Physical inactivity and headache disorders: Cross-sectional analysis in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

Background Physical inactivity has been linked to headache disorders but estimates based on the current World Health Organization physical activity guidelines are unknown. Objective To test the associations between headache disorders and physical inactivity in the ELSA-Brasil cohort. Methods In a cross-sectional analysis, linear (continuous variables) and logistic regression models (categorical variables) tested the associations of physical activity levels in the leisure time, commuting time, and combined leisure time physical activity + commuting time physical activity domains with headache disorders, adjusted for the effects of sociodemographic data, cardiovascular risk variables, psychiatric disorders, and migraine prophylaxis medication. Results Of 15,105 participants, 14,847 (54.4% women) provided data on physical activity levels and headache. Higher physical activity levels (continuous values) in the leisure time physical activity domain associated with lower migraine and tension-type headache occurrence and lower headache attack frequency, while in the commuting time physical activity domain it associated with more frequent headache attacks. Compared to people who met World Health Organization physical activity levels in the leisure time physical activity or combining leisure time physical activity + commuting time physical activity domains (i.e. ≥150 min.wk−1 of moderate and/or ≥75 min.wk−1 of vigorous physical activity), physical inactivity associated with higher migraine occurrence, while somewhat active (i.e. not meeting World Health Organization recommendations) associated with higher migraine and tension-type headache occurrence. Physical inactivity in the commuting time physical activity domain associated with higher tension-type headache in men and lower migraine in women. Physical inactivity within vigorous leisure time physical activity intensity, but not moderate leisure time physical activity, associated with higher migraine, mostly in women. Finally, physical inactivity associated with higher headache attack frequency regardless headache subtype. Conclusion Physical inactivity and unmet World Health Organization physical activity levels associate with primary headaches, with heterogeneous associations regarding headache subtype, sex, physical activity domain/intensity, and headache frequency in the ELSA-Brasil study.

Investigation of the Moderating Effect of Culture on Users’ Susceptibility to Persuasive Features in Fitness Applications

Persuasive technologies have been identified as a potential motivational tool to tackle the rising problem of physical inactivity worldwide, with research showing they are more likely to be successful if tailored to the target audience. However, in the physical activity domain, there is limited research on how culture moderates users’ susceptibility to the various persuasive features employed in mobile health applications aimed to motivate behavior change. To bridge this gap, we conducted an empirical study among 256 participants from collectivist (n = 67) and individualist (n = 189) cultures to determine their culture-specific persuasion profiles with respect to six persuasive features commonly employed in fitness applications on the market. The persuasive features include two personal features (goal-setting/self-monitoring and reward) and four social features (competition, cooperation, social learning and social comparison). We based our study on the rating of storyboards (on which each of the six persuasive features is illustrated) and the ranking of the six persuasive features in terms of perceived persuasiveness. The results of our analysis showed that users from individualist and collectivist cultures significantly differ in their persuasion profiles. Based on our rating measure, collectivist users are more likely to be susceptible to all six persuasive features (personal and social) than individualist users, who are only likely to be susceptible to personal features. However, based on our ranking measure, individualist users are more likely to be susceptible to personal features (goal-setting/self-monitoring and reward) than collectivist users. In contrast, collectivist users are more likely to be susceptible to social features (cooperation and social learning) than individualist users. Based on these findings, we provide culture-specific persuasive technology design guidelines. Our study is the first to uncover the moderating effect of culture on users’ susceptibility to commonly employed persuasive features in fitness applications.

Childhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage, Occupational, Leisure-Time, and Household Physical Activity, and Diabetes in Adulthood

Background:Regular physical activity is a key way to prevent disease. However, we have a limited understanding of the socioeconomic precursors and glucoregulatory sequelae of engaging in physical activity in different domains.Methods:We examined the associations among life course socioeconomic disadvantage; meeting the physical activity guidelines with leisure-time physical activity, occupational physical activity, or household physical activity; and prediabetes and diabetes in the Midlife in the United States national study (N = 986).Results:Childhood disadvantage was associated with lower odds of meeting the guidelines with leisure-time physical activity (odds ratio = 0.75; 95% confidence interval, 0.65–0.86). Adulthood disadvantage was associated with higher odds of meeting the guidelines with occupational physical activity (odds ratio = 1.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.49–2.53). Importantly, while meeting the guidelines with leisure-time physical activity was associated with lower odds of prediabetes and diabetes, we found no evidence for associations among occupational physical activity, household physical activity, and glucoregulation.Conclusion:Current US physical activity guidelines do not differentiate between physical activity for leisure or work, assuming that physical activity in any domain confers comparable health benefits. We documented important differences in the associations among lifetime socioeconomic disadvantage, physical activity domain, and diabetes, suggesting that physical activity domain potentially belongs in the guidelines, similar to other characteristics of activity (eg, type, intensity).

The Role of Interest in Physical Education: A Review of Research Evidence

This article focuses on the research on interest, especially situational interest, in physical education. Interest has been considered a powerful motivator for children and adolescents. Based on a conceptualization of individual and situational interest, a reasonable size of evidence has been accumulated showing that situational interest motivates students to engage in physical activity. The evidence also shows that situational interest may have little impact on learning achievement. It, however, can be controlled and manipulated by teachers to create a situationally interesting learning environment to enhance engagement. The lack of studies on individual interest and its development has been identified as a void in this line of research. We argue that it is necessary to strengthen the research on individual interest and its interaction with situational interest to fully understand the four-phase theoretical model of interest development in the physical activity domain (Renninger & Hidi, 2016).

Validation of the Goal Content for Exercise Questionnaire (GCEQ) for a sample of elderly Portuguese people

According Sebire, Standage and Vansteenkiste (2008), goals contents (motives) are the major drivers of behavior, giving rise to the goal content theory, which is in the basis of Goal Content for Exercise Questionnaire (GCEQ: Sebire et al., 2008) development. So, the main goal of present study was to conduct the validation of GCEQ for a sample of Portuguese elderly (n = 311), with equal or higher ages than 60 years old (M = 68.53; DP = 6.69). The main results show us that CGEQ measurement model (5 factors, 20 items) only present adequate fit to data after the elimination of 3 items: S-Bχ²=219.9, df=109, p=.001, SRMR=.049, TLI=.916, CFI=.934, RMSEA=.057, RMSEA 90% CI=.046-.068, PCFI=.747). Besides that, the 5 factors show us acceptable values of composite reliability: between .76 and .88. Those findings allow us to conclude that GCEQ with 5 factors and 17 items can be used to measure goal content in a population of elderly Portuguese people in physical activity domain.

Comparisons of College Students’ Enjoyment in Physical Activity & Exergames

The purpose of this study was to compare college students’ enjoyment levels in three domains of activity (traditional physical activities, exergames, and non-exergames). Volunteers (n = 141) from a Midwestern university completed an online survey composed of a modified version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES). Significant differences were detected across the three domains regarding level of enjoyment, F(2, 232) = 32.49, p < .001, with the highest enjoyment levels reported in the traditional physical activity domain. Additional results revealed that Wii Sports (49%) and Just Dance (29%) had the highest percentage of use with exergamers, while non-exergame participants reported playing video games such as Pokémon, Zelda, Mario Kart, Madden (59%), and Clash of Clans (25%). These results suggest that traditional physical activities and exergaming activities are psychologically enjoyable pursuits for college-aged individuals that can help increase their physical health and quality of life.