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Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Visualization of Intensity Levels to Reduce the Gap Between Self-Reported and Directly Measured Physical Activity
Published on: March 7, 2019
Comparing psychosocial predictors of physical activity adoption and maintenance
David M Williams1, Beth A Lewis, Shira Dunsiger
1Alpert Medical School of Brown University and The Miriam Hospital, Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, Coro Bldg., Suite 500, One Hoppin Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA. dwilliams2@lifespan.org
Background:
Most health behavior models do not distinguish between determinants of behavior adoption and maintenance.
Purpose:
This study compared psychosocial predictors of physical activity (PA) adoption and predictors of PA maintenance among 205 initially sedentary adults enrolled in a home-based PA promotion trial.
Methods:
Psychosocial variables were measured at 6 months (at which point 107 participants remained inactive and 98 participants adopted regular PA) and used to predict 12-month PA status (an indicator of PA adoption among those inactive at 6 months and an indicator of PA maintenance among those active at 6 months).
Results:
Six-month PA status moderated the relationships between 6-month measures of home access to PA equipment (p = .049), self-efficacy (p = .086), and perceived satisfaction (p = .062) and 12-month PA status. Simple effects analyses revealed that home access to PA equipment was predictive of PA adoption (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.85), but not PA maintenance (OR = 0.88; 95% CI: 0.58, 1.35), whereas self-efficacy and perceived satisfaction were predictive of PA maintenance (OR = 2.65; 95% CI: 1.55, 4.52; OR = 1.95; 95% CI: 0.93, 4.06), but not PA adoption (OR = 1.50; 95% CI: 0.87, 2.57; OR = 0.82, CI: 0.44, 1.52).
Conclusion:
Results suggest that these psychosocial variables may operate differently in predicting PA adoption versus maintenance.
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