Dual career in the workplace: co-creation of a conceptual framework by employers and employee-sportspersons incorporating corporate social responsibility and brand alignment.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to provide an evidence base and conceptual framework to inform new guidelines for achieving a balance between sports and employment commitments (i.e., dual career, DC) of the employee-sportspersons. To shape a DC discourse in the workplace, the distinct and combined views of the employee-sportspersons (i.e., the Employee), the managers (i.e., the Employer) were considered. Methods: Following a concept mapping methodology, 257 international participants (25% employers and 75% employee-sportspersons) sorted and rated 50 potential statements associated with DC circumstances and supports in the workplace. Results: Six distinct clusters emerged, with the combined employers-employee co-creation scenario assigning 6 statements to the micro dimension (Cluster 1 = Workplace Benefits), 4 statements to the meso dimension (Cluster 2 = Role of National Sports Governing Bodies), 19 statements to the macro dimension (Cluster 3 = Dual Career Policy Development), 4 and 5 statements to the organizational dimensions (Cluster 4 = Employee-Employer Collaboration and Responsibility; Cluster 5 = Sport Career Integration), and 12 statements to the policy (Cluster 6 = Workplace Strategies for Dual Career Support) dimension. With respect to the employers, the employee-sportspersons showed higher scores (p < 0.05) for importance of clusters 2, 4, and 6, and for feasibility of clusters 2 and 6. Discussion: These findings suggest priorities for changes within the DC dimensions identified, and envisage flexible models for aligning corporate brand values and corporate social responsibility strategies through meaningful and proactive DC support of the employee-sportspersons in the workplace. The findings provide a rigorously derived evidence base to inform the formulation of new DC workplace guidelines.

DE-PASS best evidence statement (BESt): determinants of adolescents' device-based physical activity and sedentary behaviour in settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Although physical activity (PA) is associated with significant health benefits, only a small percentage of adolescents meet recommended PA levels. This systematic review with meta-analysis explored the modifiable determinants of adolescents' device-based PA and/or sedentary behaviour (SB), evaluated in previous interventions and examined the associations between PA/SB and these determinants in settings. METHODS: A search was conducted on five electronic databases, including papers published from January 2010 to July 2023. Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) or Controlled Trials (CTs) measuring adolescents' device-based PA/SB and their modifiable determinants at least at two time points: pre- and post-intervention were considered eligible. PA/SB and determinants were the main outcomes. Modifiable determinants were classified after data extraction adopting the social-ecological perspective. Robust Bayesian meta-analyses (RoBMA) were performed per each study setting. Outcomes identified in only one study were presented narratively. The risk of bias for each study and the certainty of the evidence for each meta-analysis were evaluated. The publication bias was also checked. PROSPERO ID: CRD42021282874. RESULTS: Fourteen RCTs (eight in school, three in school and family, and one in the family setting) and one CT (in the school setting) were included. Fifty-four modifiable determinants were identified and were combined into 33 broader determinants (21 individual-psychological, four individual-behavioural, seven interpersonal, and one institutional). RoBMAs revealed none or negligible pooled intervention effects on PA/SB or determinants in all settings. The certainty of the evidence of the impact of interventions on outcomes ranged from very low to low. Narratively, intervention effects in favour of the experimental group were detected in school setting for the determinants: knowledge of the environment for practicing PA, d = 1.84, 95%CI (1.48, 2.20), behaviour change techniques, d = 0.90, 95%CI (0.09, 1.70), choice provided, d = 0.70, 95%CI (0.36, 1.03), but no corresponding effects on PA or SB were found. CONCLUSIONS: Weak to minimal evidence regarding the associations between the identified modifiable determinants and adolescents' device-based PA/SB in settings were found, probably due to intervention ineffectiveness. Well-designed and well-implemented multicomponent interventions should further explore the variety of modifiable determinants of adolescents' PA/SB, including policy and environmental variables.

How Does the University Environment Relate to Student's Physical Activity Patterns in Ireland.

