KIN 122 1st Edition Lecture 7Behavior ChangeRemember PA stats..• Majority of adults do not meet PA guidelines• Most people know PA is beneficial, yet most remain sedentary• 50% of people who begin exercise programs drop out within the first 6 monthsComplexity of PA behavior• PA not single act but several:Planning for participationInitial adoptionContinued participation/maintenancePeriodicity (stops & starts; seasonal variation)• Motivation and attitude are not the only reasons people are inactive• Often have good intentions but lack self-regulationIntentions: indication of a person's readiness to perform a given behavior Self-regulation: ability to regulate behaviorsBarriers to PA• Anything that interferes with plans to be physically activeCommon barriers• Time constraints• No one to exercise with• Not enjoyable• Bad weather• Too tired• Injury/illness• Lack of accessible facilitiesCategories of barriers• PersonalDemographicCognitive• Environmental• Social• Exercise History and Exertion BarriersPsychosocial determinants of PA• Outcome expectations• Attitude• Decisional balance• Self-efficacy• Motivation• Social norms• Locus of control*Determinant = factor that influences behaviorOutcome expectations• Belief that a given behavior will produce a specific outcomeE.g., if I job for 30 minutes 5 days a week I will lose weightEffects on PA participation:Those with high outcome expectations tend to be more activeUnrealistic outcome expectations may lead to attrition• Make sure expectations are realistic for the behavior and time frameAttitude• Attitude: degree to which exercise is positively or negatively valued• More positive attitude à more likely to engage in PAChoose enjoyable activitiesReframe thoughts to view PA as a positive experienceDecisional balance• Decisional balance: comparison of potential benefits and costs of engaging in exercise• Make list of pros and consHopefully, the benefit (e.g., losing weight) will outweigh the costs (e.g., missing a TV show)Self efficacy (SE)• Situation-specific belief in one’s ability to accomplish a task• The MOST consistent determinant of exercise adherence• Four sources of self-efficacy:Mastery experiences (success breeds success)Social modeling (seeing similar other succeed)Social persuasion (motivation from others)Interpretation of physiological and psychological responses (reduced stress)How to target SE sources?• MasterySet small, short-term goals in order to be successful early and often• ModelingJoin an exercise class with others of similar ability• PersuasionTell family and friends about exercise accomplishments so they can provide encouragement• InterpretationKeep an activity log and monitor feelings before and after exerciseOutcome expectations vs. efficacy expectations• Outcome expectation: If I run 3 miles 4 times a week, I will reduce my risk of developing cardiovascular disease.• Efficacy expectation: I believe I have the capability to run 3 miles 4 times a week even if the weather gets bad.Motivation• Direction and intensity of one’s effort• An impetus to action• Two types:Extrinsic motivationMotivated by reasons outside of oneself– Intrinsic motivationEngage in activity in the absence of external incentivesSocial norms• Perceived social pressure to engage or not engage in a behavior• Sources of social pressure:• Pressure will be strongest when the source is someone you care about or want to please• Is pressure a good thing for exercise behavior?Yes, if it is a close significant other and he/she values exercise No, if it is a close significant other and he/she doesn’t value exerciseLocus of control• Belief about what controls behaviors• Internal locus of control:Believe you control your life and decisionsAttribute success to the amount of effort you put in, not to luckE.g., You believe you can make time for physical activity by scheduling it into your day• External locus of control:Believe environment, other people, or some higher power control your life and decisionsE.g., You say you aren’t physically active because your parents didn’t enroll you in sports as a childOther influences on PA• Social supportSupport from family, friends, and significant othersAn exercise “buddy” can reinforce commitmentSurround yourself with others who support an active lifestyle• Physical environmentNeighborhood safety and walkabilityAccess to exercise facilities, walking trails, etc.Stages of change• Before we can change a health behavior (i.e., PA) we need to understand what‘stage’ an individual is currently in • Will determine approach, techniques, strategies for changing PA level Precontemplation• No intention to change behavior in the foreseeable future• Do not see the value in exercising• Strategies for moving forward: Make aware of lack of PAEmphasize benefits and minimize costsHealth risk appraisals and fitness testing could prompt contemplationContemplation• Aware of the benefits of exercise• Have not yet made a commitment to take action • Intend to change behavior within the next 6 months• Strategies for moving forward: – Bolster intentions to become activePreparation• Intend to take action in the next month• Preparing for exercise Checking out local gyms, buying workout clothes …• May be making small changes in PA levels alreadyE.g., taking the stairs• Strategies to move forward: Tipping of cost-benefit scaleIncreasing self-efficacySetting goalsPlan to overcome barriersAction• Individuals are exercising at recommended levels for health and fitness• Requires considerable commitment of time and energy• At high risk of dropping out of exercise program • Strategies to move forward: Self-monitoringSocial supportReinforcementMaintenance• Exercise program has been maintained for at least 6 months• Individuals work to prevent relapse• Typically highly confident in ability to maintain regular exercise• Strategies to maintain PA: Self-regulation Tactics to prevent relapseBehavior change strategies• Even the most motivated individuals will have times when they don’t feel like exercising• Ongoing process of monitoring and adapting behavior• Maintainers are adept at using behavior change strategies Successful changers• Self monitoring• Small goals• Minimizing temptations• Play offense not defense• schedule• Prep• Physical cues –