| Lack of physical wellness contributes to obesity with both occurring commonly during the transition from high school to college. There is limited research however on college students' behavioral intentions to maintain physical wellness. This study examines the constructs of the theory of planned behavior on students' behavioral intention to engage in physical activities and eat healthy diets prior to and after taking a required a wellness curriculum. This study enrolled 268 undergraduates registered in a wellness course. Participates completed a pre and post questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis and paired sample t-tests, found that undergraduate student's attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control were significant predictors of his or her behavioral intentions to engage in physical activity and eat healthy diets prior to taking the wellness course. However, after taking the wellness course, an undergraduate student's attitude and subjective norm were predictive of the student's behavioral intentions to engage in physical activity and eat healthy diets. Student's perceived behavioral control significantly affected his or her behavioral intention to engage in physical activity; however, such impact was not found in the relationship between perceived behavioral control and behavioral intentions to eat healthy diets. Paired sample t-tests, demonstrated that an undergraduate student's behavioral intention to engage in physical activity reduced after taking the wellness course compared to prior to taking the wellness course. The overall predictive power of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intentions explained .623 of the variance of the student's intention to engage in physical activity prior to taking the wellness course. Undergraduate student's attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explained .563 of the variance of the student's intention to eat healthy diets prior to taking the wellness course. Completing the wellness course, an undergraduate student's attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explained .507 of the variance of the student's intention to engage in physical activity, and explain .466 of the variance of the student's intention to eat healthy diets. Findings of this quantitative action research provide important insights into future curriculum revisions made to the wellness course. |
