THEORIES AND TECHNIQUES FOR PROMOTING PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS

The primary goal of this article is to review theoretical models utili sed in designing physical activity interventions for healthy adults. P hysical activity offers numerous benefits for improved physical and ps ychological health. However, the majority of the population is sedenta ry and therefore at increased risk for morbidity and mortality. Many t echniques have been developed for intervening with physical activity b ehaviours, some of which are based on theoretical models. While some o f these models show more promise than others, no model is sufficient t o thoroughly explain exercise behaviours or how to best intervene. In the final section, recommendations for future research are presented, and promising areas of development in physical activity interventions are discussed. This is not an exhaustive review of theoretical models but rather focuses on models most commonly applied to physical activit y.