Effectiveness of a Physical Activity Promotion Program on Perceived Self-efficacy, Physical Activity and Physical Fitness among Thai Adolescent Girls
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2010-03-30
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Thailand Nursing Council
Abstract
The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate the outcomes of a physical activity promotion program on perceived self-efficacy, physical activity and physical fitness among Thai adolescent girls. The study sample was recruited from grades seven and eight in two public schools in Chonburi province, Thailand. Simple random assignment was used to assign students from one school as the experimental group and students from the other school as the control group. Both groups received general information on physical activity. However, the experimental group also received the physical activity promotion program based on Pender’s Health Promotion Model and Bandura’s Self-efficacy Theory. Data were collected at baseline, on the eighth week when the intervention ended, and on the 12th week. The results revealed that, by the eighth week, the experimental group’s scores for perceived self-efficacy, physical activity and light activity were significantly higher than those of the control group. However, these effects could not be maintained by the 12th week. Furthermore, the physical fitness scores were not significantly different between the experimental and control groups at the eighth and 12th weeks. The findings suggest the program resulted in short-term enhanced perceived self-efficacy and physical activity, among Thai adolescent girls, at eight weeks post-intervention. Therefore, implementation of this program to promote perceived self-efficacy and physical activity, among adolescent girls in school, is encouraged since the students became interested and active in participating in the activities. However, this program should be further developed to sustain changes in perceived self-efficacy and physical activity, including increased physical fitness.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Thai Journal of Nursing Research; Vol.13 No.2 April-June 2009; 81-94