Research and Teaching Purpose

My research objective is to examine the motivational determinants of exercise among women and children in an effort to develop effective behavioral interventions for exercise promotion. To guide this research, the motivational determinants of exercise are examined within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). For example, research evidence from our laboratory suggests that women’s exercise motivation (i.e., intention), particularly during the pregnancy and postpartum period, is determined by their positive evaluations of exercise (i.e., attitude), personal ability (i.e., perceived behavioral control), and positive encouragement from significant others (i.e., subjective norm). Understanding the psychological factors that influence people’s exercise motivation is also a primary focus of my teaching purpose. The objective of my teaching is to inform and educate students about the psychology of movement behavior within the context of theoretically-based and applied principles of exercise psychology and behavioral medicine.

Background and Significance

Disease in America

Healthcare in the United States is typically dictated by the types of diseases that dominate medical expenses and mortality. For example, the leading causes of death in the 1950's were communicable diseases (i.e., pneumonia, tuberculosis), whereas in the 2000's, chronic behavioral diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer are responsible for the greatest healthcare costs and mortality among American adults (CDC, 1999; NCHS, 1997). Ailments such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and obesity have generated medical expenses in the United States in excess of $95 billion annually (AHA, 1997). While genetic and environmental factors contribute to disease, most chronic behavioral diseases are associated with a variety of lifestyle factors including smoking, poor diet, and sedentariness (Mitchell et al., 1999; USDHHS, 2000). People can reduce their risk of disease by adopting positive lifestyle factors such as eating a balanced diet, having routine physical examinations, and engaging in regular physical activity (AHA, 1997).

Defining Regular Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is defined by the American College of Sports Medicine (2000) as: engaging in 30 minutes of accumulated moderate to vigorous physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week.

Physical Activity and Health

It is well established that regular physical activity contributes positively to both physiological health (e.g., decreases heart rate, increases circulation, improves flexibility) and psychological well-being (e.g., decreases anxiety and depression, improves self-esteem; USDHHS, 2000).

Physical Activity and America

Despite the numerous benefits of regular physical activity and the efforts of government sponsored programs (e.g., Healthy People 2010), most North Americans are not engaging in sufficient exercise to experience health-related benefits (CDC, 1999; NCHS, 1997; USDHHS, 2000). That is, most people do not meet the ACSM guidelines for regular physical activity. For example, 50% of adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 21 are inactive, approximately 60% of adults do not engage in regular physical activity, and nearly 75% of people over the age of 65 are sedentary (Sullum et al., 2000; USDHHS, 2000). Moreover, nearly 50% of adults dropout of exercise programs within 6 months of their onset (Dishman, 1993).