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BackgroundWith the increasing popularity of smartphones, mobile phone addiction in university students has attracted widespread societal attention. Previous studies showed that family functioning and mobile phone addiction are related. However, the potential mechanisms involved in this relationship are unknown. This study examined the mediating effect of loneliness and the moderating effect of capacity to be alone on the relationship between family functioning and mobile phone addiction.MethodsA total of 1,580 university students were recruited. A cross-sectional study design and online questionnaire survey were employed to measure demographic variables, family functioning, loneliness, capacity to be alone, and mobile phone addiction in university students.ResultsFamily functioning is a significantly negative predictor of mobile phone addiction in university students, and loneliness has a mediating effect on the relationship between family functioning and mobile phone addiction. The capacity to be alone has moderating effects on the relationship between family functioning and loneliness and between family functioning and mobile phone addiction, and these correlation is stronger in university students with a low capacity to be alone.ConclusionThe moderated mediation model in this study improves understanding of the correlation between family functioning and mobile phone addiction in university students. Education professionals and parents should pay particular attention to family functioning in mobile phone addiction, particularly university students with low capacity to be alone.

IntroductionDuring the COVID-19 outbreak, many citizens were asked to stay at home in self-quarantine, which can pose a significant challenge with respect to remaining physically active and maintaining mental health. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of inadequate physical activity, anxiety, and depression and to explore the relationship of physical activity with anxiety and depression symptoms among Chinese college students during quarantine.MethodUsing a web-based cross-sectional survey, we collected data from 1,396 Chinese college students. Anxiety and depression were assessed with the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively. The data on physical activity were collected by types of physical activity and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF).ResultsDuring the COVID-19 outbreak, about 52.3% of Chinese college students had inadequate physical activity. The rates of anxiety and depression symptoms were 31.0 and 41.8%, respectively. A high level of physical activity (β = −0.121, P < 0.001) was significantly closely associated with low anxiety, while a moderate (β = −0.095, P = 0.001), or high (β = −0.179, P < 0.001) level of physical activity was significantly closely associated with reduced depression after adjusting confounding demographic factors. Moreover, specific types of physical activity, such as stretching and resistance training, were negatively correlated with both anxiety and depression; doing household chores was negatively correlated with depression.ConclusionOur findings highlight specific levels and types of home-based physical activities that need to be taken into consideration to protect the mental health of college students during the COVID-19 epidemic.

ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to determine whether cardiovascular fitness levels modulate the activation of the mirror neuron system (MNS) under table-setting tasks in non-exercise situation, to replicate the study that positive effect of acute moderate-intensity exercise on the MNS and investigate whether cardiovascular fitness levels modulates the effect of exercise on the activation of the MNS.MethodsThirty-six healthy college-aged participants completed a maximal graded exercise test (GXT) and were categorized as high, moderate, or low cardiovascular fitness. Participants then performed table-setting tasks including an action execution task (EXEC) and action observation task (OBS) prior to (PRE) and after (POST) either a rest condition (CTRL) or a cycling exercise condition (EXP). The EXP condition consisted of a 5-min warm-up, 15-min moderate-intensity exercise (65% VO2max), and 5-min cool-down.ResultsNo significant differences were observed for Oxy-Hb and Deoxy-Hb between different cardiovascular fitness levels in the EXEC or OBS tasks in the non-exercise session. But there were significant improvements of oxygenated hemoglobin (Oxy-Hb) in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and pre-motor area (PMC) regions under the OBS task following the acute moderate exercise. Particularly, the improvements (Post-Pre) of Δ Oxy-Hb were mainly observed in high and low fitness individuals. There was also a significant improvement of deoxygenated hemoglobin (Deoxy-Hb) in the IPL region under the OBS task. The following analysis indicated that exercise improved Δ Deoxy-Hb in high fitness individuals.ConclusionThis study indicated that the activation of MNS was not modulated by the cardiovascular fitness levels in the non-exercise situation. We replicated the previous study that moderate exercise improved activation of MNS; we also provided the first empirical evidence that moderate-intensity exercise positively affects the MNS activation in college students of high and low cardiovascular fitness levels.

This study investigated smartphone use characteristics including the purpose of smartphone use (i.e., leisure, learning, or work) and situational smartphone use (i.e., sitting, standing, or moving about) in Chinese adolescents. Moreover, it tested the moderating role of self-control in the link between sedentary behavior and problematic smartphone use. A total of 947 adolescents completed measures of the purpose of their smartphone use, situational smartphone use, sedentary behavior, self-control, time on smartphone, and smartphone addiction. Results showed that the majority of smartphone use was for leisure and learning, and 90.9% of adolescents reported typically sitting as they used the smartphone. Problematic smartphone use was positively correlated with sedentary behavior and negatively correlated with self-control. Moreover, the relationship between sedentary behavior and problematic smartphone use was moderated by self-control, in that the negative correlation was stronger for adolescents with low self-control and weaker for those with high self-control. These results contribute to the understanding of when sedentary behavior is associated with problematic smartphone use. Several limitations and implications are discussed in this study.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine whether a combined exercise and dietary intervention improved cognitive and physical self-control and whether pre-to-post interventional changes in self-control were mediated by changes in body mass index (BMI) and maximal grip strength (MGS), in a sample of obese adolescents.MethodsForty-four obese adolescents were randomly assigned to a combined exercise and dietary program or to a waitlist control group; the data from 36 participants (n = 18 for each group) were analyzed. The combined exercise and dietary program was performed over 6 weeks and was supervised by qualified trainers in a closed boot camp. The exercise consisted primarily of typical aerobic training, sports, outdoor training, yoga, and resistance training. Participants were placed on moderate dietary restriction according to individual target body weight (30 kcal/kg × target weight). The primary outcomes of this study were metrics based on cognitive and physical self-control, assessed by the Stroop task and a handgrip task, respectively. Secondary outcomes included BMI and MGS.ResultsThe combined exercise and dietary intervention significantly improved both cognitive and physical self-control. Similar positive effects were also found for reduced BMI and enhanced MGS. Correlation analyses showed that the reduced BMI and enhanced MGS were significantly closely associated with improved cognitive and physical self-control. The mediation analyses revealed that the pre-to-post intervention changes in BMI and MGS significantly mediated physical self-control, but did not mediate cognitive self-control.ConclusionOur combined exercise and dietary intervention is an effective approach to improve multiple aspects of self-control, reduce BMI, and strengthen MGS among obese adolescents. These findings also suggest that reduced BMI and enhanced MGS mediate specific aspects of self-control.

A growing number of studies have reported the beneficial effect of exercise on human social behavior. The mirror neuron system (MNS) plays a critical role in a variety of social behaviors from imitation to empathy. However, neuroimaging investigations into the effects of exercise on the MNS remain unexplored. To address this question, our study determined the effect of moderate-intensity exercise on the MNS using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Specifically, 23 right-handed young individuals were asked to perform a table-setting task that included action execution and action observation before and after a 25-min exercise session on a cycle ergometer at moderate intensity (65% VO2peak). The control condition was the same task performed without exercise. Cortical hemodynamic changes in the four primary brain regions of the MNS were monitored with fNIRS, using a modified probe configuration that covered all four MNS regions in the left hemisphere. We used a region of interest (ROI)-based group analysis to determine which regions were activated during action execution and action observation. Following a session of moderate-intensity exercise, we found a significant increase in activation in all four MNS regions, namely the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), premotor cortex (PMC), superior parietal lobule (SPL), and rostral inferior parietal lobule (IPL). This result indicated a positive effect of exercise on the MNS, specifically that moderate-intensity exercise could activate the MNS.