Paper
Thursday, 20 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Exercise Programs to Improve Health
An Examination of the Transtheoretical Model and Physical Activity in Chinese Americans
Wei-Chen Tung, RN, PhD, School of Nursing, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA, Paul Hsu, PhD, Department of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA, and Yung-Sheng Lin, MT. SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE, Diamond Bar, CA, USA.
Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to understand physical activity behaviors among Chinese American adults.
Learning Objective #2: The learner will be able to understand whether specific constructs from the TTM are applicable to Chinese Americans.
Background: The Chinese American population has grown from 0.81 million during the 1980s to 2.88 million in 2000 in the United States.  The leading causes of death for the past decade among the Chinese Americans are heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.  Primary prevention of these diseases may be possible with lifestyle changes--primarily an increase in regular physical activity.  However, little research has been conducted to document physical activity behaviors of Chinese Americans. 

The transtheoretical model (TTM) has been widely applied to understand the process by which individuals change their lifestyles in order to incorporate regular physical activity.  Examine physical activity and the applicability of the TTM in Chinese Americans is important in the development of successful physical activity programs that address the specific needs for this ethnic group.  Objectives: To explore physical activity behaviors among Chinese American adults, and to examine whether specific constructs from the TTM are applicable to Chinese Americans.  
Methods: A descriptive comparative, cross-sectional design was performed using a sample of 201 Chinese Americans residing in different cities.  The self-administrated instruments included the Demographic Questionnaire, Stages of Change for Regular Physical Activity Questionnaire, Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale, and Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale.
Results: About 54.2% of the subjects reported engaging in regular physical activity.  Self-efficacy scores were significantly higher for subjects in later stages of TTM (e.g., maintenance) than those in earlier stages (e.g., precontemplation) (F (4, 193) = 5.36, p = .02).  There were no significant differences in the level of perceived benefits (p = .78) and barriers (p = .41) to regular physical activity across the different stages. 
Discussion: The TTM only partially applied to the Chinese Americans in this study.  Cultural issues may play a critical role in physical activity behavior among Chinese Americans and need to be further investigated.  

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