Sedentary Behaviour Psychology

EPHE 348

Sedentary?

• Pate, O’Neill & Lobelo (2008)– Most of our knowledge does not tease out

sedentary and light activity– May be a huge factor for understanding health

in the future– Simple inactivity may not be adequate to

understand the behaviour…..(Biddle et al., 1999; Sallis et al., 2004)

Screen Time?

Screen Viewing and Physical Inactivity

High prevalence but low correlation with physical activity (Biddle et al., 2004)

Issues?

• TV screen time has not changed since the 50s (Biddle et al., 2004)

• Many children are high active and high tech

• Subtle differences perhaps, but not convincing (Smith et al., 2008)

Behavioural Choice Theory

• Work by Epstein & Colleagues– Behaviours may affect each other due to time

displacement– Reinforcing value (comparator of enjoyment)– Proximity/avaialbility (comparator of ease)

• Results have been favorable for eating behaviours but less so with PA in children

Cross-Behavioural Conflict in Adults?

Issues

• Adults (aged 35-50 particularly) have limited true leisure time due to occupational, child support, marital, and domestic duties

• Time displacement seems most likely

Early evidence

• Correlations between TV viewing & PA (Epstein & Roemmich, 2001; Gordon-Larsen, Nelson, & Popkin, 2004; Tucker, 1993)

• Preliminary evidence that competing leisure-time goals are related to lower PA (Gebhardt & Maes, 1998)

• Preference for sedentary behaviour was correlated (-) with PA (particularly enjoyment (Salmon, Owen, Crawford, Bauman, & Sallis, 2003)

Intentions to watch TV (Rhodes & Blanchard, 2008)

Physical Activity

Physical Activity Intention

Physical Activity

PBC

Physical Activity Affective Attitude

TV

Intention

TV

Affective Attitude

.38

-.22

.51

-.14

.59

.23

.31

Cognitive Processes for TV(Rhodes, Blanchard & Bellows, 2008)

Figure 1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Exercise Behaviour

Inten

tion

LOW TVProcessesMED TVProcessesHIGH TVProcesses

How do we intervene

• Some rationale that PA interventions should consider sedentary behaviour control (no solid evidence yet)

• Time displacement may need to be a focus (dropping some habits for others or combining behaviours)

Motives for leisure-Time Activities

• Rhodes & Dean (in press)– TPB framework with 2 samples (population

and undergraduate)

– TV and Computer use predicted by attitudes via intention

– No contribution of norms or perceived control

Demotion of Sedentary Behaviour?

• Structural

• Social

• Social Cognitive

• Future research needed