Through the wine glass: How biographical midlife transitions and women's affective interpretations interact with alcohol consumption.

BACKGROUND: Women during midlife are consuming larger quantities of alcohol than any other age group of women and any other generation of midlife women previously. This is concerning given alcohol related-health risks coalesce with age-related health risks for women, in particular, breast cancer. METHODS: In-depth interviews with 50 Australian midlife women (aged 45-64) from different social classes explored women's personal accounts of midlife transitions and their descriptions of the role of alcohol in navigating these life experiences; both daily occurrences as well as significant moments in the life course. RESULTS: Our findings point to the complex, confusing and co-existing biographical transitions women experience during midlife (generational, embodied/physiological and material changes) that sharpen a role for alcohol in women's lives and are nuanced by social class (volumes of social, economic and cultural capital). We pay close attention to women's affective interpretations of these transitions and ways alcohol is used to feel robust in navigating daily life or easing their prospective futures. Critically, for women living with limited access to capital, and who could not 'measure up' to social ideals by comparison with the achievements and trajectories of other midlife women, alcohol reconciled their disappointment. Our exploration shows how the social class conditions that shape how women make sense of their transitions through midlife might be differently shaped to enable different options forreducing drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Policy must address the social and emotional concerns women experience through midlife transitions that give alcohol a worthwhile place in their lives. A first step might be responding to the absence of community and leisure spaces for midlife women especially those that do not integrate alcohol, with benefits including addressing loneliness, isolation and feeling invisible, and enabling positive constructions of midlife identities. Structural barriers to participation and feelings of worth must be removed for women who lack social, cultural and economic resources.

Changes in self-determined motivation for exercise in people with mental illness participating in a community-based exercise service in Australia.

Exercise has diverse benefits for physical and mental health in people with mental illness; however, it is unclear how to effectively promote exercise motivation in this group. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions utilising exercise instruction or behavioural counselling with people with mental illness to improve self-determined motivation for exercise, and physical and mental health. Participants were adults (aged 18+ years) receiving mental health services. Participants could choose from two 8-week programs comprising weekly group-based sessions delivered by an exercise physiologist: (a) exercise instruction in a gym (GYM) or (b) behavioural counselling (MOT). Self-determined motivation was measured using the Behaviour Regulations for Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ3). Physical health indicators included waist circumference, blood pressure, leg strength (sit-to-stand test), physical capacity (six-minute walk test) and self-reported exercise. Mental health was assessed using the Kessler-6 scale of psychological distress. Most of the 95 participants chose exercise instruction (GYM = 60; MOT = 35). At baseline, participants who chose MOT had higher external motivation, body mass index, waist circumference and psychological distress, and a higher proportion had multiple physical comorbidities than those who chose GYM. More self-determined motivation was associated with meeting physical activity guidelines. Post-intervention, GYM participants had significant improvements in self-determined motivation, psychological distress and sit-to-stand test; MOT participants had significant improvements in integrated regulation, self-reported exercise and physical functioning. In conclusion, exercise instruction can improve self-determined motivation; however, more intensive behavioural counselling support may be needed to improve self-determined motivation. Counselling programs can increase exercise behaviour and may appeal more to people with poorer health and more external motivation. Findings have high ecological validity and applicability to real-world implementation of exercise interventions. To accommodate people with diverse conditions and motivations, motivational counselling should be combined with practical exercise support, and participants afforded the autonomy to decide their level of involvement.

"A 15% Reduction in Physical Inactivity Will Be Achieved in Australasia by 2030"-Audience Votes Negative in Online Debate.

The Australasian Society for Physical Activity aims to advance the science and practice of physical activity in Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Fun, enjoyment, and cross-disciplinary discourse are important to ensure the network of physical activity professionals and our collective voice continues to grow. In May 2021, Australasian Society for Physical Activity's Early Career Network curated an engaging online Physical Activity Debate attended by 206 professionals. This commentary provides a synopsis of the debate and the central arguments presented by the affirmative and negatives teams. The authors describe the debate format and interactive design of the online Physical Activity Debate to provide insights for future online events that aim to boost interaction among physical activity professionals from various disciplines.