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Cited by 1,041Physical Activity and HealthBehavioral Health and InterventionsAdvanced Causal Inference Techniques

Toward a better understanding of the influences on physical activity

Bauman, Adrian E, Sallis, James F, Dzewaltowski, David A, Owen, Neville·2002·American Journal of Preventive Medicine
DOI 10.1016/s0749-3797(02)00469-5
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Abstract

Background For research on physical activity interventions to progress systematically, the mechanisms of action must be studied. In doing so, the research methods and their associated concepts and terminology become more complex. It is particularly important to clearly distinguish among determinants, correlates, mediators, moderators, and confounder variables used in physical activity research. This article examines the factors that are correlated with and that may have a causal relationship to physical activity. Methods and results We propose that the term "correlate" be used, instead of "determinant," to describe statistical associations or correlations between measured variables and physical activity. Studies of the correlates of physical activity are reviewed. The findings of these studies can help to critique existing theories of health behavior change and can provide hypotheses to be tested in intervention studies from which it is possible to draw causal inferences. Mediator, moderator, and confounder variables can act to influence measured changes in physical activity. Intervening causal variables that are necessary to complete a cause-effect pathway between an intervention and physical activity are termed "mediators." The relationship between an intervention and physical activity behaviors may vary for different groups; the strata by which they vary are levels of "moderators" of the relationship. Other factors may distort or affect the observed relationships between p…

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  • Individuals face numerous barriers in both the adoption and maintenance of a regular exercise program.

    “Accordingly, individuals face numerous barriers in both the adoption and maintenance of a regular exercise program, as evidenced by high levels of physical inactivity (2,3).”

    From Updating ACSM's Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening (2015) · cites this paper as [3]

  • A possible barrier to becoming physically active is the requirement for exercise preparticipation health screening, which may involve a visit to a health care provider and/or diagnostic testing.

    “A possible barrier to becoming physically active is the requirement for exercise preparticipation health screening, which may involve a visit to a health care provider and/or diagnostic testing to potentially identify underlying CAD and other occult CVD (3,16,46).”

    From Updating ACSM's Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening (2015) · cites this paper as [3]

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Authors
Bauman, A. E., Sallis, J. F., Dzewaltowski, D. A., & Owen, N.
Affiliations
  • UNSW Sydney (AU)
  • San Diego State University (US)
  • Kansas State University (US)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
Corresponding author
Bauman, Adrian E
ORCID
Venue
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2002-08
Volume
23
Issue
2
Pages
5-14
ISSN
0749-3797 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0749-3797(02)00469-5
OpenAlex
W2010344760
Cited by
1,041
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 41 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 48 · 2017: 42 · 2016: 62 · 2015: 72 · 2014: 54 · 2013: 78 · 2012: 64
FWCI
15.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • American Journal of Preventive Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD037367, R01 HD37367)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
  • Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Statistics and Probability › Advanced Causal Inference Techniques
Keywords
physical activity, correlates of physical activity, determinants of physical activity, mediators, moderators, confounders, causal inference, health behavior change theories, physical activity interventions, terminology
MeSH terms
Behavioral Sciences, Choice Behavior, Health Promotion, Humans, Physical Fitness, Research Design, Health Behavior, Causality, Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic

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