Gambling is an important public health concern. To better understand gambling behavior, we conducted a classroom-based survey that assessed the role of the theory of planned behavior (TPB; i.e., intentions, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and attitudes) in past year gambling and gambling frequency among college students. Results from this research support the utility of the TPB to explain gambling behavior in this population. Specifically, in TPB models to predict gambling behavior, friend and family subjective norms and perceived behavioral control predicted past year gambling and friend and family subjective norms, attitudes and perceived behavioral control predicted gambling frequency. Intention to gamble mediated these relationships. These findings suggest that college responsible gambling efforts should consider targeting misperceptions of approval regarding gambling behavior (i.e., subjective norms), personal approval of gambling behavior (i.e., attitudes), and perceived behavioral control to better manage gambling behavior in various situations.

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Future interventions aimed at decreasing high-risk alcohol and sexual behaviors among college women should incorporate AMT. Continued theory-based research examining the relationship between alcohol use and sexual behavior is needed to inform future interventions and better understand why college women continue to consume high levels of alcohol and engage in risky sexual behaviors despite the threat of negative consequences.

Results have implications for school- and community-based mental health services and PA programs for adolescents. Measures of ESE as a component of comprehensive assessments of adolescent mental health and PA behaviors in fieldwork, research, and program-evaluation efforts should be considered.

Exercise is consistently related to physical and psychological health benefits in older adults. Bandura’s social-cognitive theory (SCT) is one theoretical perspective on understanding and predicting exercise behavior. Thus, the authors examined whether three SCT variables—self-efficacy, self-regulation, and outcome-expectancy value—predicted older adults’ (N= 98) exercise behavior. Bivariate analyses revealed that regular exercise was associated with being male, White, and married; having higher income, education, and self-efficacy; using self-regulation skills; and having favorable outcome-expectancy values (p< .05). In a simultaneous multivariate model, however, self-regulation (p= .0097) was the only variable independently associated with regular exercise. Thus, exercise interventions targeting older adults should include components aimed at increasing the use of self-regulation strategies.

This paper examined the relationship among social cognitive factors and physical activity in college freshmen. Students from a midwestern university (N = 69; 56.5% female) participated in this prospective study. Psychosocial data were collected at the beginning of a semester, and physical activity measurement by accelerometry was completed at semester's end. Multiple regression analyses indicated that self‐efficacy and physical activity goals were significant predictors of vigorous activity (r2 = .16). However, these constructs were not significant for moderate activity (r2 = .16). Social cognitive constructs appear to be related to vigorous, but not moderate activity in college freshmen. Future studies should consider assessing social cognitive and physical activity variables at multiple time points across extended durations.

The RALPESS is a valid, internally consistent, and practically useful instrument to measure perceptions of rural environments in the context of physical activity across the lifespan. Confirmatory factor analysis is recommended to validate factor structure.