Authors

Cristina Cortis, Universita di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale
Anna Puggina, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome
Caterina Pesce, Università degli Studi di Roma "Foro Italico"
Katina Aleksovska, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome
Christoph Buck, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology
Con Burns, Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork, IrelandFollow
Greet Cardon, Universiteit Gent
Angela Carlin, University of Limerick
Chantal Simon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Donatella Ciarapica, CREA Research Centre for Food and Nutrition
Giancarlo Condello, Università degli Studi di Roma "Foro Italico"
Tara Coppinger, Department of Sport, Leisure & Childhood Studies, Cork Institute of Technology, Cork, IrelandFollow
Sara D’Haese, Universiteit Gent
Marieke de Craemer, Universiteit Gent
Andrea Di Blasio, University of G. d'Annunzio Chieti and Pescara
Sylvia Hansen, Universität Stuttgart
Licia Iacoviello, Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed, Pozzilli
Johann Issartel, Dublin City University
Pascal Izzicupo, University of G. d'Annunzio Chieti and Pescara
Lina Jaeschke, Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine
Martina Kanning, Universität Konstanz
Aileen Kennedy, Dublin City University
Fiona Chun Man Ling, University of Limerick
Agnes Luzak, Helmholtz Center Munich German Research Center for Environmental Health
Giorgio Napolitano, University of G. d'Annunzio Chieti and Pescara
Julie Anne Nazare, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Grainne O’Donoghue, Dublin City University
Camille Perchoux, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
Tobias Pischon, Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine
Angela Polito, CREA Research Centre for Food and Nutrition
Alessandra Sannella, Universita di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale
Holger Schulz, Helmholtz Center Munich German Research Center for Environmental Health

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7251-4516

Document Type

Article

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Cognitive Psychology | Environmental Public Health | International Public Health | Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychology | Public Health | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sports Studies

Publication Details

© 2017 Ma et al.

Cortis, C. et al., 2017. Psychological determinants of physical activity across the life course: A “DEterminants of DIet and Physical ACtivity” (DEDIPAC) umbrella systematic literature review M. Buchowski, ed. PLOS ONE, 12(8), p.e0182709. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182709.

Abstract

Low levels of physical activity (PA) are reported to contribute to the occurrence of non-communicable diseases over the life course. Although psychological factors have been identified as an important category concerning PA behavior, knowledge on psychological determinants of PA is still inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this umbrella systematic literature review (SLR) was to summarize and synthesize the scientific evidence on psychological determinants of PA behavior across the life course. A systematic online search was conducted on MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and SPORTDiscus databases. The search was limited to studies published in English from January 2004 to April 2016. SLRs and meta-analyses (MAs) of observational studies investigating the association of psychological variables and PA were considered eligible. Extracted data were evaluated based on importance of determinants, strength of evidence, and methodological quality. The full protocol is available from PROSPERO (Record ID: CRD42015010616). Twenty reviews (14 SLRs and 6 MAs), mostly of moderate methodological quality, were found eligible. Convincing evidence was found for self-efficacy (positive association with PA) in children and adolescents, and stress (negative association with PA) regardless of age. Most of the evidence revealing an association between psychological determinants and PA is probable and limited, mainly due to differences in the definition of PA and of psychological determinants across reviews. Thus, scholars are urged to reach a consensus on clear definitions of relevant psychological determinants of PA, subsuming cultural biases and allowing the possibility to obtain clear interpretations and generalizability of findings. Finally, most psychological determinants should be considered within a larger framework of other multi-level determinants that may interact or mediate some of the effects.

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