Kimeran Withrow

Document Type

Honors Project

First Advisor

Dr. Barbara Long

Degree Award Date

Spring 2001

Keywords

Exercise Adherence, Methods, Assessment

Disciplines

Social Psychology and Interaction | Sociology | Sports Studies

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment is to test the validity of various factors in predicting exercise adherence. This study included 97 college-age students from Mr. Mickey Hamilton's GEC Wellness courses. Each student underwent an exercise stress test to indicate his or her level of physical fitness. This consisted of a 3-minute YMCA step test, a one repetition max bench press and a one-repetition max leg press. The results of the stress test were then used to create an exercise program catered to the student's level of fitness.

The students were randomly divided into three different groups for study. Group one served as the control group. They received only the prescribed exercise program and preliminary instructions on how to perform each exercise. The second group studied the importance of setting exercise goals. They were asked to develop three goals of their exercise program and write these goals in the form of a written contract. The third group studied the importance of social support in compliance to an exercise program. They were assigned a partner with whom they must always exercise.

The exercise stress test was repeated halfway through and at the conclusion of the project. The final results were then compared to the preliminary tests to see if an improvement in the level of physical fitness had been gained. Statistical analysis was used to determine which group was more adherent to exercise. It was then determined whether social support and goal-setting were successful in promoting exercise adherence.

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