Search

The Step-by-Step Project (SBS) was co-designed to address a common need identified by partners from four European Countries. Men are at greater risk of poor physical and mental health because of social isolation, loneliness and unemployment. SBS delivered a model of community engagement to empower men to move from poor health and/or isolation to healthy social participation or active engagement in the labour market. To achieve this, the SBS Model adapted the Men’s Sheds concept by developing a new, third-generation Men’s Sheds Delivery Model. This incorporated peer champion (health and employment focused) training and deployment within the Sheds and their communities, outreach with their communities and other organisations, and use of health technology for assessment of health status. Information videos have been created, explaining the SBS Model in English, French, and Dutch.\ud The evaluation adopts a mixed-method (qualitative and quantitative evidence gathered), multi-discipline (physical, social, psychological and economic indicators of change) multi-level (evidence gathered from Shedders, Leaders, Trainers, Partners) approach. The objective is to provide evidence of “who” the SBS Project has engaged with (reach), “what” changes have occurred (effectiveness), document “where” diversity in SBS Shed delivery is observed (adoption), “how” change was achieved (implementation) and “if” change is likely to lead to long-term economic benefit (maintenance). This approach is based on the RE-AIM evaluation framework (Glasgow, 1999, 2019).\ud Between September 2017 and November 2021, 101 Sheds were established with a total membership of approximately 2000 individuals from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Data collection for this evaluation started in May 2019 and ran until November 2021, and involved approximately 450 Shedders (Leaders, Champions and Members), 7 Champion trainers and 15 Project Partners. Economically, the SBS Model facilitated reduced expenditure on mental and physical healthcare, less public spending on welfare transfer payments and other support agencies, and up-skilling and greater self-esteem on reducing unemployment and enhanced productivity in the workplace.

Students’ social relationships play an important role in their experiences of educational transition, with some researchers reporting that postgraduate students often feel a lack of support during their transition. The current study examined how students’ social relationships influence their experiences of transition into taught postgraduate study in the Sport and Exercise Sciences. A mixed methods approach was adopted to explore 12 students’ (Mage 25 ± 9.54; 4 female, 8 male) social relationships and the perceived influence of these relations on educational transition. A personal network analysis was used to structure an interview which was analysed using a thematic content analysis. Five sources of social influence were identified, including social support, social comparison, gate keeper, accommodation of relationships, and, coping with the network. These themes were evidenced and discussed with reference to participants’ network structural features such as tie strength and alter centrality. The combination of both network structure and the function of relationships makes a novel contribution to literature by highlighting aspects of participants’ social network in context to their experiences of transition. Results are discussed in relation to social network theory and models of influence. Recommendations for coordinators of Masters programmes are also offered relating to the provision, development and maintenance of supportive relationships.

Extant research suggests that irrational and rational beliefs may play an important role in both substance and behavioural addictions. However, the influence of irrational and rational beliefs pertaining exercise addiction has yet to be investigated. Rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) is a cognitive-behavioural approach that provides a theoretical framework to identify and change irrational beliefs through cognitive restructuring and endorsing rational beliefs. The principal aim of the current study is to examine the effectiveness of a one-to-one REBT programme in decreasing irrational beliefs and exercise addiction symptoms, and increasing unconditional self-acceptance, in three male exercisers. The exercisers present high symptoms of exercise addiction, and high irrational beliefs. A single-case, staggered multiple-baseline across participant A-B design is used in the current study to examine the effects of a six-week REBT program comprising six 45-minute one-to-one counselling sessions and 5 homework assignments. Visual and statistical analyses, and social validation data indicate strong reductions in low-frustration tolerance, composite irrational beliefs, and exercise addiction from pre- to intervention phase. In addition, all participants report increased unconditional self-acceptance. This is the first study to report the effects of REBT in an exercise population, and the first to demonstrate that exercise addiction symptoms can be attenuated using REBT. This study supports literature suggesting that irrational and rational beliefs are an important mechanism in exercise addiction and provides important implications for the development of its treatment.

The Mental Toughness Questionnaire-48 (MTQ48; Clough, Earle, & Sewell, 2002) is the most utilised instrument to measure Mental Toughness in sport (Gucciardi, Hanton, & Mallett, 2012). To date, preliminary research (Gucciardi et al., 2012; Perry et al., 2013) examining the factorial validity of the MTQ48 in athlete samples has yielded equivocal findings. The aim of this paper was to re-examine the factorial validity of the four- and six-factor models of the MTQ48 in moderate (n = 480) and large (n = 1206) independent student athlete samples. Using confirmatory factor analyses, findings revealed little support for the hypothesised models of the MTQ48 in both samples. The results support those found by Gucciardi et al. and Perry et al. and suggest that, in its current form, the MTQ48 may not be a valid measure of the 4/6Cs model of mental toughness when using student athletes.

