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Objectives: To investigate the effects of exercise advertising on self-efficacy and decisional balance for changing exercise behavior. Methods: One hundred seventy-four university students (females = 108; males = 66) watched a video that contained health, appearance, or control advertising and completed stage of change, exercise self-efficacy, and decisional balance questionnaires. Results: There was a significant condition by gender interaction indicating that men in the appearance condition had lower self-efficacy than did females. Health promotion advertising did not have any effect. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the message in appearance-based advertising that men should be muscular may be detrimental.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of exercise advertising on self-efficacy and decisional balance for changing exercise behavior. Methods: One hundred Seventy-four university students (females = 108; males = 66) watched a video that contained health, appearance, or control advertising and completed stage of change, exercise self-efficacy, and decisional balance questionnaires. Results: There was a significant condition by gender interaction indicating that men in the appearance condition had lower self-efficacy than did females. Health promotion advertising did not have any effect. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the message in appearance-based advertising that men should be muscular may be detrimental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public sector uses health as the primary motivator in physical activity campaigns whereas the private sector often uses appearance as a motivator, but whether these motivators can be successful in changing physical activity behavior remains to be determined. The purpose of this research was to test the effects of televised health promotion and appearance-based exercise advertising on exercise attitudes, social physique anxiety, and self-presentation, Participants completed pretest questionnaires one week prior to viewing a video that contained health or appearance exercise advertising. They then completed posttest questionnaires. Results showed mat health-based advertising had significant positive effects on social physique anxiety and self-presentation for exercisers in the health condition, while appearance-based advertising had negative effects on no exercisers' attitudes towards exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]