Mediators of change following a senior school physical activity intervention

Abstract

It has been suggested that the low level of effectiveness of youth interventions is due to a lack of knowledge regarding the mechanisms responsible for behaviour change. The identification of behaviour mediators is necessary for the progression of physical activity research, as it allows researchers to determine which components of an intervention are responsible for mediating behaviour change. The purpose of this study was to identify mediators of behaviour change in a physical activity intervention for senior school students. Participants (n=78) were randomly allocated to control or intervention conditions for a period of 10 weeks. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and potential mediators were assessed at baseline and post-intervention (10 weeks). Hypothesized mediators were derived from Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and included: peer support, exercise self-efficacy and outcome expectancy. Mediation was assessed using the product-of-coefficients test described by MacKinnon and colleagues, based on the criteria for mediation identified by Baron and Kenny. While none of the variables satisfied all four criteria for mediation among males or females, self-efficacy was able to satisfy the first three criteria among females in the study. Exercise self-efficacy may be a mediator of physical activity behaviour in adolescent girls.

Examining the sources of self-efficacy for physical activity within the sport and exercise domains

“…In similar studies with adolescent girls, social support from peers was related to increased self-efficacy for overcoming barriers to physical activity and smaller declines in physical activity during adolescence (Beets, Pitetti, & Forlaw, 2007;Dishman, Saunders, Motl, Dowda, & Pate, 2009). Similar results have been found in an afterschool program focused on enhancing self-efficacy for lifetime physical activity for middle school children through the use of encouragement (Lubans & Sylva, 2007).…”

A grounded theory of how social support influences physical activity in adolescent girls

“…Intervention strategies have included promoting positive communication, teamwork, engaging families in interventions, and encouragement (Dunton, Schneider, & Cooper, 2007; Lubans & Sylva, 2009). However, these strategies have had limited success at increasing perceptions of support (van Stralen et al, 2011).…”

The Effect of Creative Gymnastics Intervention on Physical Activity Self-Efficacy in Primary School Students

“…Two reviews (Ashford et al, 2010;Lubans, Foster, & Biddle, 2008) identified no experimental studies that focus on the effect of a creative program of physical education on physical activity self-efficacy. However, Dishman et al (2004) and Lubans and Sylva (2009) reported an effect of physical activity interventions. These have parallels in a creative lesson, with subsequent impact on physical activity self-efficacy.…”

“…These have parallels in a creative lesson, with subsequent impact on physical activity self-efficacy. One of these interventions is the Lifetime Activity Program (LAP), which had direct effect on adolescents' physical activity self-efficacy (Lubans & Sylva, 2009). This program consisted of activities that had to do with making good targets, overcoming difficulties (which need creativity) and developing social support on their classmates.…”