ABSTRACT
Welcome or not, change is unavoidable. (Prochaska, Norcross and DiClemente 1994)
The purpose of this chapter is to consider models that have been constructed as a way of better understanding health behaviours, including physical activity. In particular, we focus on stage-based approaches and specifically the popular ‘transtheoretical model’. Other frameworks are also considered. Specifically, in this chapter we aim to:
● outline the popular ‘transtheoretical model’ approach to physical activity decisionmaking, including contemporary research findings and the constructs of self-efficacy, pros and cons, and processes of change
● discuss the ‘natural history’ model of exercise proposed by Sallis and Hovell (1990) and suggest which determinants might be important at the different phases of the model
work for the study of the complex factors associated with participation in exercise and physical activity.
