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The field of exercise psychology has established robust evidence on the health benefits of physical activity. However, interventions to promote sustained exercise behavior have often proven ineffective. This dissertation addresses challenges in the field, particularly the neglect of situated and affective processes in understanding and changing exercise behavior. Dual process models, considering both rational and affective processes, have gained recognition. The Affective Reflective Theory of Physical Inactivity and Exercise (ART) is a notable model in this context, positing that situated processes in-the-moment of choice influence exercise decisions and subsequent exercise behavior.
The dissertation identifies current challenges within exercise psychology and proposes methodological and theoretical advancements. It emphasizes the importance of momentary affective states and situated processes, offering alternatives to self-reported measures and advocating for a more comprehensive modeling of individual variability. The focus is on the affective processes during exercise, theorized to reappear in momentary decision-making, shaping overall exercise behavior.
The first publication introduces a new method by using automated facial action analysis to measure variable affective responses during exercise. It explores how these behavioral indicators covary with self-reported measures of affective valence and perceived exertion. The second publication delves into situated processes at the moment of choice between exercise and non-exercise options, revealing that intraindividual factors play a crucial role in explaining exercise-related choices. The third publication presents an open-source research tool, the Decisional Preferences in Exercising Test (DPEX), designed to capture repeated situated decisions and predict exercise behavior based on past experiences.
The findings challenge previous assumptions and provide insights into the complex interplay of affective responses, situated processes, and exercise choices. The dissertation underscores the need for individualized interventions that manipulate affective responses during exercise and calls for systematic testing to establish causal links to automatic affective processes and subsequent exercise behavior. This dissertation highlights the necessity for methodological and conceptual refinements in understanding and promoting exercise behavior, ultimately contributing to the broader goal of combating increasing inactivity trends.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of scientific endeavors. The goal of this systematic review is to evaluate the quality of the research on physical activity (PA) behavior change and its potential to contribute to policy-making processes in the early days of COVID-19 related restrictions.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of methodological quality of current research according to PRISMA guidelines using Pubmed and Web of Science, of articles on PA behavior change that were published within 365 days after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Items from the JBI checklist and the AXIS tool were used for additional risk of bias assessment. Evidence mapping is used for better visualization of the main results. Conclusions about the significance of published articles are based on hypotheses on PA behavior change in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results: Among the 1,903 identified articles, there were 36% opinion pieces, 53% empirical studies, and 9% reviews. Of the 332 studies included in the systematic review, 213 used self-report measures to recollect prepandemic behavior in often small convenience samples. Most focused changes in PA volume, whereas changes in PA types were rarely measured. The majority had methodological reporting flaws. Few had very large samples with objective measures using repeated measure design (pre and during the pandemic). In addition to the expected decline in PA duration, these studies show that many of those who were active prepandemic, continued to be active during the pandemic.
Conclusions: Research responded quickly at the onset of the pandemic. However, most of the studies lacked robust methodology, and PA behavior change data lacked the accuracy needed to guide policy makers. To improve the field, we propose the implementation of longitudinal cohort studies by larger organizations such as WHO to ease access to data on PA behavior, and suggest those institutions set clear standards for this research. Researchers need to ensure a better fit between the measurement method and the construct being measured, and use both objective and subjective measures where appropriate to complement each other and provide a comprehensive picture of PA behavior.