The Effects of Exercise on Anxiety and Depression

J Immigrant Minority Health

2021

African Americans with obesity have high rates of hypertension. Exercise has been shown to significantly reduce high blood pressure; however, effects through associated reductions in anxiety and depression are unclear. African American adults with either class 2 or 3 obesity (n = 86; M age = 43.4 years) and either elevated blood pressure (n = 16) or stage 1 (n = 33) or stage 2 (n = 37) hypertension participated in a theoretically driven community-based weight-management program. There were significant increases in exercise outputs; while systolic and diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, and depression significantly decreased from baseline-month 6. Increased exercise significantly predicted reduced anxiety, depression, and diastolic blood pressure. Change in anxiety significantly mediated the relationship between exercise and both systolic and diastolic blood pressure changes. Increasing exercise from the equivalent of 1.5 to 4.5 moderate bouts/week reduced elevated blood pressure/hypertension in African American adults with severe obesity largely through their exercise-associated improvement in anxiety.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Behaviorally Supported Exercise and Exercise-Induced Mood Changes on Elevated Blood Pressure and Hypertension in African American Adults with Severe Obesity

J Immigrant Minority Health

2021

“…Although the study time frame went beyond the initial 6 to 9 months where weight loss is expected and the challenge of weight regain begins, extensions of this research should assess outcomes and their psychosocial correlates over even longer periods to better assess associated impacts on health risks during the long term. In addition, because increased exercise in low-active individuals is reliably associated with improved mood (Arent et al, 2020), and mood has been linked to improved self-regulation (Gendolla & Brinkman, 2005), future studies should consider mood as an additional mediator or moderator in extensions of this research. Finally, although addressing the study variables within a field context challenged internal validity, it also was an advantage based on the enhanced ability to readily apply findings to behavioral obesity treatments (Green et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships Between Learned Self-Regulatory Skills and Changes in Weight-Loss Behaviors: Mediation by Barriers Self-Efficacy

Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion

2020

This study aimed to assess changes in learned self-regulatory skills and barriers self-efficacy associated with theory-based behavioral weight-loss treatments with different curricular emphases, and to evaluate mechanisms of short- and long-term changes in exercise and eating behaviors via self-regulatory skills usage to inform theory and improve lagging intervention effects. Women with obesity volunteered and were randomly allocated into 1-year community-based behavioral weight-loss treatments with either a high ( n = 37) or moderate ( n = 41) focus on building self-regulatory skills to overcome lifestyle barriers. They were periodically assessed on measures of exercise- and eating-related self-regulatory skill usage, exercise- and eating-related barriers self-efficacy, exercise outputs, fruit/vegetable intake, and body composition. Reductions in weight and waist circumference, increases in exercise- and eating-related self-regulation and barriers self-efficacy, and increases in exercise and fruit/vegetable intake were each significant overall, and significantly greater in the group with a high self-regulatory skills-building focus. Change in barriers self-efficacy significantly mediated relationships between self-regulation change and changes in exercise outputs and fruit/vegetable intake from both baseline–Month 6 and baseline–Month 12. Change in barriers self-efficacy also significantly mediated relationships between change in self-regulation for eating from baseline–Month 3 and long-term changes in self-regulation for eating. Findings supported tenets of social cognitive, self-efficacy, and self-regulation theories: and indicated the importance of emphasizing, and facilitating a high amount of instruction and rehearsal time for self-regulatory skills development within behavioral weight-loss treatments. The ability to nurture self-efficacy through overcoming lifestyle barriers was also indicated.

“…In consideration of suggestions by Gendolla and Brinkman (2005) and other research (Annesi, 2017), it also posits that mood will affect the utility of self‐regulatory processes. Within the weight‐loss maintenance phase the model indicates that the extension of eating‐related self‐regulation from the weight‐loss stage will be mediated by self‐efficacy and, again, physical activity‐induced mood change (Arent, Walker & Arent, 2020) will impact effects emanating from improved self‐regulatory skills usage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a new causal chain model for predicting embedded psychosocial and behavioral relationships in a community‐based obesity treatment seeking maintained weight loss

Scandinavian J Psychology

Walsh

2021

A new causal chain model positing theory‐ and research‐based interrelationships among psychosocial and behavioral variables leading to weight loss and its maintenance was assessed. Two samples of women participating in community‐based cognitive‐behavioral obesity treatments were assessed over either 6 months (weight loss phase; N = 103), or additionally including Months 6–12 (weight‐loss maintenance phase; N = 101). Analyses first evaluated whether baseline physical, demographic, behavioral (physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake), and/or psychosocial (self‐regulation, self‐efficacy, negative mood) variables significantly predicted weight change. Further analyses assessed whether changes in model‐based behavioral and psychosocial variables significantly differed by groupings of participants based on their short‐term weight loss and weight‐loss maintenance/further loss. The predictive value of changes in the psychosocial variables on behavioral changes was next assessed, also accounting for group. Finally, mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation analyses tested proposed causal chain‐based interrelationships among variables. Of the 12 variables assessed at baseline, only weight was inversely associated with lost weight, and only fruit/vegetable intake was positively associated with effects during the weight‐loss maintenance phase. Overall improvements in behavioral and psychosocial variables were significantly greater in participant groupings with better weight loss and weight‐loss maintenance results. Changes in self‐regulation, self‐efficacy, and mood significantly predicted the weight‐loss behavior changes, unaffected by group. Results from the five mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation analyses supported hypotheses based on the new causal chain model. The field testing indicated adequacy of the new causal chain model and informed architectures of behavioral obesity treatments concerned with long‐term reductions in excess weight.