BACKGROUND: Identifying factors related to physical activity in university students can aid the development of health promotion interventions, but there is limited research regarding the influence of university environments. This study examined the relationship between level of provision for university environments that aim to promote physical activity and self-reported physical activity patterns of students. METHODS: An environmental audit tool was completed by universities (n = 28) on the island of Ireland to acquire information about physical activity opportunities, resources, and supports offered. Students (N = 6951; 50.7% male; 21.51 [5.55] y) completed an online survey, providing responses about their active transport and recreational physical activity behaviors. Binary logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between environmental factors that support physical activity and clustered physical activity patterns, while controlling for gender, age, and university size. RESULTS: Universities with a high provision for organizational structures and internal partnerships, indoor facilities, and sport clubs increase the odds of their students having more active physical activity patterns. Increased provision of investment and personnel was seen to have a mixed relationship with students' physical activity engagement, highlighting the need to understand where resources are needed and not just increase them. CONCLUSIONS: It is important for universities to have adequate organizational structures with internal partnerships to understand how resources can be maximized to support physical activity engagement across the whole student population. University campuses hold the potential for increasing student engagement in physical activity, and these findings can help inform campus-wide initiatives that foster active student populations for improving overall long-term health.

School-based physical education, physical activity and sports provision: A concept mapping framework for evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: Physical education, physical activity and sports provision are important factors in whole school health promotion, however, a standardised evaluation framework to evaluate the contribution of these components is lacking. A framework that accounts for the distinct structures and associated factors, that impact upon provision would facilitate a more coherent evaluation. METHODS: A concept mapping methodology, involving the generation of factors relevant to school physical education, physical activity and sports provision and their subsequent thematic and numeric rating and sorting was utilised. Concept mapping effectively gathers, integrates, and visually and numerically represents the composite thinking of a group of relevant and expert stakeholders around a complex social phenomenon. Following a review of the extant literature and synthesis among 20 expert stakeholders, a list of 95 factor statements relevant to school physical education, physical activity and sports provision were developed. RESULTS: Each factor statement was rated and sorted by 197 multi-disciplinary participants. An eight-cluster framework that demonstrated good validity (stress value: 0.266), was derived from the data based on: 1. Partnerships and Pupil Centered Physical Education; 2. Physical Activity and Sports; 3. School Demographics; 4. Equipment, Facilities and Budget; 5. Extra Costs; 6. Curriculum and Policy; 7. School Management and 8. Timetable. Statements within the cluster on school management received the highest mean importance and modifiability ratings while statements within the cluster on school demographics received the lowest mean importance and modifiability ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Eight overarching structures which account for school physical education, physical activity and sports provision have been identified. Within each of these, structures and overall factors of greatest importance and modifiability have been illuminated. Findings stemming from this rigorous methodology, provide the foundation for the development of a national provision evaluation index to inform both school-level and national policy and actions. It is recommended the current methodology is replicated in other nations to gain corresponding insights.

Test-Retest Reliability of a Physical Activity Behavior, Health and Wellbeing Questionnaire in Adolescents.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire, in adolescent populations, administered by teachers in school settings, in the Republic of Ireland. Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed sample of 55 participants (45.5% males: Age, 13.94 (±.40) years) were included. The participants completed the questionnaire on two occasions (T1 and T2), on the same day and time, one week apart following identical procedures. Variables for testing included physical activity behavior (n=13), health (n=11) and wellbeing (n=2). Test-retest reliability of the questionnaire's covariates, including family affluence and physical impairments were also examined. Results: Systematic error (Bland-Altman plots) was found to be near to zero for each of the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing variables. The combined mean coefficient of variation was lower for females (10.19%) in comparison to males (13.01%). The combined mean intraclass correlation coefficients were higher for females (0.901) than males (0.822). Similarly, the combined mean Cronbach alpha coefficient were higher for girls (0.908) than boys (0.821). Conclusions: This study found the physical activity behavior, health and wellbeing questionnaire to be reliable for use in adolescent populations.

