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Aim: Most Canadian and Australian children do not meet Physical Activity Guidelines (PAG) or Screen Time Guidelines (STG). Regarding the social issue advertising believability model (SIABM), parental support for these behaviours may depend upon how believable parents find guideline messages. The aim of the study was to examine differences in parents' SIABM variables and perceived behavioural control for PAG and STG messages. Methods: Data were collected online; 499 Canadian parents with at least one child aged 5–11 years (75.6% mothers) participated. Differences in model variables were analysed using analyses of variance. Results: Parents demonstrated greater issue involvement, attitudes towards the issue, parental support attitudes and perceived behavioural control for the PAG compared to the STG (d > 0.10). Mothers believed the messages more and had more favourable attitudes towards the issues as compared to fathers (d > 0.21). Conclusions: Parents' evaluations of PAG messages and corresponding supportive behaviours were generally more positive than STG. Future messages should emphasise supportive behaviours for screen time reduction that are feasible and enjoyable for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although there exist videos and images created by Obesity Canada and similar organizations (e.g., the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity), it is not known if the materials have the desired effect of reducing stigma against people with obesity and might have the opposite effect of increasing stigma. Therefore, two studies used implicit and explicit evaluations to examine the effectiveness of images and videos intended to reduce weight stigma. Methods: Study 1 participants (N = 284; Mage = 31.47 years [SD = 11.26]; 177 self‐identified as women; 83 self‐identified as living with obesity) completed two implicit measures (one with images of people living with obesity and the other with control images) followed by a weight stigma questionnaire. Study 2 participants (N = 308; Mage = 31.54 years [SD = 11.35]; 153 self‐identified as women; 59 self‐identified as living with obesity) were randomly assigned to view an obesity and exercise video and images of persons with obesity, control video and images of persons with obesity, obesity and exercise video and control images, or control video and control images, followed by the implicit measures and explicit evaluation questionnaire. Results: Implicit evaluations of the control images were more positive than the images of persons with obesity. Participants with no history of obesity who saw the control video and control images had lower weight stigma compared to participants in the other conditions. Conclusions: Materials created to reduce weight stigma might not be effective among people with no history of obesity themselves or via a family member or friend. Intervention and health promotion researchers may wish to investigate effects of the images in combination with other messages because simply using the nonstigmatizing images is likely not enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to use implicit retraining to change automatic associations between body size and physical activity (PA) in women with obesity to reduce weight bias internalisation (WBI). Methods: A Solomon‐square experimental design was used to determine the effect of a four‐week online implicit retraining intervention on WBI (primary measure) and PA attitudes, self‐efficacy, and self‐reported behaviour (secondary measures). The intervention was a visual probe task pairing counter‐stereotypical images of active individuals with obesity with positive PA‐related words. In qualitative telephone interviews, a sub‐sample of participants provided feedback and recommendations for using counter‐stereotypical images in PA promotion. Results: Women completed the intervention (n = 48) or a control task (n = 55). Results of a RM‐ANOVA showed no interaction or main effect of group on WBI. A main effect of time demonstrated that both groups had reduced WBI between pre‐test and post‐test, through to one‐week follow‐up. There were no differences between groups or over time for PA attitudes, self‐efficacy, or behaviour. Women who completed interviews (n = 16) discussed several benefits and drawbacks of using counter‐stereotypical images. Conclusion: Implicit retraining did not reduce WBI but qualitative findings support the use of counter‐stereotypical PA images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to (i) investigate directional influences of self-efficacy, outcome satisfaction, and attendance during an exercise programme and (ii) examine the predictive capabilities of self-efficacy and outcome satisfaction on participant dropout.Methods: Adults aged 35-65 years were recruited to a 12-month exercise programme. Self-efficacy was collected at baseline, three, six, nine, and 12 months, and outcome satisfaction at the same time-points except baseline. Cross-lagged panel analyses and logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the primary and secondary objectives, respectively.Results: Coping and scheduling self-efficacy had stronger reciprocal relationships with outcome satisfaction than task self-efficacy, although the strength of these relationships varied across time. Initially, task self-efficacy predicted programme attendance. Midway through the programme, outcome satisfaction predicted attendance, and by the end of the programme, coping self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of attendance. Self-efficacy and outcome satisfaction did not predict programme dropout.Conclusions: The results support the reciprocal relationship between outcome satisfaction and scheduling and coping self-efficacy and highlight the importance of sequentially targeting different beliefs and skills to facilitate successful initiation and maintenance of exercise behaviour. