15 2.6 Engaging in Healthy Behavior Change
Considering the numerous barriers to physical activity reviewed above, healthy behavior change and adoption of a habitual physical activity regimen into an individual’s lifestyle may seem like a daunting task. College students may feel particularly challenged in implementing a regular physical activity plan into their schedule, given the need to balance school, work, and social lives. Thus, an individual must weigh his or her current “readiness” to make a behavior change in order to effectively plan and implement desired behavioral changes into their daily routine.
The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change
The Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Health Behavior Change (TTM) proposes the concept of healthy behavioral change as a series of stages an individual must progress through to achieve success in altering his or her behavioral patterns (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). Numerous studies support using this model for healthy eating and physical activity behavior change endeavors (Marshall & Biddle, 2001). The TTM stages are as follows:
- Precontemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
The five stages of change correlate to the statements of: “I won’t/I can’t”, “I may”, “I will”, “I am”, and finally, “I still am.” Consider the following example of a college student beginning a new exercise regimen in order to visualize the stages of the TTM.
Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Health Behavior Change (TTM)
- Precontemplation: The student believes that s/he is not capable of jogging a mile continuously; therefore s/he does not engage in any physical activity.
- Contemplation: The student begins to contemplate the target behavior (completing a 1-mile jog), and s/he is now open to the possibility of future success. However, the student has not yet definitively set a date to begin training.
- Preparation: The student has now firmly committed to start training for the target behavior, and has joined a local jogging group in order to stay accountable. At this stage, the student may be participating in short jogging bouts, but has not yet attempted to run continuously for 1 mile.
- Action: The student is now participating in regular training, and has completed several 1-mile jogs. The student feels as if s/he has achieved their behavioral goal.
- Maintenance: The student has continued to train by engaging in multiple distance runs. Perhaps the student has progressed to a fitness level where s/he may target an advanced goal (for example: completing a 5K race), and therefore s/he may cycle through the TTM stages again with this new goal in mind.
Creating Healthy Physical Activity Habits: Increasing Self-Efficacy and Goal-Setting
Strategies which may assist an individual in overcoming physical activity barriers– thus, facilitating successful progression through the TTM stages of change – include increasing self-efficacy for physical activity, and engaging in effective goal-setting.
Self-efficacy