Roy F. Oman

Predicting the adoption and maintenance of exercise participation using self-efficacy and previous exercise participation rates.

Objectives. To investigate the relationships among self-efficacy, changes in self-efficacy, past exercise participation, future exercise adherence, and exercise program format. Methods. Two-year randomized trial involving subjects (n = 63) participating in an aerobic exercise program. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three exercise conditions: higher-intensity home-based exercise, higher-intensity class-based exercise, or lower-intensity home-based exercise. Results. Results indicated that baseline self-efficacy and exercise format had significant (p <.02), independent effects on adherence during the adoption and early maintenance phases of exercise behavior. In contrast, in predicting long-term exercise program maintenance, a significant (p <.05) self-efficacy X exercise format interaction indicated that self-efficacy predicted adherence only in the supervised home-based exercise conditions. Results also suggest that baseline self-efficacy, independent of the effect of past adherence, significantly (p <.03) predicted exercise adherence during the adoption phase, but not early maintenance phase, of exercise behavior. Finally, adherence change during the adoption phase of exercise behavior significantly (p <.04) predicted Year-one levels of self-efficacy even after adjusting far the effect of baseline self-efficacy. Conclusions. These results suggest that exercise program format as well as an individuals initial cognitive and behavioral experiences in an exercise program play significant roles in determining exercise adherence.

The Potential Protective Effect of Youth Assets on Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use

OBJECTIVES We examined the association between adolescent alcohol and drug use and 9 youth assets in a low-income, inner-city population. METHODS An in-person survey of 1350 adolescents and parents assessed youth assets and risk behaviors. We analyzed data with chi(2) tests and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS When we controlled for appropriate variables, there were significant positive relationships between several youth assets and nonuse of alcohol and drugs. Furthermore, youths who possessed all of the statistically significant youth assets were 4.44 times more likely to report nonuse of alcohol and 5.41 times more likely to report nonuse of drugs compared with youths who possessed fewer youth assets. CONCLUSIONS Our study supports the view that specific youth assets may protect youths from alcohol and drug use.

Reliability and Validity of the Youth Asset Survey (YAS)

PURPOSE To describe the construction of a survey that was developed to measure youth assets. The paper details the ten youth developmental assets measures within the survey, including the psychometric properties of those measures derived from factor analysis and reliability testing. METHODS Three studies were conducted, including a study of 1,350 randomly selected youth (mean age = 15.4 years; 52% female; 47% white, 22% black, 19% Hispanic, 10% Native American), using in-person interviews, to develop an asset instrument tool. Factor analysis was performed on a correlation matrix, using principal axis factoring, and varimax rotation. The criteria were set to extract eight factors. RESULTS The eight factors extracted represented six developmental assets as originally defined, including Family Communication, Peer Role Models, Future Aspirations, Responsible Choices, Community Involvement, and Non-Parental Role Models. One asset (Constructive Use of Time) was split into two specific assets: groups/sports and religious time. Two assets did not form factors (Good Health Practices [exercise/nutrition] and Cultural Respect) and were defined as one-item assets. All factor loading scores were.40 or higher and all Cronbach alphas were.60 or higher. CONCLUSIONS Factor analyses suggest that the constructs are reliable measures of youth developmental assets. The psychometrically sound asset measures presented here will provide scientists with valid and reliable instruments to assess and compare the prevalence of youth assets across populations and to investigate potential relationships between youth assets and other outcomes, such as youth risk behaviors.

The effect of life events and exercise program format on the adoption and maintenance of exercise behavior.

This study prospectively investigated the effects of major life events on subsequent exercise adherence rates of individuals (N = 173) participating in a 2-year, randomized, controlled clinical trial of 3 different exercise conditions (higher-intensity home-based; lower-intensity home-based; and higher-intensity class-based). For 3 of 4 6-month exercise-adherence periods, an analysis of variance indicated a significant main effect (p < .05) for major life events. Compared with participants reporting 0 or 1 major life event, exercise adherence in the maintenance phase was significantly lower for those reporting 3 or 4 major life events regardless of the exercise condition. No significant life-event-exercise-adherence relationship was found in the adoption phase of exercise participation (i.e., Months 1 to 6). The deleterious effect of life events emphasizes the importance of instruction regarding how to prepare for high-risk situations that can lead to missed exercise sessions or to program attrition.

Adolescent Tobacco Use: The Protective Effects of Developmental Assets.

Purpose. To examine the effects of 10 youth developmental assets on adolescent tobacco use. Design. Survey of a randomly selected sample using in-home interviewing methodology. Setting. Inner-city areas of two midsized Midwestern cities. Subjects. The researchers studied 1,350 teen-parent pairs. Measures. Demographic information, adolescent self-reported tobacco use, eight developmental asset Likert scales, and two one-item developmental asset measures. Results. The response rate was 51%. Logistic regression results indicate that youth who possess nine of 10 developmental assets examined are significantly less likely to report tobacco use than youth with low levels of assets. Adjusting for youth age, race, gender, parental income and education, and family structure, significant odds ratios include the following: nonparental adult role model, 2.09 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.45, 3.02); peer role models, 2.48 (95% CI = 1.87, 3.29); family communication, 1.73 (95% CI = 1.29, 2.31); use of time (organized groups), 1.77 (95% CI = 1.28, 2.44); use of time (religion), 2.49 (95% CI = 1.86, 3.33); good health practices (exercise/nutrition), 1.61 (95% CI = 1.21, 2.14); community involvement, 1.66 (95% CI = 1.07, 2.58); future aspirations, 2.06 (95% CI = 1.42, 2.99); and responsible choices, 2.21 (95% CI = 1.55, 3.15). Conclusions. The findings of this study support the view that certain developmental assets may serve to protect youth from risk-taking behaviors, particularly tobacco use. Limitations include cross-sectional data and three scales with alphas below .7.

