Wee, Zhi Qiang Clement, and Dillon, Denise (2022) Increasing physical exercise through action and coping planning. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (7). 3883.

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Abstract

The intention-behaviour gap has been a barrier to health behavioral change. 85 participants (aged 18-56 years) were recruited for a study that examined how two types of planning (Action and Coping) could bridge the intention-behaviour gap and increase physical exercise behaviours. The online study took place over two weeks, with participants completing pre-and-post measures of past exercise habits, intentions to exercise, subsequent physical exercise behaviours, intrinsic motivation levels, and engagement in action and coping planning. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that intentions, past exercise habits and action planning were significant pre-dictors of change in physical exercise behaviours. Positive correlations were observed between participants’ past habits and their exercise behaviours during the study. 71.8% of participants met the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended guidelines for physical activity at the end of the study compared to the initial 58.8%, which evidences an increase in participants’ physical exercise behaviours. Our findings revealed that while intentions are important predictors for behavioral change, cultivating habits to engage in regular exercise seems to outweigh the sig-nificance of intentions. Moreover, action planning could be a helpful intervention to bridge the intention-behaviour gap to increase overall physical exercise behaviours. In the long-term, this would improve an individual’s mental and physical wellbeing and potentially alleviate the costly burden on public health services.

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