UNDERSTANDING EXERCISE IN THE CONTEXT OF CHRONIC DISEASE - AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION OF SELF-EFFICACY

Self-efficacy is an important factor influencing exercise behavior in samples of students and the general population; however, few studies h ave examined the relevance of self-efficacy in understanding exercise in the context of chronic disease, wherein exercise is integral to tre atment rather than a leisure pursuit. Further, the influence of diseas e factors, e.g., pain, on performance of therapeutic exercise is unkno wn. The present purpose was to examine the role played by self-efficac y in a sample of 169 people with one type of arthritis, ankylosing spo ndylitis. This painful, disabling and progressive condition has an ear ly age of onset and thus necessitates adherence to therapeutic exercis e over long periods of time. Analysis showed that concurrent severity of disease had a greater influence on exercise self-efficacy than past attainment. There was no evidence that self-efficacy mediated outcome s. Similar to findings for healthy people, respondents uniformly value d exercise but did not translate these beliefs into action.