Amongst women, the tendency to experience more negative emotions was related to lower levels of physical activity, particularly during leisure time. Women who experienced more negative emotions, equivalent to frustration and sadness, at age 42 were less physically energetic at age 61.

This finding is consistent with our previous studies. It is perhaps that girls who experience more negative emotions may derive less enjoyment from moderate-to-vigorous physical activity or experience more exercise barriers.”

Tiia Kekäläinen, Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center

The study also found that the behavioral activity of 8-year-old girls, manifested, for instance, as playing eagerly with other children, predicted more sedentary behavior at age 61 before considering the present occupational status. The researchers consider that this might be explained by the associations between behavioral activity, educational background and occupational status.

“Girls who were socially more energetic in childhood usually tend to pursue higher education and find yourself in professions, like expert roles, which involve loads of sitting,” says doctoral researcher Johanna Ahola from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center. “This sedentary behavior at work is captured in accelerometer measurements.”

The study is an element of the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, where the identical participants have been followed since 1968. On this study, physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured with wearable accelerometers that capture on a regular basis activities, equivalent to brisk walking to the bus, more accurately than questionnaires. The research enhances understanding of how various aspects, equivalent to individual temperament, explain the differences in the degrees of physical activity and sedentary behavior between individuals.

Doctoral researcher Johanna Ahola feels that, in the longer term, it could be necessary to listen to how, despite negative emotions, each individual could discover a variety of sport they enjoy.

The publication is predicated on data from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development. Between the years of 1968 and 2012, the study was led by professor Lea Pulkkinen, and since 2013, it has been led by research director Katja Kokko. The publication can be a part of the PATHWAY project funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland and the TRAILS project funded by the Research Council of Finland. Each projects are situated on the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and the Gerontology Research Center on the University of Jyväskylä.

The publication can be based on Johanna Ahola’s master’s thesis, which received an honorable mention as a distinguished master’s thesis in the sector of health psychology in 2021. The honorable mention was granted by the health psychology division of the Finnish Psychological Society.

Source:

University of Jyväskylä

Journal reference:

Ahola, J., et al. (2023) Child socioemotional behavior and adult temperament as predictors of physical activity and sedentary behavior in late maturity. BMC Public Health. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16110-y.