Understanding action control of daily walking behavior among dog owners: a community survey.

Background: Walking among dog owners may be a means to achieve health benefits, yet almost half of owners (approximately 30% of households) are not regularly walking their dogs. Current research on the correlates of dog walking has generally considered intention as the primary determinant of behavior, yet the intention-behavior relationship is modest. The purpose of this paper was to apply a framework designed to evaluate the intention-behavior gap, known as multi-process action control (M-PAC), to understand daily walking among dog owners.

Effects of preparatory and action planning instructions on situation-specific and general fruit and snack intake.

Evidence to date suggests heterogeneity in the effects of implementation intentions on health behaviour, including diet. Additional variables and study designs may impact on their effectiveness. Preparatory action, such as making sure fruits are available for consumption, may be an important additional variable.

Understanding strength exercise intentions and behavior in hematologic cancer survivors: an analysis of the intention-behavior gap.

Background: Strength exercise improves many health outcomes in cancer survivors but the prevalence and correlates of strength exercise have not been well-described. Moreover, no study has examined the critical intention-behavior gap for exercise in cancer survivors.

Purpose: The aims of this study are to quantify the intention-behavior gap for strength exercise in hematologic cancer survivors (HCS) and examine correlates of both intention formation and translation using the multi-process action control framework (M-PAC).

A cross-sectional study of the relationship between parents' and children's physical activity.

Background: Though parents' physical activity (PA) is thought to be a predictor of children's PA, findings have been mixed. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between pedometer-measured steps/day of parents' and their children and potential moderators of this relationship. We also assessed the parent-child PA relationship as measured by questionnaires.

A systematic review of the effects of non-conscious regulatory processes in physical activity.

Physical activity theories have almost exclusively focused on conscious regulatory processes such as plans, beliefs, and expected value. The aim of this review was to aggregate the burgeoning evidence showing that physical activity is also partially determined by non-conscious processes (e.g.

Physical activity for children in elementary schools: time for a rethink?

In spite of the well-known benefits of physical activity, the vast majority of children in North America do not meet current international guidelines for accumulating sufficient health-enhancing physical activity. Indeed, despite considerable attention to this population health crisis, the current prevalence of inactivity, along with its concomitant health consequences, shows little sign of abating. In this paper, we identify acknowledged barriers to wide scale physical activity adoption and maintenance at the population level among children and propose a viable tripartite framework (albeit one that would require political support) that we hope will provide the basis for debate and implementation.

Automatic Evaluation Stimuli - The Most Frequently Used Words to Describe Physical Activity and the Pleasantness of Physical Activity.

Physical activity is partially regulated by non-conscious processes including automatic evaluations - the spontaneous affective reactions we have to physical activity that lead us to approach or avoid physical activity opportunities. A sound understanding of which words best represent the concepts of physical activity and pleasantness (as associated with physical activity) is needed to improve the measurement of automatic evaluations and related constructs (e.g.

Do other goals influence physical activity? A systematic review examining the relationship between other goals and physical activity behavior.

Promoting regular physical activity (PA) is essential to population health, yet intervention success has been modest. Most approaches have focused heavily on PA motivation but give limited attention to other facilitating and conflicting goals in daily life. The purpose of this review was to unite the literature examining other life goals and appraise their relationship with PA.

Explaining the Aerobic Exercise Intention-behavior Gap in Cancer Survivors.

Objectives: We sought to quantify the aerobic exercise intention-behavior gap in hematologic cancer survivors (HCS), and examine the correlates of intention formation and translation using the multi-process action control framework.

Methods: HCS (N = 606) completed a survey reporting their aerobic exercise motivation and behavior. The correlates of intention formation and translation were analyzed using separate logistic regressions.

Canadian physical activity guidelines for adults: are Canadians aware?

The present study evaluated awareness of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology's 2011 Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults and assessed correlates. Reported awareness of the physical activity (PA) guidelines was 12.9% (204/1586) of the total sample surveyed.

Understanding the Reasons behind Anticipated Regret for Missing Regular Physical Activity.

Anticipated affective reactions to missing physical activity (PA), often labeled anticipated regret, has reliable evidence as a predictor of PA intention and behavior independent of other standard social cognitive constructs. Despite this evidence, the sources of regret are understudied and may come from many different reasons. The purpose of this study was to theme the reasons for why people responded to anticipated regret over missing regular PA for 2 weeks.

Encouraging Dog Walking for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.

Regular physical activity is associated with numerous health benefits, including the prevention of many chronic diseases and conditions or a reduction in their adverse effects. Intervention studies suggest that promoting dog walking among dog owners who do not routinely walk their dogs may be an effective strategy for increasing and maintaining regular physical activity. Strategies that emphasize the value of dog walking for both dogs and people, promote the context-dependent repetition of dog walking, enhance the social-interaction benefits, encourage family dog walking, and ensure availability of public space for dog walking may encourage increased dog walking.

Is physical activity a part of who I am? A review and meta-analysis of identity, schema and physical activity.

