The Role of Social Context in Relation to Exercise Promotion and Adherence

The general purpose of this research was to examine the role of various social contexts (e.g., alone versus with others) in relation to physical activity promotion and adherence. Three studies were conducted to achieve this purpose. The purpose of Study 1 was to determine the physical activity contexts rated as most and least preferable by university students. Study 2 examined whether exercising in one or a combination of four contexts for physical activity was related to the degree to which university students met prescribed (i.e., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/American College of Sports Medicine [CDC/ACSM]) guidelines for aerobic activity. Finally, the purpose of Study 3 was to conduct a meta-analysis to empirically compare the relative merits of contexts typically employed in the physical activity intervention literature for a variety of outcomes. The results of all three studies are presented and discussed.

Dr. Shauna Burke is an Assistant Professor at The University of Western Ontario. Her research area is the psychology of health and physical activity, with a primary focus on group dynamics. Dr. Burke has published her research in a number of peer-reviewed journals and serves as a Digest Compiler for the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.