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Psychology
Psychology
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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1Psychology
ABSTRACT:
Physical activity or exercise depends on the amount of work done by the body, or the
energy spent during it. Physical activity can include a range of activities of different
intensities and a lack of physical activity or inadequate activity is related to a sedentary
lifestyle and an increased risk for several diseases. In Australia, the number of individuals
living a sedentary lifestyle is in an increasing trend. Therefore it is important to understand
the factors that help in the improvement in physical activities, to identify strategies that can
be used for effective interventions to improve physical exercise among target populations.
Factors such as personal exercise trainers, social/community support as well as technology
have been found to improve physical activity and exercise among people. Such aspects can
be utilised to devise an ideal intervention aimed to increase physical activity of adults.
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2Psychology
Contents
ABSTRACT:..............................................................................................................................1
Variables contributing to exercise/physical activity in adults:..................................................3
Effect of Certified Personal Trainer on physical exercise.........................................................3
Certified Personal Trainer Services:......................................................................................3
Description of the study:........................................................................................................4
Design:...............................................................................................................................4
Participants:........................................................................................................................4
Findings:.............................................................................................................................4
Additional Studies:.................................................................................................................5
Effect of Social Support/Community Support on physical exercise:.........................................6
Social Support/ Community Support:....................................................................................6
Evaluation of the effect of Social Support on physical excursive.........................................6
Study 1:..............................................................................................................................6
Study 2:..............................................................................................................................7
Effect of Remoteness on physical exercise:...............................................................................7
Defining Information Technology:........................................................................................7
Evaluation of the effects of Information Technology on physical exercise...........................7
Study 1:..............................................................................................................................8
Study 2:..............................................................................................................................8
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................8
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3Psychology
References:...............................................................................................................................10
Variables contributing to exercise/physical activity in adults:
Physical activity and exercise can involve a range of activities (such as walking,
running, cycling, housework, swimming, sports or any other forms of physical activities) at
various levels of intensities (like light, moderate or vigorous), depending upon how hard the
body works during the activity, and thus the amount of energy spent during it
(healthyweight.health.gov.au, 2018). An inadequate amount of physical exercise or activity is
associated with a inactive lifestyle, it is also understood to increase the risk factors of
different diseases.
According to the Australian Heart Foundation, 65.3% of Australians over the age of
15 years has a sedentary lifestyle, as of 2014/15 (heartfoundation.org.au, 2018). This
increases the risks of several diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and
hypertension among the population. This highlights the necessity of identifying the various
factors that contributes to physical activity and exercise, which can be useful for planning
effective interventions and strategies for the improvement in physical exercise among adults.
Some of the most significant factors that contribute to physical exercise have been discussed
below, supported by evidences from studies.
Effect of Certified Personal Trainer on physical exercise
Certified Personal Trainer Services:
Fischer and Bryant (2008) analysed the effect of Certified Personal Trainer Services
(CPTS) as well as external mediators among female students in colleges. In the study the
CPTS was provided by two female college students who were certified as personal trainers,

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4Psychology
having experience of 2 years). The services provided fitness programs, which involved
training in exercise techniques, providing personal training in the form of personal sessions as
well as group sessions. The authors studied this variable to understand if the CPTS can
improve exercise behaviour among the students, and thus help to analyse its efficacy to be
incorporated to intervention strategies for improving physical exercise.
Description of the study:
Design:
The study involved 449 female students, who participated in surveys, while 62
students were divided in 2 groups for the study. The experimental group (n=31) got Certified
Personal Trainer Services during the fall semester (between the first and last weeks), while
the control group (n=31) did not receive CPTS. The authors used a possible, pretest-posttest
quasiexperimental design to study the effect of CPTS on the number of participants who were
exercising on or above the recommended levels at the starting of the semester, compared to
the fall semester’s end. The authors also assessed differences in cognition and behavioural
processes of changes, decision making, balance, coping, scheduling and task self efficacies
which are known to mediate behaviours related to physical activities and exercise.
Participants:
The participants consisted of female college students. The number of college students
who completed the questionnaires from the first to last week were 449, out of which 62
students were selected, divided in to experiment group (n=31) who were given CPTS and
control group (n=31) who did not get CPTS.
Findings:
The results of the study showed that in the control group, factors such as cognitive
and behavioural process of change, self efficacy, scheduling and decisional balance showed
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5Psychology
significant decrease, while in the experimental group; these factors did not show any
statistical difference.
