Exploring Intuitive Exercise and Health among Adolescent Girls: Insights from FitSpirit
Abstract Overview
Background: Intuitive exercise involves listening to bodily cues over external motives. However, the profile of adolescent girls regarding intuitive exercise, its association with relevant outcomes and change following a physical activity (PA) intervention is unknown.
Purposes: Describe intuitive exercise scores among adolescent girls; Explore associations between intuitive exercise and health and lifestyles outcomes; Assess change in intuitive exercise following FitSpirit intervention.
Methods: During the school year 2021-2022, participants completed the Intuitive Exercise Scale assessing exercise flexibility (EF), body trust (BT), mindful exercise (ME), and emotional exercise (EE) (Score /5) before (n=604), and after FitSpirit (n=165). Mean ± standard deviation, Pearson correlations and paired t-tests analyses were computed. Significant findings (p<0.05) are reported.
Results: At baseline, EF (3.76±0.85) and BT (3.60±0.80) scored highest followed by ME (3.19±0.84) and EE (3.17±0.90). EF correlated with PA level (0.299), quality of life (0.273), perceived health (0.290), and competence (0.445), enjoyment (0.392), fitness (0.197) and social (0.189) PA motives, and body dissatisfaction (-0.137). BT correlated to quality of life (0.213), perceived health (0.212), and competence (0.125), enjoyment (0.112) and social (0.162) PA motives, and to body dissatisfaction (-0.089), screen time (-0.216) and appearance motive (-0.118). ME correlated with competence (-0.205), enjoyment (-0.105) and appearance (-0.116) PA motives. EE correlated with PA level (0.222) and competence (0.308), enjoyment (0.246), fitness (0.151), social (0.190), and appearance (-0.107) PA motives. No significant change in intuitive exercise were observed.
Conclusions: This study provides insight into intuitive exercise levels of Canadian adolescent girls and associated health and lifestyle outcomes.
Practical implications: Promoting practices emphasizing bodily cues and diverse PA could be interesting strategies to design interventions aimed at adolescent girls to modulate intuitive exercise profile.
Funding: FitSpirit, Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Research Chairs, Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé du Québec.
Additional Authors
Name: Jo-Anne Gilbert
Affiliation: 1. School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Qc H3T 1J4, Canada.
Presenting Author: no
Name: Isabelle Doré
Affiliation: 1. School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Qc H3T 1J4, Canada. 2. School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Qc H3N 1X9, Canada. 3. CHUM Research Center, Montreal, Qc H2X 0A9, Canada.
Presenting Author: no
Name: Véronique Thibault
Affiliation: 4. Université de Sherbrooke, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé, Sherbrooke, Qc J1H 5N4, Canada
Presenting Author: no
Name: Vicky Drapeau
Affiliation: 5. Department of Kinesiology, Laval University, Quebec, Qc G1V 0A6, Canada.
Presenting Author: no
Name: Marie-Eve Mathieu
Affiliation: 1. School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Qc H3T 1J4, Canada. 6. Azrieli CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, Qc H3T 1C5, Canada.
Presenting Author: no
Information
Study Type: Intervention
Subtheme: Mental Health
Population Group: Adolescents
Setting: School
Submitting Author
Karine Paiement
Doctorante
Université de Montréal
Canada
