The role of the affective attitudinal component in explaining physical exercise participation

Current theories of health behavior focus almost exclusively on an individual's rational considerations, thereby emphasizing the role of cognitive variables in the processes of adopting or maintaining a certain health behavior. However, an individual's attitude toward health-supporting activities such as physical activity or exercise can also been viewed as an important determinant. This study replicates parts of an investigation presented by Kiviniemi (2004). He had shown that affective associations (attitudes) were more powerful predictors of some health behaviors than cognitive associations, suggesting that cognitively based models may not account for all the factors influencing health behavior. The present study of 196 adults (mostly aged 40-60 years) corroborated this finding. When calculating binary logistic regressions on exercise participation including two separate cognitive and affective attitudinal components, only the latter contributed significantly to the model. It is concluded from the present research that more attention should be paid to emotional aspects of health behaviors.