Social cognitive determinants of physical activity in young adults: A prospective structural equation analysis

TLDR

The study prospectively tested a social‑cognitive model linking baseline social support, self‑efficacy, outcome expectations, and self‑regulation to physical activity among 277 university students. Baseline measures of social support, self‑efficacy, outcome expectations, and self‑regulation were used to predict physical activity eight weeks later. Structural equation modeling showed the model fit well, explaining 55% of activity variance, with self‑efficacy exerting the strongest effect mediated by self‑regulation, social support influencing activity indirectly through self‑efficacy, and outcome expectations having a small, non‑significant impact.

Abstract

This study used a prospective design to test a model of the relation between social cognitive variables and physical activity in a sample of 277 university students. Social support, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and self-regulation were measured at baseline and used to predict physical activity 8 weeks later. Results of structural equation modeling indicated a good fit of the social cognitive model to the data. Within the model, self-efficacy had the greatest total effect on physical activity, mediated largely by self-regulation, which directly predicted physical activity. Social support indirectly predicted physical activity through its effect on self-efficacy. Outcome expectations had a small total effect on physical activity, which did not reach significance. The social cognitive model explained 55% of the variance observed in physical activity.