Distinguishing starters from nonstarters in an employee physical activity incentive program.

Although the vast majority of Americans who are physically active are likely to extol its many physical, psychological, and social values, research indicates that approximately fifty percent of individuals who start a formal physical activity program will drop out in six months or less. The present study employed stepwise discriminant analytical techniques in an attempt to distinguish starters from nonstarters in an innovative employee physical activity incentive program. The results indicated that a combination of health beliefs and lifestyle characteristics, health locus of control expectancies, and physiological characteristics accurately discriminated 81.7% of the starters and nonstarters. It was concluded that physical activity programs need to be designed, implemented, and marketed in such a manner as to attract individuals who are sedentary, smoke, are unable to cope with home-mediated stress, have an external health locus of control expectancy, and/or have a high cardiovascular disease-risk factor profile.