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Year-Round Effectiveness of Physical Activity Counseling on Subjective Well-Being: A Self-Determination Approach Among Flemish Sedentary Adults

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Abstract

This study evaluated the year-round effectiveness of need-supportive physical activity counseling on various dimensions of subjective well-being. Flemish adults who did not attain the recommended level of physical activity were assigned to an intervention (n = 92) or a control condition (n = 34). Participants of the intervention condition received a four-month physical activity coaching based on the Self-Determination Theory. The coaching was limited to five individual contact moments with a bachelor in kinesiology specializing in health-related physical activity counseling. Self-reports on various intensities of physical activity and physical and psychological well-being were completed before (i.e. pre-test), immediately after (i.e. post-test) and 1 year after (i.e. follow-up-test) the intervention. Repeated measurements ANOVAs showed significant time by condition interaction effects with respect to physical well-being. More specifically, physical well-being significantly increased in the intervention condition from pre- to post-test and from pre- to follow-up-test, whereas no changes occurred in the control condition. Bootstrapping mediation analyses revealed that the changes in physical well-being were mediated by changes in strenuous intensity physical activity. The findings demonstrate the year-round effectiveness of need-supportive physical activity counseling with a limited number of contact moments on (physical) well-being and suggest its potential as a public health initiative.

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Acknowledgments

Ann-Sophie Van Hoecke is a Ph. D. fellow of the Research Foundation – Flanders.

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  1. Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Tervuursevest 101, 3001, Leuven, Belgium

    Ann-Sophie Van Hoecke, Christophe Delecluse, Joke Opdenacker & Filip Boen

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  1. Ann-Sophie Van Hoecke
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Correspondence to Ann-Sophie Van Hoecke.

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Van Hoecke, AS., Delecluse, C., Opdenacker, J. et al. Year-Round Effectiveness of Physical Activity Counseling on Subjective Well-Being: A Self-Determination Approach Among Flemish Sedentary Adults. Applied Research Quality Life 9, 537–558 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-013-9251-9

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