The purpose of the study was to determine if perceived severity of the consequences of physical inactivity is an important component for exercise motivation in college students. The participants of the study were 581 college students who had enrolled in HSC 160, Fundamentals of Human Health, at Ball State University during the spring semester of 2001. Using a cross-sectional data collection process, participants completed a survey instrument consisting of the stages of change for exercise scale, the perceived severity of the consequences of physical inactivity scale, and demographic questions.The data were analyzed using both univariate and bivariate analyses. Specific descriptive and inferential statistic analyses were used to: 1) determine the degree of association between the participants' perceived severity and their identified stages of change for exercise, 2) examine the relationship between the stages of change for exercise and the participants' demographic characteristics, and 3) determine the difference between perceived severity of consequences of physical inactivity and the Participants' demographic characteristics.The results indicated that those who perceived the threat of a health condition as a result of not being physically active to be high were more likely to exercise regularly. Males and females differed in their exercise stage of change with males being more likely in the maintenance stage whereas females were more likely to be in the preparation stage. Also, perceived severity of the consequences from the lack of physical activity was greater in females than males, suggesting that those men who exercise regularly do so, but not exclusively for preventing negative health conditions.The results of this study should be useful to health and physical education instructors to assist them with organizing and tailoring appropriate physical activity lecture topics and emphasizing the severity of the consequences to those who are not physically active.Finally, additional research should be conducted in order to determine what factors affect perceived severity of a health threat as it relates to physical inactivity such as demographics, sociopsychological, and structural variables, to help identify all the possible factors that could impact future program planning efforts. / Department of Biology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/187095 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Jung, Joo-Yong |
| Contributors | Behforouz, Nancy C. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 138 leaves : ill., charts ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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