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Learning Objective 1: The learner will explore cognitive and affective variables from the Health Promotion Model that influence middle school girls’ participation in physical activity.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will identify changes in girls’ cognitive and affective perceptions related to moderate to vigorous physical activity resulting from participation in motivational interviewing.
Framework: The cognitive and affective variables of the Health Promotion Model guided an intervention including three motivational interviewing sessions.
Aims: 1) Discuss behavior-specific cognitions and affect that influence middle school girls’ MVPA participation. 2) Describe changes in behavior-specific cognitions and affect that occur in successive motivational interviewing sessions.
Method/Design: Fourteen racially diverse, low-active girls participated in a 6-month intervention to increase their MVPA. Girls participated in three motivational interviewing sessions conducted during the school day at months 1, 3 and 5 and had an opportunity to participate in an after-school PA program.
Analysis/Findings: Analysis was conducted using Atlas ti (ver. 5). Thematic coding was performed on the transcripts of the motivation interviewing sessions (n = 42). Girls’ perceived benefits of PA, barriers to PA, and PA self-efficacy, as well as affective, interpersonal , and situational influences on their PA, were identified. Changes in the girls’ cognitions and affect occurred with each successive session. Although all girls were able to identify benefits to MVPA, few (14.3%) participated in MVPA outside the school-based intervention. Barriers to participation were categorized into the following themes: “transportation,” “conflicts” and “obligations.” Positive interpersonal influence from a parent was important. Over time, the girls continued to identify numerous benefits of MVPA, but still reported difficulty overcoming some barriers. They also reported “satisfaction” from increasing their PA.
Implications/Conclusions: Among low-SES middle school girls, parental support and barriers to PA, particularly social obligations and lack of transportation, must be considered when designing interventions aimed at increasing MVPA.
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