Application of Transtheoretical Model to Exercise in Office Staff

BACKGROUND Transtheoretical model is identified as a comprehensive model for behavior exercise. The aim of this study was to check the situation of stage of change in exercise behavior of office personnel of Yazd city using transtheoretical model. METHODS In a cross-sectional study, 220 office personnel selected from administrative offices of Yazd through two-stage cluster-sampling method. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire that included demographic variables and constructs of transtheoretical model. The reliability and validity of the instruments were examined and approved by experts. The data was analyzed using SPSS soft ware. RESULTS 152 males (69.1%) and 68 females (30.9%) with an average age of 34±8.68 years were selected. Sixty percent of the subjects were in precontemplation and contemplation stages and only 7.3% were in action stages. Significant differences were found between TTM constructs and stages of change (P=0.000). The results also showed significant differences between components of decisional balance and behavioral process and cognitive process with the stages of change. We found that behavioral process of change and self efficacy were the most important variables for improving levels of exercise. CONCLUSION Most of the participants were in the precontemplation and contemplation stages and most problems were related to behavioral process and self efficacy. Therefore, strategies and programs are needed to be taken into account to improve exercise among the staff.