THE IMPACT OF THREE DIFFERENT PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATIONS ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

Current physical activity guidelines encourage adults to accumulate 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity each week to improve health. Recommendations based on these guidelines typically focus on promoting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) without discouraging sedentary behavior throughout the day. This study aimed to determine the impact of various physical activity recommendations on physical activity, self-efficacy, and enjoyment, and to examine relationships among self-efficacy, enjoyment, and physical activity. This study consisted of a 1-week baseline and a 4-week intervention in which 42 healthy adult participants were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups or a control group. Those assigned to an intervention group were recommended to achieve a physical activity goal based on (a) steps, (b) minutes, or (c) a combination of steps and minutes. There were no statistically significant group x time interactions for step counts or minutes of MVPA. A series of repeated measures ANOVAs revealed that the minutes group showed the largest increase in minutes spent in MVPA (d = 0.50) over the course of the intervention, and that all three intervention groups had similar increases in step counts. The control group experienced a decrease in both step count (d = -0.88) and minutes spent in MVPA (d = -0.36) over the course of the study period. None of the groups experienced an increase in self-efficacy. Comparisons between groups revealed that the steps group experienced the largest increase in enjoyment levels from T1 to T2 (d = 0.47), followed by the minutes group (d = 0.14). The combination group and control group both experienced no change in enjoyment level from T1 to T2 (d = 0.07, d = -0.04), respectively. Findings from this study suggest the need for future interventions to increase self-efficacy and enjoyment as both are known to be important for the adoption and maintenance of physical activity behavior.