Exercise self-efficacy remains unaltered during military service
Kekäläinen, T., Pulkka, A.-T., Kyröläinen, H., Ojanen, T., Helén, J., Pihlainen, K., Heikkinen, R., & Vaara, J. P. (2024). Exercise self-efficacy remains unaltered during military service. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, Article 1307979. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1307979
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Frontiers in PsychologyAuthors
Date
2024Copyright
© 2024 Kekäläinen, Pulkka, Kyröläinen,
Ojanen, Helén, Pihlainen, Heikkinen and
Vaara.
Background: Exercise self-efficacy is a crucial aspect of adopting and maintaining a physically active lifestyle. Regular physical activity may enhance exercise self-efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the baseline associations of physical fitness, physical activity, and body composition with exercise self-efficacy and the effects of military service on exercise self-efficacy. Methods: The sample consisted of healthy young Finnish conscripts (n = 243) undergoing military service. The participants were divided into two groups: an intervention group undergoing a high-intensity functional training program (n = 113) and a control group undergoing traditional physical training within their military service (n = 130). Exercise self-efficacy (adoption and barrier) and aerobic and muscular fitness were measured thrice (baseline, month 3, and month 5). Self-reported leisure-time physical activity and measured fat percentage were collected at baseline.
Results: Adoption and barrier exercise self-efficacy correlated positively with aerobic and muscular fitness and leisure time physical activity (r = 0.33–0.59, p < 0.001), and barrier self-efficacy negatively with fat percentage (r = −0.15, p < 0.05) at baseline. No changes in adoption (time p = 0.912) and barrier self-efficacy (time p = 0.441) occurred during the military service. There were no differences between groups in these changes (group × time interaction p = 0.643 for adoption self-efficacy and p = 0.872 for barrier self-efficacy). Change in muscular fitness correlated positively with change in barrier self-efficacy in the high-intensity functional training group (r = 0.35, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Exercise self-efficacy is positively associated with physical fitness and physical activity among young males. However, military service, whether it involves high-intensity functional physical training or more diverse traditional physical training, does not improve exercise self-efficacy.
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Frontiers MediaISSN Search the Publication Forum
1664-1078Keywords
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https://converis.jyu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/207167522
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- Liikuntatieteiden tiedekunta [2985]
Additional information about funding
The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was funded by the Finnish Defense Forces, Defense Command, and the National Defense Foundation.License
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