Objectively Measured Daily Physical Activity and Postural Changes as Related to Positive and Negative Affect Using Ambulatory Monitoring Assessments

Abstract

Objective The aim of the study was to determine whether objectively measured daily physical activity and posture of sitting, standing, and sit-to-stand transitions are associated with daily assessments of affect. Methods Participants (N = 51, 49% female) wore ActivPal accelerometers for 24 h/d for seven consecutive days. Time spent sitting, standing, and being physically active and sit-to-stand transitions were derived for each day. Participants also completed a mood inventory each evening. Multilevel models examined within-and between-person associations of daily physical activity with positive and negative affect, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, education, and sleep duration. Results Within-person associations showed that a 1-hour increase in daily physical activity was associated with a decrease in negative affect over the same day (B =-0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI],-0.21 to-0.01). Between-person associations indicated a borderline significant association between higher average daily physical activity levels and higher positive affect (B = 1.85, 95% CI =-0.25 to 3.94). There were no between-or within-person associations between sitting, standing, and sit-to-stand transitions with affect. Conclusions Promoting physical activity may be a potential intervention strategy to acutely suppress negative affective states.