| A number of health benefits, both physiological and psychological, may be attributed to regular physical activity. Health educators, as well as many others, have attempted to inform the public of the benefits of regular exercise. However, knowledge about physical activity sometimes is not always sufficient cause for participation since many persons have this knowledge, yet choose not to exercise.; Investigations which have sought to identify factors that may contribute to the decision to exercise have generally been fragmented; little effort has been made to draw information together to form a conceptual framework. In an attempt to bridge this gap and to explain exercise behavior more fully, a model is described which was formulated from relevant research literature, the Health Belief Model, and Rotter's locus of control construct. Labeled the Exercise Behavior Model, it attempts to outline and relate factors which are most likely to interact to produce an individual's decision to engage in regular, vigorous activity.; The purpose of the present investigation was to test the efficacy of the Exercise Behavior Model. More specifically, an attempt was made to determine the relationship between the participation of adult women in regular, vigorous exercise and their (1) exercise locus of control, (2) attitudes toward physical activity, (3) health values, (4) physical appearance values, (5) physical fitness values, and (6) perceived barriers to exercise. The participants were 215 women, ages 25 to 65, who were members of women's clubs in Prince George's and Montgomery Counties, Maryland. The instruments employed in the study were the Exercise Behavior Inventory, adapted from the Minnesota Leisure Time Physical Activity questionnaire; Attitude toward Physical Activity Scale, Exercise Locus of Control Scale (EXLOC), and the Perceived Barriers Survey all constructed by the investigator; and a revised form of Rokeach's Value Survey.; In the 25- to 45-year-old age group, positive relationships were found between exercise behavior and (1) attitude toward physical activity, (2) health value, and (3) physical fitness value. A negative relationship was discovered between exercise behavior and perceived barriers to exercise.; In the 46- to 65-year-old group, positive relationships were found between exercise behavior and (1) attitude toward physical activity, (2) internality on the EXLOC, and (3) physical fitness value. Negative relationships were discovered between exercise behavior and chance and powerful others on the EXLOC.; When the results of both age groups were viewed as a whole, the Exercise Behavior Model appeared to be efficacious, i.e., the Model was useful in explaining the exercise behavior of this group of adult women. |