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Self-efficacy and outcome satisfaction are related to exercise behaviour. The relationship between self-efficacy and outcome satisfaction are typically considered unidirectional. The longitudinal relationships among self-efficacy, outcome satisfaction, and physical activity participation are unclear. What does this study add? Outcome satisfaction had reciprocal relationships with both coping and scheduling self-efficacy for exercise. The importance of self-efficacy and outcome satisfaction to exercise attendance changes over time. Task self-efficacy was the strongest predictor of initial programme attendance. Midway through the programme, outcome satisfaction and task self-efficacy were the strongest predictors of attendance, and by the end of the programme, coping self-efficacy was the strongest predictor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND The aims of this study were to examine the relationships among physical activity (PA)-related beliefs and to determine to what extent Iranian adolescents in different stages of PA adoption differ in perceived benefits and barriers during a 3-year transition from junior high school to high school. METHODS Data were collected from female adolescents in 2010 (N = 558), of whom 412 provided follow-up data in 2013. One-way analysis of variance and logistic regression were conducted for statistical analysis. RESULTS Participants in the action and maintenance stages reported the greatest agreement with benefits. Pre-contemplators were about 4 times more likely to cite 'not enough time' than preparers ( OR = 3.95). Pre-contemplators were over 4 times more likely to cite not liking exercise than those in action and maintenance stages at baseline ( OR = 4.32 and 4.85), a finding which was maintained at follow-up ( OR = 3.66 and 8.65). CONCLUSIONS These findings could help with the creation of interventions tailored to encourage pre-contemplators to progress toward adoption of PA. Providing transportation supports, enhancing time management, and mitigating boredom may be helpful strategies either to prevent relapse in adoption stages or to move females in early stages of change toward action and maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, the Alberta government released the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth ( ANGCY) as a resource for child care facilities to translate nutrition recommendations into practical food choices. Using a multiple case study method, early adoption of the guidelines was examined in two child care centres in Alberta, Canada. Key constructs from the Diffusion of Innovations framework were used to develop an interview protocol based on the perceived characteristics of the guidelines (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability) by child care providers. Analysis of the ANGCY was conducted by a trained qualitative researcher and validated by an external qualitative researcher. This entailed reviewing guideline content, layout, organisation, presentation, format, comprehensiveness and dissemination to understand whether characteristics of the guidelines affect the adoption process. Data were collected through direct observation, key informant interviews and documentation of field notes. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. Overall, the guidelines were perceived positively by child care providers. Child care providers found the guidelines to have a high relative advantage, be compatible with current practice, have a low level of complexity, easy to try and easy to observe changes. It is valuable to understand how child care providers perceive characteristics of guidelines as this is the first step in identifying the needs of child care providers with respect to early adoption and identifying potential educational strategies important for dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined implicit exercise-related bias between exercising groups. Participants ( N = 53) completed an Implicit Association Test with neutrally valenced exerciser or couch potato exemplars. Participants who explicitly identified as exercisers had greater positive bias toward exercisers and against couch potatoes than did participants who identified as nonexercisers. Similarly, participants who reported greater exercise had significantly greater positive bias toward exercisers than did participants who reported less exercise. Our results expand on existing research on anti-fat and exercise-related stereotypes by providing evidence of implicit biases for exercisers and against couch potatoes among those who are already active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The purpose of this research was to replicate a study that examined how message framing and ease of imagination interact to influence attitudes towards the prevention of heart disease through physical activity and a healthy diet. Changes were made such that only physical activity behaviour was profiled and assessed as a moderating variable. It was hypothesized that gain-framed messages would positively influence attitudes with hard to imagine symptoms, that loss-framed messages would positively influence attitudes with easy to imagine symptoms and exercise frequency would moderate the findings. Design. This study employed a 2 (easy or hard to imagine symptoms) by 2 (gain- or loss-framed) Solomon square design whereby participants, half of whom completed a pre-test, were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: easy to imagine/gain- framed, hard to imagine/gain-framed, easy to imagine/loss-framed, or hard to imagine/loss-framed. Methods. Participants included adults over the age of 55 years (N = 57) and undergraduate students (18-22 years; N = 118). They were described either hard to imagine or easy to imagine symptoms of heart disease and diabetes and asked to imagine them. Participants then read either a gain- or loss-framed physical activity message followed by post-test questionnaires that assessed attitudes, exercise frequency, and demographics. Results. Regression analyses showed no significant framing effects but significant effects for ease of imagination and exercise frequency as a moderating variable. Conclusions. This study failed to replicate the original research findings but showed that participants who exercised the least and were in the hard to imagine condition had the worst attitudes towards physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]