Changes in physical activity related constructs from the Social Cognitive Theory over the course of the college semester

Healthy Campus priorities include physical activity (PA) promotion and obesity prevention. Previous research indicates that students exhibit a decrease in PA levels over the course of the academic semester (Leslie 1999). Constructs from the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) have been found to be predictive of physical activity (Dzewaltowski 1990). The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which constructs from the SCT change over the course of an academic semester. One hundred seventy-eight students enrolled in three sections of a personal health class completed pre and post measures of constructs derived from the SCT. Students were classified based on their stage of change (SOC) at baseline (early SOC = precontemplation-preparation, later SOC = action-maintenance). Paired sample t-tests were used to analyze differences between pre and posttest scores among men and women and their SOC separately. There were no significant differences between pre and posttest scores among either SOC group of men. Over the course of the semester, women in early SOCs experienced a significant decline in family support to exercise and a significant increase in barriers to PA. Women in later SOCs experienced a significant decline in support from both family and friends, as well as a significant decline in self-efficacy. These results indicate that interventions to minimize or reverse detrimental changes in SCT constructs over a semester may be needed to improve rates of PA among college women.