Using self-determination theory as a framework, the purpose of this study was to test a structural model of hypothesized relationships among perceived need support from physical education teachers (autonomy support, competence support, and relatedness support), psychological need satisfaction (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), intrinsic motivation, and physical activity. Participants were 286 middle school students in the southeastern U.S. They completed previously validated questionnaires assessing their perceived need support from teachers, need satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and physical activity. The hypothesized model demonstrated a good fit with the data (RMSEA = .08; CFI = .97; NFI = .96; GFI = .96). Need satisfaction and intrinsic motivation mediated the relationship between need support and physical activity. The constructs of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness represent the nutriments that facilitate students’ intrinsic motivation and ultimately positively predict students’ physical activity. The findings supported the theoretical tenets of self-determination theory.

Ary focus of numerous health care agendas. Over the last 2 decades, clinical research has provided clinicians with a variety of screening tools to quantify risk factors for falls. The majority of these measures focus on single domain intraindividual (eg, balance, strength, vision) or extraindividual (eg, home safety) falls risk factors. Some of these single domain instruments are easily introduced and administered by community lay leaders. When a more comprehensive assessment across multiple domains is required, the assessment cannot easily be administered by community program leaders. A physical therapist must determine which instrument, or combination of instruments, best targets risk of falling for a given older adult. Purpose: This integrative review of the literature will provide clinicians and researchers a concise examination of falls risks factors and a compendium of falls risk screening and assessment instruments. Methods: Searchable databases, such as Medline and CINAHL were used to identify articles about strategies used for fall risk assessment. Information about measurement properties and characteristics were extracted and are presented in table format. Conclusion: Comparison of recently developed multidimensional and comprehensive screening algorithms for falls risk identification may aid in lowering the rates of false negatives associated with using very specific instruments that screen or assess in only 1 falls risk factor domain....

Develop, deliver, and assess the efficacy of a 4-week web-based leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) motivational program based on the Transtheoretical Model and tailored to inactive adults with physical disabilities. This was a pilot-based study incorporating a true experimental design with one treatment and one control group. The intervention program was delivered on the web and was based on the constructs of the Transtheoretical Model. From the 151 individuals who completed the LTPA standardized questionnaire at baseline, 75 people participated in the 1-month post-test assessment. The results of the analysis confirmed the pretest LTPA scores as the study covariate for the post-test assessment (F (1,72)=16.06, p=0.001, (2 )= 0.18). Based on the one-way ANCOVA, there were no statistically significant differences in LTPA scores between the treatment and control groups at post-test. However, the corresponding effect size and variance explained by the treatment approached a moderate level of significance (d=0.34 and (2 )= 0.04). Although conclusive statements about program effectiveness cannot be secured, several 'lessons learned' from this project may be 'key factors' for program improvement. Given the pilot nature of the study and the limited resources for program development and monitoring, continued examination of such motivational materials and delivery mechanisms for people with physical disabilities appear warranted.

Guided by a social ecological perspective, the aim of this study was to investigate the predictive strength of individual (barrier self-efficacy), social environmental (support from parents, friends, physical education teachers), and physical environmental variables (equipment accessibility, neighborhood safety) toward physical activity among school students. Participants were 285 students enrolled in a suburban public school. Hierarchical linear regression analysis highlighted the influence of self-efficacy, social support from parents, friends, physical education teachers, and accessible equipment on students’ physical activity. The findings indicated that physical educators and health promoters need to consider multiple factors as they design effective interventions to promote physical activity and prevent physical inactivity among school students. This study also supported the use of a social ecological perspective to investigate students’ physical activity.

(behavioral and cognitive processes of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy), along with exercise barriers, by stage of change for exercise behavior among individuals with physical disabilities. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of 322 adults with physical disabilities residing in the United States. Most participants (84.3%) used some form of assistive device (e.g., artificial limb, wheelchair), were female (62.1%), and Caucasian (91.9%). The mean age of participants was 52.5 yr (SD = 13.9). Participants completed and returned questionnaires for each TTM construct, along with an exercise barriers measure. Results: In univariate analyses, all constructs were significantly (P < 0.001) associated with the stages of change for exercise behavior, except for dramatic relief (P > 0.005). The largest portion of variance was derived from counter conditioning (η2 = 0.45), followed by the five behavioral processes of change combined (η2 = 0.40), self-liberation (η2 = 0.31), self-efficacy (η2 = 0.30), and self-reevaluation (η2 = 0.28). Direct discriminant function (multivariate) analysis revealed four discriminant functions which accounted for 71.0% (P < 0.001), 20.9% (P < 0.001), 6.3% (P < 0.05), and 1.8% (P = 0.62), respectively, of the between-group (stage of change) variability. The overall stage of change classification accuracy was 70.8%. Conclusion: This was the first study to examine the stages of change for exercise behavior among adults with physical disabilities on the basis of the full TTM and exercise barriers. Overall, the results are in general agreement with existing evidence among nondisabled populations. This provides further cross-sectional support for the internal and external validity of TTM and exercise barriers among a unique and understudied population segment....