Carolyn R Plateau, Justine Anthony, Stacy A Clemes, Clare D Stevinson
{"title":"Prospective study of beginner running groups: psychological predictors and outcomes of participation.","authors":"Carolyn R Plateau, Justine Anthony, Stacy A Clemes, Clare D Stevinson","doi":"10.1080/08964289.2022.2100865","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Running is an example of vigorous activity that leads to important health benefits if maintained. Beginner running groups provide supportive training programs to help people progress from walking to sustained running. This study explored the characteristics of individuals joining beginner running groups and the outcomes they achieve. New members of beginner running groups (n = 141; mean age 43 years, 122 female) completed online assessments at the start of their group program with 63 participants (45%) also completing a follow-up assessment at the end of the program. Validated scales were used to assess exercise behavior, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy, running identity and social physique anxiety. The majority of participants had low exercise levels at the start of the program (63%, n = 89). By the program end, 47 participants (75% of those completing the follow-up assessment) reported meeting the training goal (running for 30 minutes continuously) with self-efficacy, program adherence and younger age representing significant predictors of success. Significant improvements in exercise levels, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy, running identity and social physique anxiety were observed by the end of the program. In conclusion, beginner running programs attract low active individuals and may lead to improved levels of exercise and psychological outcomes. Additional research is needed to examine the extent to which improvements are sustained longer term.</p>","PeriodicalId":55395,"journal":{"name":"Behavioral Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Behavioral Medicine","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2022.2100865","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2022/8/12 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Running is an example of vigorous activity that leads to important health benefits if maintained. Beginner running groups provide supportive training programs to help people progress from walking to sustained running. This study explored the characteristics of individuals joining beginner running groups and the outcomes they achieve. New members of beginner running groups (n = 141; mean age 43 years, 122 female) completed online assessments at the start of their group program with 63 participants (45%) also completing a follow-up assessment at the end of the program. Validated scales were used to assess exercise behavior, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy, running identity and social physique anxiety. The majority of participants had low exercise levels at the start of the program (63%, n = 89). By the program end, 47 participants (75% of those completing the follow-up assessment) reported meeting the training goal (running for 30 minutes continuously) with self-efficacy, program adherence and younger age representing significant predictors of success. Significant improvements in exercise levels, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy, running identity and social physique anxiety were observed by the end of the program. In conclusion, beginner running programs attract low active individuals and may lead to improved levels of exercise and psychological outcomes. Additional research is needed to examine the extent to which improvements are sustained longer term.
期刊介绍:
Behavioral Medicine is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal, which fosters and promotes the exchange of knowledge and the advancement of theory in the field of behavioral medicine, including but not limited to understandings of disease prevention, health promotion, health disparities, identification of health risk factors, and interventions designed to reduce health risks, ameliorate health disparities, enhancing all aspects of health. The journal seeks to advance knowledge and theory in these domains in all segments of the population and across the lifespan, in local, national, and global contexts, and with an emphasis on the synergies that exist between biological, psychological, psychosocial, and structural factors as they related to these areas of study and across health states.
Behavioral Medicine publishes original empirical studies (experimental and observational research studies, quantitative and qualitative studies, evaluation studies) as well as clinical/case studies. The journal also publishes review articles, which provide systematic evaluations of the literature and propose alternative and innovative theoretical paradigms, as well as brief reports and responses to articles previously published in Behavioral Medicine.