Relationships between personality, an extended theory of planned behaviour model and exercise behaviour

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the theory of planned behaviour's (TPB) mediating hypothesis between the five-factor model of personality and exercise behaviour using an extended TPB model including concepts of affective and instrumental attitude, injunctive and descriptive norm, controllability, and self-efficacy. It was hypothesized that extraversion's activity facet would have a significant direct effect on exercise behaviour while controlling for the TPB, based on the presupposition that activity may represent a disposition that predicts exercise beyond planned behaviour. Design. To test the replicability of these findings, we examined this research question with undergraduate students prospectively and cancer survivors, using a cross-sectional design. Results. Using structural equation modelling, the results indicated that activity had a significant effect (p <.05) on exercise behaviour (study 1 =.20; study 2 =.31) while controlling for the TPB. Conclusions. This study suggests the importance of extraversion's activity facet on exercise behaviour,even when controlling for a TPB model with additional social-cognitive concepts and disparate population samples.