Predictors of exercise behavior among university student women: Utility of a goal-systems/self-regulation theory framework

Recent research on goal processes has identified three important factors associated with successful goal pursuit: appraisal, regulation, and affective motivation. In the present study, we examined whether these processes of goal pursuit predicted exercise behavior for women over time. One hundred and six US undergraduate university student women completed measures of exercise behavior and goal processes twice over the course of a semester. It was hypothesized that more positive exercise goal appraisals, stronger regulatory functions, and higher goal-related affect would predict more exercise behavior four weeks later, controlling for baseline exercise. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that planning and negative affect were most predictive of higher levels of exercise at follow-up. Implications for understanding exercise behavior are discussed. Overall, the findings support the basic theoretical supposition that goal-systems/self-regulatory theory is a valuable framework through which behavior can be understood.