Testing a brief, theory-guided video chat intervention for enhancing self-efficacy and lifestyle physical activity among low active working adults

Despite evidence of the many health benefits of engaging in regular physical activity, American adults’ physical activity levels are generally low (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017a. The most common reported barrier for low activity is lack of time (Bellows-Riecken & Rhodes, 2008; Cohen-Mansfield, Marx, & Guralnik, 2003; Manaf, 2013; Welch, McNaughton, Hunter, Hume, & Crawford, 2009). Self-efficacy, defined as one’s confidence in his or her ability to successfully complete a task, has been associated with the adoption and maintenance of physical activity behavior (Bandura, 1991). Prior research suggests that self-efficacy is often inflated at the start of a physical activity program and fluctuates (typically declines) as one is exposed to intervention and recognizes what it takes to fully commit to such a program in lieu of omnipresent motivational barriers (McAuley et al., 2011). Therefore, there is a demand for interventions that can effectively enhance or preserve self-efficacy levels at the start of a physical activity program. Such interventions may facilitate adherence to public health guidelines for physical activity. Lifestyle physical activity, an unstructured, but goal-oriented form of physical activity, affords individuals a high degree of flexibility in how they choose to meet public health guidelines. Indeed, lifestyle physical activity interventions have been successful for getting adults to meet the public health guidelines for aerobic activity (Dunn et al., 1998). Moreover, brief interventions (lasting no more than 20 minutes in length; Lamming et al., 2017) and interventions guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT; Mailey & McAuley, 2014) have been effective for increasing lifestyle physical activity levels among low-active populations. To date, no studies have tested the efficacy of a brief, theory-guided video chat intervention for enhancing self-efficacy for lifestyle physical activity. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and efficacy of a brief SCT-guided video chat intervention with the aim of enhancing physical activity-related self-efficacy, and in turn, lifestyle physical activity. Results provide support for the feasibility of delivering information remotely through video chats for low-active, working adults. Moreover, this study provides preliminary evidence for the utility of video chat intervention for promoting short-term increases in lifestyle physical activity self-efficacy. Further research is needed to replicate and extend these findings across a larger sample to develop an effective, viable method that can be disseminated and have a longer-lasting impact on full-time working adults’ health and quality of life.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2020

Author dc:creator

• Bullard, Tiffany

Contributors dc:contributor

• Mullen, Sean P.
• Grigsby-Toussaint, Diana S.
• Gothe, Neha
• Hernandez, Rosalba

• lifestyle physical activity
• brief intervention, self-efficacy, Social Cognitive Theory
• technology-delivered intervention

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2019 Tiffany Bullard

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/106214

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/106214