The Theory of Planned Behavior and Ethnically Diverse Community College Students and Their Intentions to Exercise: A Preliminary Analysis

Although regular exercise is the key to a healthy lifestyle, college students are insufficiently active to maintain good health. Motivations to exercise may vary among different ethnic groups. The results of a pilot study using the Theory of Planned Behavior (Gordon, 2008) showed that ethnically diverse college students can rate their beliefs (behavioral, social, and cognitive) pertaining to physical activity. There is a nationwide obesity epidemic in America. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007), twothirds of U. S. adults are either overweight or obese. Data obtained from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey showed that 62% of U.S. adults aged 18 years and older are not engaging in the recommended amount of leisure time physical activity as reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, 2007). Negative effects of lack of exercise and fitness have been documented for college students (e.g., high cholesterol, a major determinant for future cardiovascular disease). For example, Spencer (2002) found that 29% of college students had undesirably high total cholesterol levels, 10% had unfavorably low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 10% had high systolic blood pressure, and 11% had high diastolic blood pressure. College students are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality due to the detrimental effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Researchers (e.g., Buckworth & Nigg, 2004) show that the majority of college students are inactive and that lifetime habits are established in the college years. Wellness courses can be designed to address identified attitudes, motivations, and actions toward a physically active lifestyle among a culturally diverse student population, which will lead to a higher quality of life. Although many researchers have studied factors that motivate college students to participate in physical activities, research related to the possible influence of ethnic diversity of college students and their motivation to engage in fitness activities is limited. The two-fold purpose of the study is to identify beliefs that contribute to and promote physical activity for college students, such as how culture and ethnicity affect attitude towards physical activity participation, and to determine if intention to exercise varies among different ethnic groups of college students. In this paper, only the results of a preliminary analysis will be reported. The purpose is to describe (a) questionnaire development through a written beliefs elicitation survey and (b) cognitive response analysis through a group interview to confirm that the college students from ethnically diverse backgrounds understand the terminology and questions. Theoretical Framework The central hypothesis that will be used to investigate these factors is the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) developed by Ajzen (1991). Ajzen’s theory suggests that the TPB can predict intention to exercise and possibly identify differences in behavioral, normative, and control beliefs. These differences can be useful to educators when designing successful wellness programs and exercise interventions. According to the theory, an individual’s intention to