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Biomedical subjects

L R Brawley

Publications and source records attributed to L R Brawley.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Where perception and reality differ: dropping out is not the same as failure.

The present study examined whether exercise adherers and dropouts differ in their perceptions of success and, in turn, whether their social cognitions and behavior correspondingly differ. Using a prospective, observational design, exercise class participants were followed over 12 weeks of attendance. Social-cognitive measures were assessed at both early and late program while attendance was tracked for each half of the program. Multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) using a 2 (Success/Failure) x 2 (Adherer/Dropout) factorial design revealed significant interactions for self-efficacy, affect, causal attributions, as well as rate of perceived exertion. Multiple main effects for perceived success and adherence were also found. The results suggest that "successful" dropouts possess social-cognitive characteristics that may enable them to resume their exercise participation at some later date. These findings provide evidence that the examination of perceived success allows for valuable insight into the differences among and between exercise adherers and dropouts, which may have implications regarding long-term exercise participation.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Fibromyalgia, physical activity, and daily functioning: the importance of efficacy and health-related quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether individuals with fibromyalgia (FM) who are more physically active differ in various psychosocial characteristics (i.e., self-efficacy, health-related quality of life [HRQL]) from those who are less active, and whether those who function better on a daily basis also differ in these characteristics from their less able counterparts. METHODS: The predominantly female sample (n = 86) consisted of individuals medically diagnosed with FM. Measures included symptom variables, physical activity frequency and intensity, daily functioning, HRQL, efficacy for physical activity, FM pain, and other FM symptoms. RESULTS: Discriminant function analyses to predict physical activity status (P < 0.0001) and functional ability status (P = 0.03) were significant. The variables of physical activity efficacy, pain efficacy, and the physical HRQL component were the best predictors. CONCLUSION: Support for the importance of perceived control and HRQL for engaging in higher levels of physical activity and daily functioning was demonstrated. Future research must continue to examine psychosocial factors that affect patients' functioning with FM in order to enhance their well-being.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2000

An examination of theory and behavior change in randomized clinical trials.

This paper underscores the important role played by theory-based mediating variables in randomized clinical trials. Indeed, it is essential that we know what mediating variables are relevant for particular outcomes in randomized clinical trials and that we design interventions to optimize change in the mediators of interest. Yet, knowledge of the pivotal mediating variables in behavior change does not imply that we know how to intervene effectively. This gap may be due to the fact that existing research typically has been designed to garner support for theory, as opposed to testing support for behavior change strategies that are based on theory. In addition, we argue that there are important mediating variables in behavior change that have not been given systematic attention in theory development. For example, behavior change must be viewed as a collaborative process, and participants' perceptions concerning the feasibility of change is important to motivational processes in randomized clinical trials. Control Clin Trials 2000;21:164S-170S

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Compliance to exercise therapy in older participants with knee osteoarthritis: implications for treating disability.

This investigation examined predictors of compliance with exercise therapy in a clinical trial involving older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The study sample was partitioned into tertiles by level of compliance to determine its effect on several clinical outcome measures in the trial (i.e., knee pain, difficulty with activities of daily living, and performance-related disability). The participants (N = 439) first completed all baseline assessments and were then randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions: health education control, aerobic exercise, or resistance exercise. The two exercise treatments involved a 3-month center-based phase and a 15-month home-based phase. Variables in five categories (i.e., demographic, fitness, health-related quality of life, performance-related disability, and prior exercise behavior) were entered as predictors of attendance and time spent exercising during each session for three different periods of time across the course of the study. Results of these analyses revealed that it was possible to explain more variance for time spent exercising (approximately 40%) during the first 3 months than for attendance (approximately 10%). Furthermore, once participants completed the first 3 months of their training, prior behavior was the strongest predictor of exercise compliance. In most cases, the regression models accounted anywhere from 26 to 46% of the variance in attendance or time spent exercising (7 of the 8 P values < 0.01). In general, demographic, fitness, psychosocial, and disability-related measures did not predict compliance with any consistency across the various phases of the trial. Analysis of the dose-response data suggest that, in the use of aerobic exercise to deter disability in older people with knee OA, consideration should be given to prescribing frequent bouts of activity (at least 3 times each week) of moderate duration (approximately 35 min).

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

Psychological indicators of balance confidence: relationship to actual and perceived abilities.

BACKGROUND: This study compares several psychological indicators of balance confidence in relation to physical performance, past and current experience, gender bias, and other perceptions of daily functioning. METHODS: Sixty community-dwelling ambulatory elders (aged 65-95) were administered the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), and three dichotomous questions on fear of falling, activity avoidance, and perceived need for personal assistance to ambulate outdoors. Performance measures on walking (average speed) and balance (static posturography) were obtained on a subsample of 21 subjects. RESULTS: Balance confidence assessed by the ABC and self-perceived need for personal assistance with outdoor ambulation were the only indicators significantly associated with the performance measures. As expected, perceived balance capabilities were more strongly related to current behavior (frequency of doing specific activities) than to past experience (fall history). Gender differences in self-report emerged for the global fear-of-falling indicator but not for the two efficacy ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological indicators of balance confidence are important to measure both in conjunction with balance test performance and as a legitimate focus of rehabilitation. Of the various indicators assessed here, the dichotomous fear-of-falling question appears to have the least utility. Perceived need for personal assistance to ambulate outdoors has merit as an initial clinical screening question for discriminating persons on the basis of both physical ability and confidence. The ABC scale appears to have the greatest utility as an evaluative index for older persons at a moderate to high level of functioning.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1995

Predicting the intentions and behavior of exercise initiates using two forms of self-efficacy.

The general objective of the study was to examine the influence of various aspects of self-efficacy on the exercise attendance of novice exercisers. This objective had three distinct features. First, self-efficacy was operationalized as both perceptions to overcome barriers and appraisals of ability to schedule regular exercise sessions. Second, a more unstructured, less regimented, form of exercise that required greater personal control was examined-the forms of activity chosen and self-regulated by novice participants. Third, individuals in the initiation stage of their exercise history were studied. Results indicated that both forms of efficacy (barrier and scheduling) significantly predicted behavioral intention (BI) throughout the exercise program (R2 changes = .13-.26, p's < .02). BI was found to be the best predictor of the first 2 months of attendance (R2 change = .12, p < .05), while scheduling efficacy and past behavior best predicted attendance during the last 2 months (R2 change = .16 and .24, p < .02 and p < .001, respectively). A model combining both social cognitive variables (efficacy beliefs) and behavioral variables (past attendance) captured more variation in predicting the last 2 months of attendance than a model involving only social-cognitive variables.

Adaptation, Psychological↗