Novel Exploration of Temporal Relationships Between Self-worth and Physical Activity in Middle-aged Women

Using ecological momentary assessment, the purpose of this study is to explore temporal relationships between self-worth and physical activity (PA) participation in middle-aged women (aged 35-64 years).

This study will occur in two phases. During an initial pilot phase ten women will be asked to test the instruments and procedures for this study. During the second phase, the test phase, 60-100 women will be asked to complete daily surveys assessing their self-worth, self-efficacy, and PA participation. The results of the pilot phase will be used to modify instruments and procedures before the test phase commences.

During the pilot phase, 10 women will be asked to participate in an initial intake appointment to sign the informed consent form, complete baseline questionnaires, receive an activity monitor, and receive instructions on completing the daily surveys and wearing the activity monitor. Women will also be asked to provide their typical daily wake times and bedtimes during this appointment to guide the sampling schedule. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in which women receive two or three daily prompts to complete a short survey will be used in this study. Women will be asked to answer seven questions assessing their momentary activity (1), self-efficacy (1), and self-worth (5) twice per day for one week and three times per day for one week. Five women will be assigned to each condition each week so that half of the sample receives the twice per day condition during the first week and half receives the twice per day condition during the second week of the pilot phase. Women sampled twice per day will be prompted to complete assessments 1) 15 minutes after their typical wake time reported during their intake appointment and 2) 90 minutes prior to their typical bedtime. Women sampled three times per day will be prompted one additional time during the afternoon (random time between 2:00 and 3:00pm). Women will be prompted to complete the survey via text message. A link will be provided in each text message to direct women to a mobile compatible Qualtrics survey containing seven items assessing women's current activity, self-efficacy, general self-worth, knowledge self-worth, emotional self-worth, social self-worth, and physical self-worth. At the end of the two week pilot phase, women will be asked to complete a survey to provide feedback on the sampling scheme and the usability of the mobile survey. Results of the survey will inform modifications to the test phase.

During the test phase, 60-100 women will be asked to participate in an initial intake appointment to sign the informed consent form, complete baseline questionnaires, receive an activity monitor, and receive instructions on completing the daily surveys and wearing the activity monitor. Women will be asked to answer eleven questions assessing their current activity (1), self-efficacy (1), and self-worth (9) three times per day for 28 days, depending upon the results of the pilot phase. The three-times daily sampling scheme will be adopted for the test phase. Therefore, women will receive text message prompts with a link to the mobile compatible Qualtrics survey daily in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

Current activity will be measured using an item modified from a recent EMA study by Dunton and colleagues (2012). Using a list of options, this item assesses the activity in which the participant was engaged immediately prior to receiving the prompt. One item from the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (McAuley, 1993) will be used to assess women's confidence in their ability to participate in daily PA on a scale of 0% to 100% - "I am able to participate in physical activity at a moderate intensity for 30+ minutes today without quitting." General self-worth will be measured using one item from the general self-worth subscale of the Adult Self-Perception Profile (Messer & Harter, 1986). Women will choose among four statements to indicate how they feel about themselves: "Which of the following statements is most true of how you feel RIGHT NOW? It is REALLY TRUE that I am dissatisfied with myself It is SORT OF TRUE that I am dissatisfied with myself It is SORT OF TRUE that I am satisfied with myself It is REALLY TRUE that I am satisfied with myself"