Exploring the reasons for wanting a peer partner to be physically active among women living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis: a content analysis.

BACKGROUND: Initiating and maintaining exercise is challenging for women during and post-cancer treatment. Adopting a peer partner model to provide social support to be active may contribute to lasting behaviour change of both partners. Despite this, finding a "like peer" can be challenging. PURPOSE: To explore women's reasons for seeking an online exercise partner following a diagnosis with cancer (through  www.activematch.ca ). We also examined women's potential sociodemographic and cancer-related differences by reported reasons for wanting an exercise partner. METHODS: Individuals creating an ActiveMatch profile completed demographic and physical activity questions (N = 199, Mage(SD) = 51.9(10.8) years), including an open-ended question regarding their "reason for wanting an exercise partner". An inductive content analysis was completed focusing on the participants' peer exercise partner preferences. Additional chi-square tests were run to assess whether participants differed based on sociodemographic and cancer-related characteristics and their motivations to be active by category of "reason for wanting an exercise partner" endorsed in the open-ended question. RESULTS: The participants' reasons for wanting an exercise partner were coded into seven categories, with most participants highlighting the reasons of motivation (52.3%), social support (48.7%), and accountability and adherence (26.6%). Women < 50 years of age were more likely to report accountability and adherence-related preferences for a partner. Those reporting endorsing weight loss as their primary reason for becoming active were more likely to be categorized as wanting a peer partner for motivation. CONCLUSIONS: While finding a peer partner can be challenging, matching women living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis based on their reason for wanting an exercise partner, as well as their reasons for wanting to be active, may be important to build successful peer exercise partnerships.

Body-related shame and authentic pride are independently associated with self-rated health in young adults. / Honte et fierté authentique à l'égard de son corps associées de manière indépendante à l'état de santé autoévalué chez les jeunes adultes.

INTRODUCTION: Although body weight has been positioned as a strong predictor of physical and mental health, positive and negative body-related psychosocial factors may also be important. Further, both theoretical tenets and empirical evidence suggest that these associations may differ by gender. Our objectives were to examine the associations between body-related self-conscious emotions (body shame, body authentic pride) and physical and mental health in young adults, and to identify potential differences in these associations by gender. METHODS: Data for this cross-sectional study were drawn from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study for 799 young adults (M [SD] age = 33.6 y [0.5]; 43.9% male). We estimated the associations between each of body shame and body authentic pride (i.e. the exposures) and both self-rated physical and self-rated mental health (i.e. the outcomes) in linear regression models that controlled for age, education and body mass index, and we examined potential gender differences in these associations by conducting gender-stratified analyses. RESULTS: In females, self-rated health and mental health decreased by 0.37 and 0.38, respectively, with each unit increase in body shame. Self-rated health and mental health increased by 0.25 and 0.23, respectively, for each unit increase in body authentic pride. In males, self-rated health and mental health decreased by 0.35 and 0.45, respectively, with each unit increase in body shame, and increased by 0.32 and 0.21, respectively, with each unit increase in body authentic pride. CONCLUSION: Interventions that focus on body weight to the exclusion of body-related self-conscious emotions may side-step a key contributor to self-rated health.

The Value of Incorporating Inclusive Sports in Schools: An Exploration of Unified Sport Experiences.

School sports programs intentionally created for students with and without disabilities may increase social participation of students with intellectual disabilities (IDs). Special Olympics Unified Sports is one program where students with and without ID participate on one team. Guided by a critical realist paradigm, this study explored the perceptions of students with and without ID and coaches of in-school Unified Sports. Interviews were conducted with 21 youths (12 with ID) and 14 coaches. Thematic analysis resulted in four developed themes (identified is outdated language): Inclusion-Is it a "we" or a "they?" Roles and Responsibilities, Educational Context for Inclusion, and Buy-In. Findings suggest students with and without ID and coaches value the inclusive nature of Unified Sports. Future research should explore training for coaches on inclusive practices (e.g., language), and optimal methods for consistent training (e.g., use of training manuals) to foster the philosophy of inclusion within school sports.

