title: Effects of a new sports companion on received social support and physical exercise: an intervention study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of social support in physical exercise is well documented. However, the majority of studies that investigate the associations between social support and physical exercise target perceived instead of received social support. Moreover, most studies investigate the effects of received social support using a descriptive correlational design. Thus, our study aimed at investigating the effects of received social support by conducting an intervention study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention (n = 118) or control group (n = 102). The intervention comprised regularly exercising with a new sports companion for eight weeks. To investigate the time course of physical exercise and received social support, growth curve modelling was employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Generally, both groups were able to improve their physical exercise. However, the control group tended to decrease again during the final point of measurement. Received social support, however, decreased slightly in the control group, but remained stable in the intervention group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The intervention was suitable to sustain received social support for physical exercise across a two-month interval. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of further investigating social support for physical exercise applying an experimental approach.
authors.affiliation: University of Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rackow
authors.forename: Urte
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Scholz
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hornung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: growth curve model; intervention; physical exercise; received social support