Predicting back pain sufferers' intentions to exercise

One important factor in reducing back pain is the performance of exercises prescribed by physicians during treatment. The present investigation was conducted to examine the correlates of an individual's intention to adhere to such prescriptions. On the bases of M. Fishbein's (1980) theory of reasoned action and I. Ajzen's (1988) theory of planned behavior, attitudes, subjective norms, and 2 types of perceived behavioral control were measured in a sample of American patients. Attitudes and subjective norms failed to predict intentions to exercise in accordance with the physician's orders, but each of the perceived behavioral control measures did moderately well as an independent predictor and quite well when combined in a multiple regression approach.