THE STAGES OF EXERCISE SCALE AND STAGES OF EXERCISE BEHAVIOR IN FEMALE-ADULTS

Using the Transtheoretical Model of behavior change as a theoretical f ramework, a Stage of Exercise Scale (SOES) was developed. The ability of the SOES to differentiate between subjects classified into each of the theoretically posited stages was then studied in a sample of 178 f emale adults. Results showed that the scale was able to significantly and meaningfully differentiate between subjects classified by stage in terms of exercise energy expenditure (p<0.0001, omega(2)=0.18), physi cal activity energy expenditure (p<0.0001, omega(2)=0.15), and VO2peak ml/kg/min (p<0.0001, omega(2)=0.19). Stage-specific interventions hav e been successful when applied to other health behaviors and would app ear to have promise for increasing our understanding of the exercise i nitiation and maintenance process. As such, researchers and practition ers may wish to use the SOES to begin testing the efficacy of stage-sp ecific physical activity interventions.