This study investigated how stress, physical activity and sedentary behaviours, of a small sample of Canadians, changed within the first month (i.e. March/April) of the COVID‐19 pandemic and the reasons/barriers associated with such changes. Individuals who regularly wear activity trackers were recruited via social media. Participants ( N = 121) completed fillable calendars (March/April 2020) with their step counts and answered an online survey. Separate paired‐sample t ‐tests, one‐way ANOVAs and bivariate chi‐squares were conducted, in addition to qualitative analysis. Daily ( p <.001) and work ( p =.003) stress increased, physical activity (measured by step count) decreased ( p =.0014), and screen‐related sedentary behaviour increased ( p <.001) as a result of COVID‐19. A decrease in physical activity, as a result of the pandemic, was also associated with a larger increase in work stress, compared with those who self‐reported their physical activity to have been maintained or increased ( p =.005). The most common reasons/barriers to changes in physical activity behaviours were access/equipment, time and motivation. Findings provide initial evidence of the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the health of some Canadians and highlight the need for continued monitoring of the health of Canadians throughout the pandemic.

The #fitspo 'tag' is a recent trend on Instagram, which is used on posts to motivate others towards a healthy lifestyle through exercise/eating habits. This study used a mixed-methods approach consisting of text and network analysis via the Netlytic program ( N = 10,000 #fitspo posts), and content analysis of #fitspo images ( N = 122) was used to examine author and image characteristics. Results suggest that #fitspo posts may motivate through appearance-mediated themes, as the largest content categories (based on the associated text) were 'feeling good' and 'appearance'. Furthermore, #fitspo posts may create peer influence/support as personal (opposed to non-personal) accounts were associated with higher popularity of images (i.e. number of likes/followers). Finally, most images contained posed individuals with some degree of objectification.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the introduction of a fundamental movement skills (FMS) program to grade 4–6 physical education (PE) classes could improve students’ physical literacy (PL) and influence the amount of effort exerted in PE class. Athletics Canada’s grassroots Run Jump Throw Wheel (RJTW) Program was delivered for 10 weeks during PE classes (2 schools: four grade 4, four grade 5, two grade 6, one split grade 5–6 class, and one split grade 6–7 class, totalling 310 students). Participants completed the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy (CAPL) and wore heart rate monitors and pre- and postintervention. The CAPL score increased 3.3 (±8.8) points from the pretest to the post-test (t = 6.47, p < 0.001). Improvements were not significantly different by grade or gender, but those in the suburban-area school improved more so than those attending the rural-area school (F[1,294] = 4.82, p < 0.004). Among those participants that increased their PL (n = 186), the CAPL scores increased by 8.6 (±5.9) points versus those that decreased (n = 110; –5.6 ± 4.8 points), F[1,294] = 452.11, p < 0.001. No significant differences in time spent in physical activity were observed between the pre- and post-test (i.e., 17.0 ± 7.0 min and 19.3 ± 7.0 min, respectively, t = 1.70, p = 0.091). The RJTW program increased participants’ overall FMS, as well as their knowledge and understanding regarding these FMS, both key components of PL.

Objectives: To investigate social networking site (SNS) use and frequency, and their potential associations with self-reported general health, mental health, and well-being among the Canadian population using the nationally representative 2013 General Social Survey (GSS). Methods: Data were collected via Statistics Canada GSS 2013 (cycle 27). Six separate one-way analysis of covariances (ANCOVAs) were conducted to determine differences in general health, mental health, and well-being for both SNS use and frequency, controlling for age, gender, number of children at home, household location, education, and income. Results: SNS users were younger (with nearly 96% being 15-24 years old vs. 27% ! 75 years; p < .001), female (p < .001), have three or fewer children at home (p < .001), live in urban/Prince Edward Island locations, were at the lower or higher ends of household income (p < .001), and were less educated (p < .001). Among all Internet users, better general health (p ¼ .03) was associated with using SNSs, yet better mental health (p ¼ .001) and well-being (p ¼ .001) were associated with not using SNSs. Among SNS account-holders, those who never accessed their accounts had significantly lower general health (p ¼ .007), mental health (p < .001), and well-being (p < .001) compared with those who accessed their accounts, regardless of frequency. Conclusion: Differences exist for SNS use and frequency and health outcomes. However, investigations into the possible differences that may exist between individuals who do not have a SNS account and those who do, but do not use it, are needed in the future.

This study used Instagram to explore the 2016 ESPN: The Magazine’s Body Issue, with a particular focus on the women athletes featured. A two-prong content analysis was utilized for this study. Photo analysis of “ESPN’s Body Issue photos” (i.e., released on ESPN’s website; N = 141) and “ESPN’s Body Issue photos posted on athlete’s Instagram” (i.e., ESPN photos posted on the athletes’ Instagram account; N = 16) was conducted. Most of “ESPN’s Body Issue photos” were “getting pretty” shots, whereas, the majority of “ESPN’s Body Issue photos posted on athlete’s Instagram” were “athletic action” or “active in sport.” Audience reactions from women to Body Issue photos posted on the women athletes’ Instagram accounts were explored through examining ~3,000 comments, and results suggest that women athletes can and do play a role in how other women socially construct themselves. Overall, findings contribute to understanding women athletes in the media.