Evaluation of the Neurocognitive Affective Model for the Prediction of Habitual 24-Hour Physical Behavior

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is recognized for its health benefits, including reduced risks of noncommunicable diseases. Despite recommendations for PA, global inactivity rates remain high. The neurocognitive-affective model proposes that executive functions and affective responses to PA may influence habitual PA behavior. This cross-sectional study aimed to test the model's pathways, hypothesizing that (A) executive functions are associated with PA-induced affective responses, (B) affective responses are associated with habitual PA, and (C) the association between executive functions and PA. This study included 222 healthy university employees with predominantly sedentary occupations. Participants completed cognitive tasks (i.e., task switching, Stroop test, and numerical updating task) under laboratory conditions and an incremental treadmill test to assess PA-induced affective responses. PA was tracked for at least 15 days using a multisensor system (thigh-worn Move 4 and wrist-worn Fitbit Inspire 2). Results showed that cognitive flexibility, as measured by task-switching costs; working memory, as measured by percentage score of correct answers; and inhibitory control, as measured by difference of reaction time in congruent and incongruent trials, were not significantly associated with postexercise affect. Affective responses before and during exercise were positively associated with habitual moderate-to-vigorous PA and light PA, whereas task-switching performance was inversely related to habitual MVPA. Exploratory analyses revealed significant correlations between affective responses during exercise and sleep duration, as well as between task-switching performance and sleep duration. This study provides partial support for the neurocognitive-affective model of PA. Future research should explore these pathways at different temporal resolutions and consider within-person analyses.