2011 Annual Conference

O'Connell, Dennis

To examine if adherence to exercise scores change over the course of a semester in students enrolled in an entry-level doctoral physical therapy program.  Secondly, to examine the correlations between total scores on the surveys when given on three occasions.  Thirdly, to determine if a slight modification in terminology affected scores on the “Self-Motivation and Adherence to Habitual Physical Activity Scale.”

Twenty-five entry-level Physical Therapy doctoral students.

After providing informed consent, twenty-five entry level DPT students were given a 7-question, Likert  scale survey (1-5) on three separate occasions.  The original survey was given during weeks one and 13 and the modified survey was given during week 14 of a 14-week fall semester.  Surveys one and two used the terms “uncharacteristic” and “characteristic” in stems.  These terms were substituted in survey three with “unlike” and “like.”  A score ≤14 (35 total possible points) suggests will drop out of exercise.  Higher scores indicate the likelihood of consistent exercise adherence.

A repeated measures ANOVA (PASW18) was calculated to determine if survey scores changed over time for the seven questions.  A one-way ANOVA was calculated to determine if the total score on the survey questions varied between tests one, two, or three. Correlations between total scores for tests one, two, and three were also calculated using Pearson correlation statistics. Statistical significance was set at p ≤0.05.

Total scores (mean /sd) for tests one, two, and three were 25.28+/-4.02; 26.56 +/-4.36; and 26.92 +/-4.10, respectively.  The RMANOVA revealed no significant differences between tests one, two, or three for questions 1-7 over time (F(2,12) = 0.51, p=.91).  The one-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences between the total survey scores over time (F(2,71 = 1.71, p=.32). The statistically significant correlations between total scores one and two, one, and three, and two and three were r =0.49, 0.68, and 0.90, respectively. 

Based on the mean scores for the Adherence to Habitual Activity Scale," the PT students in this sample were likely to adhere to an independent home exercise program. Additionally, responses were reliable over a 14-233k time period.   Slight modifications in terminology did not negatively affect concurrent validity.

Adherence to home exercise programs is a major concern with physical therapy patients.  The adherence scale tested in this study was found to be reliable and valid.  The modified version of this survey needs to be tested in a patient sample.  Following that, we hope to utilize this survey with our patients to determine who might need additional support in following their home exercise programs.