Social media consumption and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown: the mediating effect of physical activity.

Introduction: Social media platforms played a critical role during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to explore: (1) the changes in social media consumption patterns, physical activity levels/sedentary behavior, and depressive symptoms, and (2) how the changes in social media consumption patterns predict the changes in depressive symptoms while investigating the mediating role of changes in physical activity levels/sedentary behavior between before, and after the COVID-19 lockdown among U.S. adults with different age clusters. Methods: A total of 695 U.S. participants completed an online questionnaire via MTurk, and participants were asked to recall their social media consumption patterns, physical activity/sedentary behavior, depressive symptoms in January and May of 2020 while covariates included non-physical activity health behavior including diet quality, alcohol consumption, smoking, and sleep quality. Results: The results of Bayesian significance testing of changes showed that the older participants tended to spend more time with content-focused social media platforms during the lockdown. While significantly increased sitting time was reported by all age clusters, no significant changes were found in activity levels. Additionally, the middle-aged and older participants reported significantly higher depressive symptoms. The findings of a multigroup structural analysis showed the significant mediating effect of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on the relationship between changes in social media consumption and depressive symptoms. Discussion: This study highlights the need for targeting specific social media platforms for older adults and the importance of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity to alleviate the mental health issues resulting from social media consumption. The result of this study also highlights the need for sport-based intervention programs in the future and the need for more social media campaigns at the institution/organization levels established by public health stakeholders and policy makers to promote physical activity and maximize population perception and reach during the pandemic.

Changes in Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms During COVID-19 Lockdown: United States Adult Age Groups.

This study investigates: (1) the changes in three major health-related factors-physical activity, non-physical-activity health behavior (i.e., diet quality, alcohol consumption, smoking, sleep quality), and depressive symptoms, and (2) how changes in physical activity were associated with changes in one's depressive symptoms among young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults while controlling non-physical-activity health behavior and sociodemographic characteristics among young, middle-aged, and older adults before and after the COVID-19 outbreak lockdown in the United States. A total of 695 participants completed an online questionnaire via MTurk, and participants were asked to recall their physical activity, depressive symptoms, and non-physical-activity health behavior status in January and May of 2020. The IPAQ-SF was used to evaluate individuals' physical activity, while the CES-D-10 was used to assess depressive symptoms. Covariates included non-physical-activity health behavior and sociodemographic factors. A Bayesian significance testing of changes was used to examine significant changes in physical activity, non-physical-activity behavior, and depressive symptoms in each age group while Bayesian regression analysis was employed to examine how the changes in physical activity were associated with respondents' depressive symptoms while controlling for individual NHB and sociodemographic characteristics. The results showed that the participants tended to maintain their physical activity levels after the lockdown despite significant increases in sitting time among young and older adults. Decreases in moderate physical activity frequency were associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms (R 2 = 17.1%). Although young and middle-aged cohorts experienced fewer differences in depressive symptoms compared to their counterparts in the older group, we found no significant heterogeneity effects in the relationships of interest across all age groups. Considering different influences of physical activity on depressive symptoms depending on different levels of activity and ages, more randomized clinical trials with program-based intervention studies should be conducted with different physical activity programs for different age populations.

The efficacy of a modified Theory of Reasoned Action to explain gambling behavior in college students.

Recently, Thrasher et al. (College Student Affairs Journal 27(1): 57-75, 2007) explored the efficacy of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA; Ajzen and Fishbein, Attitudes, personality, and behavior, 1980) in explaining gambling behavior of college students. However, their study found the TRA only predicted small amounts of variance in gambling intentions. Heeding their call to enhance the efficacy of the TRA through the addition of explanatory variables to the model, the present study incorporated gambling motivations and locus of control as moderating variables within the TRA to test the potential of a modified TRA in explaining gambling behavior of college students. A total of 345 students at a major metropolitan research university in the Midwest volunteered to participate in the study. A series of hierarchical linear regressions indicated intrinsic motivation to accomplish (p = .002) significantly moderated the relationship between gambling attitudes and gambling intentions. Further, internal locus of control (p < .001), chance locus of control (p < .001), and powerful others locus of control (p < .001) also significantly moderated the relationship between gambling attitudes and gambling intentions. The significant impact of the moderating variables on the relationship between gambling attitudes and intentions suggests intrinsic motivation and locus of control can alter the impact of the relationship between gambling attitudes and gambling intentions.

Pre- and post-impact muscle activation in the tennis volley: effects of ball speed, ball size and side of the body.

AIM: To examine the pre- and post-impact activation of five upper extremity muscles in the tennis volley across conditions of ball speed, ball type and side of the body. METHODS: A repeated measures design in a biomechanics laboratory setting was used. A total of 24 recreational tennis players (mean (SD) age 24 (5) years, height 176 (10) cm, mass 76 (13) kg) were recruited from a university. Participants performed tennis volleys under 18 ball conditions: three ball speeds (slow, medium and fast), with three ball types (two oversize and one regular size) each from two sides (forehand and backhand). Average normalised electromyographic levels of the flexor carpi radialis, extensor carpi radialis, triceps brachii, anterior/middle deltoid and posterior/middle deltoid of the hitting arm during pre- and post-impact phases (200 ms before and after ball-racquet impact, respectively) were assessed. RESULTS: For the pre-impact phase, a significant muscle and side interaction (p<0.001) and significant main effects for speed (p = 0.002) and muscle (p<0.001) were observed. For the post-impact phase, significant interactions were observed for ball type and side (p = 0.002), ball speed and side (p = 0.011) and muscle and side (p = 0.001), as well significant main effects for muscle (p<0.001), speed (p = 0.035) and side (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Oversize tennis balls do not significantly increase upper extremity muscle activation compared to regular size balls during a tennis volley. The highest post-impact activation was observed in the ECR indicating a vigorous wrist stabilisation role that could irritate players with lateral epicondylalgia.