Issn Print: 0195-9131

Publication Date: 2001/05/01


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DETERMINANTS AND READINESS FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PARTICIPATION BY EMPLOYEES

Janet Helduser; Claudia Coggin; Robin Rager; Robert Kaman; Alan Stockard

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Author Information: D.O. School of Public Health & Family Medicine Dept, Univ of North Texas Health Science Center, Ft Worth, Texas; Health Studies Dept, Texas Woman's Univ, Denton, Texas

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Excerpt

Research on demographic factors and motivational readiness for physical activity participation is important for modifying the exercise behavior of sedentary employees. The purpose of this investigation was to: (1) identify groups (gender, ethnicity, age group, self-reported health status) most likely to participate in, and successfully complete, a 10-week goal-oriented physical activity challenge (PAC); and (2) evaluate the impact of PAC on classification of physical activity readiness. A recently-developed health risk appraisal, the Action Steps Assessment Program! (ASAP), was used to document any current exercise (e.g., days per week, minutes per day, intensity level) and classify 134 university employees into one of three groups: preparation (38%) -intend to take action to change behavior within one month; contemplators (48%) -intend to increase exercise within next six months; and precontemplators (13%) -no intention to increase exercise within next six months. An opportunity to participate in PAC was initiated 1 month after ASAP, and a second ASAP was administered to all subjects 6 months later. Overall, preparation and contemplation groups increased exercise (days × min × level) significantly (P < 0.05) at 1 and 6 months, respectively, while precontemplators did not increase exercise significantly at 6 months. Fifty-eight percent of all subjects participated in PAC. Dependent t-tests established that exercise over 6 months increased significantly in the PAC group (from 98 to 205), while the NO PAC group showed no significant increase. Two-way ANOVA (PAC, gender) revealed no gender effect on increases in exercise over 6 months. Data from this study suggest that health promotion at the worksite is useful in increasing physical activity participation and support the development and testing of stage-specific intervention programs.
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