to the maintenance stage of behaviour. This suggests that encouraging individuals to
focus on the pros of exercise may increase the transition from thinking about exercising
to actually doing it. In a similar vein, Coureya et al. (2001) used the stages of change
model in conjunction with the TPB to assess which cognitions predicted the transitions
between different stages of exercise behaviour. The study included a large sample of
adults who completed measures by telephone at baseline and then recorded their exercise
stage by mail after one year. The results showed that baseline attitude, intention and
subjective norm predicted the transition from precontemplation to contemplation, that
progression from contemplation to preparation was predicted by intention, perceived
behavioural control, attitudes and social support, that progression from preparation
to action was predicted by intention and attitude and that transition from action to
maintenance was predicted by intention, attitude and social support.
FOCUS ON RESEARCH 7.2: TESTING A THEORY – PREDICTING EXERCISE
A study using the theory of planned behaviour to predict exercise (Norman and
Smith 1995).
This study was an attempt to test directly the role of two social cognition models in
predicting exercise behaviour.
Background
Social cognition models such as the theory of reasoned action and the health belief
model have been used to predict and examine health behaviours such as smoking (see
Chapter 5), screening (see Chapter 9) and contraception use (see Chapter 8). Norman
and Smith (1995) used the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen 1988) to predict exercise
behaviour over a six-month period.
Methodology
Subjects Eighteen people were asked to complete open-ended questions in order to
identify beliefs about exercise that could then be incorporated into a questionnaire. The
questionnaire was distributed to 250 subjects and returned by 182 (a response rate of
72.8 per cent). Because the study used a prospective design, a second questionnaire was
sent out after six months; 83 individuals returned it completed.
Design The study involved a repeated-measures design with questionnaires completed
at baseline (time 1) and after six months (time 2).
Measures The questionnaire at time 1 asked for the subject’s age and sex and con-
tained questions about the following aspects of the theory of planned behaviour, which
were rated on a seven-point Likert scale.
EXERCISE 179