Predicting exercise after university: an application of the reasoned action approach across a significant life transition

ABSTRACT

The present study applied an extended version of the reasoned action approach (RAA) to explain students’ post-university exercise intentions and behaviour. Students (N = 136) completed measures of RAA variables, past behaviour, habit strength and self-identity before leaving university, and exercise behaviour six months later (n = 84). The RAA explained 67% of the variance in exercise intentions (experiential attitude, instrumental attitude and autonomy were significant predictors), and 20% of the variance in behaviour (experiential attitude and intention were significant predictors). Past behaviour explained additional variance in exercise intentions and behaviour, but its effects were mediated by self-identity. The RAA provides a useful framework for understanding students’ exercise intentions and behaviour as they transition out of university. Self-identity may be particularly important for maintaining exercise levels across significant life transitions.

KEYWORDS:

• Physical activity
• college
• reasoned action approach
• self-identity
• significant life transition

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all participants for taking part in our study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Participants who completed both questionnaires and those who were lost to follow-up were also compared on the RAA measures and past behaviour. Those who completed both questionnaires reported higher descriptive norm scores (M = 4.21, SD = 1.07) than those lost to follow-up (M = 3.65, SD = 1.24), t(134) = 2.76, p = .01, and higher autonomy scores (M = 5.39, SD = 1.36) than those lost to follow-up (M = 4.78, SD = 1.46), t(134) = 2.48, p = .01. All other comparisons were non-significant.

2. Power analyses indicated that the time 2 sample of 84 would be sufficient to detect an effect size of at least f² = 0.22 (which equates to R² = .18) in the regression analysis with 10 predictor variables (at 80% power and alpha set at 0.05). R. McEachan et al. (2016) reported that the RAA typically explains 31% of the variance in behaviour (across all behaviours).