REGULAR EXERCISE IN 30-YEAR-OLD TO 60-YEAR-OLD MEN - COMBINING THE STAGES-OF-CHANGE MODEL AND THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR TO IDENTIFY DETERMINANTS FOR TARGETING HEART HEALTH INTERVENTIONS

The theory of planned behavior and the stages-of-change model were use d to gain a clearer understanding of the factors associated with regul ar exercise in order to plan more effective programs in heart disease prevention. The study was conducted using a self-administered postal q uestionnaire sent to a sample of 2,269 men 30 to 60 years of age. Near ly a quarter (23.3%) of respondents were physically inactive, of whom 10.5% were in the precontemplation and 12.8% in the contemplation stag es; 42.1% exercised less than twice a week, of whom 22.4% were in the preparation I and 19.7% in the preparation II stages. Only 34.6% were in the action stage, exercising regularly for at least 20 minutes twic e a week or more with the intention of continuing to do so. Logistic r egression indicated that the variables derived from the theory of plan ned behavior, namely attitude, subjective norm and perceived behaviora l control, were differently associated with the stages of behavior. Pe rceived behavioral control was strongly significant in all stages. Att itude was related with stages in which individuals have intention of e xercising (contemplation and preparation II). In contrast, subjective norm seemed to be associated with stages in which individuals have no intention of doing so (precontemplation and preparation I). By identif ying the specific needs of subgroups, the results can help define prog rams most likely to accelerate men to the stage of regular exercise, p art of an effective strategy for heart health promotion in this high-r isk population.