49 research outputs found
Measuring motives for physical activity in adults / Keyvan Molanorouzi
No full textAlthough there is abundant evidence to recommend a physically active lifestyle, adult physical activity (PA) levels have declined. In order to understand why this happens, studies have been conducted to uncover the reasons for people’s participation in PA.
The Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS) was created to be a comprehensive tool to measure motives for participating in PA. The present thesis consists of three studies investigating the validation of PALMS in Malaysian adults. In Study 1, I examined the reliability and validity of the PALMS. In Study 2, I investigated
the construct validity of the PALMS by testing whether motives for participation best discriminated between types of PA, age, and gender. Finally, in Study 3, I further
investigated the construct validity of the PALMS by examining whether PA motives predicted actual amount of PA at a later time.
In Study 1, a total of 502 (259 males, 243 females) Malaysian volunteer participants, aged 17 to 67 years completed the PALMS and REMM (questionnaire from which the
PALMS was developed). The hypothesized eight sub-scale model demonstrated acceptable fit with the data (CMIN/DF = 2.820, NFI = 0.90, CFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.06). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = 0.79) indicated good internal consistency for the overall measure. Internal consistency for the PALMS sub-scales was sound, ranging from 0.78 to 0.82 Spearman’s rho (rs = 0.86, p < 0.001) indicated strong criterion validity with the REMM. The test-retest reliability for the PALMS sub-scales was between 0.78 and 0.94 over a 4-week period.
In Study 2, a quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed. The PALMS was used to assess motives for PA in 1,360 adults (703 males, 657 females). Respondents were divided into two age groups (young adults aged 20 to 40 years and middle-aged adults 41 to 64 years) and five types of activity (individual sports, team sports, racquet sports, martial arts, and exercise). The group discriminant function analyses revealed significant canonical functions correctly classifying the cases into gender, age group, and type of activities group. The findings in this study suggest that strong and important motives for participation in PA are different across gender,
age, and type of activity in adults.
In Study 3, a quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed. The PALMS was used to assess motives for PA in adults on two occasions. A sample of
493 undergraduate students aged 18 to 25 years took part in the study. The results showed that not only were pertinent sub-scales of PALMS positively related to amount of PA, but separate regression analyses showed the positive predictive effect of PALMS motives for amount of PA for each type of PA among participants. This study supported the construct validity of the PALMS by showing that the motives measured by PALMS did predict amount of PA. The three studies in this thesis signal strong potential for the PALMS to be used in practice to advise individuals about suitable PA based on their primary motives for participating
The Effect of Mindfulness and PETTLEP Imagery on Competitive State Anxiety and the Performance of Equestrian Athletes of Show Jumping Discipline
No full textIntroduction: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness training and PETTLEP imagery on competitive state anxiety and the performance of equestrian athletes.Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, which was conducted with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group, 30 professional adult equestrians were selected conveniently and were randomly assigned into three Mental Imagery, Mindfulness, and Control groups. In the pre-test and the post-test phases, the participants completed the Persian version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2, and then their jumping performance was measured in a simulated competition by the jury. In the intervention stage, a 90-minute session was held in 6 weeks, in which the training groups dealt with the desired interventions. Data were analyzed using dependent t-tests, Univariate, and Multivariate Analyses of Covariance with Bonferroni's post hoc test.Results: The study's results showed that mindfulness has a significant effect on sports performance (P=0.025), physical anxiety (P=0.030), cognitive anxiety (P=0.015), and self-confidence (P=0.0001). Also, imagery has a significant effect on sports performance (P=0.039), physical anxiety (P=0.016), cognitive anxiety (P=0.033), and self-confidence (P=0.033). Other results indicated that there is no significant difference between the effect of mindfulness and imagery on the anxiety, self-confidence, and performance of equestrian athletes in show jumping discipline (P<0.05).Conclusion: In general, the results of the study suggest the use of mindfulness training and PETTLEP mental imagery interventions as practical, safe, and effective training methods to reduce competitive state anxiety, and to improve the performance of equestrian athletes in show jumping discipline
The Effect of Aquatic Training on Social-Emotional Skills and Gross Motor Development of Children Aged 3 to 6 Years
No full textIntroduction: Movement is a way of social communication of the child with other people in his life. By moving into the environment, the child gains various experiences, although his skills are not yet developed. This research aimed to investigate the effect of aquatic movement training on the development of social-emotional and gross motor skills of children aged 3 to 6 years old.Methods: The research was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and a control group design. The statistical population was made up of female preschool children in Faridan City, Isfahan province. 23 people were selected conveniently and were randomly divided into two experimental (n=12) and control (n=11) groups. The experimental group performed 16 sessions of 50 minutes of aquatic movement training in water for 8 weeks, and the control group performed their daily activities according to their usual programs. Both groups performed the third version of Ulrich’s Test of Gross Motor Development and the Social Skills Rating Systems by Gresham and Elliott (1990) under completely similar conditions in the pre-test and post-test. Data analysis was done by multivariate analysis of covariance at a significance level of 0.05 in SPSS version 26 software.Results: The results showed that the aquatic movement games significantly led to the development of gross motor skills (locomotors and object manipulation) and more social-emotional skills (cooperation, assertion, self-control, and responsibility) than the control group (p≤0/05).Conclusion: By providing an educational program of aquatics movement games, an opportunity can be provided for the development of social-emotional skills and gross motor skills of preschool girls
Fielding Peter Carey: economy, archive, celebrity
No full text© 2018 Dr. Keyvan AllahyariThis thesis accounts for a method of reading Carey’s fiction as works of national literature in the minor register (colonial, peripheral, small) which refract a sense of the possibility of circulation in transnational literary markets. The publication of Carey’s debut work, The Fat Man in History, by the University of Queensland Press in 1974 coincided with the termination of The Traditional Markets Agreement, which resulted in assisting American publishers to roam more freely in the Australian literary market. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of the literary field, capital, and habitus, my thesis starts by examining the publication of The Fat Man as a microevent to better understand the macroevent of Carey’s position-taking in the transnational marketplace. The mid-1970s shifted Carey’s position in the field and established a trajectory through which he accumulated significant cultural and economic capital in the following decades. This method interrogates Carey’s rising visibility in relation to the construction of a new status for the postcolonial authors and the possibilities of the global publishing industry since the 1960s throughout to the present moment, including the politics of literary prizes and literary festivals, the rise of literary agents, the commodification of literary archives, and the merging of conglomerate publishing houses.
