APPLICATION OF THE TRANSTHEORETICAL MODEL TO PHYSICALLY ACTIVE INDIVIDUALS: PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS

Abstract

1332 Identifying psychosocial, behavioral, and physiological differences between recent exercise adopters and long-term maintainers can help distinguish the dynamics of exercise adherence. The purpose of this study was to compare physically active individuals based on exercise stage classification, i.e., action stage (ACT, regularly active < 6 months) and maintenance stage (MT, regularly active ≥ 6 months) according to the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavior change. Components of the TTM, self-report of exercise and physical activity, i.e, 7-Day Physical Activity Recall (PAR), resting heart rate (HR) and blood pressure, and V̇Opeak were measured in 56 college students classified in the ACT (n=36) and MT (n=20) stages. There were no differences in self-efficacy, decisional balance, 7-Day PAR, or resting HR, but scores for three processes of change were greater in MT. Subjects in MT exercised more d·wk−1 (4.2±0.9 vs. 3.5±1.1 d·wk−1, p<.05) and had been doing so longer than those in ACT (37.7±36.0 vs. 3.4±7.2 months, p<0.0001). When controlling for gender effects, V̇Opeak was greater in MT than ACT (44.6 vs. 40.4 ml·kg−1·min−1, p=0.05). Membership in MT and ACT stages of the TTM was confirmed by self-report and concomitant differences in aerobic capacity. These stages should be examined over time to determine TTM constructs and physiological variables associated with movement from ACT to MT and long-term exercise adherence. Supported by The Ohio State University Seed Grant Program