title: Testing Direct and Indirect Effects of Identity, Media Use, Cognitions, and Conversations on Self-Reported Physical Activity Among a Sample of Hispanic Adults.
abstract: This article presents the results of a study testing the direct and indirect effects of identity, media use, cognitions and conversations on physical activity (PA). The study was guided by the O-S-O-R model (Markus & Zajonc, 1985), and it used data collected from a sample of Hispanic adults (N = 268) living in the U.S. Southwest. Exercise identity and ethnic identity were defined as pre-orientations (O1); use of PA-related media content was defined as the stimulus (S); reflective integration and conversations about PA-related media were post-orientations (O2); and self-reported physical activity was the behavioral response (R). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data, and several compelling results emerged. Exercise identity had a significant positive direct effect on PA and PA-related media use, as well as a significant positive indirect effect on conversations about PA-related media. PA-related media use exerted a strong and significant positive effect on conversations about PA-related media, as well as a significant positive indirect effect on PA. Finally, conversations about PA-related media content had a significant positive direct effect on PA. The results indicate that identity acts as a filter influencing what media content are selected and that cognitions and conversations about media content can serve as a link between media use and health behavior. Key words: O-S-O-R model, physical activity, Hispanic adults, identity, media use, conversation.
authors.affiliation: a Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wirtz
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Communications Research , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
authors.forename: Zongyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: b Institute of Communications Research , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
authors.forename: Supathida
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kulpavarapos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003142:Communication; D003146:Communications Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020377:Self Efficacy; D057566:Self Report; D066269:Social Theory