Additional Studies:
Study by TerAvest (2016) analysed how motivational climate in an exercise setting
can improve the levels of exercise among the participants. The study involved workshops for
fitness professionals in the improvement of the motivational environment in the exercise
settings. The workshop involved presentation of theories from researches on motivation and
climate, and the participants were asked to complete a workshop questionnaire. The study
showed that educating of motivation can improve the exercise behaviour among the clients of
the participants. This points out that an environment that is supportive and motivational can
foster an improvement in physical activity among adults.
McClaran (2003) studied the effuicacy of personal training in the changing the
mindset on physical activity among 129 participants between the age of 20 and 65 years. The
participants were assigned for a 10 week program under a university senior personal trainer.
In the initial (self) assessment, the stage of motivational readiness for adopting of exercise
was measured, and profiled as Pre contemplation (no intention to make change),
contemplation (planning for change), preparation (getting ready for a change), action
(actively participating in the change process) and maintenance (continuing the change with
time). The study showed that at the end of the program, 60% of the participants moved up by
one stage, 13% moved up by 2 stages, 26% stayed at the same stage, and only 1% moved
down a stage. This showed that training can be positively correlated in the improvement in
the motivational readiness for adopting physical exercise.
Seguin et al. (2013) studied the impact of strength training on physical exercise
behaviour in midlife and older women in rural areas. The authors used a Strong Women
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6Psychology
Program (which is a 10 week training, done twice a week on strength training) for 341
women (12 to 62 years age). At the completion of the 10 week exercise routine, the authors
saw a significant improvement in physical activity behaviours. This shows that strength
training can improve exercise behaviour among these individuals.
Effect of Social Support/Community Support on physical exercise:
Social Support/ Community Support:
Social support of Community Support Groups can be understood as networks that can
provide supporting relationships for behavioural changes (for example setting up buddy
system, or other groups to provide support to individuals) (thecommunityguide.org, 2018).
Social support fosters the perception of care for an individual, and includes people within the
support network. The individuals providing social support can do so in the form of emotional,
tangible, informational, or intangible services, and therefore forms a part of the public aid
group.
Evaluation of the effect of Social Support on physical excursive
Study 1:
Craven et al. (2018) suggested that social support is an important factor that can help
to foster positive health behaviours like an increase in physical activity. The authors selected
203 men from Puerto Rican and Mexican ethnicities in USA. The authors based their study
on two models, namely the buffer hypothesis (which states social support provides protection
from the negative effects of stressful incidents) and the stress and coping theory (which states
that support can be given in the form of encouragement as well as through the perception of
the availability of support). Social support system can help to provide motivation to

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7Psychology
individuals, as well as help to foster a perception of the availability of help. This can be
useful to increase positive behaviour such as exercise behaviour among individuals.
Study 2:
Smith et al. (2017) studied the relation between social support systems and physical
activity among elderly adults. The authors posit from their study that physical activity can be
improved among older adults though social support (as a social determinant of health). The
authors perform a qualitative study of literature, to analyse the relation between social
support, physical activity and loneliness among older adults. The results from their analysis
showed that an increased social support for physical activity increased the probability of
physical activity at leisure times, especially when the social support comes from family
members. This study shows that by increasing social support and enabling support from
family members can help to improve physical activity among individuals, especially older
adults.
Effect of Remoteness on physical exercise:
Defining Information Technology:
Different technological advancements are applicable for the improvement and
maintenance of physical activity levels among adults. Technologies or devices such as:
pedometers, accelerometers, heart rate monitors, combined monitoring (heart rate and
accelerometer) Smartphone applications and interactive video games can be useful to aid
physical activity and training (humankinetics.com, 2018)
Evaluation of the effects of Information Technology on physical exercise
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8Psychology
Study 1:
Du et al., (2016) studied the effects of based mobile applications to understand
compliance to exercise and nutrition routines. The authors tried to explore whether adherence
to wellness programs (that focused on improve physical activity and nutrition) can be
improved through social support, and if adherence to the wellness programs can be improved
through the usage of mobile applications. The study analysed 124 volunteers above the age of
18 years, who were interested in improving their physical activities and eating behaviour. The
study was conducted for 8 weeks. The experimental group were supported with a mobile app
that allowed an accurate report and tracking of health behaviour) while the control group did
not get the app support. The study showed that the mobile app was related to an improvement
in the adherence to the wellness programs.
Study 2:
Triantafyllidis et al. (2018) analysed the effect of computerised assisted systems that
is increased with sensors such as cameras and heart rate monitors on the adoption of exercise
programs. Their results showed that computer assisted technologies can help to improve
adherence of exercise programs, by fostering an easy and enjoyable execution of the program
by the patient group. This showed that through the use of technologies, the exercise programs
can become simpler to follow by individuals, therefore improving the activity levels. The
authors suggested that the effective automated system should consist of the following
components: 1) motion tracking, 2) heart rate monitoring 3) exercise type monitoring and 4)
exertion and enjoyment monitoring.