The Change in Exergaming From Before to During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Young Adults: Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Exergaming may be an important option to support an active lifestyle, especially during pandemics. OBJECTIVE: Our objectives were (1) to explore whether change in exergaming status (stopped, started or sustained exergaming, or never exergamed) from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic was related to changes in walking, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) or meeting MVPA guidelines and (2) to describe changes among past-year exergamers in minutes per week exergaming from before to during the pandemic. METHODS: A total of 681 participants (mean age 33.6; SD 0.5 years; n=280, 41% male) from the 22-year Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) study provided data on walking, MVPA, and exergaming before (2017 to 2020) and during (2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical activity (PA) change scores were described by change in exergaming status. RESULTS: We found that 62.4% (n=425) of the 681 participants never exergamed, 8.2% (n=56) started exergaming during the pandemic, 19.7% (n=134) stopped exergaming, and 9.7% (n=66) sustained exergaming. Declines were observed in all 3 PA indicators in all 4 exergaming groups. The more salient findings were that (1) participants who started exergaming during COVID-19 reported the highest MVPA levels before and during the pandemic and declined the least (mean -35 minutes/week), (2) sustained exergamers reported the lowest MVPA levels during the pandemic (median 66 minutes/week) and declined the most in MVPA (mean change of -92 minutes/week) and in meeting MVPA guidelines (-23.6%). During the pandemic, starting exergamers reported 85 minutes of exergaming per week and sustained exergamers increased exergaming by a median 60 minutes per week. CONCLUSIONS: Although starting and sustaining exergaming did not appear to help exergamers maintain prepandemic PA levels, exergaming can contribute a substantial proportion of total PA in young adults and may still represent a useful option to promote PA during pandemics.

Flourishing or physical activity?: Identifying temporal precedence in supporting the transition to university.

Objective: Flourishing is a mental health indicator that helps students function optimally, which may be important for first-year university students. Physical activity (PA) also contributes to optimal functioning, yet the flourishing and PA relationship has received little attention. The bidirectional relationships between flourishing and meeting moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) guidelines were assessed during the first year of university. Methods: First-year university students completed surveys (September [T1], March [T2]). Reciprocal effects were examined in a cross-lagged path model. Results: Over 40% of the sample was not meeting MVPA guidelines at T1 or T2. Controlling for sex, higher T1 flourishing was associated with higher odds of meeting T2 MVPA guidelines. T1 MVPA did not predict T2 flourishing. Conclusions: The findings provide preliminary evidence that flourishing may support meeting MVPA guidelines for first-year students. Given low rates of meeting guidelines, flourishing and PA could be targeted to foster MVPA, supporting a healthy university transition.

Process Evaluation of a Sport-Based Supportive Care Intervention for Testicular Cancer Survivors: A Mixed Methods Study.

Testicular cancer survivors report unmet supportive care needs that are associated with poorer physical and mental health, yet engagement in traditional supportive care is low. The Ball's in Your Court intervention was designed to engage testicular cancer survivors in supportive care by leveraging a community-based sport and exercise model. Age-appropriate, gender-sensitized, and disease specific elements were reflected in the intervention design, setting, content, and delivery. The intervention included five weekly health promotion sessions among a group of testicular cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to explore the intervention's (i) feasibility and acceptability, (ii) effects on testicular cancer survivors' perceived health, and (iii) gain feedback for intervention refinement. A total of 10 testicular cancer survivors participated in the pilot and completed questionnaires on demographics, cancer history, perceived health, and physical activity behavior at baseline (pre-intervention) and perceived health and satisfaction with intervention components (post-intervention). Open-ended feedback surveys were collected after each weekly session and researcher field notes were recorded by three members of the study team. One month following the intervention, a focus group was conducted with intervention participants. All participants were satisfied with the intervention. Content analysis of the qualitative data supported intervention acceptability. Visual analysis conducted at the individual level indicated that perceived health either remained stable or improved from pre- to post-intervention. The Ball's in Your Court intervention provides a feasible and acceptable approach for the delivery of supportive care aimed at improving testicular cancer survivors' health and wellness. Recommendations for intervention refinement were provided and require future examination.

Quality of Participation Experiences in Special Olympics Sports Programs.

This cross-sectional study examined experiential elements facilitating quality sport experiences for youth (ages 12-24 years) in Special Olympics, and the associated influences of sport program and sociodemographic characteristics. A total of 451 athletes involved in the 2019 Special Olympics Youth Games completed a survey assessing elements of quality participation (autonomy, belongingness, challenge, engagement, mastery, and meaning). The t tests investigated whether athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities rated elements differently across Traditional and Unified Sport programs. Regression analyses explored whether sport program and sociodemographic characteristics were predictors of these elements. Youth reported high mean scores across the elements, with no significant differences between athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Traditional or Unified Sport. Athletes with no reported disability rated higher autonomy than those who reported disability (p = .01). Women tended to report greater engagement in sport than men (p = .07). Findings provide theoretical and practical insights into quality sport participation among youth in Special Olympics.