Facing Multiple Barriers to Exercise: Does Stronger Efficacy Help Individuals with Arthritis?

Background: Research about exercise adherence amongst adults with arthritis has been largely correlational, and theoretically based causal studies are needed. We used an experimental design to test the social cognitive theory premise that high self-efficacy helps to overcome challenging barriers to action.

Methods: Exercising individuals (N = 86; female = 78%; M age = 53; BMI = 27) with differential self-regulatory efficacy for managing salient, non-disease barriers were randomly assigned to many or few barrier conditions. Individuals responded about the strength of their anticipated persistence to continue exercise, and their self-regulatory efficacy to use exercise-enabling coping strategies.

Results: In the many barriers condition, higher barriers-efficacy individuals expressed (a) greater persistence (Cohen's d = 0.75 [-0.029, 1.79]) and (b) more confidence in their coping solutions (Cohen's d = 0.65 [-0.30, 1.60]) than lower barriers-efficacy counterparts.

Conclusion: Experimental support was obtained for the theoretical premise that when facing the greatest barrier challenge, individuals highest in self-regulatory efficacy still view exercise as possible. Findings suggest that identifying lower efficacy exercisers with arthritis to tailor their exercise to increase self-regulatory efficacy might also improve their adherence.