Purpose: To investigate the stage of change in exercise behaviors for the participants exercising in fitness center during a six-month period. The impacts of the self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and the social support on the stage of change for exercise behaviors were explored. Method: The longitudinal approach was used to sample the data from 72 volunteers, which average age was 40.0±7.1 years old. After three assessments of the first, third, and the sixth months, and then classified the stage of change in exercise behaviors for six months. Two-stage clustering approach and the discriminate analysis were used to analyze the cluster members of the stage of change and the statistical adequacy. Finally, the one-way MANOVA was employed to test the differences among the self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and social support based on the stage of change in exercise behaviors. Results: There were nineteen conditions and eight types of changes were generated during a six-month period. Three cluster members were captured by the two-stage clustering approach and were correctly classified to each cluster by self-efficacy, outcome expectation, and social support at 91.67% level. In self-efficacy, the post hoc comparison indicated the cluster 3 was higher than cluster 1 and cluster 2 in the first, the third and the sixth months. In outcome expectancy and social support, the cluster 2 was higher than cluster 1 and cluster 3 in the third and the sixth month. Conclusions: The stage for exercise can be a complex and changeable process during a six-month study. This process should be increased by the self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, social support, and the change of the behavioral control, intention, and adherence of the exercise participants.
Purpose: To investigate the stage of change in exercise behaviors for the participants exercising in fitness center during a six-month period. The impacts of the self-efficacy, outcome expectancy and the social support on the stage of change for exercise behaviors were explored. Method: The longitudinal approach was used to sample the data from 72 volunteers, which average age was 40.0±7.1 years old. After three assessments of the first, third, and the sixth months, and then classified the stage of change in exercise behaviors for six months. Two-stage clustering approach and the discriminate analysis were used to analyze the cluster members of the stage of change and the statistical adequacy. Finally, the one-way MANOVA was employed to test the differences among the self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and social support based on the stage of change in exercise behaviors. Results: There were nineteen conditions and eight types of changes were generated during a six-month period. Three cluster members were captured by the two-stage clustering approach and were correctly classified to each cluster by self-efficacy, outcome expectation, and social support at 91.67% level. In self-efficacy, the post hoc comparison indicated the cluster 3 was higher than cluster 1 and cluster 2 in the first, the third and the sixth months. In outcome expectancy and social support, the cluster 2 was higher than cluster 1 and cluster 3 in the third and the sixth month. Conclusions: The stage for exercise can be a complex and changeable process during a six-month study. This process should be increased by the self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, social support, and the change of the behavioral control, intention, and adherence of the exercise participants.