Abstract
The objective of the study was to develop a novel procedure to increase self-efficacy for exercise. Gains in one’s ability to resolve day-to-day obstacles for entering an exercise routine were expected to cause an increase in self-efficacy for exercise. Fifty-five sedentary participants (did not exercise regularly for at least 4 months prior to the study) who expressed an intention to exercise in the near future were selected for the study. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) an Experimental Group in which they received a problem-solving training session to learn new strategies for solving day-to-day obstacles that interfere with exercise, (2) a Control Group with Problem-Solving Training which received a problem-solving training session focused on a typical day-to-day problem unrelated to exercise, or (3) a Control Group which did not receive any problem-solving training. Assessment of obstacles to exercise and perceived self-efficacy for exercise were conducted at baseline; perceived self-efficacy for exercise was reassessed post-intervention (1 week later). No differences in perceived challenges posed by obstacles to exercise or self-efficacy for exercise were observed across groups at baseline. The Experimental Group reported greater improvement in self-efficacy for exercise compared to the Control Group with Training and the Control Group. Results of this study suggest that a novel procedure that focuses on removing obstacles to intended planned fitness activities is effective in increasing self-efficacy to engage in exercise among sedentary adults. Implications of these findings for use in applied settings and treatment studies are discussed.
Highlights
Regular physical activity is associated with numerous positive health outcomes such as reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and increased quality of life (Colcombe et al, 2004; Hamman et al, 2006; Warburton et al, 2006; Flöel et al, 2009; Reddigan et al, 2011)
This paper aims to demonstrate that the psychological underpinnings of the perceived self-efficacy for physical activity are related to people’s ability to overcome their self-reported obstacles to exercise
The correlation between the perceived challenge posed by the obstacles to exercise and the perceived self-efficacy for exercise was significant (r = −0.39; p < 0.01) with a negative valance – the more the perception of the challenge, the less the sense of self-efficacy for exercise
Summary
Regular physical activity is associated with numerous positive health outcomes such as reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and increased quality of life (Colcombe et al, 2004; Hamman et al, 2006; Warburton et al, 2006; Flöel et al, 2009; Reddigan et al, 2011). Research has shown that success with initiating and maintaining a physical activity program is related to one’s self-efficacy perceptions, or one’s perceived ability to overcome self-reported obstacles to exercise (Bandura, 1997; Dishman et al, 2009; Doerksen et al, 2009; Prohaska et al, 2000). It would seem that increasing self-efficacy for exercise may be an effective vehicle for facilitating initiation and maintenance of physical activity
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