The Relationships Among Physical Activity, Self-Efficacy, Exercise Beliefs in Overweight and Obese Adults
Stephanie Wallio and Olivia Chang
Department of Psychology, University of Kansas
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), between 20 and 24% of the population of the State of Kansas is considered overweight or obese. Between 1998 and 2000, the State of Kansas spent $657 million on Medicare and Medicaid obesity-attributable medical expenditures. Physical activity is a primary means to achieve weight loss and weight loss maintenance. However, 40 percent of adults do not engage in any leisure-time physical activity. In addition, most adults who succeed in adopting physical activity or achieve weight loss will revert back to less healthy habits in six to 12 months and regain lost weight. This research study sheds light on the factors that contribute to successful adoption and maintenance of regular physical activity for the purposes of reducing obesity. Better understanding of these relationships is essential for the State of Kansas to invest money in research and programs that can successfully reduce obesity and the associated enormous personal and state-level costs.
The University of Kansas Weight Control Research Project (WCRP) provided 12 months of multi-disciplinary treatment including dietary changes, physical activity, and psycho-educational clinics with a focus on weight maintenance following significant weight loss. Results indicate that levels of self-efficacy and perceived barriers were predictive of physical activity at present and future times, up to six months later. Age and gender did not account for these relationships. Even when controlling for previous levels of self-efficacy, the predictive value of physical activity on self-efficacy remained significant. No significant relationships were found between outcome expectancies and physical activity. Combined, these results demonstrate that self-efficacy and perceived barriers share a bi-directional predictive relationship with physical activity.