Development of an Online Multilingual Educational Programme for Parents of Dual-Career Athletes: A Participatory Design.

There is a need for educational support structures to empower parents in sustaining talented athletes pursuing academic and sports careers (e. g., dual career). The present work describes the participatory design used to develop a series of educational resources and the subsequent iterations used to evaluate the content of the EMPATIA online education programme for parents of dual-career athletes. Following an ethnographic approach, the project team (18 dual-career experts) engaged in four iterations (i.e., rounds) planned to develop (rounds 1 and 2) educational material from preliminary evidence (systematic literature review) and eminence (focus groups and concept mapping) knowledge and to evaluate the educational programme (round 3 and 4) engaging end users (n = 76) and other stakeholders (9 dual-career experts). The EMPATIA programme was developed and organized in four modules labeled after macro-aspects, parents could ask about dual career: "Why" (the definition and challenges of dual career for athletes and their parents), "What" (insights, guidelines, and suggestions on the parental role in support of student-athletes), "How" (practical advice on planning dual career at sports and academic levels, and post-sports careers), and "Where" (finding legal information or counseling on dual career). Despite overall positive evaluations of the programme, parents of dual-career athletes attributed higher scores with respect to those of dual-career experts. The participatory approach presented in this work enables developers to apply a systematic and multidisciplinary approach toward the creation of educational programmes for parents. The cooperation among dual-career researchers, experts from high-performance centers, Olympic bodies, sports clubs, and parents of elite student-athletes of different sports and nationalities created an educational programme suitable for end users to support parenting athletes in combining their sports and academic careers.

Collective conceptualization of parental support of dual career athletes: The EMPATIA framework.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to use a concept mapping methodology to develop a European framework of the needs of parents/guardians (P/G) for supporting athletes combining sport and education (dual career, DC). METHODS: By means of a concept mapping methodology, 337 French, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, and Slovenian parents sorted and rated 80 potential statements associated to parenting DC athletes. RESULTS: Five distinct clusters emerged: 1. P/G' roles, needs and awareness to support athletes, including 22 statements (mean:3.7; range: 3.2-4.2 pt); 2. Requirements for effective planning of DC pathway, including 19 statements (mean:3.7; range: 3.2-4.5 pt); 3. Educational opportunity, including 13 statements (mean:3.5; range: 3.1-4.0 pt); 4. Policy and provision for DC, including 19 statements (mean:3.7; range: 3.1-4.2 pt); and 5. Athletes' lifestyle & self-management, including 7 statements (mean:4.0; range: 3.5-4.5 pt). Estimates of effect size (Partial eta-squared) were calculated for ANOVAs to assess the degree of variability on the statement importance ranking as the dependent variable accounted for by the demographic data. The concept mapping showed good validity (stress value: 0.11) and high reliability (rSHT: 0.99, rSHM: 0.98; rRR:0.98). One-third of the statements indicated differences (p<0.05) in relation to the P/Gs' gender and the athletes' education level, competition level and sport typology. CONCLUSION: In synthesizing the opinions, experience and needs of P/Gs of DC athletes the present framework provided sound theoretical underpinnings to inform the development of an online educational programme for empowering parenting DC athletes (https://edu.empatiasport.eu/eng/), as well as be a foundation for future Pan-European DC research on how these statements interact with each other, in different European contexts.

Understanding the educational needs of parenting athletes involved in sport and education: The parents' view.

