The influence of exercise self-efficacy and social support on exercise for Air Force personnel
Year: 1998
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine how social support and self-efficacy function in each stage of change in exercise behavior and also to study to what extent social support and self-efficacy can predict what stage of change a person is in. To determine this, 179 Air Force men and women ranging in age from 19 to 54 years old at U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, were administered a questionnaire to determine their exercise stage of change, self-efficacy, and social support from family and friends. The stages of change for exercise were as follows: 0.0% precontemplation, 5.0% contemplation, 40.8% preparation, 13.4% action, and 40.8% maintenance. For family and friend social support, the mean scores increased from the precontemplation through the maintenance stage. However, no significant difference among the stages were found using Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVAs. For self-efficacy, significant differences were found between the contemplation and maintenance stages, as well as the preparation and maintenance stages (p < .05). Chi-square analysis revealed no significant relationship between the stages of change and categorical demographic variables. Logistic regression analysis also found that the log odds of being in the action and maintenance stages versus the contemplation and preparation stage were significantly higher for those with higher friend social support and self-efficacy scores with odds ratios of 1.04 and 1.25 (p < .05), respectively. The significant variables of friend social support and self-efficacy were further analyzed in logistic regression analysis. A significant association was found between self-efficacy and being in the action and maintenance stages versus the contemplation and preparation stages (p < .05). Self-efficacy was found to account for 10.92% of the variance.
Source: DigitalCommons@UNO
Author: Jerry B. Wilson
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2195212961