Background: The extant literature is building on subdividing physical activity (PA) correlates and interventions by health condition
(e.g., diabetes, cancer, etc.).
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the mean values and correlations of a population sample divided by mutually exclusive
health condition status (“nondiseased,” cardiovascular disease and risk factors, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis) on theory
of planned behavior beliefs and physical activity after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. The relationship between compounding
health conditions/comorbidities and these beliefs with PA was also evaluated.
Methods: Participants were a U.S. sample of 6,739 adults (M age=49.65, SD=16.04) who completed relevant social and medical demographics,
measures of behavioral, normative, and control beliefs, and self-reported PA.
Results: Mean analyses identified greater health barriers to PA for the arthritis population compared to the other groups (η
2>.025), whereas physician norms and health barriers were higher for compounding health condition populations compared to the
nondiseased group (η
2>.025). Belief-behavior correlations, however, were not different across health conditions (q<.19), and nondiseased and single
disease populations had larger control belief-behavior correlations than those populations with compounding health conditions
(q>.19).
Conclusions: These data generally provide preliminary evidence for an integrated approach to PA promotion content in primary prevention
and health rehabilitation with some possible tailoring in the areas of health barriers. This area of research will benefit
from future studies that build off of these results.
Ryan E. Rhodes is supported by a scholar award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, a new investigator award
from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and with funds from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada. Chris M. Blanchard is supported by a Canada Research Chair in the Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University.