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Consuming a diet lower in total fat is important for the prevention of many chronic diseases. Individual and population-based programs targeting this behavior must be theoretically grounded and consider the context within which dietary behavior change may be attempted. To identify the factors differentiating stage of readiness to follow a low-fat diet, a sample (N=1216) of adults was surveyed using 4 different staging algorithms to assess stages of change and associated social-cognitive variables (pros, cons, and temptation). Approximately 75% of the sample occupied the Action/Maintenance stages for all staging algorithms. In general, pros increased and cons decreased with higher stage occupation. Temptation decreased from the early pre-action to the action stages for the different staging algorithms. When developing programs to decrease dietary-fat intake, social-cognitive variables associated with stage transition for behaviors related to consuming a low-fat diet may have relevance to researchers and clinicians.

Background: Stages of change are related to dietary fat consumption. Few studies have examined stage occupation within the context of purchasing low-fat foods., Objective: To determine the stage-prevalence of individuals for purchasing low-fat foods; identify the frequency of misclassification into action and maintenance (A/M) stages for purchasing for low-fat foods; and explain the demographic and cognitive-variable differences between pseudo (or false positive) A/M and true A/M individuals., Design: Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire among English-speaking adults (n=1,001) who were randomly sampled by mail., Statistical Analyses Performed: Descriptive statistics were used to compare the characteristics of the stage groups. Groups were compared using chi(2) tests and Student t test., Results: Of those who reported being in A/M stages, 32% were misclassified by the staging algorithm and were not true A/M low-fat food purchasers., Conclusions: Individuals who are in A/M stages for buying low-fat foods still purchase high-fat foods. Stage misclassification may be a persistent problem in studies of dietary change using the Transtheoretical Model.

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of protection motivation theory (PMT) in the prediction of exercise intentions and behaviour in the year following hospitalisation for coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with documented CAD (n = 787), recruited at hospital discharge, completed questionnaires measuring PMT's threat (i.e. perceived severity and vulnerability) and coping (i.e. self-efficacy, response efficacy) appraisal constructs at baseline, 2 and 6 months, and exercise behaviour at baseline, 6 and 12 months post-hospitalisation. Structural equation modelling showed that the PMT model of exercise at 6 months had a good fit with the empirical data. Self-efficacy, response efficacy, and perceived severity predicted exercise intentions, which, in turn predicted exercise behaviour. Overall, the PMT variables accounted for a moderate amount of variance in exercise intentions (23%) and behaviour (20%). In contrast, the PMT model was not reliable for predicting exercise behaviour at 12 months post-hospitalisation. The data provided support for PMT applied to short-term, but not long-term, exercise behaviour among patients with CAD. Health education should concentrate on providing positive coping messages to enhance patients' confidence regarding exercise and their belief that exercise provides health benefits, as well as realistic information about disease severity.

Intention is theorized as the proximal determinant of behavior in some theories of motivation, but the need to understand predictors of action control (i.e., translating an intention into behavior) is warranted to tailor physical activity intervention efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine constructs of the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) as predictors of physical activity intention-behavior profiles across 6 months in a large Canadian sample (N = 1,192). Results showed that 5 of the 8 possible intention-behavior profiles had a substantial number of participants: nonintenders, unsuccessful adopters, successful adopters, unsuccessful maintainers, and successful maintainers. Constructs of the TTM distinguished (p < .01) intention-behavior profiles. Self-efficacy and the behavioral processes of change were particularly good predictors of action control (p < .01), but disaggregated beliefs and processes identified specific intervention targets for successful physical activity adoption and maintenance. The results validate that both action planning and action control are important when understanding physical activity behavior., (2006 APA, all rights reserved)

Objectives: To investigate the utility of the protection motivation theory (PMT), social-cognitive theory (SCT) and transtheoretical model's (TTM) processes of change (POC) by (1) discriminating between TTM's stages with planned comparisons and (2) examining higher-ordered trends across stages., Methods: 1582 individuals were included in the analyses that tested severity, vulnerability, response-efficacy, self-efficacy, POC, pros and cons, social and environmental support., Results: The findings provide evidence for the utility of the PMT and TTM's POC for stage discrimination; stage discontinuity patterns are supported., Conclusions: Promotion of health behavior should target stage-specific variables, such as threat appraisals for early stage movements.