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Brief exercise bouts can have positive effects on the affective state, which in turn could affect the intention for future exercise. Such benefits may be enhanced by manipulating expectations. The aim of this study was to examine whether the affective state after physical activity or the intention for future exercise can be influenced by manipulating expectations. Furthermore, the relationship between affect and intention was investigated. In an online experiment, 121 persons completed either a 10‐minute workout (PA), a workout after manipulation of expectations (PA + EM), or a control intervention (CG) after randomized group allocation. Data on affective state, expectations, and intention were collected before and after the intervention using questionnaires. After intervention, PA groups showed significantly more positive values than CG in several affective parameters, in other affective parameters, only PA + EM differed from CG. Affect was positively associated with intention alongside outcome expectations. No difference was found in intention. Although no significant effects of expectation manipulation on affective state or intention were found, latent effects cannot be ruled out. Further exploration of the importance of word choice in describing physical activity in the context of interventions to increase physical activity is necessary. Here, affect should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The increase in physical activity and the reduction of sedentary time can have positive effects on children's health. The concept of Moving School was developed to reduce students' sitting time and has evolved in a broadly used concept. Method: This study aims to analyse the degree of the implementation of the concept at secondary schools and investigate associated factors with the intention of teachers to implement it in practice. 345 physical education teachers were asked by questionnaire about their knowledge of the concept, their attitude towards it, and their assessment of the current situation in everyday school life. Results: Moving School is well known among physical education teachers. They gain their knowledge mainly through their university studies. Teachers' expectations in terms of effort and performance, social influence, and, in particular, facilitating conditions are positively associated with the intention to use the concept. Conclusion: Teachers are aware of and believe in the effectiveness of the concept. The level of implementation in practice does not reflect this. The framework conditions should be adapted and practical examples of implementation should become better known among the teachers in order to facilitate implementing the concept in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health status (HS) of children is influenced by a variety of factors, including physical fitness (PF) or social and environmental characteristics. We present a 4-year longitudinal study carried out with 263 primary school children. PF was assessed yearly using the German Motor Performance Test 6-18. Demographic data, leisure time behavior and socioeconomic factors were collected using questionnaires for children and parents. Based on parents' ratings in year 4, children were categorized as either "very good health status" (VGHS) or "good health status or below" (GHSB). Children with VGHS (73%) showed a larger improvement of global PF (p < 0.001), a significantly higher proportion of being/playing outside (p < 0.001), significantly lower proportions of overweight (p < 0.001), of media availability in the bedroom (p = 0.011) and of daily media consumption > 2 h (p = 0.033) compared to children with GHSB. Regarding socio-economic factors, children with VGHS revealed significantly fewer parents with lower education (p = 0.002), lower physical activity levels (p = 0.030) and lower migration background (p < 0.001). Physical fitness (p = 0.019) and outdoors exercising (p = 0.050) were the only variables to provide significantly higher chances of perceiving one's own health as very good when tested within a complex model including all the variables studied in this work. Considering the little focus on PF in the current Austrian physical education curriculum and the favorable environmental features of the Tyrolean region, more emphasis should be given to promoting didactical and pedagogical approaches that allow schoolers to be active in the nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large body of literature indicates that physical activity in general is associated with a variety of health benefits. Mountain sport activities (e.g., mountain hiking, climbing, mountaineering, or skiing) are considered popular modalities of physical activity in both inhabitants of and tourists in mountainous areas. In addition, the majority of mountain sport activities show characteristics that may be favorable for a positive influence on mental health. However, the potential of mountain sport activities on mental health parameters (including, but not limited to affective state, stress, coping abilities, self-efficacy, and quality of life) has been less researched compared to non-mountain sport activities. Therefore, the aims of the present narrative review are to identify characteristics of mountain sport activities related to potential influences on mental health and to summarize current findings on the acute and longer-term effects of sport activities in mountainous areas on affective state and on mental health in general. Furthermore, hypotheses aiming to explain these effects are discussed. Although mountain sport activities show a large diversity in their features, many modalities share characteristics that can be considered relevant in the context of both short-term effects on affective states and of longer-term effects on mental health (Figure 1). Already existing secondary literature focusing specifically on mountain sport activities is limited to one systematic review in the context of mountaineering (Jackman et al., 2020) and one narrative review on health effects of skiing (Burtscher et al., 2019). Original articles for acute effects on affective state and for longer-term effects on mental health parameters were found for mountaineering/alpine climbing, sport climbing, mountain hiking, skiing, and mountain biking. In summary, it can be said that single bouts of mountain sport activities have the potential to positively influence affective state. Observations on negative affective state during the activity are explained by the focus that the participants need to overcome the challenges during the activities. Positive longer-term effects on mental health by mountain sport activity programs are reported in literature. Negative effects on mental health are reported less frequently and occur primarily in the case of accidents or are related to the strenuous experiences during mountaineering expeditions. Potential benefits of mountain sport activities can be explained using approaches related to the physical activity (similar to non-mountain sport activities, e.g., self-efficacy hypothesis) and the environmental conditions in which the activities are practiced (e.g., attention restoration theory). However, the number of studies on hypotheses explaining mental health effects is limited. In addition, not all modalities of mountain sport activities are represented in the literature. In particular, mechanistic considerations of the decisive factors in the various mountain sport activities that can influence mental health would be desirable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction & Purpose The prevalence of smoking among people with mental illness is two to four times higher than in the general population. Unsuccessful quit attempts, often due to low confidence in their ability to quit, suggest that smokers with mental illness may benefit from additional smoking cessation strategies (Mann-Wrobel et al., 2011). Exercise as an adjunct treatment for smoking cessation in healthy individuals is increasingly recommended in the literature (Ussher et al., 2019), but there is limited data for people with mental illness. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise program as an add-on therapy for smoking cessation in people with mental illness. Methods 66 smokers with a diagnosed mental illness or mood disorders were included in a randomized controlled trial and received a standardized group smoking cessation program. Out of these 66 smokers, 38 individuals additionally participated in an exercise group (Nordic walking) and 28 in a control group (social contact group discussing health issues). Outcome variables were assessed by questionnaires at baseline (data available for 59 participants: 32 exercise group, 27 control group), during (after 3 weeks), and at the end of the program (5 weeks). Results The study had a dropout rate of 32%. At the end of the program, the abstinence rate was 19% in the exercise group and 30% in the control group (intention-to-treat analysis). There were no significant time-by-group interaction effects for any outcome variables. Significant group differences were found after 3 weeks for internal stimuli of self-efficacy (smokers' confidence to resist smoking in certain situations; p = .026, ƞ² = .121) and after 5 weeks for frequency (p = .003, ƞ² = .210) and intensity (p = .007, ƞ² = .174) of cigarette craving. The control group showed higher self-efficacy and lower frequency and intensity of cigarette craving compared to the exercise group. Main effects over time were observed in both groups with improvement in several outcome variables (e.g., self-efficacy, positive affect, frequency, and intensity of cigarette craving). Discussion Group differences may be explained by pre-existing differences in cigarette dependence, motivation to quit, and BMI at baseline. It is known from the literature that higher cigarette dependence can lead to less successful quitting and higher relapse rates (Gierisch et al., 2012). Participants also had difficulty integrating program content into their daily lives and had low attendance rates. According to Zhou et al. (2023), a higher adherence rate would lead to a higher quit rate. Since the study was conducted in groups, the influence of group dynamics on motivation to quit smoking needs to be considered. Conclusion An additional effect of exercise as an adjunctive therapy in smoking cessation could not be confirmed, since the control group showed better outcome scores. Due to the high dropout rate, further studies with larger samples are needed. Improving access to smoking cessation programs, developing additional strategies, integrating evidence-based treatment into existing settings, and training health care professionals to engage people with mental illness in smoking cessation remain important areas for improvement (Falcaro et al., 2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction & Purpose Substrate metabolism, especially lipid metabolism and thus fat oxidation, is of special interest to reduce the risk of metabolic diseases (diabetes, high cholesterol or triglycerides, etc), and improve athletic performance (Aird et al., 2018). Thus, patients and athletes are recommended to engage in exercise training at a mild to moderate intensity where fat oxidation is high. Fasting is known to increase lipolysis (i.e., fat oxidation) and therefore may represent a simple intervention to increase training induced adaptions in fat oxidation (Venables & Jeukendrup, 2008). However, breaking the fast with a carbohydrate meal prior to aerobic training may limit these benefits because carbohydrate consumption is known to prioritize carbohydrate oxidation during exercise (Achten & Jeukendrup, 2003). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that 8 weeks of aerobic exercise training at a workload that maximizes fat oxidation would improve the maximal rate of fat oxidation during exercise. Moreover, engaging in a fasting regime would augment the improvements in fat oxidation, but breaking the fast prior to training with a carbohydrate rich snack would attenuate the improvements in fat oxidation. Methods Thirty-six participants (28 females, 8 males) were randomized into three groups. 1) One group fasted for at least 14 hours prior to training, 2) One group fasted, but consumed a carbohydrate rich snack 30 minutes prior to training, 3) One exercise only control group where participants could eat ad libitum. Pre-tests included anthropometric measurements, a bio-impedance-analyses, and cycle ergometry combined with indirect calorimetry to identify maximum rates of fat oxidation (fatmax). All participants exercised on a stationary bike 3x/week for 60 min at a heart rate that corresponded to 90-100% of their individualized fatmax values. Pre-test measurements were repeated after the intervention. Rates of fat and carbohydrate oxidation, energy expenditure and heart rate were analysed as workload matched and absolute data using a series of 3 x 2 mixed ANOVAs. Results 3 x 2 mixed ANOVA showed no group-by-time interactions for any workload-matched data (fatmax: p = .371, η²p = .058; CHO: p = .540, η²p = .037; EE: p = .470, η²p = .045; HR: p = .570, η²p = .033). No significant group-by-time interactions at the absolute maximal fat oxidation rate were observed (fatmax: p = .262, η²p = .078; CHO: p = .966, η²p = .002; EE: p = .111, η²p = .125; HR: p = .618, η²p = .029). Discussion and conclusion In the current study, the addition of a 16-hour fasting window did not provide any additional improvements in fat oxidation rates beyond an ad libitum control group. This is surprising as both low-intensity training (Achten & Jeukendrup, 2004) and TRF (Jong-Yeon et al., 2002) have independently been shown to improve fat oxidation. We conclude that fatmax training is an effective lifestyle intervention to improve fat oxidation in young healthy individuals. Collectively, these data suggest fatmax training independent of the fed state might be a useful lifestyle intervention in healthy individuals looking to maintain or improve their metabolic health and avoid future metabolic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile method is described for the preparation of poly(styrene) (PS) coatings directly onto oxidized ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) by using the surface-initiated photografting and photopolymerization (SIPGP) approach with styrene as the monomer. The reactivity contrast between hydrogenated and oxidized UNCD surfaces has enabled the preparation of structured polymer grafts.