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that an educational programme for parents of youth tennis players has been launched recently, there is a need to empower parents of athletes in sustaining the combination of education and sport careers (i.e., dual career) of their talented and elite athletes across sports. The aim of this study was to explore the parents' view of their role as dual career supporters and their need for educational support in this area. METHODS: In total, 115 parents (F = 49, M = 66) of athletes (14-23 yrs) engaged in full time academic education (high school/university) and competitive (e.g., National, International) sports (individual = 12, team = 9) in five European Member States (e.g., France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia) took part in national workshops. The workshops involved discussing five themes and agreeing statements relevant to assist parents supporting their children as dual career athletes: 1) the athletes' needs; 2) the sports environment; 3) the academic environment; 4) dual career-related policies and services; 5) The educational methods for parenting dual career athletes. RESULTS: A final list of 80 agreed statements were identified: 25 statements mainly related to the sports entourage; 23 to information on dual career-related policies and services; 22 to the athletes' needs; 17 to the academic entourage, and 8 to the relevant educational resources to parenting dual career athletes, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This cross-national qualitative research synthesized the parents' perspectives about their needs and the most relevant content of an educational programme for parenting dual career athletes. The findings of this research will help influence the formulation of effective education strategies on parenting dual career athletes to ensure an optimal supportive environment for the successful combination of high-level sport and education careers.

Parents about parenting dual career athletes: A systematic literature review.

OBJECTIVES: To establish the scientific literature on the parents' view as supporters of dual career (DC) athletes, and to highlight practical implications for the development of education programmes to empower parents in this role. METHOD: ology: The systematic literature review included four electronic databases, from which 438 articles published in English between 1999 and 2019 were retrieved. RESULTS: A total of 14 studies achieved the eligibility criteria (i.e., focus on DC, involving parents as participants) for inclusion. Results show that the 14 studies included in the review were characterised by sample sizes <15 to >50 parents of individual and/or team sports athletes, involving data collection based on interviews, semi-structured interviews focus groups, questionnaires and a survey. A thematic synthesis highlighted a two primary constructs: the individual level and the inter-individual level, respectively. The individual level comprised two main themes: Approach to both Sport and Education, and Stressors and Coping, which included five aspects of parenting. The inter-individual level presented three themes: Relationship with the Athlete; Relationship with the Sport Environment and Relationship with the Academic Environment. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlighted a relevant parental role in supporting DC athletes and partial information on parental support strategies. In conclusions, the limited sample size and typology of sports, and the partial representativeness of countries have impacted the global application of the main findings. Furthermore, the need of an educational programme for parents and the need of regular parents-athlete-teacher/coach engagement were considered crucial to facilitate successful parental interventions at academic and/or sports levels and to limit the potential negative effects of DC parenting.

Profiling the health-related physical fitness of Irish adolescents: A school-level sociodemographic divide.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Examining factors that may explain disparities in fitness levels among youth is a critical step in youth fitness promotion. The purpose of this study was twofold; 1) to examine the influence of school-level characteristics on fitness test performance; 2) to compare Irish adolescents' physical fitness to European norms. METHODS: Adolescents (n = 1215, girls = 609) aged 13.4 years (SD .41) from a randomised sample of 20 secondary schools, stratified for gender, location and educational (dis)advantage, completed a series of field-based tests to measure the components of health-related physical fitness. Tests included: body mass index; 20 metre shuttle run test (20 m SRT); handgrip strength; standing broad jump (SBJ); 4 x 10 metre shuttle run; and back-saver sit-and-reach (BSR). RESULTS: Overall, boys outperformed girls in all tests, aside from the BSR (p < 0.005, t-test, Bonferroni correction). Participants in designated disadvantaged schools had significantly higher body mass index levels (p < 0.001), and significantly lower cardiorespiratory endurance (20 m SRT) (p < 0.001) and muscular strength (handgrip strength) (p = 0.018) levels compared to participants in non-disadvantaged schools. When compared to European norms, girls in this study scored significantly higher in the 20 m SRT, 4 x 10 metre shuttle run and SBJ tests, while boys scored significantly higher in the BSR test (Cohen's d 0.2 to 0.6, p < 0.001). However, European adolescents had significantly higher handgrip strength scores (Cohen's d 0.6 to 0.8, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Irish adolescents compared favourably to European normative values across most components of HRPF, with the exception of muscular strength. School socioeconomic status was a strong determinant of performance among Irish adolescents. The contrasting findings for different fitness components reiterate the need for multi-component testing batteries for monitoring fitness in youth.

