finished
Physical Activity and HealthRelated Quality of Life
principal investigator / project leader
psychologist, specializing in health psychology
Full bio project value: PLN 1,261,738
funding source: National Science Center
discipline: psychology
location: Wrocław
duration: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Every year on January 1st, thousands of people make New Year’s resolutions related to their lifestyles. People mass enroll in fitness clubs and gyms, buy kitchen appliances for making healthy meals and cocktails, and quit smoking. However, usually the zeal wanes after a few weeks and the majority of people return to their previous habits and the not so healthy lifestyles. Researchers from SWPS University will examine whether having a partner, who supports and actively participates in pro-health changes can boost perseverance and staying the course on the way to better health.
rESEARCH PROJECT
Physical activity and health - related quality of life
Dyadic Research in the Context of Forming Individual, Dyadic, and Collaborative Plans
Research Unit
Grant AmountPLN 1 261 738
Funding Source
Duration of Research Project: September 2015 - September 2020
Every year on January 1st, thousands of people make New Year’s resolutions related to their lifestyles. People mass enroll in fitness clubs and gyms, buy kitchen appliances for making healthy meals and cocktails, and quit smoking. However, usually the zeal wanes after a few weeks and the majority of people return to their previous habits and the not so healthy lifestyles. Researchers from SWPS University will examine whether having a partner, who supports and actively participates in pro-health changes can boost perseverance and staying the course on the way to better health.
Project Objectives
The aim of the project is to achieve novel scientific discoveries in the following areas:
1. the individual-level and dyadic-level associations between physical activity (PA) and in health-related quality of life (HRQOL);
2. differences in these associations in two types of dyads: an adult (with or without a chronic illness) and his/her spouse versus dyads of mother and child (aged 10-14);
3. effects of individual planning, collaborative planning, and dyadic planning on PA initiation and maintenance, and subsequently, HRQOL.
The project will help us understand how staying active can improve the quality of life. We will also assess how people should plan their physical activity to increase the probability of following on their plans. This will allow us to develop effective interventions enabling parents and children, people with the chronic cardiovascular system disease or those suffering from diabetes, and their partners, to change their lifestyles.
Łuszczyńska, Aleksandra
Principal Investigator
Specialization
psychologist, specializing in health psychology
First and last name
Aleksandra Łuszczyńska
Academic degree or title
Professor
Email
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Institute
CARE-BEH Center for Applied Research on Health Behavior and Health
Role in the Faculty
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Role in the Department
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Role in the Institute
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Role in the Research Center
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Professor Aleksandra Łuszczyńskapsychologist, specializing in health psychology
Application of Results
Potentially, the project will have a major impact on shaping the research on PA and HRQOL. In particular, we will offer findings on modifiable behavioral predictors of changes in HRQOL in two types of dyads. The findings would offer an insight into differences in associations and their mediating mechanisms in healthy individuals versus individuals with chronic illness, accounting for intra-individual and dyadic associations between PA and HRQOL and individual and dyadic effects of changes in PA.
Additionally, the project will allow for testing similarities and differences in the role of three types of planning. We will be able to identify their underlying joint and specific mechanisms. The results would offer an insight into the effects of three types of planning in two different types of dyads. By applying accelerometry, we will evaluate whether individuals perform a health behavior (PA) exactly as specified in the plans (i.e., at exact times and with intensity specified in plans), or they just increase the overall performance in a specific time period.
The discoveries will be supported by a strong design of the studies, conducted in real-life setting. The large-scale trials would allow for establishing the effectiveness of three types of planning interventions (in contrast to mere laboratory-based efficiency; cf. Abraham et al., 2014). Clinical applications may follow.