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BIDIRECTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND AFFECT: EVIDENCE FROM ACCELEROMETRY AND ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT

Abstract

Affective flexibility, defined as the ability to modulate subjective feelings, is a critical component of psychological well-being and has been linked to physical activity participation. Research has examined affect as both a determinant and consequence of physical activity; however, most studies have relied on lab-based assessments or between-person analyses (i.e., average relationships between affect and physical activity). As a result, there is a poor understanding of how daily affect and physical activity levels fluctuate within individuals in real-world settings, limiting efforts to promote physical activity or develop more personalized interventions. PURPOSE: This study aimed to better understand the role of affect in relation to physical activity over the course of one week, assessing positive and negative affect both as predictors and outcomes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). METHODS: Twenty-one adults (18-38 years old) wore a wrist-worn accelerometer for one week to measure time spent in MVPA and reported their affect four times daily in accordance with an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol. Multilevel modeling (MLM) was used to assess bidirectional between- and within-person associations between MVPA and affect. RESULTS: When testing affect as a predictor of MVPA, neither positive (ps > .136) nor negative affect (ps > .401) were associated with changes in MVPA at the within- or between-person levels. However, when testing affect as a consequence of MVPA, there was a significant within-person effect, such that on days when participants engaged in more MVPA than usual, they reported greater positive affect (b = 0.01; 95% CI [0.001,0.02]; p = .033). No between-person effects of MVPA were observed (p = .143). There were also no associations between MVPA and negative affect (ps > .358). CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that positive affect is better conceptualized as a consequence rather than a predictor of MVPA. This information highlights the potential efficacy of activity-based interventions for increasing daily positive affect and overall affective flexibility. Future work should focus on understanding physical activity determinants in efforts to improve affective flexibility.

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