Correlates of change in walking for exercise: an exploratory analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Exercise Science
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Regular physical activity, such as walking, is crucial for public health.
• Understanding factors that influence sustained engagement in exercise is vital for intervention development.
• Previous research has explored baseline determinants of physical activity, but longitudinal correlates of change require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify correlates of change in walking for exercise among adults over a 24-month period.
• To examine the influence of dynamic variables on maintaining walking habits.
• To explore differences in exercise behavior change between men and women.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study design involving a random sample of 1,739 adults.
• Mailed surveys administered at baseline and a 24-month follow-up to assess walking for exercise.
• Residualized measures were used to analyze changes in walking behavior, controlling for baseline levels and time-varying covariates.

Main Results:

• Adults walked an average of just under 1 hour per week at both baseline and follow-up.
• 23.5% of initially active adults ceased walking for exercise by the 2-year mark.
• Changes in dynamic variables, specifically friend's support and vigorous physical activity, accounted for the most explained variance in walking for exercise, particularly among women.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic factors, such as social support and vigorous physical activity, are important for sustaining walking for exercise.
• Interventions aimed at maintaining physical activity should focus on these dynamic and modifiable variables.
• Further research is needed to identify additional determinants and improve the precision of measures for walking for exercise.