Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 23, Issue 4, July 1994, Pages 498-506
Preventive Medicine

Regular Article
Enhancing Exercise Adherence in Middle-Aged Males and Females

https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.1994.1068Get rights and content

Abstract

Background. Perceptions of personal efficacy have been consistently identified as being determinants of exercise adherence in asymptomatic, rehabilitative, younger, and older populations. The present study incorporated a randomized control design in an effort to examine the effects of an efficacy-based intervention in enhancing,exercise adherence in a large sample (N = 114) of formerly sedentary middle-aged mates and females. Methods. Subjects randomly assigned to an exercise plus intervention group or an exercise plus attentional control group participated in a 5-month long walking program led by trained personnel. Exercise behavior (frequency, miles walked, duration) were assessed on a continuous basis and self-efficacy was measured at 1, 2, and 4 months. Results. Repeated measures multivariate analyses revealed a significant treatment effect with subjects in the intervention group exercising more frequently, for longer duration, and walking greater distances over the course of the program. Path analysis indicated that the effect of the treatment on adherence was direct rather than through self-efficacy as hypothesized. Self-efficacy was, however, a significant predictor of exercise behavior in the early and middle stages of the exercise program but not during the last month. Conclusions. An intervention program designed to maximize information pertaining to participants′ capabilities appears to have had a reasonable effect on reducing attrition in middle-aged males and females and self-efficacy was a significant predictor of exercise frequency over time. Further research efforts are required to tease out those cognitive factors that might underlie any effects of interventions in exercise adherence.

References (0)

Cited by (234)

  • Psychosocial and environmental correlates of cycling for transportation in Brussels

    2019, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
  • Phase-III, randomized controlled trial of the behavioral intervention for increasing physical activity in multiple sclerosis: Project BIPAMS

    2018, Contemporary Clinical Trials
    Citation Excerpt :

    The Internet website is password protected and hosted on a research-based HIPAA-compliant server. The Internet website represents a medium for disseminating information on the skills, techniques, resources, and strategies for becoming and staying physically active with MS. The primary content of the Internet website is based on SCT and represents the transformation of an effective and empirically validated, face-to-face intervention approach that increased adherence with supervised exercise training [40] in persons with MS [41]. The content is delivered through interactive video courses based on e-learning principles.

View all citing articles on Scopus
View full text