Abstract
This study was designed to assess the effects of lost resources on exercise behavior among a sample of 30 foreign exchange students who were identified as having experienced a relapse in their level of physical activity. The first phase of the study was longitudinal in nature, comparing baseline data collected from a sample of 110 exchange students from Malaysia on their initial arrival in England with data collected from the same sample 4 months later. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance indicated a significant effect for scores on processes of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance, F(12, 18) = 12.74, p < .001. Subsequent examination of univariate F values also revealed significant differences for self-reevalualion, reinforcement management, self-liberation, and self-efficacy. Results from the second phase of the study, which qualitatively assessed the relationship between reductions in physical activity and personal/material resources, revealed that exercise behavior was significantly influenced by resources lost as a result of being in an unfamiliar environment. Implications for health promotion practitioners and researchers are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 281-291 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Personal and Interpersonal Loss |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 1999 |
Externally published | Yes |