Bi-Directional Associations Between Real-Time Affect and Physical Activity in Weight-Discordant Siblings
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Pediatric obesity confers increased risk for a host of negative psychological and physical health consequences and is reliably linked to low levels of physical activity. Affective antecedents and consequences of physical activity are thought to be important for the development and maintenance of such behavior, though research examining these associations in youth across the weight spectrum remains limited. OBJECTIVE: This study examined bi-directional associations between affect and physical activity (i.e., moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] and total activity counts), and the extent to which weight (body mass index z-score [z-BMI]) moderated these associations. METHODS: Participants were drawn from a prior study of siblings (N = 77; mean age = 15.4 ± 1.4 years) discordant for weight status (39 nonoverweight siblings, 38 siblings with overweight/obesity) who completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) with accelerometer-assessed physical activity. RESULTS: Generalized linear mixed models indicated z-BMI moderated trait-level and momentary associations. When adolescents with higher z-BMI reported momentary negative affect, they evidenced less MVPA within the next hour. Across the sample, greater overall activity was associated with lower negative affect. However, at the momentary level, when adolescents with higher (but not lower) z-BMI evidenced greater activity, they reported decreases in negative affect. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate affective experiences surrounding physical activity differ according to z-BMI. Specifically, momentary negative affect may impede momentary MVPA among youth with higher z-BMI. Further research is warranted to elucidate factors influencing these momentary associations and the extent to which these momentary associations prospectively predict weight change.
Source: Journal of Pediatric Psychology
Institutions: University of Southern California, Montclair State University, Sanford Health, University of North Dakota, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: The Role of Peer Relations on Youth Eating and Choices of Activities, Non-shared environments and discordance of obesity in adolescent siblings, Obesity Health Disparities Research Center (OHDRC), Peer Influence on Eating Behavior in Overweight and Normal Weight Youths, In-home obesity prevention to reach low-income infants through maternal and social transmission, Regional Postdoctoral Training Grant in Eating Disorders Research
OpenAlex ID: W3112158353