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Physical Activity Characteristics of Potential Participants in Nutrition and Fitness Programs Based on Stages of Change, Self‐Efficacy, and Decisional Balance
Author(s) -
Cox Ruby H.,
Stimpson Tara S.,
Poole Kathleen P.,
Lambur Michael T.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
family and consumer sciences research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.372
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1552-3934
pISSN - 1077-727X
DOI - 10.1177/1077727x03031004002
Subject(s) - demographics , balance (ability) , physical activity , test (biology) , psychology , post hoc analysis , intervention (counseling) , self efficacy , physical fitness , physical therapy , analysis of variance , gerontology , medicine , demography , social psychology , paleontology , psychiatry , sociology , biology
The objective of this study was to characterize potential participants of nutrition/fitness programs regarding demographics, stages of change, self‐efficacy, and decisional balance for physical activity. A cross‐sectional, mailed questionnaire was used. Participants included 545 adults randomly selected from Virginia Cooperative Extension mailing lists, with 213 questionnaires returned (response rate = 39%). Respondents were grouped by stages of change for physical activity and compared on demographics, self‐efficacy, and decisional balance using frequencies, correlations, t tests, ANOVA, and Tukey's post hoc test. Reported physical activity rate was higher than in other studies. Stage of change was positively associated with education, self‐efficacy, and decisional balance. Physical activity characteristics were positively associated with educational level. Authors concluded that a mailed questionnaire is a feasible means of collecting pre‐intervention, physical activity data for designing educational programs.