Exploring Effectiveness of Leisure Activity Gateway for Enhancement of Interest in Physical Activity and Exercise

Abstract

BACKGROUND：Although enhancement of interest in physical activity and exercise （PAE） is one of the important issues for health promotion, effective strategies have not been established. The application of the concept of the gateway would be useful for developing these strategies. PURPOSE：The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between interest in health behavior and leisure activity interest in physical activity and exercise. METHODS：The respondents were 1,103 Japanese adults（39.8±10.1years）recruited from the registrants of a Japanese social research company. The study was a cross-sectional study, using an internet-based questionnaire. Data were collected in December 2008. We analyzed the data from those in Precontemplation and Contemplation groups regarding stages of change for exercise behavior（N=583, 52.9%）. Among the research items, the dependent variable was contemplation. Independent variables included interests in 14 sports activities, 11 health behaviors, and 28 leisure activities. All data were stratified by gender （male or female） and age groups（20-39 years or 40-59 years）. Path analysis was utilized for examining the predictors of contemplation. RESULTS：Path analysis revealed that interest in driving a car or bike in males aged 40-59 years, interest in music and restriction of food intake in females aged 20-39 years, and interest in watching sports in females aged 40-59 years were directly predicted by contemplation stage for exercise behavior, as well as interest regarding PAE. CONCLUSIONS：These results indicate that in addition to health behavior, leisure activity could play a role as the gateway for interest in physical activity and exercise.