High School Students’ Exercise-Related Stages of Change and Physical Activity Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Purpose: The existing literature has shown that theamount of sedentary time during early adolescence islow. This decrease is more pronounced among girls than boys. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze high school students’ exercise-related stages of change (ESC) and physical activity self-efficacy (PASE) for overcoming barriers with respect to gender, age, and school type. Research Methods: The survey method, which employed stratified sampling based on the total number of students at each school,was used to select participants (n=393). Findings:According to the results, male students were at moreadvanced stages of change and had higher levels ofself-efficacy for overcoming barriers than their femalecounterparts. The distribution of high schoolstudents across the stages of change was: inactive stages (n precontemplation, contemplation, and preparation =216,54.9%) and active stages (n action and maintenance =177, 45.1%). Gender [ESC X 2 (4, n=393)=14.64, p=0.01]and the type of school [X 2 (20, n=393)=39.42, p>0.05] were not significantly related to ESC.MANOVA indicated that self-efficacy was related to ESC (Pillai’s Trace=0.09, F (12,678) =1.92,p0.05). Implications for Research and Practice: The sex of studentswas a significant variable affecting ESC. In addition, the results indicated that lower level ofESC and less PASE exist among female students. Further research should focus on cultivatinggirls’ exercise habits with the goal of improving exercise behavior intention and self-efficacy forovercoming barriers via stage-specific interventions.