Carey’s fiction exhibits the anxieties of an Australian author ensnared in neoliberal systems of literary production and distribution, a free market economy biased against national territories (such as Australia) on the periphery of a world republic of letters. Drawing on the sociological paradigm of Pierre Bourdieu, this thesis asks how, and to what extent, can we think of Carey’s fiction and his writerly persona as cultural objects circulating within the global literary marketplace? How does his fiction refract the global forces that produce and distribute his books and celebrity? And what is the relationship between Carey’s stories and the literary marketplace, between the making of his books and the reading of them? Thus, my study offers a lateral examination of two interrelated aspects of Carey’s fiction. On the one hand, it captures a continuum of Australian and transnational practices of literary distinction and advancement that governed the critical and financial success of Carey’s fiction; on the other, it produces insights into the structural homologies between the literary spaces that Carey inhabits and those of his Australian characters confined to minor systems of cultural production and consumption
Validating the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS)
No full textBackground
Although there is abundant evidence to recommend a physically active lifestyle, adult physical activity (PA) levels have declined over the past two decades. In order to understand why this happens, numerous studies have been conducted to uncover the reasons for people’s participation in PA. Often, the measures used were not broad enough to reflect all the reasons for participation in PA. The Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS) was created to be a comprehensive tool measuring motives for participating in PA. This 40-item scale related to participation in sport and PA is designed for adolescents and adults. Five items constitute each of the eight sub-scales (mastery, enjoyment, psychological condition, physical condition, appearance, other’s expectations, affiliation, competition/ego) reflecting motives for participation in PA that can be categorized as features of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation based on self-determination theory. The aim of the current study was to validate the PALMS in the cultural context of Malaysia, including to assess how well the PALMS captures the same information as the Recreational Exercise Motivation Measure (REMM).
Method
To do so, 502 Malaysian volunteer participants, aged 18 to 67 years (mean ± SD; 31.55 ± 11.87 years), from a variety of PA categories, including individual sports, team sports, martial arts and exercise, completed the study.
Results
The hypothesized 8-factor model demonstrated a good fit with the data (CMIN/DF = 2.820, NFI = 0.90, CFI = 0.91, RMSEA = 0.06). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (α = 0.79) indicated good internal consistency for the overall measure. Internal consistency for the PALMS subscales was sound, ranging from 0.78 to 0.82. The correlations between each PALMS sub-scale and the corresponding sub-scale on the validated REMM (the 73-item questionnaire from which the PALMS was developed) were also high and varied from 0.79 to 0.95. Also, test-retest reliability for the questionnaire sub-scales was between 0.78 and 0.94 over a 4-week period.
