Body weight misperception and psychological distress among young South Korean adults:the role of physical activity

Background:Emerging evidence suggests that body weight misperception may be associated with psychological distress among people in developed countries.Participating in physical activity(PA)may negate the association between weight misperception and psychological distress given the well-known benefits of PA on psychological health.This study examined the role of PA in associations between body weight misperception and psychological distress among young South Korean adults.Methods:Data from individuals aged 20 to 39 years who participated in the Fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2010-2012(N=6055)was included in the logistic regressions.Results:The proportions of the respondents under-and over-perceiving their body weight were 66.9%and 0.8%among men and 16.3%and 15.6%among women respectively.A moderating effect of PA participation was observed on the relationship between body weight over-perception and depressed mood(Odds Ratio[OR]=0.55;95%Confidence Intervals[95%CI]=0.34,0.89).Among individuals who did not meet the recommended vigorous-intensity PA(≥20 min/session and≥3 day/week),body weight over-perception was associated with depressed mood(OR=1.71,95%CI=1.19,2.46)compared to the accurate-perception group.However,no association was observed among those who met the recommended vigorous-intensity PA(OR=1.52,95%CI=0.45,5.22).Similar patterns were found among physically active versus inactive individuals(recommended walking not met:OR=2.02,95%CI=1.29,3.15;recommended walking met:OR=1.28,95%CI=0.66,2.49;muscular strengthening exercises for<2 day/week:OR=1.74,95%CI=1.21,2.51;muscular strengthening exercises for≥2 day/week:OR=1.38,95%CI=0.37,5.14).No relationship existed between body weight over-perception and depressed mood after adjusting for PA.Conclusions:Participating in regular PA may buffer a potential negative impact of body weight over-perception on depressive mood.

Physical activity in persons with Parkinson disease: A feasibility study

Background: Physical activity for persons with Parkinson Disease (PD) is recommended yet little is known about the physical activity levels in this patient population. The primary aim was to assess the feasibility of using a direct measurement and self-report measure of physical activity in patients with PD. Methods: Physical activity was recorded in 11 out-patients with mild to moderate PD. An accelerometer based sensor system (SenseWear Pro Armband?) which was worn continuously over 2 days was used to measure physical activity. Minute by minute energy expenditure and steps per day were recorded. Self-report physical activity was measured using the Short QUestionnaire to ASsess Health-enhancing physical activity (SQUASH) which assessed average weekly activity. Results: Using the accelerometer based sensor system, 83% of the day was spent in sedentary activity with the majority active time spent at a light intensity (2.7 [SD 2.0] hrs/day). Self-reported mean number of hours for activities greater than 2.0 METs was 3.4 (SD 1.5) hrs/day. Although the overall time spent in activity did not differ between the accelerometer and SQUASH, partici- pants reported a higher proportion of activities at the moderate and vigorous intensities than the accelerometer recorded. Conclusions: Measurement of physical activity is a challenge in persons with PD given the disease-related symptoms. We found that, by all accounts, a self-report measure of physical activity should be complemented with a direct measure of physical activity.

Pubertal development and screen time among South Korean adolescents:testing body mass index and psychological wellbeing as mediators

Background:This study tested links between pubertal development and screen time among South Korean adolescent boys and girls.Methods:Secondary analysis was conducted on data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Study(KCYPS)involving 2071 adolescents(age M=13.14 years).Body mass index(BMI)at Grade 8(baseline),self-esteem and depression at Grade 9 were examined as mediators of the relationship between pubertal development and screen time after adjusting for household income and academic performance.Structural equation modeling was used to assess direct and indirect pathways between pubertal development at Grade 8 and screen time at Grade 9.Results:No direct effect of pubertal development on screen time was found.But,an indirect effect existed for boys from pubertal development to screen time through BMI.Earlier pubertal development predicted higher BMI,and in turn,higher BMI predicted more time spent in screen time.Among girls,pubertal development negatively predicted BMI;however,no mediation effect of BMI between pubertal development and screen time was observed.No mediation effect of self-esteem or depression was found among boys or girls.Conclusions:Pubertal development appears to have an indirect influence on screen time through BMI for South Korean boys.More studies examining potential pathways between pubertal development and sedentary behavior are needed to build on these findings.