Linking Exercise Intention to Exercise Action: The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy

Overview

Journal Front Psychol

Date 2022 Aug 1

PMID 35910992

Authors

Bin Hou

Linqian Li

Lei Zheng

Yating Qi

Song Zhou

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

As physical exercise benefits both physical and psychological health of college students, it is important to promote the habit of physical exercise among them. This study adopted the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model to understand the exercise intention-action link and determine the moderating role of self-efficacy. We recruited 242 students from a university in China and asked them to complete a six-wave survey. The survey results indicated that exercise intention was positively related to both coping planning and action planning, which pave the way to performing the action of exercise. However, such mediation effects varied under conditions of self-efficacy. Participants with high self-efficacy exhibited stronger relationships between intention and planning, and between planning and action. The study results suggest that planning has a time-lagged mediation effect in the relationship between intention and action. Additionally, the findings shed light on the moderating role of self-efficacy, which can be useful in developing health-promotion strategies for college students.

Citing Articles

Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Among Pregnant Women at High Risk for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Yang X, Song Y, Zhang J, Wang Y, Huang H, Zhang J J Multidiscip Healthc. 2024; 17:5725-5736.

PMID: 39649368 PMC: 11625193. DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S489118.

Health risk perception and exercise intention of college students: a moderated mediation model of health anxiety and lay theories of health.

Wang K, Liu C, Yang X, Wang Y Front Psychol. 2024; 15:1375073.

PMID: 38746918 PMC: 11091418. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1375073.

The effect of exercise intention on exercise behavior in the post-epidemic era: The moderator role of openness personality and the mediated role of exercise-induced feeling.

Ma Q, Yao S, Jia H Front Psychol. 2023; 13:1050918.

PMID: 36600711 PMC: 9807215. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1050918.

References

Chiu C, Lynch R, Chan F, Berven N . The Health Action Process Approach as a motivational model for physical activity self-management for people with multiple sclerosis: a path analysis. Rehabil Psychol. 2011; 56(3):171-81. DOI: 10.1037/a0024583. View

Zhou G, Wang D, Knoll N, Schwarzer R . Planning Mediates Between Self-Efficacy and Physical Activity Among Motivated Young Adults. J Phys Act Health. 2015; 13(1):87-93. DOI: 10.1123/jpah.2014-0555. View

Chow S, Mullan B . Predicting food hygiene. An investigation of social factors and past behaviour in an extended model of the Health Action Process Approach. Appetite. 2009; 54(1):126-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2009.09.018. View

Booth F, Roberts C, Laye M . Lack of exercise is a major cause of chronic diseases. Compr Physiol. 2013; 2(2):1143-211. PMC: 4241367. DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c110025. View

Smith S, Kroon J, Schwarzer R, Hamilton K . Social-cognitive predictors of parental supervised toothbrushing: An application of the health action process approach. Br J Health Psychol. 2021; 26(4):995-1015. DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12516. View

Scholz U, Keller R, Perren S . Predicting behavioral intentions and physical exercise: a test of the health action process approach at the intrapersonal level. Health Psychol. 2009; 28(6):702-8. DOI: 10.1037/a0016088. View

Sone T, Kawachi Y, Abe C, Otomo Y, Sung Y, Ogawa S . Attitude and practice of physical activity and social problem-solving ability among university students. Environ Health Prev Med. 2017; 22(1):18. PMC: 5664572. DOI: 10.1186/s12199-017-0625-8. View

Tarumi T, Zhang R . Cerebral hemodynamics of the aging brain: risk of Alzheimer disease and benefit of aerobic exercise. Front Physiol. 2014; 5:6. PMC: 3896879. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00006. View

Szymczak H, Keller L, Debbeler L, Kollmann J, Lages N, Gollwitzer P . An Increase in Vigorous but Not Moderate Physical Activity Makes People Feel They Have Changed Their Behavior. Front Psychol. 2020; 11:1530. PMC: 7378814. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01530. View

10.

Li C, Murad M, Shahzad F, Khan M, Ashraf S, Dogbe C . Entrepreneurial Passion to Entrepreneurial Behavior: Role of Entrepreneurial Alertness, Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Proactive Personality. Front Psychol. 2020; 11:1611. PMC: 7468520. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01611. View

11.

Reyes Fernandez B, Knoll N, Hamilton K, Schwarzer R . Social-cognitive antecedents of hand washing: Action control bridges the planning-behaviour gap. Psychol Health. 2016; 31(8):993-1004. DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2016.1174236. View

12.

Kashihara K, Maruyama T, Murota M, Nakahara Y . Positive effects of acute and moderate physical exercise on cognitive function. J Physiol Anthropol. 2009; 28(4):155-64. DOI: 10.2114/jpa2.28.155. View

13.

Donnelly T, Al-Thani A, Benjamin K, Al-Khater A, Fung T, Ahmedna M . Arab female and male perceptions of factors facilitating and inhibiting their physical activity: Findings from a qualitative study in the Middle East. PLoS One. 2018; 13(7):e0199336. PMC: 6047779. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199336. View

14.

Schwarzer R, Schuz B, Ziegelmann J, Lippke S, Luszczynska A, Scholz U . Adoption and maintenance of four health behaviors: theory-guided longitudinal studies on dental flossing, seat belt use, dietary behavior, and physical activity. Ann Behav Med. 2007; 33(2):156-66. DOI: 10.1007/BF02879897. View

15.

Scully D, Kremer J, Meade M, Graham R, Dudgeon K . Physical exercise and psychological well being: a critical review. Br J Sports Med. 1998; 32(2):111-20. PMC: 1756084. DOI: 10.1136/bjsm.32.2.111. View

16.

Lippke S, Wiedemann A, Ziegelmann J, Reuter T, Schwarzer R . Self-efficacy moderates the mediation of intentions into behavior via plans. Am J Health Behav. 2009; 33(5):521-9. DOI: 10.5993/ajhb.33.5.5. View

17.

Weinstock J . A review of exercise as intervention for sedentary hazardous drinking college students: rationale and issues. J Am Coll Health. 2010; 58(6):539-44. PMC: 2886733. DOI: 10.1080/07448481003686034. View

18.

Feng D, Huang S, Lang X . Attitudes and behavioral intentions of aortic dissection survivors towards exercise: an application of the health action process approach framework. Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2022; 23(2):64. DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2302064. View

19.

Gaston A, Prapavessis H . Using a combined protection motivation theory and health action process approach intervention to promote exercise during pregnancy. J Behav Med. 2012; 37(2):173-84. DOI: 10.1007/s10865-012-9477-2. View

20.

Zhou S, Li L, Zhao Y, Cao Y, Peng B, Zheng L . Physical Activity under Stress: A Perspective of HAPA and Individual Differences. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(22). PMC: 8619980. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182212144. View