title: Testing a model of exercise behavior in older adults.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to test a model of exercise behavior in older adults. It was hypothesized that (a) mental and physical health directly influence self-efficacy expectations; (b) mental and physical health, age, and self-efficacy expectations influence outcome expectations; and (c) all these variables directly and/or indirectly influence exercise behavior. The sample was composed of 175 older adults living in a continuing-care retirement community, each of whom was interviewed once. Seven of the 10 hypothesized paths were significant. Physical health, self-efficacy expectations, and outcome expectations directly influenced exercise behavior, and age and mental health indirectly influenced exercise through self-efficacy expectations and outcome expectations. Combined these variables accounted for 30% of the variance in exercise behavior. To improve exercise behavior in older adults, health care providers should focus on developing interventions to strengthen self-efficacy and outcome expectations related to exercise.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Nursing, 655 West Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Resnick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020377:Self Efficacy