ACTIVE LIVING IN COMMUNITIES - UNDERSTANDING THE INTENTION TO TAKE UPPHYSICAL-ACTIVITY AS AN EVERYDAY WAY OF LIFE

The purpose of this study was to identify psychosocial factors influen cing the intention to incorporate physical activity into daily routine . The subjects were 353 residents from New Brunswick aged 15 to 80 yea rs. The intention to be active was explained by current physical activ ity habit (beta = 0.563, p<0.0001), age (beta = -0.197, p<0.0001), att itude toward the behaviour (beta = 0.164, p<0.0001), and the obligatio n felt to perform the behaviour (beta = 0.155, p<0.0001). These variab les explained 52% of the variability in intention. MANOVAs revealed si gnificant differences between high and low intenders concerning the pe rceived consequences of carrying out the behaviour (p<0.0001) and the evaluation of these consequences (p<0.01). It is suggested that a soci al marketing program should promote the concept that ''walking every d ay for 15 consecutive minutes is fun and healthy; it will make me feel better, more energetic, and more relaxed, not to mention that it shou ld contribute to the improvement of my physical condition while I enjo y the outdoors''.