Two parallel literatures on the physical activity (PA) identity and schema constructs have the potential to supplement traditional social cognitive approaches used for PA promotion. The purpose of this paper was to review schema/identity research and appraise its relationship with PA via meta-analysis followed by thematic analyses of its correlates, as well as its proposed mechanisms on PA. Eligible studies were from English, peer-reviewed published articles that examined identity and/or schema in the context of PA.

Measuring Driving-Related Attitudes Among Older Adults: Psychometric Evidence for the Decisional Balance Scale Across Time and Gender.

Purpose Of The Study: The Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) was developed to assess older adults' attitudes related to driving and includes both intrapersonal and interpersonal motivations for driving. This study examined the psychometric properties of the DBS ratings across 3 time points in a sample of 928 older drivers who participated in the Canadian Driving Research Initiative for Vehicular Safety in the Elderly (Candrive).

Design And Methods: Measurement invariance of the DBS was assessed longitudinally and across gender.

Family planning to promote physical activity: a randomized controlled trial protocol.

Background: Physical activity is associated with the reduction of several chronic conditions in adults. Additionally, physical activity is extremely important for children for their development and cognitive functioning and also to create a physically active lifestyle that continues into adulthood. Despite the known benefits of physical activity, only one in five adults are achieving the public health recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week and only 13 % of boys and 6 % of girls between the ages of 5 and 17 years are meeting the guidelines of 60 minutes per day.

Evaluating the ParticipACTION "Think Again" Campaign.

Introduction ParticipACTION's 2011 "Think Again" campaign aimed to draw parents', and specifically mothers', attention to the amount of physical activity (PA) their children do relative to the national guidelines (physical activity guidelines [PAG]). Purpose To evaluate ParticipACTION's "Think Again" campaign in the context of the hierarchy of effects model. Methods Data were drawn from "Think Again" campaign evaluations conducted among two cohorts of parents with children ages 5 to 11 years (3 months postcampaign launch [T1], n = 702; 15 months postlaunch [T2], n = 670).

Using short vignettes to disentangle perceived capability from motivation: a test using walking and resistance training behaviors.

Self-efficacy is arguably the strongest correlate of physical activity, yet some researchers suggest this is because the construct confounds ability with motivation. We examine a more circumscribed construct, called perceived capability (PC), meant to measure ability but not motivation and propose that the construct will not be related to unskilled physical activities but may be linked to skilled behaviors. The purpose of this paper was to examine whether a PC construct can be stripped of motivation using a vignette approach in both walking and resistance training behaviors.

A Qualitative Exploration of Exercise Among Pulmonary Rehabilitation Participants: Insight From Multiple Sources of Social Influence.

Background: Exercise training within the pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) context is considered the most effective strategy to reduce COPD symptoms. However, participation in PR and continued exercise training following program completion are low. Previous research examined factors related to attendance and adherence, but the knowledge base to date has been limited to quantitative findings that focus solely on participants diagnosed with COPD.

Understanding action control of parental support behavior for child physical activity.

Objective: Parental support is the critical family-level variable linked to child physical activity (PA), yet the antecedents of support are poorly understood, and its relationship with intention is modest. The purpose of this study was to apply a framework designed to evaluate the intention-behavior gap, known as multiprocess action control (M-PAC), to understand parental support for regular child PA.

Method: Mothers (N = 1,253) with children 5-12 years of age completed measures of attitudes, perceived control over support, behavioral regulation tactics (e.

Predicting Changes Across 12 Months in Three Types of Parental Support Behaviors and Mothers' Perceptions of Child Physical Activity.

Background: Parental support has been established as the critical family-level variable linked to child physical activity with encouragement, logistical support, and parent-child co-activity as key support behaviors.

Purpose: This study aims to model these parental support behaviors as well as family demographics as mediators of mothers' perceptions of child physical activity using theory of planned behavior (TPB) across two 6-month waves of longitudinal data.

Method: A representative sample of Canadian mothers (N = 1253) with children aged 5 to 13 years of age completed measures of TPB, support behaviors, and child physical activity.

An Evaluation of the My ParticipACTION Campaign to Increase Self-Efficacy for Being More Physically Active.

The objective of the My ParticipACTION campaign was to inspire Canadian adults to increase their physical activity through messaging that was relevant, engaging, and designed to build self-efficacy to be more active. This research examined the communication effects of the campaign according to the a priori Hierarchy of Effects Model (saliency → cognitive engagement → self-efficacy to become more active → trial behavior) and investigated how these effects related to overall self-efficacy for physical activity, intention to be active, and current activity level. Participants (N = 1,110) were recruited from an existing panel of Canadian adults 18 years and older and completed a short online questionnaire about the potential communication effects.

GrOup based physical Activity for oLder adults (GOAL) randomized controlled trial: study protocol.

Background: Physical activity has health benefits across the lifespan, yet only 13 % of Canadian older adults are sufficiently active. Results from a number of observational studies indicate that adults display positive preferences for exercising with others of a similar age and same gender, and that intra-group age- and gender-similarity are associated with elevated exercise adherence. However, research has yet to experimentally examine the extent to which intra-group age- and gender-related similarity affect exercise adherence behaviors.