Abstract
This study primarily examines the usefulness of and the gender differences in the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) to physical activity (PA) among Japanese university students. A total of 1,019 students (age=18-23 years, M=18.73 years, SD=0.64) participated in a selfadministered cross-sectional survey. All participants completed a questionnaire composed of sociodemographic variables (e.g., gender, age), risk perception, outcome expectancy, self-efficacy, behavioral intention, planning, and PA. Data were analyzed using structural and multi-group structural equation analyses. The results indicated that the HAPA model provided a good fit to the data and explained 31% of the variance in PA among Japanese university students. However, the HAPA also revealed several significant gender differences in the standardized path coefficients. These results suggest that the HAPA is a valid model for predicting PA among Japanese university students; however, gender differences in the HAPA should be considered when designing PA interventions.
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