Associations of self-reported physical activity and anxiety symptoms and status among 7,874 Irish adults across harmonised datasets: a DEDIPAC-study.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is an adaptive response to an objective or perceived threat; however, when symptoms become severe and chronic it that can become a maladaptive anxiety disorder. Limited evidence suggests that physical activity may be associated with prevention against anxiety. This study uses data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and The Mitchelstown Cohort Study to investigate cross-sectional associations between physical activity and anxiety symptoms and status among Irish adults. METHODS: Both datasets were harmonized (n = 7874). The short form International Physical Activity Questionnaire measured physical activity. Participants were classified as meeting World Health Organization physical activity guidelines (≥150 min weekly of moderate intensity physical activity, ≥75 min weekly of vigorous intensity physical activity, or ≥ 600 MET-minutes) or not. They were also divided into three groups based on weekly MET-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (Low: 0-599; Moderate: 600-1199; High: ≥1200), and three groups based on weekly minutes of walking (Low: 0-209; Moderate: 210-419; High: 420+). Anxiety symptoms were measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale with a score of ≥8 indicating anxiety. Binomial logistic regression, adjusted for relevant confounders examined physical activity-anxiety associations. RESULTS: Females had higher rates of anxiety than males (28.0% vs 20.0%; p < 0.001). Following adjustment for relevant covariates, meeting physical activity guidelines was associated with 13.5% (95% CI: 2.0-23.7; p = 0.023) lower odds of anxiety. Moderate and High physical activity were associated with 13.5% (- 11.0-32.6; p = 0.254) and 13.6% (1.4-4.2; p = 0.030) lower odds of anxiety compared to Low physical activity, respectively. Moderate and High walking were associated with 2.1% (- 14.5-16.3; p = 0.789) and 5.1% (- 9.3-17.6; p = 0.467) lower odds of anxiety compared to Low walking, respectively. CONCLUSION: Meeting physical activity guidelines is associated with lower odds of anxiety, but the strength of associations did not increase considerably with increased physical activity levels.

Test-Retest Reliability of Student-Administered Health-Related Fitness Tests in School Settings.

PURPOSE: To examine the test-retest reliability of student-administered (SA) health-related fitness tests in school settings and to compare indices of reliability with those taken by trained research-assistants. METHODS: Participants (n = 86; age: 13.43 [0.33] y) were divided into 2 groups, SA (n = 45, girls = 26) or research-assistant administered (RA; n = 41, girls = 21). The SA group had their measures taken by 8 students (age: 15.59 [0.56] y, girls = 4), and the RA group had their measures taken by 8 research-assistants (age: 21.21 [1.38], girls = 5). Tests were administered twice by both groups, 1 week apart. Tests included body mass index, handgrip strength, standing broad jump, isometric plank hold, 90° push-up, 4 × 10-m shuttle run, back-saver sit and reach, and blood pressure. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficients for SA (≥.797) and RA (≥.866) groups were high, and the observed systematic error (Bland-Altman plot) between test 1 and test 2 was close to 0 for all tests. The coefficient of variation was less than 10% for all tests in the SA group, aside from the 90° push-up (24.3%). The SA group had a marginally lower combined mean coefficient of variation across all tests (6.5%) in comparison with the RA group (6.8%). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that, following familiarization training, SA health-related fitness tests in school-based physical education programs can be considered reliable.

Tracking of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior From Adolescence to Young Adulthood: A Systematic Literature Review.

PURPOSE: The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is categorized by substantial changes in one's activity behaviors, which may have important implications for health. To date, no reviews have systematically investigated the evidence of tracking for both physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) specifically during this transition period. METHODS: Web of Science, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were searched for articles that examined the tracking of PA and SB in adolescents (aged 9-18 years) through young adulthood (aged 19-25 years) published between the years of 2000 and 2018. Studies were also compared on methodologic quality. RESULTS: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The tracking correlations for both the frequency and duration of PA were low-to-moderate. Gender differences were observed in the tracking of PA frequency and duration. Studies that examined the tracking of SB were less frequent, making it difficult to determine how SB tracks from adolescence to young adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Generally, PA was shown to track moderately from adolescence through young adulthood. The lack of studies reporting on the tracking of SB indicates that this area should be a target for future research. Future tracking studies should consider appropriate gold-standard objective methodologies and statistical analysis techniques that report fixed outcomes.

