Health Improvement and Recovery Experiences During Vacation of School Teachers: The Benefit of Physical Activity

Abstract

The current study tested whether physical activity during a school teachers' vacation is associated with health improvement. A second research question addressed whether recovery experiences (detachment, mastery, relaxation, and control) mediate between physical activity and health improvement. Forty-eight elementary school teachers filled out a questionnaire before and after vacation. Self-reported health status was assessed prior to vacation and during vacation and recovery experiences were assessed during vacation. Mean levels of self-reported general health increased during vacation. Health improvement was restricted to those teachers who were physically active during their vacation (p = .013). Analysis of covariance showed activity related group differences in recovery experiences during vacation. Those who did sports during their vacation reported significantly higher levels of detachment and mastery. The percentage of days with sports during vacation was positively related to experience of mastery and detachment during vacation. The mediation hypothesis was however not empirically supported. Physical activity during vacation corresponded with elementary teachers' recovery and health improvement during vacation.Keywords Physical activity . Recovery . Detachment . Mastery Occup Health Sci (2017) 1:89-103 DOI 10.1007/s41542-017-0004-2 Practitioner Points Findings show that physical activity during vacation promotes health during vacation. Physical activity is also linked to increased recovery experiences.

No pain, no gain? Recovery and strenuousness of physical activity.

“…The reasons for the absence of the proposed mediation effects differed between these latter two studies, though. Whereas Pereira et al (2017) did find support for the LTPA-detachment association, but not for the relationship between detachment and recovery, the opposite was the case in the study by Sianoja et al (2018).…”

“…However, a study on the relationships between lunchtime park walks and recovery indicators (Sianoja, Syrek, de Bloom, Korpela, & Kinnunen, 2018) failed to demonstrate the presumed mediating role of psychological detachment in this association. Also a study on LTPA during vacation did not find detachment to mediate the LTPA-recovery association (Pereira, Iseli, & Elfering, 2017). The reasons for the absence of the proposed mediation effects differed between these latter two studies, though.…”

“…Previous studies on the LTPA-recovery association generally focused exclusively on indicators of the duration of LTPA and examined, for example, the time spent on physical activities (such as “sports, dancing, cycling, or going for a hike/stroll”; ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012, p. 448), a summed total of time spent on (one or more) exercise activities (Feuerhahn et al, 2014), or the percentage of vacation days in which participants engaged in sports or exercise activities (Pereira et al, 2017). Until now, therefore, it has been implicitly assumed that all types of LTPA have similar effects on recovery, and that it is just the duration of engagement in these activities that matters.…”

Facilitating detachment from work: A systematic review, evidence-based recommendations, and guide for future research.

“…The different types of leisure activities include physical activities , entertainment/play , social activities , and low-effort activities . Evidence generally suggests that time spent on physical activities such as exercise tends to be positively related to detachment at the between- and within-person levels (Pereira et al, 2017; ten Brummelhuis & Bakker, 2012). But, there are some inconsistent findings across temporal contexts and types of activities.…”

Inaugural Editorial: Help on the Way

“…Pereira et al (2017) examine the benefits of physical activity during vacation for school teachers and Ellis et al (2017) examine the benefits of a supervisor focused wellness training program on supervisors' occupational health outcomes. Both of these papers exemplify the kinds of research I would like to see in Occupational Health Science as they examine practically important questions in contexts with clear occupational health concerns.…”