Applying the Transtheoretical Model of Change to exercise in young Chinese people

Objectives. The objective of the present study was to test the application of the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) in relation to exercise behaviour of 298 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates. Design and methods. A cross-sectional design was used. Respondents completed measures of stages of change, self-efficacy, processes of change, decisional balance, exercise and demographic data. Results. Significant effects for stage of change were found for self-efficacy, pros, exercise and nine of the 10 processes of change. In general, scores on these variables were found to increase across the stages although post hoc tests revealed slightly different patterns of significant differences. Cons were not found to differ significantly across stages of change. The relationship between self-efficacy and processes of change was dependent on stage of change. Conclusions. The results support some of the assumptions of the TTM but raise questions about the predicted relationships between stages of change and processes of change and between self-efficacy and processes of change at each stage of change. The practical implications of the findings for the development of interventions to improve young people's exercise levels are discussed.