What Psychosocial Factors Determine the Physical Activity Patterns of University Students?

Background: Although levels of physical activity (PA) have been researched, no information on how university students organize their PA across different life domains is available. The purpose of this study is to explore if and how students organize their PA across transport and recreational domains, and to identify the psychosocial factors related to these patterns. Methods: Students from 31 Irish universities completed a supervised online survey measuring participant characteristics, psychosocial factors, and PA. Two-step cluster analysis was used to identify specific PA patterns in students. Binary logistic regressions identified factors associated with cluster membership while controlling for age, sex, household income, and perceived travel time to a university. Results: Analysis was performed on 6951 students (50.7% male; 21.51 [5.55] y). One Low Active cluster emerged. Four clusters containing a form of PA emerged including Active Commuters, Active in University, Active Outside University, and High Active. Increases in motivation and planning improved the likelihood of students being categorized in a cluster containing PA. Conclusion: One size does not fit all when it comes to students PA engagement, with 5 patterns identified. Health professionals are advised to incorporate strategies for increasing students' motivation, action planning, and coping planning into future PA promotion efforts.

Identification of health-related behavioural clusters and their association with demographic characteristics in Irish university students.

BACKGROUND: Students engage in risky health-related behaviours that influence their current and future health status. Health-related behaviours cluster among adults and differently based on sub-populations characteristics but research is lacking for university populations. Examining the clustering of health- related behaviours can inform our initiatives and strategies, while examining cluster members' characteristics can help target those who can prosper most from health promotion efforts. This study examines the clustering of health-related behaviours in Irish university students, and investigates the relationship with students' sex, age, field of study and accommodation type. METHODS: An online survey was completed by 5672 Irish university students (51.3% male; 21.60 ± 5.65 years) during 2014. Two-step cluster analysis was used to understand how health-related behaviours (physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, drug use and dietary habits) cluster among male and female students. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to examine the likelihood of students falling into certain clusters based on their characteristics. RESULTS: Five cluster groups were identified in males and four in females. A quarter of males were categorised as ideal healthy with older students and those from certain fields of study having a higher likelihood of being classified in a low physical activity and poor diet (OR = 1.06-2.89), alcohol consumption (OR = 1.03-3.04), or smoking and drug use (OR = 1.06-2.73) cluster. Forty-five percent of females were categorised as ideal healthy with older females more likely to be in a low active and smoking cluster (OR = 1.03), and less likely to be in a convenience food cluster (OR = 0.96). Females from certain fields of study were also more likely to be classified in these clusters (OR = 1.59-1.76). Students living away from their family home had in increased likelihood of being in a cluster related to a higher frequency of alcohol consumption (OR = 1.72-3.05). CONCLUSION: Health-related behaviours cluster among this population and need to be taken into account when designing multi-health interventions and policies. These findings can be used to target student groups at risk, leading to more efficient and successful health promotion efforts. The addition of modules providing information regarding health-related behaviours are advised in all fields of study.

Biological determinants of physical activity across the life course: a "Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity" (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND: Despite the large number of studies and reviews available, the evidence regarding the biological determinants of physical activity (PA) is inconclusive. In this umbrella review, we summarized the current evidence on the biological determinants of PA across the life course, by pooling the results of the available systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses (MAs). METHODS: We conducted an online search on MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases up to January 2018. SLRs and MAs of observational studies that investigated the association between biological determinants of PA and having PA as outcome were considered eligible. The extracted data were assessed based on the importance of the determinants, the strength of evidence, and the methodological quality. RESULTS: We identified 19 reviews of which most were of moderate methodological quality. Determinants that were studied most frequently among all ages and demonstrated evidence suggesting a positive association to PA were younger age, being male, higher health status, and higher physical fitness levels. Among adults, normal birth weight was found to be positively associated to PA with convincing strength of evidence, while findings among adolescents were inconsistent and with limited strength of evidence. CONCLUSIONS: Different social or behavioral factors may contribute to the decrease of PA with age and among females versus males, and creating programmes targeted at diverse ages, female population, and adults with abnormal birth weight is recommended. Future studies should use prospective study designs, standardized definitions of PA, and objective measurement methods of PA assessment.

