Mindset, weight tied to willingness to exercise

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A range of factors, from
self-confidence to stress to body weight, can make the
difference between taking up exercise or staying on the couch,
according to a new study.

Researchers found that among 274 middle-aged adults at risk
of developing type 2 diabetes, those who were thinner, more
confident in their ability to be active, or had lower stress
and depression levels were more likely to exercise.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American
Dietetic Association, come from a larger study that originally
showed that exercise and other lifestyle changes could cut the
risk of type 2 diabetes by more than 50 percent in adults at
high risk of the disease.

In the current study, researchers re-analyzed the data to
see what factors made certain people more likely to boost their
activity levels. Linda M. Delahanty, director of nutrition and
behavioral research at Massachusetts General Hospital in
Boston, led the study.

All the participants included in the analysis had completed
questionnaires on self-confidence, stress levels, anxiety and
depression at the start of the study.

Overall, Delahanty’s team found, men were more likely than
women to already be active at the outset, as well as at the end
of the study, two years later.

In addition, people with more confidence in their ability
to exercise were more active throughout the study, as were
those with relatively lower weights. Men and women with higher
stress, anxiety or depression levels were less likely to
exercise.

“Our results suggest that programs that focus on improving
motivational readiness for physical activity and self-efficacy
will be critically important,” Delahanty and her colleagues
write.

As an example, they point to women-only fitness programs,
which may encourage women who lack self-confidence to give
exercise a go.

In addition, the researchers write, health professionals
should help adults who are at risk of diabetes to address any
depression, anxiety or other psychological problems that may be
keeping them sedentary.

Men and women who are particularly overweight, they note,
may first need counseling on what types of exercise they can
handle, or may need help shedding weight before they become
active.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Dietetic Association, May
2006.