Evaluation of a university course aimed at promoting exercise behavior.

BACKGROUND

This study assessed a 10-week, university-required lifetime fitness for health (LFH) course on students' leisure-time exercise behavior and advancement through the stages of change for exercise.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

a quasi-experimental design was employed.

SETTING

public university located in the United States.

PARTICIPANTS

a total of 540 students who were enrolled in an LFH course or selected psychology courses volunteered to participate in this study.

INTERVENTION

a 30-hour LFH course administered over 10 weeks. The course was delivered both in a lecture and lab format. The control condition consisted of psychology courses.

MEASURES

weekly leisure-time exercise behavior and stage of change for exercise behavior were assessed using valid and reliable self-report questionnaires at pre- and post-intervention.

RESULTS

Regardless of course, students' showed minimal changes in their exercise levels from pre- to post-intervention. Moreover, students in the LFH course did not improve their stage of change for exercise behavior as much students in the psychology courses. Regardless of course, participants' stage of change for exercise was an important moderator variable associated with exercise behavior change.

CONCLUSIONS

As was taught, the LFH course did little to change the participants' exercise levels outside of class, and did little to positively influence the participants' stage of change for exercise behavior.