Current Research themes
Primary drivers for physical activity maintenance
Community - research partnerships for enhanced measures and knowledge transfer
Our work is theory-driven and informed by research in several disciplines, including epidemiology, health psychology, kinesiology, and public health
The Physical Activity Psychology Lab is grateful for the funding of the following organizations:
Current research projects
We examine the motives of enjoyment, satisfaction, identity, and self-determination for the maintenance of physical activity in older adults. We are conducting a series of studies utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to identify the primary motivational levers for sustained engagement in physical activity.
Resulting Publications
- Amireault, S. & Huffman, M. K. (2023; Online ahead of print). Does Role Identity Mediate the Influence of Motivational Regulations on Physical Activity Behavior Among People 55 Years or Older? Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 1-14. doi.org/10.1123/japa.2022-0323
- Huffman, M. K., Christ, S., Ferraro, K. F., Klenosky, D., Marceau, K., Amireault, S. (2022). Measuring physical activity regulatory styles and identity among adults 55 years or older. Journal of Aging and Health. 34(6-8), 775-785. doi.org/10.1177/08982643211063349
- Huffman, M. K., Christ, S., Ferraro, K. F., Klenosky, D., Marceau, K., Amireault, S. (2021). Questions to measure enjoyment of and satisfaction with physical activity: Are they appropriate for use in an older population? Innovation in Aging. 5(4), igab041. doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igab041
- Huffman M. K., Reed J. B., Carpenter T. K., Amireault S. (2021). Maintenance motives for physical activity among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology Review. 15(4), 593-612. doi:10.1080/17437199.2020.1858926.
- Huffman, M. K., Amireault, S. (2021). What keeps them going, and what gets them back? Older adults’ beliefs about physical activity maintenance. The Gerontologist, 61(3), 392-402. doi:10.1093/geront/gnaa087
- Huffman M. K., Reed J. B., Carpenter T. K., Amireault S. (2020). Maintenance motives for physical activity among older adults: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open,10(2). e032605. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032605.
- Amireault, S., Baier, J. M., & Spencer, J. R. (2019). Physical activity preferences among older adults: A systematic review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 27(1), 128-139. doi.org/10.1123/japa.2017-0234.
We are partnering with Purdue Extension and rural communities in Indiana to evaluate A Matter of Balance, a fall prevention and physical activity promotion program, to foster sustain engagement in physical activity. We also aim to identify factors that are associated with maintenance of physical activity beyond program completion.
This project is supported by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, funded in part by grant # UL1TR002529 from the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and by the Indiana State Department of Health.
other selected publications
Maintenance of physical activity
Amireault, S., Godin, G. & Vézina-Im, L. (2013). Determinants of physical activity maintenance: A systematic review and meta-analyses. Health Psychology Review, 7(1), 55-91. doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2012.701060
Measurement of physical activity
Amireault, S., & Godin, G. (2015). The Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire: Validity evidence supporting its use for classifying healthy adults into active and insufficiently active categories. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 120(2), 605-622. doi:10.2466/03.27.PMS.120v19x7.
Amireault, S., Godin, G., Lacombe, J., & Sabiston, C. M. (2015). Validation of the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire classification coding system using accelerometer assessment among breast cancer survivors. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 9(3), 532-540. doi:10.1007/s11764-015-0430-6
Amireault, S., Godin, G., Lacombe, J., Sabiston, C. M. (2015). The use of the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire in oncology research: A systematic review. BMC Medical Research Methodology. 15:60. doi: 10.1186/s12874-015-0045-7.
Physical activity in cancer survivors
Amireault, S., Brunet, J. Kurth, J. D., Fong, A. J., & Sabiston, C. M. (2021). Association between fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity among breast cancer survivors: A longitudinal study. Current Oncology, 28(6), 5025-5034. doi.org/10.3390/curroncol28060422
Amireault, S., Fong, A. J., & Sabiston, C. M. (2018). Promoting healthy eating and physical activity behaviors: A systematic review of multiple health behavior change interventions among cancer survivors. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 12(3), 184-199. doi.org/10.1177/1559827616661490
Brunet, J., Amireault, S., Chaiton, M., & Sabiston, C.M. (2014). Identification and prediction of physical activity trajectories in women treated for breast cancer. Annals of Epidemiology, 24(11), 837-842. doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2014.07.004
Physical activity, mental health and well-being
Teas, E., Friedman, E., Amireault, S. (2022). Purpose in life and personal growth: The unique and joint contribution of physical activity and basic psychological needs. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. 14(3), 795-818. doi: 10.1111/aphw.12347
Sylvester, B.D., Ahmed, R., Amireault, S., Sabiston, C. M. (2017). Changes in light-, moderate-, and vigorous-intensity physical activity and changes in depressive symptoms in breast cancer survivors: a prospective observational study. Supportive Care in Cancer, 25(11), 3305–3312. doi: 10.1007/s00520-017-3745-1.
Trinh, L., Amireault, S., Lacombe, J., Sabiston, C. M. (2015). Physical and psychological health among breast cancer survivors: interactions with sedentary behavior and physical activity. Psycho-Oncology Journal of the Psychological, Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Cancer, 24, 1279-1285. doi.org/10.1002/pon.3872