Ambivalence is associated with decreased physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness among adolescents with critical congenital heart disease.
Kristen R Fox, Steven P Neville, Victoria R Grant and 2 others
PMID 36587561WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with congenital heart disease who reported strong benefits and strong barriers to activity were more sedentary, less active, and had lower fitness.
Ask about mixed feelings, not just willingness.
Key findings
01Greater ambivalence was independently associated with more sedentary behavior, less moderate-to-vigorous activity, and lower cardiorespiratory fitness.
02Female adolescents reported higher ambivalence than males, but the associations between ambivalence and sedentary behavior, moderate-to-vigorous activity, and fitness were similar for females and males.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The data were cross-sectional, so they show association at one time point, not that ambivalence caused low activity or that reducing ambivalence would increase activity. Participants were adolescents already attending cardiology follow-up and willing to take part in physical activity research; they may have been more positive about activity than adolescents not selected. The sample was mostly White and may not reflect all adolescents with congenital heart disease. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were measured for one week, which may not represent usual behavior. Ambivalence was calculated from benefits and barriers ratings, not from the conscious experience of conflicting feelings, so it may not fully capture ambivalence. Of 89 enrolled adolescents, 84 were analysed, so a few enrolled participants were missing accelerometer or ambivalence data.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata says the work was supported by NIH extramural research. The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest or whether the funder designed, analyzed, or wrote the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing ambivalence will increase physical activity or fitness. The study measured association at one time point, so it cannot show cause or effect.