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Expectations of an exercise prescription scheme: An exploratory study using repertory grids
Author(s) -
Jones Fiona,
Harris Peter,
Waller Hilary
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
british journal of health psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 2044-8287
pISSN - 1359-107X
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8287.1998.tb00574.x
Subject(s) - repertory grid , context (archaeology) , psychology , enthusiasm , exploratory research , applied psychology , medical prescription , exercise prescription , physical therapy , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine , nursing , paleontology , sociology , anthropology , biology
Objectives . The study aimed to investigate in depth the personal constructs relating to exercise of individuals referred by their medical practitioner for a 10‐week gym‐based exercise programme. It further aimed to study the expectations of change on these constructs and the extent to which these predicted adherence. A subsidiary aim was to evaluate the usefulness of repertory grid methodology in the exercise context. Design . This was a longitudinal study. Methods . Participants were interviewed at the start of the 10‐week exercise programme. During the interview they completed repertory grids designed to elicit constructs about exercise‐related change. Participants were followed up at three months to check adherence. Results . Three illustrative individual case studies are presented in detail followed by some aggregated analyses. These suggest that expectations of change were very diverse and often overoptimistic. Those who completed their course of exercise had more modest expectations of change than those who failed to complete. They also showed less gulf between their current view of themselves and their view of themselves as they would like to be. Conclusions . The study suggests that having realistic aims and understanding of the outcomes that can be expected from a brief exercise programme is an important predictor of success, but one that may currently be overlooked in the enthusiasm to implement exercise prescription schemes.