EXERCISE STAGE OF CHANGE AND SELF-EFFICACY IN PRIMARY-CARE - IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERVENTION

Multiple chronic diseases are caused or complicated by a sedentary lif estyle. Thus, an important and challenging application of psychology i n clinical settings is changing the behavior of sedentary primary care patients. This study focused on exercise stage of change and self-eff icacy in a sample of adult family practice patients recruited while wa iting for their scheduled physician appointment Regarding exercise sta ge of change, 15% of respondents were in the Precontemplation stage 26 % in the Contemplation stage, 50% in the Preparation stage, 7% in the Action stage, and 13% in the Maintenance stage. Mean self-efficacy sco res for exercise were significantly higher among respondents in the Ac tion and Maintenance stages of change. These cross-sectional data are consistent with the hypothesis that movement through the exercise stag es of change could be encouraged by clinical interventions that increa se exercise self-efficacy. The identification of multiple personal opp ortunities for increasing exercise self-efficacy may be clinically use ful in this context. Recommendations for psychologists in primary care settings in their work with physicians are offered.