DISTINGUISHING STARTERS FROM NONSTARTERS IN AN EMPLOYEE PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Although the vast majority of Americans who are physically active are likely to extol its many physical, psychological, and social values, r esearch indicates that approximately fifty percent of individuals who start a formal physical activity program will drop out in six months o r less. The present study employed stepwise discriminant analytical te chniques in an attempt to distinguish starters From nonstarters in an innovative employee physical activity incentive program. The results i ndicated that a combination of health beliefs and lifestyle characteri stics, health locus of control expectancies, and physiological charact eristics accurately discriminated 81.7% of the starters and nonstarter s. It was concluded that physical activity programs need to be designe d, implemented, and marketed in such a manner as to attract individual s who are sedentary, smoke, are unable to cope with home-mediated stre ss, have an external health locus of control expectancy, and/or have a high cardiovascular disease-risk factor profile.