Explaining physical activity levels from a self-efficacy perspective: the physical activity counseling trial

Area of Science:

• Health behavior change
• Behavioral medicine
• Primary care interventions

Background:

• The Physical Activity Counseling (PAC) trial evaluated a 13-week primary care physical activity (PA) intervention.
• The intervention involved a PA counselor integrated into healthcare settings.
• Group differences in PA were observed at 6 and 13 weeks compared to a control group.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mediating role of 6-week task and barrier self-efficacy in the relationship between the PAC intervention and PA.
• To assess the sustained relationship between task and barrier self-efficacy and PA over the trial duration.

Main Methods:

• Participants were primarily sedentary individuals receiving brief PA advice from primary care providers.
• Random assignment to either an intervention group (n=61) or a control group (n=59).
• Self-reported PA and self-efficacy (task and barrier) were measured at baseline, 6, 13, 19, and 25 weeks.

Main Results:

• Six-week task and barrier self-efficacy demonstrated a small mediating effect on the intervention's impact on PA.
• Barrier self-efficacy maintained a significant positive relationship with PA throughout the 25-week study period.
• The association between task self-efficacy and PA weakened significantly as the trial progressed.

Conclusions:

• Physical Activity Counseling interventions for sedentary individuals should incorporate strategies targeting barrier and task self-efficacy.
• Further research is needed to understand the stability and long-term impact of task self-efficacy on physical activity.
• The findings suggest that addressing perceived barriers is crucial for sustained PA behavior change.