Conclusion:
From the above studies, different variables can be identified which can affect the
levels of physical activity or exercise among adults. Studies by Fischer and Bryant (2008)
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9Psychology
showed that the presence of a personal trainer can help in the maintenance of physical
activity levels, which was also supported by the studies by TerAvest (2016), Seguin et al.
(2013) and McClaran (2003) which showed that physical activity trainers can help to increase
motivation for physical exercises thereby causing an improvement in physical activity among
individuals. Other factors that also influence physical activity includes social and community
support (Craven et al., 2018; Smith et al., 2017) and technology (Du et al., 2016;
Triantafyllidis et al., 2018). Based on such information, it can thus be proposed that effective
interventions to improve physical activity among clients can incorporate physical activity
trainers, a motivational exercise setup, presence of social and community support and the
usage of technology.

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10Psychology
References:
Craven, M. R., Keefer, L., Rademaker, A., Dykema-Engblade, A., & Sanchez-Johnsen, L.
(2018). Social Support for Exercise as a Predictor of Weight and Physical Activity
Status Among Puerto Rican and Mexican Men: Results From the Latino Men’s Health
Initiative. American journal of men's health, 1557988318754915.
Du, H., Venkatakrishnan, A., Youngblood, G. M., Ram, A., & Pirolli, P. (2016). A group-
based mobile application to increase adherence in exercise and nutrition programs: a
factorial design feasibility study. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 4(1).
Fischer, D. V., & Bryant, J. (2008). Effect of certified personal trainer services on stage of
exercise behavior and exercise mediators in female college students. Journal of
American College Health, 56(4), 369-376.
healthyweight.health.gov.au (2018), Levels of physical activity intensity, Retrieved on: 14
May, 2018, from:
http://healthyweight.health.gov.au/wps/portal/Home/get-informed/physical-activity-
and-sedentary-behaviour/levels-of-physical-activity-intensity/!ut/p/a1/
jZDBDoIwDIafhQdYVgYBPCIYNyNcjBF3MVOnLMFB2CTBpxe5GpGe2uT70vb
HHBeYa9Gpu7Cq1qL6zDw4UbJaucR32TrYJMDCKI-
y3CU7zxuA4wAk65j64RYA_IgAS5c0DRcZAAvm-
fCjYvjnb2YsIG2WZHfMG2FLpPStxkVT9kZdRIXExapO2R4JfUVGXqW2ou3RW
ZZDDPWzxUUlO1kZVN_Qt6S0ldoMHT5gPl4ylcQITLzaPPbFa0tBxY7zBlWAShY
!/dl5/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/
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11Psychology
heartfoundation.org.au (2018), Level of exercise statistics, Retreieved on: 14 May, 2018.,
from: https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/about-us/what-we-do/heart-disease-in-
australia/level-of-exercise-statistics
humankinetics.com (2018), Using technology to promote physical activity, retrieved on: 14
May, 2018., from: http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/using-
technology-to-promote-physical-activity
McClaran, S. R. (2003). The effectiveness of personal training on changing attitudes towards
physical activity. Journal of sports science & medicine, 2(1), 10.
Seguin, R. A., Eldridge, G., Lynch, W., & Paul, L. C. (2013). Strength training improves
body image and physical activity behaviors among midlife and older rural
women. Journal of extension, 51(4).
Smith, G. L., Banting, L., Eime, R., O’Sullivan, G., & van Uffelen, J. G. (2017). The
association between social support and physical activity in older adults: a systematic
review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1),
56.
springer.com (2018), springer.com, retrieved on 14 May, 2018 from:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-014-0142-5
TerAvest, K. (2016). From Theory to Practice: A Workshop for Enhancing Motivational
Climate in an Excercise Setting(Doctoral dissertation, Department of Kinesiology,
Sonoma State University).
thecommunityguide.org (2018), Physical Activity: Social Support Interventions in
Community Settings., Retrieved on: 14 May, 2018., from:
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12Psychology
https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/physical-activity-social-support-
interventions-community-settings
Triantafyllidis, A., Filos, D., Buys, R., Claes, J., Cornelissen, V., Kouidi, E., ... &
Maglaveras, N. (2018). A Computer-Assisted System with Kinect Sensors and
Wristband Heart Rate Monitors for Group Classes of Exercise-Based Rehabilitation.
In Precision Medicine Powered by pHealth and Connected Health (pp. 237-241).
Springer, Singapore.
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