of relevance. Being physically active is multi-determined and not only affected by the walkability of an area. We highlight these points with an excursion into research that the health and exercise sciences contribute to the topic. We propose to strengthen interdisciplinary research between the disciplines and to specifically collect data that captures the influence of the environment on physical activity in the future.