Active Students Are Healthier and Happier Than Their Inactive Peers: The Results of a Large Representative Cross-Sectional Study of University Students in Ireland.

BACKGROUND: Time spent in university represents a period of transition and may be an appropriate time to promote physical activity among young adults. The aim of this study was to assess participation of university students in sport and physical activity in Ireland and to explore the association between physical activity and perceptions of overall health, mental health, and happiness. METHODS: The Student Activity and Sport Study Ireland was a cross-sectional online survey among a representative sample (n = 8122) of university students in Ireland. Binary logistic regressions were performed to examine associations between self-reported physical activity and gender (predictor variables) and individual perceptions of overall health, mental health, and happiness (binary outcomes). RESULTS: Only 64.3% of respondents met the recommended level of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week with males significantly more active than females (72.1% vs 57.8% meeting guidelines). Those meeting physical activity guidelines were more likely to report greater overall health and higher mental health and happiness scores compared with their inactive peers. CONCLUSIONS: Active students enjoy better health (overall and mental) and are happier than their inactive peers. This provides a clear rationale for providing students with opportunities to be active at university. The data provide a baseline to monitor changes in physical activity patterns.

Data on Determinants Are Needed to Curb the Sedentary Epidemic in Europe. Lessons Learnt from the DEDIPAC European Knowledge Hub.

Societal and technological changes have resulted in sitting being the dominant posture during most activities of daily living, such as learning, working, travelling and leisure time. Too much time spent in seated activities, referred to as sedentary behaviour, is a novel concern for public health as it is one of the key lifestyle causes of poor health. The European DEDIPAC (Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity) Knowledge Hub coordinated the work of 35 institutions across 12 European member states to investigate the determinants of sedentary behaviour. DEDIPAC reviewed current evidence, set a theoretical framework and harmonised the available epidemiological data. The main results are summarised. The conclusion is that there is a dire lack of data that is exploitable across Europe to inform policy and intervention. There is an urgent need to develop international data collection compliant with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) and standardised surveillance systems for sedentary behaviour.

Associations of self-reported physical activity and depression in 10,000 Irish adults across harmonised datasets: a DEDIPAC-study.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a prevalent, debilitating, and often recurrent mood disorder for which successful first-line treatments remains limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional associations between self-reported physical activity (PA) and depressive symptoms and status among Irish adults, using two existing datasets, The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and The Mitchelstown Cohort Study. METHODS: The two selected databases were pooled (n = 10,122), and relevant variables were harmonized. PA was measured using the short form International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) questionnaire. Participants were classified as meeting World Health Organization moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) guidelines or not, and divided into tertiles based on weekly minutes of MVPA. A CES-D score of ≥16 indicated elevated depressive symptoms. Data collection were conducted in 2010-2011. RESULTS: Significantly higher depressive symptoms were reported by females (7.11 ± 7.87) than males (5.74 ± 6.86; p < 0.001). Following adjustment for age, sex, BMI, and dataset, meeting the PA guidelines was associated with 44.7% (95%CI: 35.0 to 52.9; p < 0.001) lower odds of elevated depressive symptoms. Compared to the low PA tertile, the middle and high PA tertiles were associated with 25.2% (95%CI: 8.7 to 38.6; p < 0.01) and 50.8% (95%CI: 40.7 to 59.2; p < 0.001) lower odds of elevated depressive symptoms, respectively. CONCLUSION: Meeting the PA guidelines is associated with lower odds of elevated depressive symptoms, and increased volumes of MVPA are associated with lower odds of elevated depressive symptoms.