Correlates of Physical Activity in Low Income College Students

The importance of physical activity as a health promoting behavior has been well documented. We examined the relationship of social support, self-efficacy, and commitment to a plan of physical activity on physical activity behaviors in a sample of low income college students. Those with higher levels of social support, self-efficacy, and commitment to a plan of physical activity reported more physical activity behaviors. Commitment to a plan of physical activity mediated the relationships of social support and physical activity behavior, and of self-efficacy and physical activity behavior. The results support the importance of exploring the psychosocial correlates of physical activity in explaining the decision process that underlies physical activity behavior. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 32:634-646, 2009