Relationships Among Youth Assets and Neighborhood and Community Resources

Recent research suggests that a youth development framework emphasizing youth assets may be a promising intervention strategy for preventing adolescent risk behaviors. Understanding how neighborhood and community resources relate to youth assets may aid in identifying environmental strategies to complement individually oriented asset-building interventions. In this study, 1,350 randomly selected inner-city youth and their parents (paired interviews) were interviewed in person. After controlling for demographic characteristics of youth and parents using multivariate logistic regression, parental perception of neighborhood safety was associated with the nonparental adult role model asset, peer role model asset, and for African American youth, the community involvement asset. City services and neighborhood services were associated with use of time (groups/sports) and use of time (religion), respectively. Psychological sense of community was associated with community involvement for Native American youth. Findings suggest that neighborhood and community-level influences should be considered when designing youth development interventions to reduce risk behaviors.

The Association Between Multiple Youth Assets and Sexual Behavior

Purpose. To investigate the possible positive cumulative effects that youth assets may have on youth sexual behaviors. Design. Cross-sectional data were collected from a randomly selected population by in-home, in-person interviews. Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test and logistic regression were conducted to determine the potential cumulative effects that youth assets may have on youth sexual behaviors and to test for significant asset by sexual risk behavior trends. Setting. Racially diverse inner-city neighborhoods in two midwestern cities. Subjects. Teenagers (n = 1350; mean age = 15.2 years) and parents of the teenagers (n = 1350). The response rate was 51%. Measures. Demographic factors, nine youth assets, and five sexual behavior outcomes. Results. Significant (p < .05) trends and odds ratios (ORs) were found for three of the five youth sexual behavior outcomes. Youths with more assets were more likely to have never participated in sexual intercourse (OR = 1.32). Of sexually active youths, those with more assets were more likely to have delayed first intercourse until at least 17 years of age (OR = 1.47) and to have used birth control at last sexual intercourse (OR = 1.18). Nonsignificant (p > .05) results were found for current sexual activity and number of sexual partners. Conclusions. The results generally support the notion that the more assets adolescents possess, the more likely they are to engage in positive behavior. Practitioners planning asset-based teenage pregnancy prevention programs might consider promoting several specific youth assets.

School-Related Assets and Youth Risk Behaviors: Alcohol Consumption and Sexual Activity

BACKGROUND Two risk behaviors, alcohol consumption and early initiation of sexual intercourse (ISI), can have devastating consequences for youth. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of school connectedness and school-related behaviors (eg, academic performance, skipping school, getting into trouble at school) with these 2 risk behaviors. METHODS The Youth Asset Survey (YAS) was administered to 1117 youth/parent pairs in their homes using Computer-Assisted Personal/Self-Interviewing (CAPI/CASI). The YAS measures 17 youth assets and risk behaviors including alcohol consumption and sexual activity. RESULTS The mean age of the sample was 14.3 years; 53% were female; and 70% were from 2-parent homes. Five school-related behaviors were positively associated with no ISI. Four school-related behaviors were positively associated with reporting no alcohol consumption in the past 30 days, including the School Connectedness asset (only among 12- to 13-year-olds), not skipping school (only among non-Hispanic Caucasians), staying out of trouble, and paying attention. CONCLUSIONS School is very much a part of the lives of youth and therefore the relationship they have with their school experience is important and may influence their involvement in risk behaviors. Feeling connected to school is a positive asset that can protect youth from such risky behaviors as sexual initiation and alcohol consumption.

The Relationships Among Constructs in the Health Belief Model and the Transtheoretical Model Among African-American College Women for Physical Activity

Purpose. Health Belief Model (HBM) and Transtheoretical Model concepts were used to investigate possible differences in perceptions of physical activity among African-American college women categorized by their stage of physical activity behavior. Methods. A survey was administered to 233 participants to assess their stage of physical activity behavior and HBM perceptions. Analysis of variance was used to investigate possible differences among HBM constructs for each behavior stage. Results. Perceived barriers were significantly higher (p < .05), and perceived severity, cues to action, and self-efficacy were significantly lower in the inactive group than in the active group. For example, perceived barriers were significantly higher in the inactive (mean = 2.3) stage than in the preparation (mean = 2.1), action (mean = 1.9), and maintenance (mean = 1.7) stages of physical activity behavior. Discussion. The results suggest that many perceptions of physical activity differ significantly among stages of behavior in this sample of African-American college women. A limitation was that some scales were modified specifically for this population and were not validated.

Youth Assets and Sexual Risk Behavior: Differences Between Male and Female Adolescents:

Youth internal assets and external resources are protective factors that can help youth avoid potentially harmful behaviors. This study investigates how the relationship between youth assets or resources and two sexual risk behaviors (ever had sex and birth control use) varied by gender. Data were collected through in-home interviews from parent—adolescent dyads, including 1,219 females and 1,116 males. Important differences exist between male and female adolescents. Females with the nonparental role models or the family communication resource were more likely to report never having had sexual intercourse than were females without the resources. Among males, the aspirations for the future and responsible choices assets were associated with never having had sexual intercourse. Males and females had two assets or resources in common that were protective of never having had sex: peer role models and use of time (religion). Considering which youth assets and resources are more likely to positively influence sexual behaviors of males and females may be important when planning prevention programs with youth.