Physical activity determinants of military health care recipients

This study describes physical activity determinants (motivation, self-efficacy, benefits/barriers, and stage of change) of 71 healthy, military-affiliated volunteers, 28 men and 43 women (mean age, 31 +/- 7 years) from a military primary care setting. The physical activity determinants were measured with investigator-administered questionnaires at three time points over 8 months. The Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences (p < 0.0001) among factors determining self-efficacy, motivation, and benefits/barriers. The subjects reported being most confident that they could be physically active even if they had to do it by themselves. The chief benefit reported was an improvement in physical performance, whereas the leading barrier to physical activity was the physical exertion involved. The biggest motivator was the positive health effect gained. Most subjects considered themselves to be in the "maintenance" stage of change. This study provides a platform for the development of an effective physical activity intervention in this population.