Research On Chinese University Students' Physical Activity With Trans-theoretical Model

Being a comprehensive psychological research model, the Trans-theoretical model (TTM) was extremely successful in the healthy behavior domain in recent years. It has been already used in multiple healthy behavior change researches, and is referred to as one of the most important theories healthy promotion development patterns in the past ten years. Along with the application of the trans-theoretical model in the exercise psychological domain, it becomes the focus again and obtains the researchers' attention. In recent years some researchers in our country have briefly introduced this model, but the systemic introduction was still needed, and further researches should be done to test, modify and establish the model in the physical activity application research domain, along with the decrease of university students' physique condition in our country, the change of university students community's physical activity and the education of forming the behavior habit have received more and more emphasize from responsible government department."Student Physique Healthy Standard" was issued in 2002, which was implemented trially in partial school in the same year, and implemented in fifty percent of primary and middle school and the whole universities in China in 2003, in the different levels of school in the whole country in 2004. The national school sports workshop conference was held in 23^th December, 2006. Chen Zhili, State Council member, and Zhou Ji, minister of Ministry of Education, gave important speeches respectively, starting "the national hundred million students sunlight sports" campaign, proposing that in the future three years all the students should be encouraged to do exercise one hour a day, master at least two routine exercise items of physical skill, develop good physical exercise habit and their physique health condition is substantially improved."The Ministry of Education, the National Sports Bureau about Further Strengthens Sports Work, Practically Improves Student Healthy Quality Opinion" is promulgated in 2007. All levels of educational administration departments take many kinds of measures to raise the physical activity consciousness, the ability and the behavior habit in university students. The development facility launches many and intense researches on university students' physical activity.Under this premise, on the basis of trans-theoretical model theory, this article makes a preliminary explore on how to effectively promote the change in university students' physical activity, and edits and revises "Chinese university students' Physical activity Change scale" on the summary of previous studies, and test the reliability and validity of this scale. Modified scale is used to make a massive sample transverse investigation on national university students. The longitudinal intervention experimental study is done on university students in Beijing area to promote the Chinese university student's physical activity change with the trans-theoretical model.This research is divided into six parts as following:Part I LiteratureThe literature makes the brief introduction of the related theoretical models which involve in the physical activity research, including: social cognition theory, healthy faith theory, protection motive theory, reasonable motion and plan behavior theory, and other theory frames. On the basis of this, the detailed description of the origins, the concepts, the theory constructions and measurements in trans-theoretical model as well as current research condition is made, and develops study localization by means of analyzing the domestic or foreign research achievements.Part II Research conceive and methodsResearch questions need to be answered in the trans-theoretical model theory are proposed in this part on the basis of summary of success and deficiency in previous studies, as well as the questions facing the appliance of using the trans-theoretical model to study the university students' physical training behavior change. The aim, the original conceive and research designs are addressed in this part. The research hypothesis is established and research method is made clear as well.Part III Establishment, revision and examination of Chinese university students' physical activity trans-theoretical model scale.In this part of research, the change of Chinese university students' physical training behavior is investigated in the Chinese culture background, trans-theoretical model featured Chinese university students' physical training behavior change is proposed. The scale is modified and edited and four scales of Chinese university students physical exercise behavior are established which are stage of change, process of change, self-efficiency and decision balance, according to standard principle of the test scale, and tested their reliability and validity by means of t-test and path analysis. In the end, "Chinese University student Physical training Behavior Change Scale" is developed. The four scales have good constructive validity and inner reliability according to statistics analysis, and fall in the psychological measurement standard, and can provide an effective, credible and operative tool for Chinese physical exercise psychology on study physical exercise behavior change of the university students.Part IV Nationwide investigation based on the university students' physical exercise behavior change according to Trans-theoretical model scaleAmong the current studies on the Chinese university students' physical exercise behavior with the trans-theoretical model, there are not accurate analysis and explanation on Chinese physical exercise behavior change stage determination based on massive sample nationwide investigation. In this research, after nationwide massive sample investigation, the change stages and change program are determined; the interrelationship between them and the importance of the process of change in different stages are found. In this part, the random sampling method is used to select 9050 university students in eighty universities from eight districts involved seventeen provinces. Questionnaires are put out and callback, data are recorded and statistics is done. On the basis of the results, the standard model of massive sample of Chinese university students physical