Conclusions
In this sample, the PALMS demonstrated acceptable factor structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity. It was applicable to diverse physical activity contexts
The Effect of Physical Activity Levels on Body Image, Self-esteem, and Quality of Life in Women after Breast Cancer Surgery
No full textIntroduction: Based on many evidences, physical activity levels are one of the most important factors in maintaining personal and social health. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of physical activity (PA) on body image, self-esteem, and quality of life in women after breast cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: The participants of the present study were 252 women with breast cancer who had undergone breast cancer surgery at least once in the Mo'tamed hospital in Tehran. Assessment tools were the international Physical Activity questionnaire (IPAQ), self-administrated European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC-QLQ-C30), Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), and Coopersmith self-esteem (SEI) questionnaires. To analyze the data, the ANOVA, and Tukey post hoc test were used respectively. Results: Results showed a significant difference between low and moderate, low and high, and moderate and high PA level on body image, self-esteem, and quality of life (P≥0.05). The moderate level of PA had more effect compared to the low and high levels of PA. Conclusion: Our study suggested that physicians, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, should be schedules more PA and sports plans for patients with breast cancer surgery and increase patients’ awareness of PA benefits
Physical Activity Plus Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Can Decrease Anxiety Symptoms and Insomnia Severity Among Individuals With Poor Sleep Quality
No full textBackground and Objective During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were increased reports of sleep problems. Individuals with poor sleep quality are at particular risk of reporting symptoms of anxiety, depression, and poor quality of life, along with substance abuse. The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of combined physical activity and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on anxiety and depressive symptoms and insomnia severity among individuals with poor sleep quality. Methods Participants were 60 males and females with mean age (standard deviation) of 39.29 (5.82) years. Participants were randomly divided into 4 groups of 1) physical activity, 2) ACT, 3) combination of physical activity and ACT, and 4) control. The study consisted of four stages: pre-test, interventions, post-test, and follow-up. Repeated measures analyses of variance were used to assess time by group interactions. Results The results showed that the symptoms of anxiety and depression and sleep problems were reduced for the physical activity, ACT, and combined groups, compared to the control group (p = 0.001). Superiority in all outcomes of the combined group was shown, compared to the other groups. Conclusions The present findings suggest that among individuals with poor sleep quality, combined physical activity and ACT intervention has the potential to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and insomnia severity. It further appears that health organizers should pay more attention to physical activity interventions in individuals with poor sleep quality
Effects of physical activity on sleep quality, inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility among adolescent students
No full textBackground: The objective of this current research is to examine the impacts of a physical activity intervention on sleep quality and executive functions. Specifically, we will examine whether moderate-intensity resistance training has a more beneficial impact on sleep quality and executive functions among a sample of male adolescent than an active control condition.
Method: Male children, aged 12-14 years as participants were enlisted to participate in the ongoing intervention study. Subsequently, they were randomly allocated to either a resistance training or to an active control condition. Participants were under go sleep quality and executive function tests included inhibitory control, working memory and cognitive flexibility at the start of the study, eight weeks following the interventions conclusion, and once more, four weeks later during the follow-up period. The resistance intervention was consist of three 45min group sessions per week, across eight consecutive weeks.
Results: Result showed that compared to an active control condition and compared to the baseline, participating in the resistance training program lead to significant improvements in sleep quality and execution functions over time.
Conclusion: The findings of the present study have the potential to provide guidance to physical educators, parents or to children themselves regarding the question of how they can effectively improve their sleep, physical fitness and cognitive performance, which in turn might have a positive effect on their academic function and their perceived quality of life
Effect of Group-based Fallproof Program on Balance and Psychological Health of the Elderly With Different Ages
No full textBackground and Aims Balance control is needed to walk and function independently. Decreased balance accompanied by fear of falling can have a negative effect on the mental and physical health of older adults. In this study, we aim to assess the effect of group-based Fallproof program on balance and psychological aspects of health in the elderly with different ages.Methods In this quasi-experimental study, the study population consists of all healthy community-dwelling older people in Tehran, Iran. Based to the inclusion criteria, 60 people aged 65-85 years were selected using a convenience sampling method from public recreational centers. They were divided into three age groups: 65-71, 72-78, and 79-85 years. All groups received a group-based Fallproof program for eight weeks, three times a week. The Symptoms Checklist-90-Revised was used to measure psychological problems, and the Fullerton Advanced Balance scale was used to identify balance problems in the pre-test and post-test phases. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the normality of data distribution, and analysis of covariance was used to measure the mean differences between groups The significance level was set at 0.05.Results The results showed a significant improvement in balance and psychological health of all three groups after the intervention (P<0.001). The oldest group showed more significant improvement in all dependent variables when compared to other two groups. Therefore, older adults not only can benefit from exercise-based interventions, but also can achieve better physical and psychological results in short period by participating in group-based Fallproof program.Conclusion Eight weeks of group-based Fallproof program can be effective in improving balance and psychological health of the elderly and can be used along with other training protocols for improving balance problems of older adults
From Corpus to Bio-Text; Peter Carey’s Archives as Literary Networks
No full textCarey's archives add a new facet to Carey’s public image as an Australian author. In principle, the archive is directed at posterity, defying the ephemeral nature of “personality” pieces about the writer, a phenomenon that Grahame Turner has discussed in terms of Carey’s active participation in accumulating recognition amounting to the construction of Carey’s author-persona as a “national celebrity” (136). My interest in this essay is to explore the ways that Carey’s archives contribute to our understanding of productive mechanisms of his celebrity. In doing so, I theorize the formation and the significance of Carey’s archives both as texts and objects. I argue that the archiving of Carey is energized by a collective investment by a body of cultural participants who have a stake in promoting the now ‘globalised’ author. This has ultimately resulted in relocalising the ‘corpus’ of the New York based writer back in Australia, and particularly in the State Library of Victoria in Melbourne. This archive has been regularly updated alongside Carey’s growing oeuvre. In this parallel literary space, however, Carey’s cultural agency continues to manipulate his public persona.
