IS LONG-TERM MAINTENANCE OF HEALTH-RELATED PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY POSSIBLE- AN ANALYSIS OF CONCEPTS AND EVIDENCE

The phenomenon of maintenance of health-related physical activity is e xplored through an analysis of the underlying concepts and of the exis ting empirical evidence. The following targets were used for the analy sis: (1) the concept of health-related physical activity, (2) the conc ept of maintenance, (3) common manifestations of maintenance in everyd ay living, (4) the promotional and behavioral characteristics of healt h-related physical activity, (5) the known determinants of free-living physical activity, and (6) intervention trials on physical activity i n free-living groups. The analyses revealed the inherent resistance to adoption and maintenance of physical activity, particularly that of h igh-intensity and program-centered activities, the persistence, howeve r, of many simple everyday routines and habits, the multiple determina nts discovered for free-living physical activity and a few empirical d emonstrations of the successful promotion of the maintenance of physic al activity over a year or two. The promotion of the maintenance of he alth-related physical activity seems thus a distinct possibility provi ded that (1) the promotional situation is analyzed thoroughly, (2) the activity is chosen carefully with an emphasis on moderation in intens ity and integration into the participant's life-style, (3) multiple pr omotional contacts are used, and (4) support from the participant's so cial and physical environment is provided. There is a need for more re search on the maintenance of health-related physical activity using th e stages of change models, behavior modification principles, self-cont rol concepts, the concept of intrinsic motivation and the Relapse mode l. The method of analysis used here could apply to other health-relate d behaviors as well.