Application of Transtheoretical Model on Behavioral Changes, and Amount of Physical Activity Among University’s Students

Abstract

This study’s purpose was to examine the structural relationship of the transtheoretical model (TTM) and the amount of physical activity (PA) among undergraduate students in health and medicine at Universiti Sains Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among students who took part in the co-curricular program. Co-curricular program includes activities that take place outside of the regular lectures or tutorials in the University. Students recruited through purposive sampling were informed that their participation was entirely voluntarily. Those interested completed the self-administered questionnaire, which consisted of the decisional balance, processes of change, self-efficacy, stages of change scales, and Godin leisure-time exercise questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Mplus version 8 for descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling analysis for inferential statistics. A total of 562 students participated in the study. The majority of the students was female (79.0%) and Malay (73.3%) and average of exercise sessions per week was 2.62, with a mean of 43.37 min per exercise session. The final structural model fit the data well based on several fit indices (SRMR = 0.046, RMSEA (CI: 90%) = 0.061 (0.045, 0.078), RMSEA p = 0.130). The model showed that stages of change significantly affected self-efficacy (p < 0.001), pros (benefits of exercise; p < 0.001), cons (barriers to exercise; p = 0.022), and processes of change (p < 0.001). The model also showed significant inter-relationships among the TTM constructs and supported seven hypotheses. Among all the variables examined, only processes of change significantly affected PA (p < 0.001). However, stages of change (p < 0.001) and pros (p =< 0.001) had significant indirect effects on PA via processes of change. The findings support that individuals’ stages of change affect their self-efficacy level, or the ability to make positive and negative decisions and perform behavior accordingly. The study confirms that making correct decisions and taking action accordingly can increase PA levels.

Psychometric properties of the health-promoting lifestyle profile II: cross-cultural validation of the Malay language version

“…This reflects the gender enrolment ratio of Malaysia's public universities for the past two decades, in which females comprise almost two-thirds of the student population [47,48]. Other previous studies in our university also observed a high proportion of female respondents, ranging from 63 to 81% [49][50][51][52]. To obtain an equal ratio of male and female respondents, future studies should utilize stratified sampling method rather than convenience sampling method.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Self-Efficacy Scale among Undergraduate Students in Malaysia

“…They were expected to better endure initiating and maintaining PA than the individuals with lower SEs. One study conducted among university students in Malaysia indicated that SE was associated with an individual’s behavioural changes related to exercise (20). Although there are many validated instruments available to measure SE, no properly validated instruments are available for measuring SE among different Malaysian populations.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Decisional Balance Scale: A Confirmatory Study on Malaysian University Students

“…To encourage individuals to engage in PA, the transtheoretical model (TTM) was introduced and used widely to reveal how an individual's behavioural change can be viewed as a process involving progression through a series of stages (pre-contemplation stage, contemplation stage, preparation stage, action stage and maintenance stage) [6]. The TTM consists of stages of readiness for change, processes of change, advantages and disadvantages of changing and self-efficacy that could help individuals switch to new behaviour through a series of changes [7]. Upon adopting a new behaviour, it is most important that a person has the right attitude and positive thoughts regarding the benefits of exercise.…”