Incorporating Personality Assessment Into Counseling to Help College Students Adopt and Maintain Exercise Behaviors

The authors Investigated the influence of several personality traits on exercise adherence and exercise self-efficacy for 168 undergraduate students, At all levels of exercise adherence, students with different personality traits had different amounts of exercise self-efficacy. Implications for college counselors working with students to improve exercise adherence are considered. ********** Participation in regular exercise has been linked to many positive Outcomes, including reduction of cholesterol levels, control of obesity, and better management of hypertension and diabetes (Welsh, Robinson, & Lindman, 1998). In addition, involvement in regular exercise may help prevent the development of an eating disorder by increasing healthy body image and body awareness (Nebel, 1995). Participation in exercise has also been linked to improvement in overall mental well-being (Sale, Guppy, & El-Sayed, 2000) and to enhanced self-esteem (Tiggemann & Williamson, 2000). Physical exercise has been found to contribute significantly to the treatment of individuals with many different types of mental disorders, including depression (Pinchasov, Shurgaja, Grischin, & Putilov, 2000), anxiety, and alcohol dependence (Tkachuk & Martin, 1999). The multiple beneficial effects that have made regular exercise a priority in the U.S. government's listing of Healthy People 2010 Goals (U.S. Department of Health and Human Serv ices, 2000) have also led many mental health practitioners to incorporate physical activity in their treatment recommendations. Despite the documented benefits of regular exercise, only 24% of adults over age 18 participate in at least moderate physical activity, and 25% of adults over age 18 are sedentary (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Late adolescence has been identified as a critical time in the adoption and maintenance of exercise behaviors that influence an individual's life-long level of physical activity (Sullum, Clark, & King, 2000). Unfortunately, participation in regular exercise drops dramatically during this time period. Although 70% of 12-year-olds participate in vigorous physical activity, for 21 -year-olds that percentage decreases to only 42% of men and 30% of women (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Leslie, Owen, and Sallis (1999) argued that older adolescents are particularly vulnerable because of the changes they are experiencing in their families and peer groups. College students also lack the structure of a high school routine. Assistance with developing and maintaining a regular and appropriate exercise schedule may be an important counseling intervention, because college-age students are at risk for settling into a sedentary lifestyle with its accompanying adverse health effects. Thus, exercise can be a preventative intervention for students who are at risk. This wellness approach has been advocated in the counseling literature, most notably through a special issue of the Journal of Counseling & Development (J. E. Myers, Emmerling, & Leafgren, 1992) and through several subsequent articles (e.g., Granello, 2000; Hermon & Hazler, 1999). Exercise also can be part of a holistic treatment approach for clients with a wide array of mental health problems. Given the research that links exercise to improved functioning for clients with many types of mental health disorders, college counselors may wish to incorporate physical activity into many client treatment plans. Hays (1999) argued that all mental health practitioners should consider the use of physical activity and exercise as a therapeutic tool, and Tkachuk and Martin (1999) noted that "there is now considerable evidence that regular exercise is a viable, cost-effective, but underused treatment for mild-to-moderate depression ... and an adjunct in [other mental health] treatment programs" (p. …