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Associations of Self-Control with Physical Activity, Physical Fitness, and Adiposity in Adolescents.

Authors :
Boat R
Williams RA
Dring KJ
Morris JG
Sunderland C
Nevill ME
Cooper SB
Source :
Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.) [Behav Med] 2024 Jan-Mar; Vol. 50 (1), pp. 82-90. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Sep 12.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

The associations between self-control and objective measures of physical activity, physical fitness, and adiposity are yet to be explored in young people; this is a gap in the literature that the present study aimed to address. The study employed a cross-sectional design. A total of 101 young people participated in the study. Participants completed the Brief Self-Control Scale as a measure of trait self-control. Free-living physical activity was assessed using an ActiGraph GT3X + triaxial accelerometer, which was worn for 7 days. Participants also completed the 15-meter version of the multistage fitness test as a measure of physical fitness. For the assessment of adiposity, three criterion measures were used: body mass index (BMI), sum of skinfolds, and waist circumference. Data were analyzed using the glm function in the open access software R. Higher levels of trait self-control were associated with higher levels of physical fitness (measured by distance run on the multistage fitness test) and lower adiposity (BMI, waist circumference, and sum of skinfolds) in adolescents. There was a tendency for a positive association between self-control and time spent in vigorous physical activity, although this did not reach statistical significance. In a combined model, self-control was also associated with both physical fitness and waist circumference, with these effects independent of each other. These findings suggest that self-control is associated with healthy behaviors and characteristics in adolescents and is thus potentially an attractive target for future interventions aimed at increasing physical activity and physical fitness and reducing adiposity in this population.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0896-4289
Volume :
50
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
36093957
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2022.2114416