exercise behavior is established.Part V Longitudinally intervention experimental study on universitystudents' physical exercise behavior using trans-theoretical model theoryThis part includes following two part of research:1 Subjective and objective evaluation research on the university student physical exercise behavior change using the trans-theoretical modelObjective and reliable Polar measurement is used cooperation with three-day and seven-day recall subjective method to measure the energy consumption of university students subjectively and objectively. The difference among the three measurement methods is observed and the regression model is established which can predict energy consumption objectively by psychological variation (self-efficiency and decision balance) and subjective measurement (methods of three-day and seven-day recall). The interrelationship between psychological variation and physical exercise (energy consumption) is revealed.2 Longitudinal intervention experimental study on university students' physical training behavior changeTrans-theoretical model and natural, exercise prescription intervention comparison are used for the first time, and the direct evidence supporting trans-theoretical model intervention effect is obtained which would help to solve the question on how to effectively intervene the university students' physical exercise behavior both practically and theoretically. The intervention is designed according to affect factors of the change program and the interrelationship between change stage and change program. The minimum psychological input is given pointed to the most sensitive question and factor in a stage in order to prompt the study object to turn to the more advance stage of physical exercise behavior.Part VI Total discussion and conclusion(1) The university students' physical training behavior change which includes the stage of change, process of change, self- efficiency and decision balance scale is established according to the trans-theoretical model theory construction and provide a reliable and valid tool for studying Chinese university students' physical exercise behavior change. By the statistics test, the four scales have good construction validity and inner reliability that fall in to the standard of psychological measurement.(2) The national university student physical training behavior change standard model is established according to "Chinese University Student Physical training Behavior Change scale". There is significant correlation in the inner of each scale and among separate scales. The construction of the scale is clear. There are good constructions among the influence factors. Being a middle variation directly corresponding to the stage of change, the process of change makes two psychological variables (self-efficiency and decision balance) and the stage of change have highly correlation.(3) The university students' physical exercise population in each change stage presents a reverse "U" shape tendency, and the tendency has the stability in the different area, gender and grade. It is effective using the university student physical training behavior change stage (continuous survey) scale scores to determine which stage one is on.(4) There are differences among different area, gender, grade and exercise time according to the separate scale scoring. There are significant differences in the objects that are in different stages by psychological variables (self-efficiency and decision balance). (5) There are different stage programs play main roles in different objects. And this result has some discrepancy with previous study, and the discrepancy may display the characteristic of Chinese university student' physical exercise behavior change. These different physical exercise behavior change program can be used to intervene behavior.(6) There is significant correlation between the measurement variation of Polar, three-day recall and seven-day recall. And in each change stage, the energy consumption obtained from the three-day recall is higher than from Polar; the energy consumption obtained from the seven-day recall is lower than from Polar. There is a significant difference in the change stage where the energy consumption obtained from the three-day recall, seven-day recall and the Polar. And there is obvious difference among different intervention model.(7) There is a significant correlation between psychological variables (self-efficiency and decision balance) and subjective or objective measurement (Polar, three-day recall and seven-day recall). And the psychological variables and the subjective measurement (three-day recall and seven-day recall) can both predict the objective energy consumption obtained from the Polar.(8) Different intervention has different influence on the psychological variables in different objects: The influence is smallest in the natural group; in the exercise prescription group the influence is obvious in the action stage and the maintenance stage; in the trans-theoretical model group all stages have significant effects. The different intervention has different promotion to the objects' change stages: In the natural group the promotion is smallest; in the exercise prescription group the promotion is obvious in the action stage and the maintenance stage; in the trans-theoretical model group all stages have promotion effects.Being the hot research recently in Chinese physical training psychology domain, the trans-theoretical model obviously promote Chinese university students' physical exercise behavior change, and has the direct practice value to face the fact that university students' physique decrease in our country. There are some aspects as followings at which we should continue to research in the future:1 Explore continuously the Chinese trans-theoretical model, and testify the application of the model in different culture background.2 Recognize the university students' physical exercise behavior with change stage theory, and carry on experimental studies on the correlation between process of change and stage of change. 3 Strengthen the intervention research based on the trans-theoretical model. 4 Unify the promotion of university students' physical training behavior change with the education for all-around development. Enhance the university students' cognition and the operation ability to the physical training.