Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Manoj Sharma

Abstract

Physical inactivity persists as a public health concern worldwide and results in more than a million deaths per year. This modifiable behavior can result in improved health when primary care providers (PCPs) communicate recommendations to patients and behavior change is supported. In this study, a quantitative cross-sectional design was used to investigate the intentions of PCPs in providing physical activity counseling, using the constructs of the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change as the theoretical framework. An anonymous 37-item electronic survey was administered to participants practicing primary care and family medicine from rural areas in the Southeastern region of the United States (n=217). The data received from the survey were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis to show the significance of each construct to influence intentions and actual counseling about physical activity by PCPs. The results indicated that participatory dialogue (p < 0.001) and changes in the physical environment (p < 0.001) were significant predictors of actual PCP counseling about physical activity and explained 44.5% of the variance. Behavioral confidence was not found to be a significant predictor (p > 0.05). The findings have important implications for positive social change as these lend credence to the MTM in designing educational interventional studies for PCPs so that they can counsel their patients regarding physical activity. These findings also show that policymakers should devote more resources toward educating PCPs about counseling and behavior change techniques.

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