Aplicando la Teoría de la Conducta Planeada: ¿qué factores influyen en la realización de ejercicio físico?

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was analyzed the influence of attitude, subjective norm, and Perceived behavioral control (PBC) on intention of doing physical exercise in a group of people. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and observational study. LOCATION: Questionnaire was applied to general population in the province of Alicante PARTICIPANTS: 679 people who practiced physical exercise in the province of Alicante. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: It was applied a questionnaire measuring the components of the Theory of Plan Behavior model (TPB). RESULTS: Results showed that variables of the model (TPB) had good fit to the data. Moreover, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control had a significant impact on intention and the three variables explained 61% of its variance. CONCLUSIONS: Findings supported the important role of TPB in the context of physical exercise. Perceived behavioral control was the strongest predictor of intention to practice physical exercise. A possible intervention might lead to implement programs focused in increasing control perception of people to engage in physical exercise.