Models of Exercise Behaviour

Once people overcome barriers to participation (see post 'Barriers to Exercise Participation'), there is still a low adherence to exercise.  This is because starting an exercise programme requires a change in behaviour and lifestyle, which many people find difficult as they find they still have barriers to overcome.  Three months after the lifestyle change happens, almost 40% of individuals will have stopped exercising (Gill, 2012).    There has been a lot of research therefore into how people make the decision to exercise and what it is that keeps them exercising.

Becker and Maiman proposed the Health Belief Model in 1975, which states an individual will take an action that they perceive to be beneficial to their health if: they will avoid damaging their health (e.g. exercising to avoid obesity), and they believe they can successfully carry out that action (e.g. making a realistic goal such as running for 20 minutes a day not entering a marathon) (University of Twente, n.d.). This model is all based upon the individual’s perceptions of the health risks and benefits of taking action.  A weakness of the model is that it suggests someone who doesn’t perceive a risk is unlikely to change their behaviour, it’s also unlikely if they don’t feel they can do so successfully.    There is little evidence to support the effectiveness of the model, and where studies have been conducted it has been found that this model does not predict exercise behaviour (Taylor et al, 2007).

Social Cognitive Theory was developed by Bandura in 1997.  He states that a change in behaviour is a product of the interaction between behaviour, personal factors and environmental factors.  Bandura also considers self-efficacy to be an important personal factor which must exist before any change takes place.  The picture below shows how Bandura believes all three factors are interlinked in producing a change in behaviour.  It is because of this that a given stimulus could produce different responses from different people and therefore produce a completely different behaviour.  The theory is effective in predicting behaviour and identifies ways of intervening in behaviour. 

 

Taken from: http://www.careers.govt.nz/educators-practitioners/career-practice/career-theory-models/banduras-theory/

In 1986 Ajzen and Madden presented the theory of planned behaviour.  They believe that behaviour is determined by a person’s intentions, with intention being defined as ‘the cognitive representation of a person's readiness to perform a given behaviour’ (University of Twente, n.d.).  They then named three factors which influence intentions: attitude towards the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control.  If the individual believes they have the ability to change their behaviour, their attitude is positive and they think significant others will approve of the decision, then the stronger their intentions will be. Research has suggested that in terms of exercise, even though intentions do positively relate to exercise, not all of the antecedents apply, with subjective norms having little influence on intentions (Psychlopedia, n.d.).  The theory is useful in predicting behaviour however, as those with the intention to change their behaviour usually do so.

The trans-theoretical model of behaviour change was produced by Prochaska and DiClemente in 1983.  It considers six stages thought to be needed to change behaviour, which in this case would be from an inactive lifestyle to regularly exercising.  The six stages are: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and relapse.  

1.       Pre-contemplation Here the individual has no intention of changing their lifestyle within the short term future.

2.       Contemplation During this stage the individual is unsure whether they may change their lifestyle, but have considered it, and are open to new ideas and information.

3.       Preparation It is at this point that the individual has decided to take action within the near future (roughly 1 month) and has created an action plan

4.       Action During this stage the individual has taken action and amended their lifestyle (in the short term). 

5.       Maintenance By now the individual has committed to change for at least 6 months, and is trying to avoid relapse.

6.       Relapse The individual has ceased exercise and returned to their original lifestyle.  This can happen at any time, and may occur more than once.

To move through these stages people must change their attitude to exercise and how they think about themselves (e.g. eradicating the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse and realising the benefits of exercise on the body).  A downfall of the model is that you cannot predict at what rate people will move through the stages, and some people may skip certain stages jumping back and forth.

In conclusion, not all the models which have been developed have been supported as being effective.  The health belief model for example has not been proven to predict exercise behaviour.  A good point of the model however, is that it specifically notes the individuals perception is key to any change in their behaviour, unlike the other models.  None of the models explain how to prevent a relapse from occurring.  Research on the theory of planned behaviour has shown that people with the intention to change their exercise behaviour normally do so, but not many people have the intention to do.  The model doesn’t explain how to intervene to change a person’s intentions, unlike the social cognitive theory which considers interventions.  The trans-theoretical model of behaviour is the most detailed theory giving different stages but it doesn't suggest ways of intervening (unlike Bandura's) and preventing a relapse.

References

CareersNZ (n.d.) Bandura's Theory [online] Available from: http://www.careers.govt.nz/educators-practitioners/career-practice/career-theory-models/banduras-theory/ [Accessed 3rd January 2013]

Gill, A. (2012) Unit 018 Exercise Behaviour and Adherence [Presentation] Sport Psychology, HND Sport Coaching, Chesterfield College, December

Psychlopedia (n.d.) Theory of Planned Behaviour[online] Available from: http://www.psych-it.com.au/Psychlopedia/article.asp?id=69 [Accessed 31^stDecember 2012]

Taylor, D., Bury, M., Campling, N., Carter, S., Garfield, S., Newbould, J., Rennie, T. (2007) A Review of the use of the Health BeliefModel (HBM), the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Trans-Theoretical Model (TTM) to study and predict health related behaviour change [online] Available from: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/study/ugr/mbchb/phase1_08/semester2/healthpsychology/nice-doh_draft_review_of_health_behaviour_theories.pdf[Accessed 31st December 2012]

University of Minnesota Dulluth (n.d.) Chapter 4 Theories and Models of Exercise Behavior II [online] Available from: http://www.d.umn.edu/~dmillsla/courses/Exercise%20Adherence/documents/TranstheoricaecologicalmodelsLox07.pdf [Accessed 31st December 2012]

 University of Twente (n.d.) Health Belief Model [online] Available from: http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20Clusters/Health%20Communication/Health_Belief_Model.doc/ [Accessed 31^st December 2012]

University of Twente (n.d.) Theory of Planned Behaviour/Reasoned Action [online] Available from: http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Health%20Communication/theory_planned_behavior.doc/ [Accessed 31^st December 2012]