Social-cognitive determinants of physical activity: the influence of social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation among participants in a church-based health promotion study.
A social-cognitive model of physical activity was tested, using structural equation analysis of data from 999 adults (21% African American; 66% female; 38% inactive) recruited from 14 southwestern Virginia churches participating in the baseline phase of a health promotion study. Within the model, age, race, social support, self-efficacy, and self-regulation contributed to participants' physical activity levels, but outcome expectations did not. Of the social-cognitive variables, self-regulation exerted the strongest effect on physical activity. Independent of self-regulation, self-efficacy had little effect. Social support influenced physical activity as a direct precursor to self-efficacy and self-regulation. The model provided a good fit to the data and explained 46% of the variance in physical activity among the diverse group of adults.
Anderson
Eileen S
ES
Center for Research in Health Behavior, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. eileen@vt.edu
Wojcik
Janet R
JR
Winett
Richard A
RA
Williams
David M
DM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002835:Christianity; D003071:Cognition; D003710:Demography; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D012938:Social Perception; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires