Abstract
Background
Type 2 diabetes is a major public health problem. Effective diabetes self-management involves people engaging in multiple health behaviours, including physical activity. Walking is an effective, accessible and inexpensive form of physical activity, yet many people with Type 2 diabetes do not meet recommended levels. The present study aimed to: 1) identify demographic, motivational and volitional factors predictive of walking in people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 2) test whether accounting for the perceived impact of other goal pursuits (goal facilitation and goal conflict) improved the prediction of walking.
Methods
A theory-based cross-sectional study using the Health Action Process Approach was conducted in adults with Type 2 diabetes across Scotland. Assuming a 50% response rate 1000 questionnaires were mailed to achieve the target sample size (N = 500). Demographic information was collected, and intentional (outcome expectations, social support, risk perceptions), motivational (intention, self-efficacy), volitional (action planning, action control) and multiple goal (goal conflict, goal facilitation) factors were assessed as predictors of physical activity in general and walking specifically.
Results
The final sample comprised 411 respondents. The majority (60%) were non-adherent to physical activity recommendations. Of 411 respondents, 356 provided walking data. Body Mass Index and age were the only demographic and anthropometric factors predictive of walking (overall R 2 = 0.04). When motivational factors were added, intention and self-efficacy added to the prediction (overall R 2 = 0.07). When volitional factors were added, only action control was predictive of walking (overall R 2 = 0.08). Finally, goal facilitation explained an additional 7% variance in walking when added to the model (final overall R 2 = 0.15).
Conclusion
There was low adherence with physical activity recommendations in general and walking in particular. When testing predictors of motivational, volitional and competing goal constructs together, action control and goal facilitation emerged as predictors of walking. Future research should consider how walking can be embedded synergistically alongside other goal pursuits and how action control may help to ensure that they are pursued.
Type 2 diabetes is a major public health problem. Effective diabetes self-management involves people engaging in multiple health behaviours, including physical activity. Walking is an effective, accessible and inexpensive form of physical activity, yet many people with Type 2 diabetes do not meet recommended levels. The present study aimed to: 1) identify demographic, motivational and volitional factors predictive of walking in people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and 2) test whether accounting for the perceived impact of other goal pursuits (goal facilitation and goal conflict) improved the prediction of walking.
Methods
A theory-based cross-sectional study using the Health Action Process Approach was conducted in adults with Type 2 diabetes across Scotland. Assuming a 50% response rate 1000 questionnaires were mailed to achieve the target sample size (N = 500). Demographic information was collected, and intentional (outcome expectations, social support, risk perceptions), motivational (intention, self-efficacy), volitional (action planning, action control) and multiple goal (goal conflict, goal facilitation) factors were assessed as predictors of physical activity in general and walking specifically.
Results
The final sample comprised 411 respondents. The majority (60%) were non-adherent to physical activity recommendations. Of 411 respondents, 356 provided walking data. Body Mass Index and age were the only demographic and anthropometric factors predictive of walking (overall R 2 = 0.04). When motivational factors were added, intention and self-efficacy added to the prediction (overall R 2 = 0.07). When volitional factors were added, only action control was predictive of walking (overall R 2 = 0.08). Finally, goal facilitation explained an additional 7% variance in walking when added to the model (final overall R 2 = 0.15).
Conclusion
There was low adherence with physical activity recommendations in general and walking in particular. When testing predictors of motivational, volitional and competing goal constructs together, action control and goal facilitation emerged as predictors of walking. Future research should consider how walking can be embedded synergistically alongside other goal pursuits and how action control may help to ensure that they are pursued.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 83-93 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Psychology of Sport and Exercise |
| Volume | 26 |
| Early online date | 18 Jun 2016 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2016 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgmentMN’s PhD scholarship was provided by Ministry of Health and Medical Education (Islamic Republic of Iran). This study was funded by the University of Aberdeen reference number: GP007RGC1618. FFS is funded by Fuse, the UK Clinical Research Collaboration Centre of Excellence for Translational Research in Public Health (grant number: MR/K02325X/1). The researchers gratefully acknowledge all the Type 2 diabetic patients and their household members who participated in the study for their contribution to this study; without them there would be no data. The researchers gratefully acknowledge the SDRN for providing the list of Type 2 diabetes and helping for sampling.
Keywords
- physical activity
- type 2 diabetes mellitus
- walking
- motivation
- volition
- goal facilitation
- goal conflict
- action control
- health action process approach
Access to Document
- Motivational, volitional and multiple goal predictors of walking in people with type 2 diabetes
© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)