The effect of life events and exercise program format on the adoption and maintenance of exercise behavior.
- 1 January 2000
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by American Psychological Association (APA) in Health Psychology
- Vol. 19 (6) , 605-612
- https://doi.org/10.1037//0278-6133.19.6.605
Abstract
This study prospectively investigated the effects of major life events on subsequent exercise adherence rates of individuals (N = 173) participating in a 2-year, randomized, controlled clinical trial of 3 different exercise conditions (higher-intensity home-based; lower-intensity home-based; and higher-intensity class-based). For 3 of 4 6-month exercise-adherence periods, an analysis of variance indicated a significant main effect (p < .05) for major life events. Compared with participants reporting 0 or 1 major life event, exercise adherence in the maintenance phase was significantly lower for those reporting 3 or 4 major life events regardless of the exercise condition. No significant life-event-exercise-adherence relationship was found in the adoption phase of exercise participation (i.e., Months 1 to 6). The deleterious effect of life events emphasizes the importance of instruction regarding how to prepare for high-risk situations that can lead to missed exercise sessions or to program attrition.Keywords
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