Gender differences in exercise determinants.

To determine whether gender differences existed in the relationships among potential predictors of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), a heuristic model of nine explanatory variables was tested with the responses of 146 men and 158 women randomly selected from middle- and upper-income census tracts of a midwestern city. The models for men and women did not differ significantly. The findings suggest interventions to increase LTPA participation that enhance health self-determinism and social influences on exercise and influence the negative attitudes toward exercise held by those who have poorer perceived health status, smoke, or are overweight.