We aimed to determine whether primary school teachers’ motivational regulations to exercise and self efficacy in delivering a physical education (PE) lesson are different based on prior PE training. Two groups of qualified primary school teachers were recruited; PE specialists and a group of generalist primary school teachers who also teach PE. All teachers completed the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2, International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale. PE specialists demonstrated significantly higher levels of intrinsic motivation towards exercise participation and took part in more physical activity in comparison to the generalist teachers. Regression analysis showed that being a PE specialist predicted higher scores in instructional strategies and classroom management in PE. Our findings support the use of Self Determination Theory concepts in understanding teacher’s exercise participation motivations. These findings have implications for the modelling role of teachers in encouraging children to be physically active.

Introduction: Self-compassion occurs when an individual displays kindness and understanding rather than criticism in the face of set-backs and failures. A greater capacity for self-compassion is associated with the intention to engage in health promoting activities including exercise and exercise related outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore, using a cross-sectional design, the concept of self-compassion for regular exercisers whilst accounting for potential age and gender differences. More specifically how self-compassion relates to self-determined motivation towards exercise involvement.\ud Methods: Participants (n=172), recruited through social media sites aimed at recreational runners were regular exercisers (M = 40, SD = 9; males = 26; females = 146). An online survey containing the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003), the Behavioural Regulations in Exercise Questionnaire-2 (Markland & Tobin, 2004) and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Long Form (Craig et al., 2003) was completed.\ud Results: Total self-compassion was related to higher intrinsic motivation and lower external and introjected regulation. Older exercisers experienced lower levels of negative self-compassion, namely self-judgement, isolation and over-identification than younger adult exercisers. Similarly males, greater total self-compassion and specifically lower negative self-compassion to female exercisers. No relationship was observed between self-compassion sub-scales and the amount of physical activity self-reported by exercisers.\ud Conclusion: Motivation to exercise is concerned with regulated self-determination such as health and appearance related pressures. Self-compassion was positively, linearly associated with self-determination to exercise however this the concept was not associated with the amount of physical activity completed. Older adults and men involved in exercise appear display greater self-compassion than women and younger exercisers.

Purpose: Adopting a socio-ecological perspective, this study assessed the influence of social status and social economic status on adolescent intrinsic motivation for physical activity. A social network measure of social status was employed which permits analysis of both popularity and relatedness. It was predicted that higher social status would predict higher levels of self-determined motivation (intrinsic) for physical activity, that increasing age and social status would moderate this relationship and that boys with higher social status would show higher levels of intrinsic motivation for physical activity.\ud \ud Methods: One hundred and nine (59 males and 50 females) participants aged 11 years 1 month to 16 years 9 months (M=13 years 5 months) were recruited from schools across the South East of the UK. They completed measures of social economic status, self-determined motivation (BREQ-2) towards physical activity participation and ratings of school peer’s social status (generating popularity and relatedness scores).\ud \ud Results: Hierarchical multiple regression showed that males displayed higher self-determined motivation towards physical activity participation than females; social status was not a significant predictor. Age, gender and social economic status did not predict motivation for physical activity. Social status, specifically popularity, did however correlate with participation for the older participants aged 15 years 2 months to 16 years 9 months. Qualitative, visual interpretation of the social networks of popularity and relatedness showed a mixed influence on motivation across individuals. For example, females with higher and lower popularity and relatedness had higher and lower self-determined motivation respectively to participate in physical activity. \ud \ud Conclusions: In partial support of a socio-ecological framework, age related to increased participation in physical activity. The mixed individual findings regarding the influence of popularity and relatedness in relation to age and social economic status on self-determined motivation to participate in physical activity suggest the importance of assessing the interplay of multiple socio-ecological factors using inclusive social network analysis on an individual basis in relation to understanding and promoting intrinsic rather than regulated motivation towards physical activity.

Physical activity questionnaires are an important means to assess habitual physical activity. It remains unclear what questionnaires are used and whether they are appropriate for people with dementia who have impaired information recall but are also often largely sedentary. This scoping review aimed to identify and quantify the use of physical activity questionnaires within a dementia population. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The majority of studies used questionnaires that were validated for use within an older adult population (e.g., Modified Baecke Questionnaire for the Elderly), though none had specifically been validated for use in people with dementia. Interestingly, just over half of studies (N= 10, 55.6%) adapted the questionnaires from the original validated version by allowing a proxy to provide input into the responses. Future research needs to robustly validate the use of proxy-report measures of physical activity in people with dementia.