Positive Affect and Physical Activity Associations in Women and Their Spouses.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Public Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Low physical activity rates in U.S. women (21%) increase risks for heart disease and diabetes.
• Individual and interpersonal factors, like positive affect and partners, influence physical activity.
• Positive affect is linked to reduced mortality and better health behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine the link between married women's positive affect and their physical activity.
• Investigate the influence of spouses' positive affect on women's physical activity.
• Apply Fredrickson's Broaden and Build Theory to understand these relationships.

Main Methods:

• Secondary data analysis of 115 married couples.
• Assessed positive affect (calmness, happiness) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
• Controlled for age, baseline activity, education, marital quality, and race/ethnicity.

Main Results:

• Women's happiness significantly predicted same-day MVPA (β = 0.15, p < .005).
• Spouses' happiness significantly predicted women's next-day MVPA (β = 0.11, p = .045).
• Calmness in women or spouses did not show significant associations with MVPA.

Conclusions:

• Positive affect, particularly happiness, is valuable for enhancing physical activity behaviors.
• Spousal positive affect offers additional insights for physical activity promotion research.
• Future interventions could leverage positive emotions to improve women's exercise habits.